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Alex West
Is the Hardy Era the Real Deal?
In the summer of 2009 I received a text message from my dad informing me that BBC Radio Nottingham had just reported that a Middle Eastern consortium were close to completing the purchase of my beloved Notts County Football Club.
What followed was numerous statements of intent which included the record breaking signing of Kasper Schmeichel, the unveiling of Sven Goran Eriksson as Director of Football and promises of Premier League football within five years.
We dared to dream. And that we did – in abundance. We waved £20 notes in the faces of visiting supporters, we sang Sven's name from the Kop and we followed in massive numbers all over the country. What a difference to the 2008/09 season which saw us graced with a strike partnership of Sean Canham and Spencer Weir-Daley. It was a pipe dream which of course, turned into a worldwide talking point – for all the wrong reasons.
In between now and the collapse of Munto Finance was the ‘Trew Era’. What started so positively ended so badly. As Notts Fans, I think the vast majority believed that Ray Trew always had the best of intentions for our club – he put his hand in his pocket, he provided managers with big budgets and always promised the world to his supporters.
Is this what we needed? Did we need big promises of Premiership strikers? Championship football? This, that and the other? Its difficult to envisage what the reaction of our growing fan base at the time would have been if Trew would have earmarked his intentions as stabilising and steady business growth instead of making unrealistic promises which ultimately, he failed to deliver.
His stubbornness to hire proven managers proved to be his ultimate stumbling block – especially towards the end of his tenure – with appointments of novices Chris Kiwomya, Shaun Derry and Ricardo Moniz eventually saw us relegated back to where 2009 all began.
By the time of Moniz's sacking, Notts fans had very little patience left and Trew's ‘Football Manager Dream’ was very close to being in tatters. Then without doubt – the final nail in the coffin had well and truly been smashed in – in the form of Jamie Fullarton – the less said about that the better.
Mark Cooper and John Sheridan were arguably the best options available at this point but the underlying issue was clear – the problems were higher up the food chain.
Then welcome Mr Alan Hardy. What a transformation you have made to our football club. Within weeks, Hardy recognised what would make our football club start ticking again. The Fans!
He understands what as football fans, we all want – honesty, transparency, desire, passion, communication and most importantly of all; a clearly set out, aligned and carefully structured direction to take this football club forwards again.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise what Alan Hardy’s intentions are. Do things the right way, put energy into the community, grassroots, give the fans what they really want and start forming a relationship between the product and its customers.
The reaction from not just Notts fans, but the community as a whole has been remarkable. Our average attendance under Alan has doubled already under his tenure and the team have responded magnificently, albeit to coincide with brilliant match day offers. Most importantly however, we feel proud to be fans of Notts County again.
Alan Hardy has engaged in a way to build trust with the fans. He has been transparent. He hasn’t promised big money signings, he hasn’t promised Championship football. What he has done, he has engaged in a way that has been passionate but honest and realistic. He has identified the need to get the fans back through the gates which is what ultimately, matters most.
Currently, everything is positive; second form team in the division, unbeaten home record, heart and desire being shown from the top down to the players, free pies, reduced match day tickets and a new vibrant and positive match day experience. That’s been achieved by simple communication, listening and gaining a mutual respect with the supporters.
However, It’s crucial that we stay grounded, and remember that football can change ever so quickly, and live in hope, that when the road becomes bumpy, which it will, we remain strong, united and continue to pull in the same direction.
Hardy has created a real buzz - we are excited to not just go to Meadow Lane, but to travel away in numbers, to have a feeling of not crumbling when the first goal goes against us, to see heart and fight from the touchline and the players again, is a joy to behold. That touchline fight of course comes from one man. Welcome to Notts County Kevin Nolan.
Nolan and Hardy clearly have an aligned approach on how to take this football club forward. The unity that has been created in such a short amount of time has been breath-taking. Forget the CV’s. Forget management experience. Forget past promotions. When you have a man in your corner that demands respect, loyalty, trust, effort and a real desire to fight for this football club – the rest is easy.
We are a League Two outfit. We don’t need a Jose Mourinho on the touchline, we need someone that understands what makes our team tick and what the fans really want. Alan Hardy identified the type of character to take this club forward immediately and has got his first appointment absolutely spot on.
The past five years have been tough, loyalties have been tested, patience has ran thin, but the future looks bright. The future looks exciting again, and finally, once again, its time to start being proud to be a Notts County fan.
See you all at Stevenage – COYP.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has called for Notts County to give another "complete performance" when they visit Stevenage on Saturday.
The Magpies claimed an impressive 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle in midweek to edge further away from the League Two relegation zone.
While the gaffer is aware of the threat posed by the weekend's in-form opponents, he is confident of a positive result if Notts replicate Tuesday's display.
He told the official site: "Stevenage are on a great run, aren't they? They've won six out of seven so it's going to be a tough one.
"We're going to study the DVDs and give the lads the best opportunity to see their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully we can combat them on Saturday and put in a complete performance like we did on Tuesday. If we do that, we'll give ourselves a fantastic chance of getting three points again.
"They're going for the play-off places and we're trying to get ourselves away from the relegation zone as quickly as possible. All the signs are there that it's going to be a great Saturday afternoon. Hopefully it'll be a fantastic game that goes our way."
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Joe Jones
Notts County climbed eight points clear of the League Two relegation zone thanks to a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle in Tuesday's fixture at Home Park.
Jorge Grant made the most of a defensive calamity in the Pilgrims back line to put the Magpies into a 21st-minute lead in Devon, and impressed for the remainder of the game.
The result sees Notts climb to 19th in the table on 37 points, and with second-from-bottom Leyton Orient struggling to get out of trouble on 29 points from 34 games - the same as Kevin Nolan's team - it means that March's fixtures could see us finally secure safety once and for all.
Notts County's official site has published the video of the highlights from the game, so you can see for yourself just how good the Magpies were at Plymouth.
What did you make of the highlights from the game between Plymouth and Notts? Reckon you might get tickets for the upcoming trip to Stevenage? Which of the remaining fixtures strike you as the most important? How crucial is Jorge Grant to Kevin Nolan's plans? We want to hear your thoughts on all of these and more so don't hesitate to sign up to the Pride of Nottingham forum and join in the conversation with all our fellow PON members.
Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has praised Notts County following their impressive 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night, describing their showing as "a perfect performance".
Loanee Jorge Grant grabbed his third goal in four games in the first half at Home Park as the Magpies more than matched their opponents, who are looking to secure promotion from League Two.
The result puts Notts eight points clear of the bottom two and a step closer to safety, when a month ago it looked like they were standing on the brink of oblivion.
"It was a perfect performance," Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
"It could have been three, four or even five as we created plenty of chances. We also handled them well when they were going forward and we kept another clean sheet.
"They (the players) were fantastic because we haven't been able to get out on the pitch much with the travelling and so on.
"It was all about being in the classroom and everything we said to them they took it all on board. I was delighted with their output."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have taken another massive step in the battle against relegation after coming away from a tricky midweek fixture at Plymouth Argyle with all three points.
On-loan Nottingham Forest midfielder Jorge Grant bagged his third goal in four games to seal a 1-0 win for Kevin Nolan's side, who now sit eight points clear of the League Two drop zone following their heroics at Home Park.
Grant scored the winner in the 21st minute after a defensive mix-up caused by Yann Songo'o's underhit backpass saw goalkeeper Luke McCormick try to scramble clear under pressure from Jonathan Forte.
The ball broke to Sonny Bradley, who should have cleared his lines, but he dithered and Grant nipped in front of him, striding forward before placing his shot into the bottom corner of the net.
In first half stoppage-time, Grant should have claimed his second of the game but fired wide from 10 yards after his initial strike was bravely blocked by right-back Oscar Threlkeld.
The Pilgrims nearly pulled one back at the start of the second half, but Ryan Taylor's spectacular volley was tipped over by Notts stopper Adam Collin.
In the 65th minute, Jon Stead headed wide from Marc Bola's deep cross into the six-yard box, while 10 minutes from time, Plymouth substitute Jordan Slew volleyed over Collin's poor punch landed at his feet.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan says Notts County will respect Plymouth Argyle in tonight's League Two match at Home Park, but cannot fear them.
The Magpies are looking to make it five games unbeaten against a side sitting second in the table and appearing to be well on their way to promotion.
Although the Pilgrims are being touted as favourites to win the game due to their superior league position, Nolan says his side will not be fazed by the task ahead.
"We can't fear anyone, but we will respect them because they are a good side," he told the Nottingham Post.
"We knew it was going to be a tough week which started off on Saturday against Yeovil.
"Teams are not going to come here and roll over. They are respecting us after our results in the last few games.
"I expect a really tough game against Plymouth and we will have to match them if we are to get something out of it.
"They do all the right things the majority of the time which is why they are up at the top of the league."
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Plymouth Argyle have met a total of 45 times over the years, with the Magpies winning 23 times; the Pilgrims have triumphed 13 times, and nine draws have taken place.
The first meeting took place on 13 Jan 1923, a FA Cup clash in Plymouth which ended as a goalless draw.
The last meeting was at the start of the season, on 16 August last year, and the Pilgrims won 2-1 at Meadow Lane.
Argyle takes its nickname from an English religious group that left Plymouth for the New World in 1620. The club crest features the Mayflower, the ship that carried the pilgrims to Massachusetts.
The city of Plymouth is the largest in England never to have hosted top-flight football. They are also the most southerly and westerly League club in England.
The club was founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, the first match taking place on 16 October 1886 against Caxton, a team from Cornwall, and saw the Pilgrims lose 2–0.
Poor performances on the pitch led to the club going out of existence in 1894 before being resurrected in 1897 as one part of a general sports club, the Argyle Athletic Club.
Much speculation surrounds the origin of the name Argyle. One explanation is that they were named after the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, an army regiment with a strong football side of its own.
Another theory is given the respective geographical placements–suggests the name comes either from the nearby public house, The Argyle Tavern, where the founder members may have met, or the local street named Argyle Terrace.
An alternative suggestion is that their initial kit was decorated in the famous Argyle diamond pattern.
The club adopted its current name when it became fully professional in 1903 joining the Southern League, under the management of Bob Jack.
Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles (one Division Two and two Division Three), five Southern League titles and one Western League title.
The team set the record for most championships won in the third tier, having finished first in the Third Division South twice, the Third Division once and the Second Division once.
In March 1973, Plymouth played a friendly against Brazilian giants Santos - who had a player by the name of Pele in their ranks. You may have heard of him.
The Devon club shocked the crowd of over 37,000 people at Home Park by cruising to a 3-0 lead and going on to win the game 3-2.
Team news
Plymouth will check on David Fox ahead of their League Two game with Notts County at Home Park on Tuesday after limping off before half-time in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Luton Town.
Fox was the victim of a heavy challenge which angered Pilgrims boss Derek Adams and Jakub Sokolik could deputise.
Graham Carey should be fine after taking a knock in the same game, and Antoni Sarcevic is also available after coming through the Luton draw unscathed after ankle trouble.
Notts are nursing a few bumps and bruises following their goalless home draw against Yeovil Town on Saturday.
Kevin Nolan will give those players affected as long as possible to prove their fitness as they prepare to face the League Two title chasers.
Defender Richard Duffy remains unavailable as he completes a two-match ban while midfielder Michael O'Connor is still on nine yellow cards and one more away from an enforced two-game absence of his own.
Thierry Audel is fit again after a groin problem but had to settle for a place on the bench at the weekend.
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Joe Jones
Josh Clackstone says he is happy to be getting first-team football at Notts County and hopes that the experience, as well as the help from older players, will benefit him when he returns to parent club Hull City.
The 20-year-old full-back has impressed since his January loan move to Meadow Lane, putting in a good performance in Saturday's goalless draw with Yeovil Town.
"They [Hull] wanted me to get games in the league and get used to first team football because I wasn't getting that back at Hull," Clackstone told the Nottingham Post.
"You want to play regardless of where it is and the fact that it's at a club like Notts County makes it even better. I think there is a massive difference from playing in academy teams and first teams.
"It means something. You are playing against more experienced players so you learn a lot more. There's a lot of experienced players here too and they are helping the young lads develop.
"This can only help me when I go back to Hull. They can see I've played in the league and hopefully I will get a shot there.
"I have got used to the way (Notts) play and the game plan, Saturday was my best game so far.
"It's really good, we have a great bunch of lads and we know what we need to do. We want to stay up and all the lads are heading in the right direction if we keep clean sheets and put points on the board.
"We are getting more consistent in how we play. We just need to keep going, keep getting more points and get to safety sooner rather than later."
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Chris
Yesterday’s goalless draw against Yeovil Town may not have been the best performance we have seen during the ‘new era’ at Meadow Lane; however, it was a united team with all the players working as one unit.
Some fans are unimpressed with the "boring" stalemate, but in a way this shows how far we've come in such a short amount of time - after all, a point and a clean sheet in the derby felt like a godsend bearing in mind what preceded it.
Personally I would highlight the atmosphere. Despite the disconnected performance up front, Notts fans actively got behind the players and the atmosphere was very impressive.
This is only confirmed further by the fact that attendances – a very respectable 7,141 (200 of whom was visiting fans).
The attendances have naturally lifted the clubs spirit since the takeover and I have mentioned in the past how Notts seems to have their mojo back.
Yet despite all this, the progress being made is clear for all to see, the atmosphere around Meadow Lane should only flourish and prosper further – especially during the 2017/2018 season.
I sat in two different locations having changed seats at half time, and the comments that were expressed during both periods were largely positive – with only some forming debatable opinions. Usually, you are prone to hearing a variety of comments which I can only describe as ‘nonsense’, but yesterday I heard none.
Players who usually receive negative comments, such as Haydn Hollis, actually put in a very impressive performance.
Receiving comments from many fans that I spoke to after the game, both around Meadow Lane and within the Navi afterwards.
Something else which I would note is largely down to the change in atmosphere around the club, at this stage it seems very supportive and I would urge people to encourage this – naturally there will be times when disappointment will lead to a change in feelings but it’s important to still actively keep the positive vibe during games.
Kevin Nolan has also seen spoken about how the players were disappointed with the goalless draw, stating “the lads were all disappointed in the dressing room and I was delighted with that because it shows how far we have come in such a short space of time”.
Yes, I would say that three points from Yeovil were there for the taking – a team that usually plays quite well against us, but the side that took the field yesterday for them was largely unimpressive.
And despite this I left the ground feeling happy and proud, as I do feel more much comfortable regarding the safety of our club – I feel we have exorcised our demons and hopefully those shadows and lurking vibes remain only thing of the past.
I would agree with the popular opinion that Notts weren't the best either, however we defended well – whilst Adam Collin wasn’t largely tested, he did look comfortable for 90 minutes, something which I personally would like to see more of.
Our defence looked perfectly fine, very much up to the task of keeping any Yeovil player at bay.
Whilst I would like to see more improvements made in midfield, we did pass the ball around nicely – creating good movements and opportunities for greater chances to come.
It was simply for me a case of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi having an off game – if they had connected better I would have said there would be no question of the Notts peformance.
That said, I don’t think they played ‘badly’ – just disconnected as team partners. Ameobi linked up well with midfield and held the ball up well. With Stead doing more defensive cover than I feel he should have, along with a lot more running in wider areas – you just want to see him near the opposition penalty box.
However, both strikers gave a lot of energy up front and on another day they may have gotten a goal.
The key thing that I have taken away from the game is confidence; I know that we can avoid leaking goals under Kevin Nolan. I can see the massive strides that the players are giving, we are finally getting that ‘pride’ in wearing their shirt.
I wouldn’t remotely feel disappointed myself, yesterday was just one of those games where we didn’t create a clear goalscoring opportunity.
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PON_News
Kevin Nolan's Notts County successfully retained their unbeaten home record during the 'new era' at Meadow Lane during a goalless draw against Yeovil Town.
In a game with few chances for either the Magpies or travelling Yeovil Town, Jorge Grant forced a save in the opening minutes when he conneted with a clever pass from Notts winger Mark Yeates. Yeovil Town themselves struggled to create chances after showing little ambition going forward.
Despite the lack of quality from the opposition, Notts failed to trouble the visiting keeper Artur Krysiak despite further chances from Grant from set peices.
Notts continued to ask questions of Yeovil's defence early in the second half, with yet again on-loan Nottingham Forest midfielder Jorge Grant looking their best hope of a goal. The midfielder saw a deflected shot hit the side netting, before Yeates tried his luck with a close-range shot which was beaten away by Krysiak.
Yeovil Town lacked any real direct efforts which virtually left Adam Collin nothing more than a spectator.
However, Alex Lawless nearly scored late on when he placed a shot which forced the Magpies keeper to make brilliant save as he tipped it away. Leaving both sides forced to settle for a point in a drab encounter.
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Joe Jones
Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has admitted that his players "were all disappointed in the dressing room" following their goalless draw with Yeovil Town on Saturday.
The League Two fixture at Meadow Lane saw the visitors defend stoutly, with the Magpies failing to break them down, and almost struck a late winner when Alex Lawless was denied by Adam Collin.
Despite the disappointment of failing to get all three points, Nolan admits that his charges seeing a stalemate as a bad result shows how far they've come from when he took over amid a 10-match losing run.
Nolan told the Nottingham Post: "We have to look at this result in the right way in the fact they have respected us. They have come to Meadow Lane and put 10 men behind the ball and made it difficult for us.
"When we did get into the final third, we found it hard to break them down and our quality wasn't what it was of previous weeks.
"But it felt like one of those days when the ball just wouldn't drop for us in the box and when it did it probably fell to the wrong person.
"The lads were all disappointed in the dressing room and I was delighted with that because it shows how far we have come in such a short space of time.
"The fans were fantastic again and while there were lots of positives to take out of the game, the disappointment was we didn't get the win."
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Joe Jones
Notts County maintained their unbeaten home record under new boss Kevin Nolan, as well as extending their unbeaten run to four matches, with a goalless draw against fellow strugglers Yeovil Town at Meadow Lane.
In a game of very few chances, Jorge Grant had a chance in the first minute when he latched on to a clever pass by Mark Yeates, but Artur Krysiak parried the shot away and then gathered the loose ball before the onrushing Shola Ameobi could get to it.
The Glovers failed to make any headway towards the Magpies goal until around 20 minutes in when Matty Dolan saw a speculative 25-yard half-volley fly wide before Akpa Akpro failed to direct a Kevin Dawson cross towards goal.
Notts ended the first half with their most threatening moment of the game as Mark Yeates cut in from the right flank and forced Krysiak into a save with a tricky low shot.
Nolan's side carried a greater sense of urgency early in the second half as Jon Stead played in Yeates, whose shot from a tight angle was parried to safety by the Glovers stopper.
The Glovers then had Ryan Dickson to thank for keeping them on level terms a short while later when his crucial block diverted Grant's goalward effort into the side netting, while Stead nearly bagged an assist when he cut back towards Michael O'Connor, who blazed his shot over.
As the game entered its final ten minutes, the hosts pushed forward once more and thought they were going to break the deadlock when Ameobi found Stead with a well timed cross, but he was unable to find the target with his header.
Yeovil nearly claimed a late goal when Alex Lawless burst into the Notts box and fired towards goal, but Adam Collin denied him with an outstanding save as the final whistle confirmed a share of the spoils.
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Joe Jones
Michael O'Connor has said he cannot guarantee avoiding a suspension for reaching 10 yellow cards because of his combative nature on the pitch.
The Notts County captain is currently on nine bookings and, should he earn another before March 12, he will be slapped with a two-match ban.
Richard Duffy will be sitting out the next two fixtures due to this and, despite O'Connor admitting he needs to be careful, he does not want let the ban put him off his style of play.
"I need to be careful for the next three or four games because I am on nine bookings," the Northern Irishman, expected to line up against Yeovil Town, told the Nottingham Post.
"I spoke to the gaffer about it. He's just said, 'try to be smart about it'. I will try to, but when you see the ball, I'll go for it.
"I'll try to see it through to the cut-off point, but I can't guarantee anything.
"When you are on the pitch you don't think of being on nine bookings when the ball is there to be won. It's just natural instinct."
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Yeovil Town have met 14 times over the years.
The first game took place at Meadow Lane on 4 November 1961, with the Magpies beating their opponents 4-2 in the FA Cup.
That was the only meeting of the two pre-21st century - the 13 meetings following that game all took place between 2004 and 2016.
Yeovil have the upper edge in the head-to-head with seven wins, five defeats and two draws against Notts.
Yeovil Football Club was founded in 1890, and shared their ground with the local rugby club for many years.
Five years later they were renamed Yeovil Casuals and started playing home games at the Pen Mill Athletic Ground.
In 1907 the name Yeovil Town was adopted, which on amalgamation with Petters United became Yeovil and Petters United. The name reverted to Yeovil Town prior to the 1946–47 season.
The Somerset outfit have spent most of their existence in the lower leagues, though they briefly made a name for themselves in the 1948-49 season when they beat Sunderland 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round.
In the 1980s, Yeovil were founder members of the Football Conference, where they remained for the next two decades, save for a few relegations to the Isthmian League which usually resulted in an instant return to the above tier.
Yeovil Town earned promotion to the Football League in the 2002-03 season, by winning the Football Conference by a record 17 points margin, accumulating 95 points and scoring 100 goals, remaining unbeaten at Huish Park.
In their second ever season in the Football League, the Glovers went one better by achieving promotion to the third tier as champions of League Two.
Then, in the following years even reached the League One playoffs, beating Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals in 2006-07 before losing to Blackpool in the final at Wembley.
Six years later, however, Yeovil achieved what had been deemed unthinkable a decade earlier - they reached the second tier of English football after beating Brentford in the 2013 League One play-off final.
Their stay in the Championship was brief, however, and they went on to suffer back-to-back relegations, leaving them in the bottom tier of the Football League where they still ply their trade.
Team news
Notts County are preparing to host Yeovil without suspended defender Richard Duffy.
Richard Duffy will be absent as he was booked for the 10th time this season during the win against Leyton Orient and must serve a two-match ban.
With Thierry Audel still struggling with a groin problem, it leaves Haydn Hollis and on-loan Josh Clackstone as the only recognised centre-backs available to Kevin Nolan.
Midfielder Michael O'Connor is just one yellow card away from a two-match ban after he was also booked at Brisbane Road.
The likes of Curtis Thompson, Alan Smith and Jonathan Forte will be hoping for recalls as Notts aim to extend their unbeaten league run to a season-best four games without defeat.
Yeovil are expected to have a trio of defenders back for the trip to Meadow Lane as they look to end a torrid run of form.
Darren Way's side have won only one of their last 13 league matches but will welcome back Ryan Dickson, Bevis Mugabi and Nathan Smith on Saturday.
Dickson suffered a knock during the 2-0 defeat at Cheltenham last weekend but has recovered quicker than expected to keep his place in the side while full-back Smith returns after missing the last two matches.
Mugabi is also fit after being absent for the match at Whaddon Road but winger Otis Khan misses out with an ankle injury that has ruled him out for the last six weeks.
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Joe Jones
Michael O'Connor has praised Notts County boss Kevin Nolan for having faith in the Northern Irishman's leadership qualities.
The midfielder was made captain this season under former boss John Sheridan and has continued in that role under Nolan.
O'Connor is also delighted to be able to take advice from a man who has captained each of his former clubs, wearing the armband at Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham United.
The 29-year-old told the official club site: "On his first day he spoke to me and said 'I want you to be my captain'. It was a big help for him to have that belief in me and since then I have kicked on.
"I'm probably on my best run of form since I signed. I know what the manager wants from me. I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fit and hopefully it can continue.
"Obviously the gaffer was captain wherever he went in his career - Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham - and it is my first season as a captain so he has spoken to be about what he wants from me and I think I'm taking it on board.
"You have teammates looking at you to lead and I try to do that in every game I play."
Up next for Notts, who are battling to survive in League Two, is Saturday's game with Yeovil Town at Meadow Lane.
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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.

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