Jump to content

Articles

Our website articles

Chris
Notts County will begin the 2017/18 League Two season with a trip to Coventry City on Saturday 5 August.
As fixtures go, it is arguably one of the trickiest propositions for the Magpies, with the Sky Blues coming down from League One the previous season.
Things do not get easier either, with local rivals Chesterfield coming to Meadow Lane a week later in County's first home game of the campaign.
In terms of the other first local clashes of the season, Lincoln City will head to the Lane on 23 September, while Mansfield Town are the opponents at the One Call a week later.
The regular season will then finish with a home game against Luton Town on 5 May.
Here is a list of all the fixtures.

Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Edited 21 hours ago by Joe Jones (show revisions)
Chris
With Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi both signing the contract extensions offered to them by Notts County, it dismisses my concerns over who can lead the Magpies front line during the 2017-18 season.
The majority of fans I know were quietly confident about both of them signing, but I had my doubts and I thought it would be just one of the two staying put.
Yet it is fantastic news that Kevin Nolan has successfully managed to retain them both, they showed us last season what a hard-working duo could do up front.
Even when they didn’t play together, they allowed a poor Magpie squad to bounce back and shine after the 10-game losing run in League Two.
Both players have a wealth of experience, each has something vastly different in their locker and I feel that they can be the key to passing the torch on and for this historic club to find their own natural goalscorer.
We all know it’s very unlikely that they will have the engines to play game after game from August to May - we have to accept that we will need someone else to step in for one or even both from time to time.
This isn’t a negative for me, I firmly feel it presents a perfect opportunity for Notts to recruit a young upcoming striker who can thrive as an understudy to the pair.
Stead has recently expressed his concern with the Notts squad, sending out a message that most fans will only know too well.
He said in relation to requiring a couple of 15-20+ goalscorers, "we are going to need a couple of them. I know the manager is working to get players in and I still think we are a little bit light. I think we need three or four more players in then we can have a right go."
There’s no denying we need more strength in depth in certain departments, yet a concern for me is injury up top and a lack of a pacey, speedy threat.
Aaron Collins would be the perfect example of someone young who fit the mould, he arrived with few expectations from my own opinion but quickly highlighted to me why he fitted the bill.
I feel Nolan should identify a young striker of that calibre who can fill the void and take the strain off Stead and Ameobi.
I’m not expecting fireworks from the off, yet it would be a great blessing to know we have depth throughout the squad and I feel the pair offer a lot of attraction to other potential signings – if we were able to get some creativity on the flanks and centre of midfield, for example.
Providing we strengthen the defence properly and allow the attacking players to do their thing, then I don’t see why a young striker couldn’t thrive at Meadow Lane.
I realise that we require a squad of about 22-25 players, but having the quality and depth in the squad will be paramount to Notts having a successful go this upcoming campaign.
Honestly, Notts should be far more hardworking – the question right now is all down to where the creativity will come from?
Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Shola Ameobi has joined Notts County strike partner Jon Stead in extending his contract at Meadow Lane.
The former Newcastle United marksman joined the Magpies in the January 2017 transfer window and quickly became a fan favourite.
Playing under former teammate Kevin Nolan, he flourished in the Notts team and played a big part in their revival, scoring four times in 17 games.
Ameobi told the official Notts site: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club so far and I'm excited for what next season holds in store.
"I've been taken aback by the support of the fans, who have welcomed me into their club with open arms, and I'm determined to help make the 2017-18 campaign an enjoyable and successful one for them."
Nolan, meanwhile, said: "Not only did Shola make a huge impact on the pitch and in the dressing room, but he is also a big hit with our supporters.
"When a player of his quality and experience decides he wants to stay, it shows you are doing something right as a football club.
"It's great that the players have bought into what we want to try and do here. We now have the rest of the summer to look at ways we can develop and improve the squad."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Jon Stead has reiterated his desire to fire Notts County to the upper regions of the League Two table, for the fans and the club as well as for himself.
The 34-year-old was rumoured to be on the way out of Meadow Lane, with offers to join clubs all around the world, but he will be a Magpie next season after penning a new deal.
Stead admits that things spiralled out of control last season, but with Alan Hardy as owner and Kevin Nolan as manager, he believes things will kick on in 2017-18.
He told the Nottingham Post: "I want to be successful. I've had plenty of relegations and not many promotions.
"I want to be competing at the top end of the table season in, season out. I want that success and I want to do that here at Notts.
"I've got a great relationship with the club and the fans. They know I give it everything and that won't change.
"When I signed a couple of seasons ago, everything started well enough and looked promising.
"Suddenly things don't go to plan, things start to spiral and it looks as if it will go out of control. But the turnaround has been massive.
"It's huge for the club to have an owner with a real passion for the club. There's a real buzz about the place and it's great to be a part of."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Curtis Thompson has become the latest player to pen a new contract at Notts County.
The 23-year-old has made 96 appearances for the Magpies having progressed through the club's academy and is believed to have penned a deal until the end of the 2017-18 season.
Thompson told the official Notts website: "I am delighted to be staying and I am looking forward to next season.
"I had some setbacks last season with a long-term injury and getting a red card against Crawley but this is a fresh start.
"Towards the end of the season the boys were getting good results so it's good to be staying with them."
Notts boss Kevin Nolan added: "I am very pleased Curtis has decided his future lies with us.
"He is a player with a great deal of potential and I'm looking forward to helping him continue his development here at Meadow Lane."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Jon Stead has set himself a target of 20 goals for Notts County next season, but insists that the squad needs to be strengthened ahead of the new campaign.
The 34-year-old put pen to paper on a new contract at Meadow Lane believed to be until the end of next season and, following his 14-goal turnaround in League Two in 2016-17, he wants to do even better going forward.
However, he says the Magpies need two players capable of it if they are to seriously become contenders for a promotion challenge next season.
"I want to be front and centre stage and playing a massive part of next season," he told the Nottingham Post. "The gaffer sees me playing a big part and I want to be hitting 20 goals next season.
"That's got to be the target and if we are going to be challenging then we are going to need somebody who scores 15 to 20 goals.
"In fact we are going to need a couple of them. I know the manager is working to get players in and I still think we are a little bit light. I think we need three or four more players in then we can have a right go.
"This is no disrespect to the players who have played in the wide positions over the last couple of seasons, but it has been something we have lacked.
"We have had good technical players, but they haven't been authentic wide players or those who get bums off seats.
"Lewis was a real handful when we played Hartlepool last season so to get those players in through the door is only going to help.
"It will certainly help me and I am sure the manager and the board are working hard behind the scenes to add more. There's still plenty of time yet to sign more players."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
As we know all too well, a footballer's credentials for his club do not always translate into international recognition. And the England squad is littered with such examples over the years.
Take Matt Le Tissier. One of the most talented players the nation has ever produced, he simply wasn't given the chance to do for the Three Lions what he did with Southampton. Likewise Chris Sutton, one half of the SAS strike partnership at Blackburn Rovers, was not really considered by England and only won one cap.
And the same goes for managers - although praising Brian Clough is done so through gritted teeth on this here website, nobody can deny that he was overlooked by England as both a player (he was a prolific forward in his playing days) and as a manager.
But in all fairness, this has been going on for the last century. Between 1905 and 1925, Notts County had on their books arguably the finest goalkeeper in the country, Albert Iremonger, but he never won a single England cap.
Born in Wilford on 15 June 1884, he was one of three siblings, alongside older brother James and younger brother Harry.
Needless to say, the Iremonger brothers were blessed genetically. All of them grew up to be around 6'5" in height, which is considered very tall even nowadays, never mind a century ago when people were considerably shorter.
Indeed, they all became leading footballers of the time, with James playing 301 times for Forest, while Harry turned out 11 times for the Reds, and Albert and James also played cricket for Nottinghamshire.
With regards to Albert, he began with local club Nottingham Jardines Athletic before signing for Notts in 1905 and making his debut against Sheffield Wednesday on April 1.

Seen as a giant with "hands like the claws of a JCB", Iremonger's physique was effectively the template for many future goalkeepers to this day - tall, athletic, strong and imposing, if a little on the skinny side. Think Thibaut Courtois.
And another common goalkeeping trait we see nowadays is temperament - they say you have to be crazy to be in goal, or at the very least display a bit of fire, and indeed, Iremonger was well known to be outspoken on the pitch.
He would often leave his goalmouth to argue decisions made by match officials, sometimes heading all the way up to the centre circle to do so.
If you think this would be a bit excessive nowadays, just imagine how he would have been deemed a century ago, in a much more gentlemanly era. Indeed, this fiery temperament is what supposedly stopped Iremonger from ever winning an England cap.

The Arsenal goalkeeping great Bob Wilson recalled a story about Iremonger, as quoted in The Telegraph: "Iremonger took a penalty and the kick hit the crossbar with such force the ball went back over his head. Iremonger, a lanky stick insect, then raced back to retrieve the ball and in doing so struck a perfect shot into the top corner of his own goal."
There is even an anecdote which claims that, in a 1912 game against Arsenal, he wasted time sitting on the ball in the middle of the game. The referee tried various things, the last hope was to scare him away with a firework (yes, you read that right) but it failed, and the game was abandoned.
However, he also had a kindly side - another Telegraph article, which like the above picture, calls him Albert Ironmonger, claimed he "repelled opposing forwards simply by looking at them and then tossed dolly mixtures to kids in the crowd like a favourite uncle."
But while personality and anecdotes are subjective, Iremonger's stats in the game are undisputable (well, for the most part, as you're about to read on).
He was the Magpies' first-choice goalkeeper for 20 years, played a total of 601 games for them - a record unbroken to this day - and played in over 200 consecutive league and cup games (different sources specify different amounts, but the below cigarette card lists it as 204, so let's go with that).

His exceptional performances earned him a Football League cap in 1912 (back in the days where you'd literally win a cap which could be placed on your head).
When the First World War broke out, Iremonger served in the Footballer's Battalion, a colloquial term for the men who were contracted to football clubs - they were originally refused permission to join the Army but the clubs relented under media pressure - and fought under the badge of the Middlesex Regiment. Iremonger fought alongside brother Harry, and both brothers survived the war.
In 1925, Iremonger's time at Meadow Lane came to an end, and a year later, the 42-year-old became Lincoln City's oldest ever player. Although he was a short-term signing, he impressed in his 35 appearances for the club until 1927, after which he retired from the game.
Later in life, Iremonger became a landlord, first of the Cremorne in the Meadows and later the Ferry Inn in his native Wilford. Unfortunately, tragedy was to strike during the Second World War when his son, 1920-born Albert Harvey Iremonger, was killed in action in 1943 aged just 23.
Iremonger's story ends on 9 March 1958, when he passed away aged 73, but his legacy carries on to this day - the road behind Meadow Lane is named after him.
Sure, he may not have been able to make his mark with England, but let's face it - his place in Notts County and Nottinghamshire sporting history is 100 percent assured. He lived all his life in the region, and he will forever be remembered as a prodigal son of Nottinghamshire.

Share your thoughts about this Notts Alumni feature article about Albert Iremonger on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Notts County are looking for two fans aged between 7 and 14 to help with the launch of the new team kit.
The club shared an article on its official website to announce they they are to give two Magpie-supporting youngsters the chance to star in a short film as part of the reveal, and will also be the first people to see the new Puma kit for 2017-18.
The statement read: "To be in with a chance of taking part, simply film a short video (approximately 20 – 40 seconds) explaining why you should be the first person to see the brand-new shirt.
"You may wish to predict what the new home and away kits will look like, or even reminisce over your favourite ever Notts shirt.
"Please send your video to [email protected], including 'Kit Reveal' in the subject line and supplying the following details:

- Child's full name
- Contact parent/guardian's full name
- Child's age
- Address
"The two winners will need to be available for filming on Tuesday 20 June and Wednesday 21 June.
"Filming will be late afternoon to fit around school times, and will take place at the winners' homes."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Jon Stead has elaborated on his decision to reject interest from all around the world to sign a new Notts County contract and promised that there is more to come from him next season.
During the 2016-17 campaign, the 34-year-old was the Magpies' highest scorer with 14 goals, and he won the League Two Player of the Month award for September.
There was interest from the United States for Stead, who was sidelined by injury midway through the season, but he has now committed his future to Meadow Lane by signing a new deal believed to be for one more year.
Stead told the Nottingham Post: "(Nolan) was obviously pleased I had signed but he made it clear from the day he walked through the door that he wanted me to be a part of his journey.
"As a player you want to be made to feel important by your manager and that was another reason as to why I decided to stay.
"I made the decision to stay about two-and-a-half weeks ago. I had been on holiday and had also been away from the club for two to three weeks. Being away from everything certainly helped give me clarity to decide what I was going to do.
"And even up until Thursday, I was still getting messages containing offers from clubs across the world. I had a couple in Sweden, then one to play in the Indian Super League, and obviously I spoke to quite a few clubs in America too.
"I just felt in the end that Notts felt right, but it took a lot of sleepless nights. It was not just a big decision for my career, but also my life. It's a massive undertaking to move abroad and I just felt that I wasn't ready to let go of the Football League.
"There's definitely more to come from me next season."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Chris
Jon Stead has put pen to paper on a new contract at Notts County.
During the 2016-17 campaign, the 34-year-old was the Magpies' highest scorer with 14 goals, and he won the League Two Player of the Month award for September.
There was interest from the United States for Stead, who was sidelined by injury midway through the season, but he has now committed his future to Meadow Lane and he says he is "delighted" with the decision.
He told the official club site: "It took me a while to make sure it was the right thing for me and the family, but it definitely is and I can't wait to get going.
"I want to be here. It's exciting times - there's a real buzz about the place. You don't want to be looking from the outside and wishing you'd been involved.
"I know the gaffer sees me playing a big part in his team and that's all you want to hear as a player."
Manager Kevin Nolan added: "He doesn't only bring goals, but his all-round play, experience and professionalism are first class.
"He's the type of player any manager would love to have in their dressing room."
It is unconfirmed how long the new deal is for, but it is believed to be for one year.
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Nottingham musician Jake Bugg has been named as one of the Notts County shirts sponsors for next season.
The 23-year-old, born and bred in Clifton, is a well-known name in the British music industry, having scored a UK number one album with his self-titled debut, while his two follow-ups charted in the nation's top five.
A Magpies fan, it has now been revealed that his name will be emblazoned across the Notts shirts in November, as part of the club's monthly sponsorship plan.
On Thursday, Notts announced each of the monthly shirt sponsors for the 2017-18 season.
The official club website also confirmed that the team's new Puma replica shirts will be available to purchase without a sponsor and that supporters will be able to have any of the 10 logos applied at no cost.

List of Notts County 2017-18 season shirt sponsors:
August: Mace Sport
September: Premier Electrical Services
October: SG Sports Gateway
November: Jake Bugg
December: Showcase Cinema De Lux
January: Eversheds Sutherland
February: The Senator Group
March: Bassingfield Woodyard
April: Premier Facilities Maintenance
Cup matches: Paragon Interiors Group
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has claimed that Notts County will be on standby to possibly re-sign Jorge Grant on loan should he fail to cement a first-team place at Nottingham Forest.
The 22-year-old was on the fringes of the Reds first team in the previous campaign but, when taken on by Kevin Nolan midway through the season, had a huge impact.
Grant made 17 appearances and scored six goals from midfield to give the Magpies a huge shot in the arm and ended up surviving relegation from League Two with several games to spare.
As a reward, he was offered a new three-year contract at the City Ground, which he signed, but Hardy wrote in his weekly Nottingham Post column that Notts would be in pole position to take him on temporarily once again.
He wrote: "Obviously we had been hoping to sign him permanently because he's such a fantastic talent, but as soon as Forest put that deal on the table, I knew he was going to sign it.
"If I was in his position, I would have done exactly the same because, let's face it, how many three-year contracts get handed out these days?
"They are incredibly rare and at 22, Jorge is at that age where he needs to be settled and allowed to purely concentrate on his football.
"From what I understand, Mark Warburton, the Forest manager, has told all the players it is a clean slate, which obviously puts Jorge in an exciting position.
"He will now go away hoping to force his way into the first team, and I hope he is afforded the chance to prove himself over the course of pre-season.
"With the new owner in place and the manager, Warburton, having his first full transfer window to make new signings, that could mean Jorge is pushed down the pecking order.
"If that proves to be the case and there is a chance that he will go out on loan again, then we will be the first in the queue.
"I would absolutely love to have Jorge back at Notts if the chance arises again, but you can't begrudge him a shot of trying to get into Forest's first team.
"But there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that his performances for us at Notts were pivotal in Forest's decision to award him a new contract.
"If he had just been sitting on the bench and had not signed for us, the likelihood of him earning a three-year deal would have been extremely remote.
"I know Jorge thoroughly enjoyed his time here with us. The supporters loved him and he was a credit to himself during the few months he was here.
"He is a lovely lad who can sprinkle stardust on a game so it's a situation we will be constantly monitoring as we look to make new signings."
To read the rest of Alan Hardy's Nottingham Post column this week, click here.
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Notts County have received positive feedback from Arsenal for how they coached Marc Bola during his loan spell at Meadow Lane, Alan Hardy has claimed.
The 19-year-old left-back joined the Magpies on loan in January and impressed in his 13 appearances for Kevin Nolan's side.
With Notts now likely more in good stead with clubs higher up the football pyramid due to their credentials in handling and nurturing young loanees, it is an avenue that the Magpies owner is looking to pursue.
"Marc was a huge success for us and he produced some excellent performances," Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
"I received some lovely correspondence from Arsenal saying that he had learned so much from his time with us.
"It's good to know we can help these players develop, while obviously helping us at the same time.
"The loan market is something we will use before the window shuts and the manager already has targets in mind.
"I think the Premier League clubs know that if they send their players to us, we will give them games and ultimately help them develop."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
So it's set in stone - Jorge Grant had signed a new three-year deal at Nottingham Forest.
Naturally I was pretty gutted - for weeks I had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, the Reds would have thought "nah, we don't really need him - let's just let him go". And then Grant would have opted to remain in Nottingham and signed for Notts County, and we could have celebrated a pretty spectacular coup from Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan.
But let's be realistic for a moment. Why would Forest decide to just let a 22-year-old academy product, that is already on their books, and has shown vast improvement in just a few months on loan in a team in a challenging division, which at the time of joining was fighting for its Football League future, and contributed to their eventual survival, and over the next few seasons could go on to become Premier League quality - why would they let him walk away for nothing?
As own goals go, that wouldn't even be Chris Brass or Jamie Pollock level - it would be full-on Theresa May (although I'm sure Forest would at least get the timing of the Mexican wave right).
In terms of Grant's own future, he's come through the ranks at the City Ground, so it's pretty natural for him to want to cement a first-team place at the team which has nurtured him throughout the years, plus with them still being in the Championship and, crucially, under new ownership, there is that renewed hope (for them lot anyway) that Forest might go on an upward trajectory.
So yeah, it's a massive shame that the outcome hasn't quite gone the way I - and all other Notts fans - would have wanted. But we've got to look at the positives. In terms of Grant's services, he *could* yet be dispatched on loan again next season at Meadow Lane, so there is always that hope, no matter how slender.
And even if he doesn't, I will take solace in something that Hardy said a while back which, though somewhat controversial, makes perfect logical business sense - the strengthening of relations between Forest and Notts.
Yes, I would rather put deep heat on my unmentionables than be seen in a Forest top, and yes, I will carry on singing about it always being a faeces-related expletive on the red side of the Trent, and when chanting about Nottingham being full of fun, the third item on the list (won't mention the first two, family site and all that) will always be County instead of that other team.
But in terms of the relationship between the two clubs at community and at boardroom level, it helps to have the two teams on good terms. And the Grant loan not only gave Notts impetus to go on to survive in the Football League, but it also allowed the player himself to flourish and, with a new season on the horizon, Forest have themselves a much-improved player that could potentially spearhead a turnaround in their recent fortunes.
And as for Grant himself, he never even had to leave the city, which saved him having to leave his family and friends behind, faff around trying to find new accomodation, get used to a new part of the country and so on and so on.
And that kind of thing does not go unnoticed, so there's every chance that other loan dealings can be sorted out to the benefit of all three parties (Notts, Forest, and player), which can only be a good thing.
So as much at it sucks having that sliver of hope regarding Grant potentially becoming a permanent Notts player taken away, I'm looking at the bigger picture and it's very much reassuring - in the short and long term, it's proven a success story for all three parties.
Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
Jorge Grant has thanked Notts County for having taken him on loan last season and playing a huge part in helping him win a new Nottingham Forest contract.
The 22-year-old was on the fringes of the Reds first team in the previous campaign but, when taken on by Kevin Nolan midway through the season, had a huge impact.
Grant made 17 appearances and scored six goals from midfield to give the Magpies a huge shot in the arm and ended up surviving relegation from League Two with several games to spare.
His loan spell at Meadow Lane ultimately saw Forest offer him a new three-year contract, which he signed this week, and he admits he probably wouldn't have had that chance were it not for his successful Notts spell.
"I loved it (at Notts). I've got to thank the chairman, the manager and the players," Grant told the Forest website.
"They've helped me get to the position I'm in with the new contract. I owe them a massive thanks and the fans were amazing.
"I didn't get the chance to go week in, week out here, but I did over the road and I got a few goals. I played some of my best football so hopefully I can do that here.
"I don't want to go back to not playing so I'm going to go give it my all in pre-season and hopefully impress the manager."
Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

About PON

Pride of Nottingham

Pride of Nottingham is an independent fansite devoted to Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club. Created in 2013, it has served as a source of Magpie news, features, match previews, reports, analysis and interviews for more than three years.

Support PON

Enjoy our content? Want to help us grow? Your donation will go a long way towards improving the site!

donate-pon.png

Meet the Team

Chris Chris Administrators
super_ram super_ram Global Moderators
DangerousSausage DangerousSausage Global Moderators
CliftonMagpie CliftonMagpie Global Moderators

Social Media

×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Pride of Nottingham uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To approve, simply continue using the site or click 'I accept' Terms of Use.