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Notts County 1 - 0 Crawley Town

The rollercoaster ride, the saga, the odyssey has experienced yet another twist, because Notts County, down and out more times than we care to remember this season, have secured yet another three points,and yet another opportunity to survive relegation, with a frantic, dramatic 1-0 win against Crawley Town.

A solitary header from Jimmy Spencer in the 34th minute secured the ever-so-crucial spoils for the Magpies, but the Red Devils made it difficult by coming at County time and time again, chance after chance being thwarted by the home side.
After a scrappy first three minutes of the match, Notts were first to threaten when Jack Grealish and Alan Sheehan combined in the final third, but the Irish left-back’s cross was cleared.
Just a minute later, Bartosz Bialkowski had to be alert to thwart headers by Joe Walsh and Jamie Proctor.
Despite Crawley dominating possession in the early stages, neither side was particularly strong in the final third, with Notts sending too many overhit balls into the Red Devils box.
In the 18th minute, however, Spencer had a great chance to put Notts in front, but his header, following a JCR cross, flew just wide.
Gwion Edwards replied almost immediately for the away side with a powerful long-range shot, but Bart was equal to it.
Just before the half-hour mark, Jack Grealish was fouled in the Crawley box, but with the referee deciding to play advantage, Ronan Murray and Callum McGregor were in line to register efforts on goal, which were saved and off target respectively.
Eventually, the breakthrough came just six minutes later, and luckily, it fell to the Magpies. Sheehan’s free kick on the far side of the box was met by the head of Spencer, the ball thumped downwards into the bottom left corner from close range. Cue wild celebration from the Meadow Lane faithful.
The home side could have scored again immediately after their goal, but Sheehan’s low 35-yard effort was flagged offside after Murray nearly turned the ball in.
The remainder of the half saw the Red Devils push forward in a bid to pull a goal back, but failed to register any concrete chances on goal, and so the half finished with Notts a goal to the good.
 
The second half would prove an exercise in extreme backs-to-the-wall defending and lucky escapes.
In the opening stages of the second period, Mike Jones whipped the ball across the Notts goal, but nobody could get on the end of it, before not one, not two, but three consecutive corners tested the home side’s defensive mettle.
In the 52nd minute, Notts should have been a goal down, as Bart made a mistake before rectifying it with a wonderful save. The action ended with Haydn Hollis clearing the ball off the line.
The whole Magpies back line was imperious on this day, with tackles and clearances aplenty, and despite Bart’s earlier mistake, he more than made amends for it with another stunning save in the 67th minute from Gary Dicker.
Everything but the kitchen sink continued to be thrown at Notts, but Crawley just couldn’t get that all-important goal back, and when the final whistle went, Notts had secured all three points and a renewed opportunity to maybe, just maybe, survive relegation to the bottom tier of English football.
Joe Jones

Stat Attack: Notts County v Crawley Town

Notts County have only ever played Crawley Town three times in their history. The first ever fixture between the two was a year and a half ago, on the 10th November 2012.

This milestone first meeting between the two, played at Meadow Lane, finished 1-1. Meanwhile the return fixture, played away on the 9th March 2013, ended as a goalless draw.
 
This season, at the turn of last year, we lost 1-0 to the Red Devils, a result that saw us drop to the foot of League One.
Crawley Town have been a non-league side for the majority of their history – ten years ago, while Notts were struggling to survive in the old Second Division, Crawley had just been promoted from the Southern Football League!
Crawley have won plenty of silverware in their history, though the majority of it is amateur-based. This changed when they won the Conference National title in 2011 and the League Two title just a year later.
 
2010-11 was a record-breaking season not just for Crawley, but also for the Conference. The West Sussex club broke the points total in one season (105) and tie with other teams for most wins in one season (31), fewest defeats (3), and highest goal difference (+63).
Because of this season, alongside the funds they had to buy players and an unlikable manager (Steve Evans), they were known as “the Manchester United of non-league football”.
Crawley have the smallest stadium in League One; the Broadfield Stadium holds a meagre 5,996 people – nearly 800 fewer than the next smallest, Stevenage’s Lamex Stadium. You could fit just over three and a half Broadfields inside Meadow Lane!
The town of Crawley is known for being close - just three miles in fact - to Gatwick Airport, the world's busiest single-runway international airport.
 
Famous people who have links to Crawley include Australian footballer Kevin Muscat (born in Crawley), Gareth Southgate (attended the town's Hazelwick School), English rock band The Cure (formed in Crawley, several of its members attended St Wilfrid's RC School) and Gorillaz lead singer 2D (a fictional character, his back story claims he grew up in the town).
 
Shaun Derry has a fully fit squad to choose from for tomorrow's crucial fixture.
Defenders Mustapha Dumbuya and Gareth Roberts, midfielders Callum McGregor and Andre Boucaud, and forwards Tyrell Waite and Nathan Tyson are options for the manager.
Meanwhile, Crawley Town will be without Paul Connolly and Billy Clarke. The former is serving a five-match ban following his recent altercation with a Brentford fan, while the latter has a broken hand.
John Gregory has no other injury or suspension worries. Jamie Proctor, Gary Dicker and Sergio Torres will be among the players pushing to return to the starting line up.
 
Put simply - we need to win tomorrow, otherwise we are as good as relegated.
Joe Jones

Everton Ladies 0 - 2 Notts County Ladies

Notts County Ladies have secured their first ever win in the Women’s Super League, and rose to the top of the FAWSL1 table, after seeing off Everton 2-0 in today’s game at the Halton Stadium in Widnes.

The game saw early pressure from the Lady Pies, who found themselves dispossessing their opponents within the first minute and launching a speculative cross into the area, which was cleared.
Just three minutes later, Jess Clarke forced a corner, and from the subsequent set piece, broke the deadlock to give the away side the lead, courtesy of a header from Katie Holtham.
The Toffees goalkeeper, Rachel Brown-Finnis, got a touch, but only succeeded in deflecting the ball onto the post and into the back of the net.
The versatile Dunia Susi was a constant thorn in Everton’s side, marauding into the opposition box on several occasions and sending dangerous passes which had to be frantically cleared.
The home side didn’t threaten Notts until the 14th minute, when Nikita Parris broke through the Magpies backline, but goalkeeper Carly Telford did enough to put off the marauding forward, whose lob soared over the crossbar and out of play.
Midway through the first half, Susi managed to beat three Everton players but was thwarted by Gabrielle George in the box before she could cause more havoc.
The Lady Pies then doubled their lead just before half time, much to the disappointment of the home crowd (but to the delight of the visiting fans) when Clarke, arguably one of County’s best players in the Arsenal draw four days ago, applied the finish to a ricocheting corner.
 
The second half saw Notts threaten within four minutes of the restart, when Clarke broke into the Toffees box and launched a dangerous that was poorly cleared into the path of Laura Jane-O'Neill.
The youngster set up the ever-dangerous Susi, but she was unable to keep the ball down.
After a somewhat quiet spell, Clarke was able to break from the halfway line in the 71st minute, powering forward into the box and firing just wide.
Beleaguered Everton, second best throughout most of the game, were able to fashion a dangerous change when Kelly Jones was clean through on goal having beaten Telford, but O’Neill conjured up a great Liddle-esque headed clearance off the line to bail out her teammate.
The rest of the game was all Notts, who could have run away with the game through dangerous chances from Rachel Corsie, Susi and Clarke, but as the final whistle blew on a 2-0 away win, the Lady Pies could not be happier with the display and the scoreline nonetheless.
The result means that the Lady Pies climb to the top of the eight-team FAWSL1 on four points, the same as Chelsea and Liverpool but with a superior goal difference.
You heard it first on Pride of Nottingham – Notts County on top of the league, above Chelsea and Liverpool! COYLP!!
Joe Jones

Bristol City 2 - 1 Notts County

Notts County’s survival hopes were seriously dented after losing 2-1 away at Bristol City this afternoon, thanks to a brace from Sam Baldock. The Magpies were dominant throughout the game but conspired to concede twice against the run of play, despite Haydn Hollis’s response on the half-hour mark, to leave Ashton Gate empty-handed.

Following Hollis’s one-game ban, the defender returned to the starting XI to partner Hayden Mullins at the heart of the back four. Alan Sheehan returned to left-hand side of defence, while Gareth Roberts dropped to the bench.
The away side, one place above the relegation zone and out of the bottom four on goal difference, were quickest out of the starting blocks and exerted the most pressure in the early stages, even if the best chance fell to Bristol, with Baldock beating Hollis and threading the ball through to Martin Paterson, who fired over from 10 yards.
Notts responded by earning themselves four corners in quick succession, but against the run of play, City took the lead in the 13th minute when Paterson picked out Baldock at the far post, the 25-year-old opening up his body to side-foot home from close-range and net his 24th goal of the season.
The away side responded in positive fashion, Jack Grealish arriving just a little too late to finish off a Ronan Murray cross, while Sheehan produced two long-range efforts and forced a block from Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and a save from Simon Moore.
Eventually, the breakthrough for the Magpies came just before the half-hour mark, when a Sheehan corner was met by a powerful close-range Hollis header to make the scoreline 1-1.
City went close to regaining the lead shortly before half time, Marlon Pack picking out Baldock with a brilliant cross-field pass. The team’s leading scorer surged past Sheehan, only to be foiled by Bartosz Bialkowski, who rushed from his line to make a crucial save with his feet.
 
In the early stages of the second half, County would continue to have the better of the game, with Karleigh Osborne having to be alert to deny Hollis another header on goal from a Sheehan set-piece delivery.
City almost fell behind when keeper Moore fumbled an innocuous shot from Jimmy Spencer, but recovered in the nick of time to push the ball away from the marauding Murray.
County continued to create the more clear-cut openings and Spencer was inches off target with a fiercely struck shot that flew inches over the bar, while Moore had to make a save low to his left to push away an effort from Callum McGregor.
Grealish then went agonisingly close to giving them the lead, curling his shot inches wide of the post from the edge of the penalty area.
Just when it seemed that City would have been lucky to settle for a point, they were gifted a dramatic winning goal against the run of play.
Bialkowski should have dealt with a long ball played straight down the middle of the pitch, but he flapped at it and allowed Baldock to steal in and fire into an empty net from 10 yards out.
The result means that Bristol City are all but safe, while Notts County slip back into the relegation zone in 22nd place and three points from safety.
Monday will be absolutely crucial now. Is the Great Escape still on.
Joe Jones

Arsenal LFC - Action Shots

Yesterday Notts County LFC kicked off their season at Meadow Lane to Arsenal LFC, over 1,583 fans queued to get into see the ladies play and the overall impression was very impressive. Notts County started off by taking the lead, Jess Clarke perfectly timed a run and scored a good goal.

Arsenal LFC pulled level from Alex Scott.

You can read our full match report - Here. Enjoy the gallery COYLP's!
 
Mobile Users please visit | Gallery.
 
Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Oskar Papierz for allowing us use of his images, we wish him all the best his photography. Here's his Facebook page and Website.
Chris

Stat Attack: Bristol City v Notts County

Notts County and Bristol City have faced each other a gargantuan 104 times over their history. This is because both clubs have been regularly playing each other since the 1900s.

Bristol City only just hold the upper edge, having won 41 games to Notts's 39. 24 matches have been drawn.

The first clash between the two took place on the 22nd December 1906 in Division One, Bristol City winning 3-2.
The city of Bristol is the largest metro area in England never to have won the English top tier championship.
City won the Welsh Cup – despite being an English club – in 1934.
In 1982, Bristol City became the first English club to suffer three consecutive relegations.
Ashton Gate is the only ground in the English football league not to accommodate executive boxes, and is so far the only football ground in the UK which has “safe standing” rail seats.
Bristol City shares the English football league record for consecutive wins, notching up 14 wins in a row during the 1905-06 season. This record is shared with Arsenal, Manchester United, and Preston North End.
 
Despite their underachievements, Bristol City is supported by some notable celebrities, including John Cleese of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame, Formula 1 great Jenson Button, and actor Russell Crowe.
In 1497, John Cabot set sail in his ship, the Matthew, on a journey of discovery in which he reached mainland America. King Henry VI had ordered the then Sheriff of Bristol, Richard Ameryck, who some believe America was named after, to find the funds for Cabot’s journey.
Ribena was invented at the National Fruit & Cider Institute in Long Ashton. As sources of vitamin C dwindled during World War II, Bristol researchers found blackcurrants were the best alternative to oranges and Ribena was born.
Famous people who originate from Bristol include actors Cary Grant and Dave Prowse (aka Darth Vader), comedians Lee Evans, Bill Bailey, Matt Lucas, David Walliams and John Cleese, musicians Massive Attack, Roni Size, Portishead, Bananarama and Neneh Cherry, and graffiti artist Banksy.
Former Rams goalkeeper Frank Fielding is understood to be resting, after the narrow 1-0 win at Walsall with a bicep injury, instead Simon Moore will retain his starting position.
Winger Joe Bryan is also doubtful with a knee injury.
Midfielder Josh Vela is available for Notts County after he signed a month-long loan extension which keeps him with the Magpies until the end of the season. Whilst defender Haydn Hollis is set to return from a one-match ban.
Notts County just outside of the relegation zone by goal difference, while City are seven points clear with four matches remaining.
Bristol City are offering to refund tickets purchased for the game up until kick-off following the club's decision to move the fixture with only a week's notice.
Joe Jones

Notts County Ladies 1 - 1 Arsenal Ladies

Notts County's first ever game in the FA Women's Super League finished 1-1, as over 1500 fans at Meadow Lane saw the Lady Pies take on Arsenal, one of the most decorated women's teams ever, and secure a draw and a point after taking them all the way. The game went through the motions in the opening stages, but in the 10th minute, Jess Clarke was able to weave her way through the Arsenal defence before firing just wide.
Clarke would continue to cause havoc in the Gunners back line, curling an effort wide just past the quarter-hour mark before attempting a shot from distance five minutes later.
It wasn’t just the 24-year-old winger who proved a handful for the away side – Emma Mitchell had to be at her best to thwart the marauding Dunia Susi in the 25th minute.
Then came the breakthrough, and much to the delight of the home fans, it fell to Notts, as the ever-dangerous Clarke beat her marker and curled an effort past Emma Byrne for the first goal of the match and the first ever Notts County WSL goal.
Arsenal, one of the league’s strongest teams, were determined to overhaul the deficit, and just after the half-hour mark could have pulled one back, but Kelly Smith’s effort, following good work from Shinobu Ono, soared over the bar.
Towards the end of the first half, Clarke’s free kick fell to the head of Sophie Bradley, but unfortunately the effort flew wide. Nevertheless, the Lady Pies were leading 1-0 at the break.
 
The Arsenal half time team talk must have invigorated the players, because they were more menacing in the second period. Leah Williamson saw her header tipped away by Notts keeper Carly Telford just four minutes into the half, but worse was to come.
In the 54th minute, Ono’s effort was blocked, but the ball fell to Alex Scott, who then unleashed a fierce volley past Telford to make it 1-1.
From then on it was virtually all Arsenal, as Danielle Carter, Rachel Yankey and Kelly Smith all had chances to score around the hour mark, while in the 72nd minute, Smith’s pinpoint free kick smashed against the underside of the bar before being cleared off the line.
Notts, with their backs to the wall, survived an effort that had goal written all over it with just five minutes to go in the game – Freda Ayisi’s shot was cleared off the line by Bradley, with the rebound falling to Scott whose improvised effort was then deflected onto the bar and subsequently cleared in a flurry of franticness.
That proved to be the last significant action of the game, and as the final whistle blew on a pulsating encounter, the home side surely would have been happy to secure a draw against such tough starting opposition.
As it stands, only four of the eight teams comprising the FA Women's Super League have played their first fixture, and alongside Notts County and Arsenal, Birmingham City and Everton also drew 1-1.
Joe Jones

Notts County 4 - 2 Port Vale

Wow. That is today's game summed up in one word, though there are plenty of superlatives that would also be used, such as "exhilarating", "thrilling", "epic"... Notts fans today went through the whole gambit of emotions, from hope, to deflation, to despair, back to hope, then through to joy, then nail-biting tension, and finally the thrilling climax of exhilaration, and all in front of our faithful brothers and sisters from Turin, the Italian Magpies.
Port Vale came to Meadow Lane and struck twice in the opening 25 minutes, threatening to derail County's Great Escape, but Jimmy Spencer struck just two minutes later to give the home side a glimmer of hope, before getting his second midway through the first half to pull things level.
 
Jamal Campbell-Ryce then scored just after the restart to send Meadow Lane into raptures, but the Valiants then stepped up their game and threatened to pull a goal back, before JCR's second goal, in the 85th minute, proved a cathartic explosion of relief and joy as it confirmed that Notts would finish the game with all three points and drag themselves out of the relegation zone once again.
Haydn Hollis’s suspension meant that Shaun Derry had to rejig things in the home defence. Regular left-back Alan Sheehan moved inside to partner Hayden Mullins at the heart of the back four, Gareth Roberts made his comeback to the squad at left-back to deputise Sheehan and right-back Curtis Thompson replaced Mustapha Dumbuya, who dropped to the bench.
After a minute's silence for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, the game kicked off at 3:07pm, and after some opening exchanges by both teams, the first chance of the match fell in the eighth minute when Gary Liddle sent a header towards the back post, which was caught by away keeper Sam Johnson.
 
Referees haven't exactly been the most reliable while officiating Notts games this season, and this game looked like being along the same lines, with Thompson being penalised for a foul despite it appearing clean, and a foul on Spencer being waved away.
Eventually, these inconsistencies cost Notts, as a challenge on the right wing prompted the referee to award Vale a free kick. From the resulting set piece by Jennison Myrie-Williams, Thompson then cruelly deflected the ball into his own net.
Moments after the goal, a horrendous Richard Duffy tackle on Jack Grealish was only punished with a yellow card, despite warranting a red.
Vale then doubled their lead in more controversial circumstances in the 24th minute, as Thompson’s clearance appeared to be handled by Myrie-Williams. The opposition forward then dropped the young defender to the ground before his subsequent low cross saw Gavin Tomlin prod home, Sheehan’s desperate clearance being judged to have come after the ball crossed the line.
Campbell-Ryce, who was sensational for most of the game, was responsible for orchestrating the home side's comeback; after beating a number of players on the flank, he sent a cross towards Spencer, who found the top corner with a thumping header.
Shortly afterwards, the referee once again showed his credentials when he failed to award Spencer a penalty, despite being felled in the box. However, the youngster found himself on the scoresheet again midway through the first half when, following more great work from JCR, he sent a shot into the bottom-right corner to restore parity.
Port Vale stepped it up a gear and could have scored again through Tomlin and Myrie-Williams in the ensuing stages, but early in the second half, Notts then struck again to move in front after being 2-0 down, to the emphatic roars of the Meadow Lane faithful. Grealish marauded into the box following a counter-attack, before sending the ball across the face of goal where Campbell-Ryce sent a shot into the back of the net.
 
After the third goal, Vale became a side possessed, outraged that Notts had dared to turn a seemingly imminent defeat into a potential narrow victory, and the home side had to weather a series of attacks, though the defence and Bartosz Bialkowski worked miracles to keep the opposition's goal tally to just two.
One such effort that stood out was a frankly heart-stopping sequence where, from the left flank, Tomlin cut inside and sent a shot goalwards that struck the post, with the ball then rebounding off Bart's back and falling to Tom Pope, who sensationally missed when it would have been easier to score.
Eventually, came the strike that would guarantee a comfortable final few minutes for the Meadow Lane faithful, when the frankly unplayable JCR was supplied by Grealish before lashing an effort into the far corner, past Johnson, and lift the roof off Meadow Lane, fuelled by thousands of truly ecstatic Notts fans.
And so the game would finish 4-2 to the Black and White Army, in front of the Italian Magpies, who will travel back to Turin having witnessed one of the great Meadow Lane games of the last few years, while for the club, it means that we are once again out of the drop zone, by the skin of our teeth, on 43 points. Carlisle United have a game in hand, so things are still going to be tense, but it's set up an absolutely enthralling finale to the season.
I'm seriously going to need a holiday once this season's over to recover from this saga! Don't suppose anybody wishes to contribute to the "Send Joe Jones to Benidorm for a week" fund?
Joe Jones

Stat Attack: Notts County v Port Vale

Notts County have met Staffordshire club Port Vale a grand total of 91 times over the years, with the first two fixtures coming within a week of each other back in February 1921. The Magpies won the first game 2-1, but lost 1-0 at Meadow Lane.

Notts have won 37 games, lost 34, and drawn 20 against the Valiants, with the highest scoring matches coming in February 1927 (a 6-2 defeat) and April 1935 (a 5-3 defeat).
 
Port Vale is one of the few English league clubs not to be named after a geographical location. The name Port Vale exists on maps pre–dating the formation of the club, which probably occurred in 1879, and is a reference to a valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal, associated with the city's pottery industry.
The club itself is actually based in Burslem, one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent.
Port Vale have never been in the top tier of English football, and the last time they were in the second tier was back in 1999-2000.
In terms of silverware, the Valiants have won the Staffordshire Senior Cup twice, in 1920 and 2001, whilst being runners-up in 1900 and 2010, as well as several other regional cups like the Birmingham Senior Cup, one of the oldest county football competitions still active.
The club, despite being fairly small, enjoys the support of some world-famous celebrities. Robbie Williams is a huge fan, to the point that he held £240,000 worth of shares in the club and has a restaurant at Vale Park named after him.
 
For the videogame FIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song called It's Only Us, on the condition that Port Vale should be included in the game, which they were, located in the Rest of World section!
Also, in 2005, Williams founded Los Angeles Vale F.C., a Super Metro League team in the United States, named after Port Vale and based at his Los Angeles home.
Darts star Phil “The Power” Taylor is also a big fan, while Blue (that Noughties boy-band) singer Simon Webbe was part of their youth setup until a ligament injury hampered any prospect of a career in football.
--
Notts County are without suspended centre-half Haydn Hollis, who serves a one-match ban for his sending off in last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Brentford.
Notts look likely to choose from Dean Leacock and Manny Smith to replace him.
Meanwhile, Port Vale are without skipper Doug Loft, who suffered an injury in training on Friday.
Assistant manager Mark Grew says that some of their fringe players may get a chance at Meadow Lane, with striker Jordan Hugill looking a strong contender.
Vale, who beat Notts 2-1 on Boxing Day, start the day seven points adrift of the League One play-offs.
(On the plus side, however, at least we don't have to face Lee Hughes again - he's now at Forest Green Rovers)
Joe Jones

Brentford 3 - 1 Notts County

Despite all the euphoria generated by Notts County's great three-match winning run against Carlisle, Crewe and Colchester, and all the positivity around the Great Escape campaign, the truth is that today's game away at Brentford was an incredibly tall order.

The Bees are on fine form this season and are expected to earn promotion to the Championship, not to mention the fact that they've managed to get none other than Alan Judge on their books, and we all know what happens when former players face up against their old clubs.
As a result, it should really come as no surprise that Brentford beat us 3-1 today, but there were sore points in that the home side raced into a three-goal lead before we got a consolation, not to mention the sending off of Haydn Hollis which will have repercussions in the remaining few games. And of course, though Judge owes Notts nothing and is a fine player able to make things happen, seeing him score twice against us is a bitter pill to swallow.
 
Manager Shaun Derry made just one change to his starting XI from the team that won against Colchester, as Nathan Tyson was picked ahead of Jack Grealish.
The Irish Messi caused trouble early on as he broke through on goal after a mistake by Hayden Mullins, but Hollis cleared the ball before any damage could be done, but the on-loan veteran made amends by denying Stuart Dallas not long after.
The Bees were on the front foot during this period, with Dallas and Judge causing no end of trouble for the Notts backline, and things got worse for the away side when Hollis was shown a straight red for a lunge on Clayton Donaldson just after the half-hour mark and gave away a penalty.
The nine outfield Notts men had to stand and watch as Adam Forshaw sent Bartosz Bialkowski the wrong way to put the Bees a goal ahead.
Just before the break came the heartbreaking blow, as Judge, who left Notts for greener pastures at Blackburn Rovers, only to be sent on loan back to League One, made it 2-0 just before the break. The talismanic midfielder collected Alan McCormack's pass and fired home at the near post following a mistake by substitute Dean Leacock.
Judge's second, his fifth goal since joining on loan from Blackburn in January, came after Bialkowski had twice denied Toumani Diagouraga from close range, the Irish prodigy hammering the ball into the net just after the restart to make the scoreline 3-0.
Notts fans were in despair at this grotesque scenario playing itself out - Judge should never have found himself playing against us in the league, he should have been either playing for us or for a higher tier club!
On the plus side, Jimmy Spencer's dry spell came to an end when he scored County's consolation with just seven minutes to go, when Mullins's ball found the youngster who then sent a lob over the away keeper to make the scoreline 3-1.
This victory is Brentford's first in four matches, and moves them six points clear of third place.
Wins for Tranmere, Carlisle and Crewe mean that we now slip back into the League One relegation zone, three points from safety and missing one of our form players for several games after yet another Magpies sending-off.
Joe Jones

Stat Attack: Brentford v Notts County

Out of the last 28 English football seasons (going back to 1985/86), Notts County and Brentford have been in the same league 18 of those seasons. Bit of a regular fixture then.

Brentford certainly have the upper edge historically, winning 27 out of the 74 meetings. Notts have won 20, while 27 meetings have been drawn.

Notts haven't won against the Hounslow side since the 2003/04 season, when we did the league double over them in League Two.
 
Eight draws followed, but the impasse was broken by Brentford beating Notts home and away last season, both 2-1 wins. This season, we lost 1-0 at Meadow Lane a few months back.
Brentford FC started life in 1889 because the members of the Brentford Rowing Club wanted to engage in a sport as filler during the winter months. By 8 votes to 5, they opted for football instead of rugby.
Notts County legend Tommy Lawton played for Brentford directly after his talismanic spell with the Magpies, scoring 17 goals in 50 games between 1951 and 1953. He also served as player/manager in his final year with the club before leaving for Arsenal.
Since 1954, Brentford have experienced football higher than the third tier for just one season, in 1991/92. Last season, they came within one penalty kick of changing that. Then this happened...
/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peYzUns9YLs
(However, they may be on the verge of turning it round this season, what with being five points clear of third-placed Leyton Orient with a game in hand)
Brentford is a popular team with many musicians who grace the pages of NME. Hard-Fi lead singer and guitarist Richard Archer, Bluetones guitarist Adam Devlin, Status Quo bassist John "Rhino" Edwards, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman are all supporters of the Hounslow club.
Gunnersbury Park Museum is in Gunnersbury House, narrowly in Gunnersbury (the north-west of Chiswick) containing artifacts and former furnishings of the Rothschild family, who were culturally and financially pre-eminent across France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and North America (basically, one of the most powerful families in the world).
Kew Bridge Steam Museum houses the world's largest working beam engine and its narrow cuboid tower is an emblem of the town.
 
Brentford will be without winger Sam Saunders tomorrow, who is still sidelined after a knee operation.
Midfielder George Saville is fit again after a knock, while Harlee Dean, Tony Craig and James Tarkowski compete for two centre-back spots.
Also Alan Judge, who has served us so well over the last few years before his move to Blackburn Rovers at the end of last season, is expected to face us tomorrow.
Callum Ball is County's only doubt, having not featured since the 5-1 defeat at Walsall in January.
However, the striker, on loan from Derby County, is making good progress after a training ground ankle injury.
Joe Jones

PoN's March Round Up!

Well its getting close to the 'business end' of the season now as a lot of teams in League One thrust one concerted effort into either staying up or going up in the final few weeks of the season.

In the lower reaches, Notts County have managed stage one of their 'Great Escape' by reaching the dizzy heights of 19th thanks to back to back wins over Colchester, Crewe and Carlisle, giving County fans something to cheer about.

Stage two for them will be to stay out of the relegation zone.
Stevenage have that doomed look about them with just one win in eight games. They have drawn too many of late and have a poor goal difference. Shrewsbury had a similar March as Stevenage with four drawn games.
Crewe's misery continues with just one win from seven and Carlisle complete the last of the drop zone spots who failed to win and didn't even score in four games.
Of the teams above them, Tranmere's only success was against Notts County, Colchester squeezed nine games in-but could only win one of them as did Oldham from their eight.
Crawley obtained three wins and still have four games in hand over most so it looks like they could be safe-eventually. Up in 15th spot Bristol City continued their climb with four wins which included a 5-0 thumping of Port Vale. Gillingham had a steady three wins from six whilst Coventry continued their indifferent form.
Moving into the top half then, Bradford City and Port Vale had mixed fortunes whilst Sheffield United continued their previous month's good form with three wins..but ended March with three defeats!
MK Dons had a terrible month at home with four defeats yet obtained three away victories! The Sorry Saddlers went six games without a win then won their last two so Walsall are still chasing 6th spot.
Swindon had a right old mixed bag as did Peterborough. Rotherham went from strength to strength with five great wins whilst Leyton Orient started the month off well then let it slip a bit. Brentford and Wolves still look likely to go up. Brentford still managed four wins whilst champions-elect Wolves won six from eight and nothing will surely stop them now. April should be very interesting throughout the division.
sadlad

The Match Officials

Saturday the 5th of April, Notts will be making a trip to Griffin Park to take on Brentford FC. They currently sit 2nd, a total of 40 points divides both teams, which is the exact amount of points we currently have (40pts). Notts are currently 19th and require a good result and some luck to avoid falling back into the relegation zone.

Notts come into the game having beaten Colchester 2-0. Brentford drawn 0-0 in their last game against Oldham. The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Brentford FC will be referee Charles Breakspear, with his two assistants Ian Cooper and Ian Fissenden. The fourth official will be John Busby.
 
Match Officials
 
Referee; Charles Breakspear has taken control of nineteen games, he's been the referee in two F.A Cup ties and one JPT clash. During these games he's issued a total of 91 yellow cards, whilst he's sent off a total of eight players. He's featured seven times in League One, ten times in League Two and twice in the Championship.
Interesting Fact – Charles Breakspear is the referee from our home game against Bristol City, the game which Gary Liddle was injured. The game finished 1-1, thanks to Alan Sheehan's 89th minute leveler. He booked a total of 8 players, 3 Notts (Leacock, Boucaud, Jamal Campbell-Ryce) and 5 Bristol City players.
 
Assistant Referees; Ian Cooper has been the 1st assistant seventeen times so far this season. He's been the 2nd assistant four times and the fourth official seven times. The majority of league games come from League One, whilst he's featured 10 times in the Championship and seven times in League Two.
Ian Fissenden has featured as the 2nd assistant six times, he has been the 1st assistant nine times and he currently has featured as the fourth official four times within the 2013/2014 season. Four of these games have taken place in the Championship, a further four more within League One. Again four within League Two, the rest are from cup appearances.
Interesting Fact – Ian Cooper originally started out in the Sunday League as a player, he told sabotagetimes “I played in a few Sunday League teams with my mates and wasn’t as good as them,” says Ian Cooper, a 26-year-old car bodywork repairer from Kent. “So I thought if I can’t make it at the top level as a player maybe I can do it as a referee.”. (please note the source is trying to be amusing here).
 
Fourth Official; John Busby has featured five times as the fourth official so far this season. He's featured eleven times as the 1st assistant and a total of three times as the 2nd assistant. He's featured five times within the Championship, ten times within League One and four times within League Two.
Interesting Fact – John Busby was an English-born surveyor and civil engineer, active in Australia. Oh wait, Oppps... I have the wrong John here! Sadly I couldn't anything worthy of mentioning regarding John Busby, however I did manage to locate this interesting snippet of news. "It was a great day for County who comprehensively outplayed the league leaders to earn a richly deserved success on a Spytty surface that fully justified the work of the ground staff and the judgement of match referee John Busby who declared it fit." This is from Newport County dated 11th of April 2010, let's hope our County can replicate this.
 
Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread
Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
Chris

Jake Bugg, Niall Horan to join Notts County?

Notts County are looking to strike a positive note with fans by offering trials to two of the nation’s hottest musical talents, it has been reported.

Jake Bugg, arguably the biggest artist to come out of Nottingham in years, is expected to arrive at Highfields later today to train with the first team, according to sources close to the club.
 
Meanwhile, One Direction singer Niall Horan is scheduled to visit the training ground tomorrow morning to show the Magpies if he can light up their world like nobody else.
The Irish heartthrob is said to have been inspired by bandmate Louis Tomlinson’s affiliation with his local club Doncaster Rovers, which led to the 22-year-old joining the Championship club on a non-contract basis.
Should either or the two youngsters be deemed good enough to play for the club, it is expected that they will put pen to paper on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
20-year-old Bugg, from Clifton, is a proud Notts fan, and has previously stated that the Meadow Lane outfit “should just bang me in the team.”
Meanwhile Horan, also 20, is an avid Derby County fan, but is allegedly open at the idea of playing for the Magpies, given the warm relationship between the two clubs and the common rivalry they share with Nottingham Forest.
Were the duo to turn out together on the pitch, it could also signal the end of the long-running rivalry between Bugg and 1D that has seen both entities slate each other in public.
Joe Jones

On The Table

Pride of Nottingham introduces 'On The Table', a new weekly feature which will focus on how the League One table has changed, which teams have made the most movement and their results.

The top half of the third tier, from the 1st place to 6th, hasn't seen any changes. However, Leyton Orient, Rotherham United and Preston North End have all moved closer to each other. Wolves currently lead the division by 6 points, whilst Orient are 4 points behind Brentford.

Let's see how the League One table compares now!
 
MK Dons have fallen from 7th to 9th after losing at home 0-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Swindon Town have moved up from 8th to 7th, they beat Sheffield United 2-1. Walsall FC who came in at 9th before yesterdays narrow 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town. This was their second back to back win since having beaten us 5-1 at Meadow Lane.
Sheffield United remain 10th after losing to Walsall.
Port Vale also remain at 11th, they drew 1-1 to Stevenage FC.
Gillingham have fallen from 12th to 14th due to not playing. Bristol City have moved from 13th to 15th, they lost 2-1 to Rotherham United.
Crawley Town have fallen from 14th to 16th, they lost narrowly by 1 goal to Preston North End.
Bradford City have moved up from 15th to 12th after beating 3rd place Leyton Orient, the final score ending with 1-0 away win for the Bantams.
Colchester United have fallen from 16th to 18th, they're now only 3 points off safety and are back in danger after being beaten by us at Meadow Lane.
Oldham Athletic remain at 17th, they drew to Brentford 0-0 which is exactly the outcome Pride of Nottingham is hoping for (or better) this upcoming Saturday, as we take them on away from home.
Coventry City have moved up from 18th to 13th, the Sky Blues enjoyed a 2-1 win over Crewe Alexandra – who fell from 19th to 22nd as a result of the Sky Blues win.
Tranmere Rovers remain 20th after drawing to Carlisle 0-0.
Carlisle United also remain in the same position - 21st after they didn't manage to score against Tranmere Rovers.
Shrewsbury Town have fallen from 22nd to 23rd, they suffered that narrow 1-0 defeat to Walsall FC.
NOTTS COUNTY who's unlikeliest of results, 3 wins, back to back – have seen our club move from 23rd to 19th. A much healthier position, however before we all get excited. Please remember we take on Brentford! However, if Oldham can draw to them, why can't we? Notts enjoyed a 2-0 win at Meadow Lane over fellow struggler’s Colchester United.
Stevenage FC remain bottom, they haven't managed to move but they have a game in hand.
 
The 'Race for Survival' clearly isn't finished, as many teams continue to battle for their safety. Whilst others are trying to fight their way into the automatic positions and play-off zone. Pride of Nottingham is just glad to see us reunite, our next six features are bigger than ever.
 
League One Table - The Race for Survival  
Chris

Notts County 2 - 0 Colchester United

Well, well, WELL!

What can I say? I am speechless. After losing eight games out of ten previously, which is the kind of form that would relegate teams without excuses, we now have three wins in three games. Just unbelievable.

All this talk of Great Escape, premature though it may be, is actually proving a fantastic galvanising agent for Notts County, given today's 2-0 win against Colchester United. There was an amazing feel-good atmosphere at Meadow Lane, and all the positivity clearly filtered to the players.
The only change for Shaun Derry's team was the reinstating of Mustapha Dumbuya to the starting XI after his absence in midweek. A tad harsh on Curtis Thompson perhaps, but he shouldn't feel too downbeat; we cannot take chances at the moment with our season in the balance.
In the first few minutes, the man everyone's now talking about, Ronan Murray, did it again. He struck a composed finish past the Colchester goalkeeper to send the fans into raptures, as the Great Escape theme was sung and played with determined glee.
To be fair, the away team became very dangerous after our first goal, and had several chances to pull a goal back or even get a few, thanks to chances from Freddie Sears, which Bartosz Bialkowski had to be alert to thwart, and Alex Gilbey, who headed over from six yards.
Midway through the first half, Sears and Dominic Vose combined to give the Magpies a huge scare, thanks to a low cutback followed by a powerful shot which cannoned off the post.
Remember how I'd always use the word "sucker-punched" to describe when we'd concede after being dominant in a half or game? Well, this time it was the other way round - despite being under the cosh for most of the half, a foul on Jack Grealish led to a free kick on the edge of the area. Alan Sheehan whipped in the set piece, which was met by the head of Haydn Hollis for goal number two.
 
Early in the second half, Notts nearly scored a wonderful goal thanks to a punt from Bart, which was met on the volley by Murray. Sadly, the keeper stopped the ball from going in.
Jimmy Spencer also came close with an improvised effort following another good cross from Sheehan, though Colchester did cause panic when Sears, ever the danger man, fired over from close range.
In the final stages, Gary Liddle's header was easily caught by the opposition keeper, but as the final whistle went, there was no hiding the celebrations - Notts County were out of the drop zone with six games to go.
Yes, there is still work to be done, and we can't rest on our laurels yet because Tranmere, Carlisle and Stevenage each have a game in hand and could potentially overtake us, but now the situation is no longer hopeless.
Fingers crossed, folks, because there may still be more twists and turns in this epic saga...
Joe Jones

View of our upcoming games

In our next three games, Notts will be playing Colchester United at home. They will then be travelling to play Brentford away from home, upon the return the following game is again at Meadow Lane, this time it will be against Port Vale. This will leave us with the final run down of fixtures, only four remaining for the fight of survival. These three fixtures will be what makes the grades for Notts, without good results here then the previous two wins will be for almost nothing. The interesting factors are the two home games, both teams are in poor form and are sides we could get results over. The partnership of Murray and Spencer, especially any goals from Ronan Murray will be vital to our great escape.
Pride of Nottingham's last edition mentioned how I saw our side potentially pick up between 4 and 9 points. Notts managed to pick up 7, we also mentioned how 'great escapes don't always go to plan'. Something which upon reflection seems to be very true, as we have once again placed ourselves back within a good chance of surviving. A lot will go down on these next three games, it is now do or die time.
 
Colchester play with a similar system to us, they're a side which can create chances but often fail to make them count. Although they're struggling now, they did start the season off fairly well.
Jabo Ibehre is their highest goal scorer with 8 goals so far this season, Freddie Sears is not far behind with 7, whilst Marcus Bean is their 3rd highest goal scorer with just 4 goals. Craig Eastmond is their most persistent booked player, he currently stands on 9 yellow cards. Brian Wilson and Marcus Bean share 8 each. Three players share a single red card, these being Sanchez Watt, Magnus Okuongae and Daniel Pappoe.
 
In their last four games, they've picked up a total of 4 points. They narrowly lost by one goal to Crawley Town, against Shrewsbury they managed to win 1-0, a 2-2 draw is all they could muster against Bristol City and they lost 4-2 last Saturday to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Brentford are a very capable League One team, they possess a lot of fire power and on their day they can play some very crisp football.
Clayton Donaldson is their highest goal scorer with 17, Marcello Trotta is their second highest goal scorer with 13 goals to his name. Harlee Dean and George Saville share 8 yellow cards each, whilst Tony Craig and keeper David Button are they only two bee's players to be sent off.
In their last four games, they've picked up a total of 9 points. Their form is very impressive, as to be expected with a side competing for an automatic place. They beat Tranmere Rovers 2-0, overcame the Orient by winning them by 1 goal, they cruised past Coventry City 3 goals to 1 and stumbled to our friends Rotherham United (great result for you BradtheMiller).
Port Vale are surprising me this season, however they're now without former County marksman Lee Hughes. This is great for me, as I wouldn't want to see him score against us! They're a good side on the day, however they often come very in-complacent.
Tom Pope is their highest goal scorer with 15 goals, Jennison Myrie-Williams is their second highest marksman with 9 goals. Carl Dickinson is their most persistent fouler with 13 yellow cards to his name, whilst Chris Lines is on 9. Chris Lines is also the only Vale player to be sent off once.
In their last four games, they've picked up a total of 4 points. They lost 2-0 to Leyton Orient, drew 2-2 to Coventry City, beat Tranmere Rovers 3-2 but received a whipping of their own last Saturday against Bristol City who score 5 goals against them.
I see Notts picking up 4 points, with our current form we might be able to get 6 to 7 points. Stranger things have happened, prior we was sunk and renewed hope keeps our battle going! Could we beat Brentford?
My key game is against Port Vale – this game will help us see if we can or can't survive the drop, however knowing Notts it will leave us setup like a tv cliff hanger. Colchester United are clearly beatable, Brentford will be a tough test but we could get something. Port Vale at home, without Lee Hughes will certainly be more promising and they're a side we could get something from. A win would be fantastic, which should be our aim.
 
COYP!!
Chris

Stat Attack: Notts County v Colchester United

Notts County have met Colchester United a modest 39 times over the years, all league encounters except for one Sherpa Vans Trophy tie in 1988.

Notts hold the marginal upper edge, having won 17 games to Colchester's 14, with 8 draws. All league encounters between the two have never taken place higher than the third tier.

The last encounter, back in December 2013 away at the Colchester Community Stadium, ended in a resounding 4-0 win for the Magpies!
Here's hoping for more this time round at Meadow Lane. Colchester United Football Club is a baby in English football club terms, having been born in 1937. However, Colchester Town Football Club, the club's predecessor, was around since 1873.
Despite dwindling crowds in the mid-1930s, though, they refused to follow its neighbours Ipswich Town in turning professional, much to the disapproval of its fans and players. As a result, Colchester United was formed, with the intention of playing professionally, and went on from strength to strength while its stubborn neighbour fell into decline and eventually folded.
 
Colchester United are responsible for one of the FA Cup's greatest ever upsets, when, in February 1971, they defeated the infamous Don Revie's Leeds United, an established top flight side who would finish second that season, by three goals to two. The U's were in the fourth division at the time.
The U's won the Football League Trophy (now the Johnstone's Paint Trophy) in 1996-97. and also compete in a competition called the Essex Senior Cup, a tournament contested by mostly non-league clubs within the region (Colchester usually field a youth/reserve team for this), winning this trophy back in 2009-10.
Micky Cook holds the all time club record for appearances with Colchester United, having played nearly 700 games between 1969 and 1984! Talk about loyalty!
Notable former players include Titus Bramble, Alec Chamberlain, Mark Kinsella, Kevin Lisbie and Newcastle cult hero Lomana LuaLua.
The town of Colchester is said to be the oldest recorded town in Britain on the grounds that it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder, who died in AD 79. It was for a time the capital of Roman Britain, and is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network.
 
Since 2006, Colchester has been one of 12 places in the UK where Royal Salutes are fired to mark Royal anniversaries and visits by foreign heads of state.
For more facts about Colchester, check out https://twitter.com/colchesterfacts *
Mustapha Dumbuya is expected to be fit but may struggle to replace Curtis Thompson in a Notts side chasing a third consecutive victory and eager to complete The Great Escape.
We will actually climb out of the relegation zone if we win, Shrewsbury fail to win and Carlisle and Tranmere, who play each other at Prenton Park, draw.
Defender Alex Wynter is expected to make his Colchester debut after joining on loan from Crystal Palace.
Sanchez Watt's quad problem is easing but he is unlikely to feature.
 
* May not necessarily be true facts!
Joe Jones

The Match Officials

Saturday the 29th of March, Notts return to action at Meadow Lane against Colchester United. They currently sit 17th, four points off the relegation zone and six points above Notts County. However, we have already beaten Colchester United earlier away from home this season.

Notts come into the game having beaten Crewe 3-1. Colchester lost 4-2 in their last game against Wolves. The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Colchester United will be referee Lee Collins, with his two assistants David Avent and Mark Russell. The fourth official will be Neil Hair.
 
Match Officials
Referee; Lee Collins has taken control of twenty-one games, he's been the referee in two F.A Cup ties and one JPT clash. During these games he's issued a total of 57 yellow cards, whilst he's only sent off a total of three players. He's featured eleven times in League One, nine times in League Two and once in the Championship.
Interesting Fact – Unlike Uncle Colin's claims last Tuesday regarding our last match official, this is spot on. Lee Collins sent off Danny Haynes in our away game against Coventry City. He issued 4 yellows and a single red card, however I personally feel the scissor kick on Greg Tempest not long after deserved the colour red.
 
Assistant Referees; David Avent has been the 1st assistant five times so far this season. He's been the 2nd assistant once and the fourth official three times. The majority of league games come from the Championship, whilst he's featured five times combined in League One and Two.
Mark Russell has featured as the 2nd assistant six times so far, he has been the 1st assistant three times and he currently hasn't featured as the fourth official so far within the 2013/2014 season. Four of these games have taken place in the Championship, a further four more within League One. None have taken place in League Two, however Mark Russell has made an F.A Cup appearance.
Interesting Fact – This one is for Super Ram, both assistants have featured in both home and away ties for Derby County against QPR. On the 10/02/14 David Avent was the 1st assistant in Derby's 1-0 home win over QPR. However Mark Russell featured as the 2nd official on the 02/11/13 in QPR's 2-1 over Derby County.
 
Fourth Official; Neil Hair hasn't yet featured as the fourth official so far this season. He's featured once within the Championship, three times in League One and twice in League Two. Neil Hair has been the referee in four conference games, all of which have been high scoring games - 1-4, 3-2, 5-3 and 3-3.
Interesting Fact – Neil Hair has recently stepped up within the 2013/2014 season, after officiating numerous U21's matches within the highest division at U21's level. In the 3 games Neil's officiated at the U21 level, within this season. He hasn't booked or sent off a single player!
 
Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread
Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
Chris

Crewe Alexandra 1 - 3 Notts County

Oh my days. Can this season get any more topsy-turvy? How many times have we been dead and buried this season? How many times have we turned a corner, only to find ourselves in the quagmire again? The saga continues with today's impressive 3-1 victory away at Crewe Alexandra.

Shaun Derry made one change from the XI that routed Carlisle United on Saturday, replacing Mustapha Dumbuya, who suffered a groin injury on against the Cumbrians, with Curtis Thompson.
Notts were quick off the blocks, Jimmy Spencer firing over with a long-range effort. Gary Liddle also threatened in early on when he got a header on target from an Alan Sheehan free kick.
In the 10th minute, the Magpies drew first blood when Jamal Campbell-Ryce's cross towards the back post was met by the head of Liddle. The ball beat Ben Garratt to give Notts the lead, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.
The away side continued to pile on the pressure in the first half, efforts from Spencer and Jack Grealish causing more panic in the Alex box.
Crewe, to their credit, nearly scored towards the end of the first half when defender Matt Tootle picked out Chuks Aneke, but the on-loan Arsenal youngster's effort flew wide of the mark.
 
After the break, the Railwaymen were determined to pull a goal back, and Uche Ikpeazusaw a dangerous header fly onto the roof of the net in the early stages.
JCR was a constant threat, and nearly doubled his side's lead midway through the second half, were it not for a great stop from Garratt, while at the other end, the ever-impressive Bartosz Bialkowski pulled off an amazing stop from a long range Abdul Osman howitzer.
Just when it seemed that Notts players, staff and fans would run out of self-grown keratin to nervously consume, in went the second goal to send the Magpies faithful into raptures, courtesy of Ronan Murray. Following some more great work from JCR, the 22-year-old Irishman, whose stock is constantly rising, was able to cut inside and fire a shot inside the left-hand post.
Notts made it three with just three minutes to go, and once again it was Murray, who pounced on a long ball and rounded Garratt to net his second of the game.
Crewe did manage a scant consolation in injury time, Mark Ellis's heavily deflected shot, but despite Bart's frustration at having had his clean sheet soiled, the rest of the Notts faithful could shrug it off, for the final whistle went not long after.
So then! Notts are now off the bottom! There is still work to do, because new table-proppers Stevenage have two games in hand, but the relegation battle has been blown wide open - just two points separate the Magpies from safety now.
Well, I've written Notts off several times this season - I'm sure I'm not the only one - but the club continues to defy all logic and form to keep things interesting. Can we do it? Can we stay up?
 
Watch this space.
Joe Jones

Stat Attack: Crewe Alexandra v Notts County

Notts County’s head-to-head history with Crewe Alexandra dates back to September 1893, when the Magpies faced the Railwaymen at the Alexandra Recreation Ground. The result was a 2-0 win for Notts.

After several further meetings in the late 1890s, the fixture would experience a hiatus of 63 years; between 1896 and 1959, the two teams didn't play each other.
 
The Alex have been on the receiving end of several thumpings at the hands of the Magpies – in 1894, we beat them 9-1 and 5-1, in 1896 we won 6-0, in 1959 we recorded a 4-1 victory, 1970 brought a 5-1 victory… oh, and we thrashed them 4-0 just five months ago at Meadow Lane!
The origins of the “Alexandra” moniker in the club name aren’t fully known. Whether they took the name from a hotel, patronised by those connected with the railway works and where they held their meetings, or whether it was after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who married Queen Victoria’s eldest son, later King Edward VII, is open to speculation.
Crewe is synonymous with arguably one of the greatest and most longevous managers in the English game: Dario Gradi. He is the Alex’s very own Sir Alex Ferguson, having managed the club between 1983 and 2011, with the exception of a hiatus between 2007 and 2009 where he nevertheless took the reins on a caretaker basis for a period. He currently manages the Academy. Speaking of which…
Crewe Alexandra’s academy is one of the best and most renowned in the English lower leagues. The Academy is known to stress technical excellence, which accords with the aim to have the first team play attractive, passing football.
Most of the club's achievements in youth development have come from none other than Gradi, and alumni include Geoff Thomas, David Platt, Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon, Steve Jones, Rob Jones, Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Dean Ashton and David Vaughan.
Impressively, Crewe’s final fixture of the 2012-13 season, a 2-0 win against Walsall, involved a starting XI made up entirely of Academy players.
In 2013, the club won its first-ever major silverware after beating Southend United 2-0 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy final at Wembley.
 

Crewe are known as the Railwaymen because of the town’s links to the British train network. Crewe station was completed in 1837 and is one of the most historic railway stations in the world. Nowadays, as well as serving the town of Crewe that has grown near it, it still operates as a major junction on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). It also serves as a major station on the WCML and as a major rail gateway for the North West.
The town of Crewe has an interesting roll call of local legends, including rugby player Mark Cueto, professional BMX racer Shanaze Reade, 1990s heartthrob Adam Rickitt (ask a female friend or relative between the ages of 25 and 30), Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, and Jimmy MacDonald, also known as the voice of Mickey Mouse!
(And if anybody here is or knows a fan of Adam Rickitt, he’s going to be in the Big Reunion 2014. I’m literally jumping for apathy)
Crewe are without suspended midfielder Anthony Grant after his late red card in Saturday's 3-1 win at Gillingham.
Abdul Osman comes in as the Alex, now two points clear of trouble, bid to build on their unbeaten three-game run.
Meanwhile, Shaun Derry seems likely to name the side that started Saturday's 4-1 win over Carlisle.
Dean Leacock was among the substitutes against the Cumbrians after a thigh injury but may have to wait for his recall.
Joe Jones

The Match Officials

Tuesday the 25th of March, Notts will make their way to Gresty Road to play Crewe Alexandra. They currently sit 19th, one above Tranmere and two above Carlisle. They're two points off the Carlisle and only 1 between Tranmere. However, we beat Crewe Alexandra 4-0 at home earlier in the season.

Notts come into the game having beaten Carlisle United 4-1. Crewe enjoyed a 3-1 victory over Gillingham. The Match Officials for Tuesdays game against Tranmere Rovers will be referee Sebastian Stockbridge, with his two assistants Amy Fearn and Ken Haycock. The fourth official will be Alan Clayton.
 
Match Officials
Referee; Sebastian Stockbridge has taken control of eighteen games, he's been the referee in two F.A Cup ties and one JPT clash. During these games he's issued a total of 72 yellow cards, whilst he's sent off a total of six players. He's featured eight times in League One, nine times in League Two and once in the Championship.
Interesting Fact – Sebastian Stockbridge was the match official in our home game against Tranmere Rovers which ended 2-0 to us. He issued 4 yellow cards in that game, two a piece to each team. Leacock and Labadie were the players of ours to be cautioned.
 
Assistant Referees; Amy Fearn has been the 1st assistant once so far this season. She's been the 2nd assistant twice and the fourth official once. The majority of league games come from League One, whilst she's featured five times in the conference division(s) as a referee.
Ken Haycock has featured as the 2nd assistant once so far, he has been the 1st assistant six times and the fourth official twice. Six of these games have taken place in League Two, whilst he's only featured so far once in League One. Two games however fall within the Championship, one as the 1st assistant and the other as the fourth official.
Interesting Fact – In November 2006, Amy officiated games under her maiden name which was Raynor. After a Non League game, Mike Newell made controversial comments about Rayner by saying "It is bad enough with the incapable referees and linesmen we have but if you start bringing in women, you have big problems". Mike Newell was fined £6,500 and warned by Luton Town. On a more positive note, Amy became the first female referee within the Football League back in 2010.
 
Fourth Official; Alan Clayton has been the fourth official three times so far this season. He's featured four times within the Championship, three times in League One and twice in League Two. Alan Clayton has featured equally within three match official roles - 1st official 3 times, 2nd official 3 times and the fourth official 3 times.
Interesting Fact – Alan Clayton has officiated four games which have ended in being a draw, two games ending with home wins and three games with an away win. Hopefully after the 25th, it will be four away wins.
 
Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread
Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
Chris

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