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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has welcomed the impending arrival of the January transfer window with open arms, saying he is looking to clear out some players and get new ones in.
The Magpies are in the bottom reaches of League Two having lost five league games in a row, prompting fans to fear a relegation battle and the possibility of dropping out of the Football League.
Sheridan earmarked the defence as an area that he needs to improve, with County's 34 goals conceded in 20 games one of the worst "goals against" tallies in the division.
"It's not where I thought we'd be. I've got to get a grip of the players," the manager told the Nottingham Post.
"Luckily for me, January is coming. I'll have to make good decisions as we need to get out the position we're in. We can't carry on like this.
"I need players out before I can get any in. That's something I might have to work really hard to do, to reshuffle the back and build a team to win games.
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan admits that he fears for his job as Notts County continue to freefall down the League Two table.
The Magpies lost their fifth consecutive league game as Wycombe Wanderers won 2-0 on Saturday in a controversial clash at Meadow Lane.
Although Sheridan was highly critical of referee Eddie Ilderton for his "atrocious" performance, he still acknowledges that his side is not playing well enough.
"I'm the manager and we're losing a lot more games than I thought we would. I'm not stupid," he told the Nottingham Post. "I worry about my position. I have to.
"I don't like losing matches. I don't like how we play sometimes.
"Things have gone against us in this game, but we were on a bad run before that.
"It's down to us. The first goal is a prime example. You've got two against one and their player gets a clean header on it."
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has let rip at referee Eddie Ilderton after his performance in Notts County's 2-0 defeat against Wycombe Wanderers, describing the official's decision-making as "atrocious".
The Magpies slipped to a fifth League Two defeat on the trot at Meadow Lane on Saturday as Adebayo Akinfenwa and Scott Kashket bagged the winning goals for the Chairboys.
Sheridan - who was sent to the stands for remonstrating - feels a number of decisions, such as a Jonathan Forte goal ruled out for offside, Michael O'Connor's first-half red card, and Wycombe's second goal, all went the wrong way.
"I'm disappointed in myself for being sent-off, but some of the decision making is atrocious," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"Forte is onside for the goal that was given offside, O'Connor has won the ball cleanly and the second goal is a blatant foul on (Richard) Duffy.
"It's same linesmen for both incidents. It's a clear foul on Duffy.
"I can see it from 50 yards and he's 20 yards away. O'Connor has gone in competitively when it comes to the red.
"He (the ref's) gone on about him having two feet off the ground.
"He's got all of the ball though. Their lad is late and he's caught O'Connor.
"That's the way the game is and that's why I want ex-players to be referees."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have slipped to their fifth League Two defeat in a row as Wycombe Wanderers claimed a 2-0 win at Meadow Lane in controversial circumstances.
The visitors began brightly, with Luke O’Nien playing Scott Kashket through in the first minute, but the former Leyton Orient man couldn’t get the ball under control.
John Sheridan's charges created their first chance on the quarter-hour mark when Matt Tootle cut inside and curled a shot from the edge of the area just wide of Jamal Blackman’s left-hand post.
Returning striker Jon Stead then had the best chance of the game so far on 22 minutes when he evaded Aaron Pierre and lashed a shot inches away from the target.
Jonathan Forte had a goal disallowed just before the half-hour mark when he rounded Blackman after an excellent pass from Stead, but the effort was wrongly ruled out for offside by Eddie Ilderton.
The Magpies would go on to rue their missed opportunities when Wycombe then took the lead on 37 minutes, Joe Jacobson whipping in a cross which was headed home by Adebayo Akinfenwa.
Notts were further hindered when skipper Michael O'Connor was shockingly sent off on the stroke of half time after a 50-50 tackle with Paris Cowan-Hall, prompting a chorus of boos at the break.
Wycombe then doubled their advantage on 55 minutes when Cowan-Hall squared for Kashket who slotted home and, despite being offside, the goal stood, infuriating Sheridan who was then sent to the stands.
Both sides finished the game a man down after Akinfenwa was also shown a red card - a second yellow - for persistent fouling.
Nonetheless, the visitors were able to see the game out and condemn Notts to a fifth league loss on the trot and a drop to 20th place in the table.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Wycombe Wanderers have faced each other a total of 32 times over the years, with the first meeting coming as late as 1995, when the Magpies won 2-0 at Meadow Lane.
The Chairboys are way ahead in the head-to-head, having beaten Notts 15 times and drawn nine – we have beaten them just eight times.
In 1887, a meeting held at the Steam Engine public house in Station Road, High Wycombe saw the formation of Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
It is highly likely the club was named Wanderers after the famous Wanderers, winners of the first FA Cup in 1872. The club played just friendly matches between 1887 and 1896.  
Wycombe first entered the FA Amateur Cup in 1894 and the FA Cup in 1895. In 1895 the club moved to Loakes Park, which would become its home for the next 95 years.  
In 1896 the club joined the Southern League and competed in the Second Division until 1908, but in the summer of 1908 the club declined the invitation to retain their membership of the Southern League.  
The club decided to pursue amateur instead of professional football and joined the Great Western Suburban League and remained there until the outbreak of the First World War.  
After the hostilities had ended the club joined the Spartan League in 1919 and were Champions in successive years. In March 1921 the club's application to join the Isthmian League was accepted.
Wycombe enjoyed a fairytale season in 2000–01 as the club reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
First Division sides Grimsby Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Wimbledon were all beaten before a memorable quarter-final with Premier League side Leicester City.  
In a game that has gone down in FA Cup history, striker Roy Essandoh headed an injury-time winner to seal a 2–1 win at Filbert Street as manager Lawrie Sanchez looked on from the dressing room, having been dismissed from the touchline during the game.
The ensuing semi-final at Villa Park saw Liverpool pushed all the way by Wycombe, but the Reds claimed a 2–1 victory.
Team news
Leading scorer Jon Stead could return to the Notts County starting line-up when Wycombe visit Meadow Lane.
The nine-goal striker suffered an ankle injury in October but is ahead of schedule in his recovery and returned to action off the bench in the FA Cup draw with Peterborough last weekend.
With another week of training under his belt, Stead is in contention to lead the line.
Curtis Thompson has also returned to training after a lengthy injury lay-off and, while Magpies boss John Sheridan was more cautious about his potential return coming this weekend, the midfielder continues to make good progress and may not be far from his manager's thoughts.
Midfielder Stanley Aborah and winger Alex Rodman remain doubts as Notts County look to arrest a four-match losing run in League Two and earn only a second win in 10 league games to resurrect their play-off challenge.
Wycombe made eight changes for their EFL Trophy win at Millwall in midweek and should revert to the side which started last weekend's thumping FA Cup win at Chesterfield.
However, winger Garry Thompson scored twice in the 3-1 win against the Lions and will hope to have done enough to keep his starting spot.
Loanee Paris Cowan-Hall was ineligible for the game against his full-time employers at The Den and comes back into the squad.
Scott Kashket has five goals in his last two starts and will lead the line, while Max Muller and Danny Rowe will hope to be involved after building their match fitness following long-term injuries in midweek.
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Joe Jones
Jon Stead has claimed that beating Wycombe Wanderers could reinvigorate Notts County's season.
The Magpies have fallen to four League Two defeats in a row to slip into the bottom six, but an improved performance in their FA Cup second-round clash against Peterborough United stopped the rot.
"We are still looking upwards, rather than over our shoulders. This is the same group of players that were producing good performances earlier in the season and were in and around the play-off places," Stead, who is expected to make his first start, told the Nottingham Post.
"We were right in with a chance of doing something with the season and that has not changed. It has been in the space of five or six games that we have dropped off, but you can soon turn that around, in the same space of time.
"It is only a month or two since we were a few points away from second place. Many teams in the division have had good spells and bad spells. There are very few who have been consistent throughout the whole season and we still have the chance to get back in the mix.
"That is something we feel we can do if we can spark ourselves back into good form and get the one result we need, perhaps, to help us to do that. We need to end the bad run we have been on, then we believe we can start to climb the table again.
"If we can get a win, it would immediately change the mood. We were unlucky not to beat Peterborough in the end, but if we can build on that by getting a win over Wycombe, it will only help us to build that belief and confidence."
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Joe Jones
Notts County boss John Sheridan wants his players to "prove" their credentials ahead of a tough run of games.
The Magpies face playoff-chasing Wycombe Wanderers at Meadow Lane on Saturday before travelling to Colchester United (in the league) and Peterborough United (in the FA Cup).
Boxing Day, meanwhile, sees table-topping Doncaster Rovers come to Meadow Lane and, on New Year's Eve, Keith Curle will return to his old club with second-placed Carlisle United.
"I'd like to see it as an opportunity for us, yes. Starting with Saturday, if we can get a good result, it is a chance for us to prove something," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"When you look at the next four games they are all tough. We are playing three of the top seven and Colchester, who are in a false position.
"I like the look of the games. They will test us, but if we can get some good results against teams who are doing well, it will give us a little bit of confidence.
"I believe we can beat any team in the division. But our results do not show that. We have played teams who are up there and have been the better team in those games.
"It is just inconsistency. We are vulnerable when it comes to letting cheap goals in.
"In the last three or four weeks, the goals we have conceded have been very poor and the results have been very poor.
"When opposition teams look at our record, our home form is not good. Teams do come here thinking that we are a soft touch, that we let soft goals in and we will concede chances if they get at us.
"That is what teams think about, when they come here. So we need to rectify that. We need to address that and make life difficult for Wycombe. They are very good from set plays, so it will be a test.
"But if we play as we did for 70 minutes against Peterborough, we have a good chance of winning the game."
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Joe Jones
Louis Laing has admitted that the Notts County dressing room was in higher spirits than it has been for the last few weeks after their 2-2 draw against League One side Peterborough United.
The Magpies are languishing in the bottom six of League Two after four consecutive league defeats, prompting manager John Sheridan to cancel their Christmas party and pledge to play first-teamers in the reserves.
However, Meadow Lane saw the hosts come from two goals down to salvage a draw against Posh in the FA Cup, which kept them in the hat for the third round - and the winner of the replay will get to play Chelsea.
"It's a much happier dressing room. The last month has been pretty tough on everyone," Laing told the Nottingham Post.
"That's football. Sometimes you go through these stages. There's lots we need to work on still.
"We've had a good result. It's nice after four losses on the trot, especially against a League One team.
"It's nice to get a goal for the fans. It's been a hard month for them.
"It's been a hard month for everyone at the club with all the losses we've had. It's nice they stuck with us.
"Sometimes I don't blame them if they don't. It's understandable given how we've been going.
"It's always good to have them behind you. Hopefully they saw a better side to Notts County on Sunday."
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has welcomed Jon Stead's return to action for Notts County and is eager to get his match fitness back up by playing him in reserve games.
The 33-year-old, whose absence has been sorely missed by the Magpies, came on as a substitute in the last 20 minutes of the 2-2 FA Cup draw against Peterborough United.
Sheridan said he wasn't happy about bringing Stead on so early after his recovery but confirmed that the striker will play a reserve game against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.
"Ideally I wouldn't have wanted to use him so early," he told the Nottingham Post.
"He's not played much football. He's been out a while.
"He's trained for 10 days now. He's short on match practice.
"We've got a couple of reserve games coming up and he'll be involved in them.
"It's good to have him back. He's experienced and his presence gives the players a lift."
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Joe Jones
Notts County fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Peterborough United in Sunday's FA Cup second-round clash at Meadow Lane.
The deadlock was broken after just three minutes when a Marcus Maddison corner fell to Leonardo Da Silva Lopes and the teenager rifled a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Posh then doubled their lead on the quarter-hour mark as Paul Taylor's cross was cleared into the path of Gwion Edwards, who was on hand to drill home past Adam Collin's reach.
It looked like it was going to be yet another long afternoon for the Black and White Army, but not long before the break, Adam Campbell halved the deficit when he lashed past Luke McGee from the edge of the box.
Things got worse for the visitors when first-half stoppage time saw Lee Angol shown a straight red card for shoving Matt Tootle in the face by the touchline.
The second half saw John Sheridan's side up their game and the likes of Jonathan Forte, Michael O'Connor and Aaron Collins all coming close.
County's patience was then rewarded in stoppage time when Louis Laing squeezed home a shot after Peterborough failed to clear a corner kick, and the final whistle blew to signal a replay at the ABAX Stadium in just over a week's time.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Peterborough have met a grand total of 45 times over the years, dating back to the 1960s.
The first meeting between the two, a Third Division fixture on the 7th September 1961, ended in a 2-2 draw.
Our record win over the Posh is a 6-0 drubbing at Meadow Lane in the 1970-71 season, while our record defeat to them is a 5-1 loss in 1963.
The head-to-head is 12 wins for Notts, 19 defeats, and 14 draws.
Peterborough United are nicknamed "The Posh" because Pat Tirrel, then manager of Fletton United - the current club’s previous incarnation - was reported to say he was "looking for posh players for a posh new team".
Fletton, previously known as the 'Brickies', re-formed as Peterborough and Fletton United in 1923, and both nicknames were in use through the 1920s, although supporters complained that 'Posh' references were sometimes used by newspapers in a derisory manner.
Peterborough and Fletton United folded in 1932, the present club was formed two years later and a Midland League debut against Gainsborough Trinity on 1st September 1934 was greeted with cries of 'Up The Posh' from the crowd.
A few years ago, Peterborough United clashed with Victoria Beckham, aka “Posh Spice”, over the use of the “Posh” nickname.
She had apparently objected to Peterborough's plans to register "Posh" and "The Posh" as registered trademarks, but eventually backed down after realising the club had been using that nickname some 50 years before she was born.
Notts and Peterborough played a blinder of a game on the 28 September 2010 at London Road, the Magpies surging into a two-goal lead courtesy of Ben Davies, before Gabriel Zakuani’s header halved the deficit.
Craig Westcarr restored the away side’s two-goal lead, before Craig Mackail-Smith made things tense for the last half hour thanks to his angled shot.
The game is also known for a 22-man brawl at the final whistle, which resulted in an FA charge for both teams and a £15,000 fine.
Team news
Notts may have leading scorer Jon Stead back for their FA Cup tie at home to Peterborough on Sunday.
The nine-goal striker resumed training last week after more than a month out with an ankle injury, but a late decision will be made on his fitness.
Rob Milson is available again after a one-match ban but fellow midfielder Stanley Aborah remains an injury doubt.
Winger Alex Rodman could overcome a groin problem as the Magpies look to make it through to the third round for the first time since 2012.
Peterborough manager Grant McCann has no fresh injury or suspension concerns.
However, the Posh boss is expected to make changes from the side which lost to Scunthorpe after claiming this week that he is not scared of dropping players who are "not trying."
Peterborough's match against Oldham last week was postponed due to a frozen pitch which means defender Jack Baldwin will be unavailable.
Baldwin was booked for the fifth time this season against the Iron and is joined on the sidelines by Jermaine Anderson.
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan wants an improved showing from Notts County as they welcome Peterborough United to Meadow Lane in Sunday's FA Cup second-round clash.
The Magpies will get a welcome distraction from their League Two troubles this weekend as they welcome League One Posh to NG2 in a bid to determine who goes into the hat for the fabled third-round draw.
Sheridan says that, as Notts have already taken big scalps this season, they can cause an upset against Peterborough, even if he is unsure about whether Jon Stead is fit enough to take part.
“Getting through against a team like Peterborough would give us a big confidence boost, and prove to us again that we can beat really good teams”, the 52-year-old explained.
“We’ve already taken something from games against some of the best League Two sides, like Portsmouth and Luton. When that pair came to our ground, we were better than them. So we’ve shown we can do it.
“I’m looking for the boys to show a bit of endeavour and a will to win. I’ll feel more positive about things if we give a good account of ourselves in this tie.
“Even now, I get excited about reaching the Third Round of the FA Cup. If you’re in the hat then there’s a real buzz about the chance of a big tie. That’s the magic of the cup.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County boss John Sheridan admits he's cancelled his players' Christmas party, adding that they agree with his reasoning.
The Magpies sit 19th in the League Two table after a poor run of four consecutive league defeats, and Sheridan thinks the players are not in a position to be celebrating.
"Listen, you've got to take your mind off football, I'm all for that, but I don't think we're in any position to," he told the Nottingham Post.
"I think we've got to work a lot, lot harder and focus on what we're trying to do – and that's trying to be successful in this league.
"There's still a long, long way to go. There's plenty of points, and there's nothing stopping us from getting back in the mix.
"I just feel, and the players feel, like it's best if there's no Christmas do.
"There will be a time when we can celebrate, and I think the players are backing me on it.
"It will save them some money. And I think the players know it's not a punishment, so they have responded the way I want them to respond.
"They know we have got to get things right, so I don't see it as a problem whatsoever and hopefully it will work out the way we want it to."
Media reports have claimed that the players were paid late this week, but Sheridan has vowed to stay away from "the politics".
"I don't get involved in the politics and other people have to take care of whatever is going on off the pitch," he said.
"I just concentrate on the pitch, and it's a big game for us, it's an opportunity to get into the next round and the possibility of getting a big team.
"That's all I'm concentrating on, I don't get involved in politics whatsoever. I don't want it to distract us, I don't feel it has. We've trained okay and we carry on."
Notts take on Peterborough United in an FA Cup second-round clash at Meadow Lane on Sunday.
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Blink1862
It's quite serious to think that the club is yet again in another relegation battle. Whether this will be long-winded like prior battles or simply a case of the Magpies finding their feet under John Sheridan remains to be seen, but it's obvious by now that this sorry state of affairs will take years to fix.
Whilst an increased amount of fans are becoming hacked off with Sheridan, and a minority standing behind the decision to protest for “fresh change” in the direction that club is being lead, there's one thing which is clear - talk of the sale only leads to “uncertainty” and “unpaid debts”, which multiplies that by whatever percent you could imagine.
I was, and remain, uncertain about the future of Notts, even after the club parted ways with the sixth manager since the disappointing loss of Steve Cotterill (not including Paul Hart and Mick Halsall who took temporary charge as caretaker managers). My feelings only increased after the appointment of Jamie Fullarton, as many didn't quite understand the decision behind the appointment.
Can the club be saved with a simple fix? It's not as easy as waving a magic wand.
Likewise you can't pull the wool over people's eyes, and you certainly can't tell fans how to feel – after all they're the reason the club is in operation no matter how you see it.
Yet it will literally take years to put right all that has gone since Munto Finance took over, even more so under the lacklustre Trew era.
That said, there were things which needed changing prior to mystery millions that mistakenly got pulled into the club rather than paying the costly milk bill.
However, Munto had the basics right even though they represented more fiction than Sherlock Holmes, Jessica Fletcher and Hercule Poirot.
The thing is, the community surrounding Notts was more close-knit without the millions. The majority of players cared, even during Munto with the newly signed players, but when you pay peanuts and give your better players away on freebies, surely the garden path isn't such a mysterious destination?
Certainly there will be fingers wagging, voices debating who's to blame but this really beside the point.
What matters is how you learn from your mistakes, how you move forward and ultimately how you address concerns.
So when rumours of the club's takeover is reported as imminent, focus on the daily business, get the players prepared for the weekend's game (or whenever it is). Make uncertainty the last thing they think of, breed confidence and support those who do the supporting.
By the time HMRC comes knocking, it will only make matters worse because even unsuccessful clubs that pull together have a better chance of riding out any storm - and of course it helps paying bills on time.
Will this season be a write-off? Only the management and the board of Notts County can answer that, yet the clubs needs to snap out of this losing streak and pull itself back together. The only award that the club would win at the most is that of “most stressful club”.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the contributor are his own and are not necessarily representative of Pride of Nottingham.
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Joe Jones
Notts County assistant manager Mark Crossley has called on his players to show the club and fans "what they are made of" to get out of their current malaise.
The Magpies lost their fourth consecutive league game on Saturday after they fell to a 3-2 defeat at Barnet, causing them to slump to 19th in the table.
"In the first half we were pretty pleased," Crossley told the Nottingham Post.
"We had two great chances to go 2-0 up and Vadaine (Oliver) said in the dressing room he has to score the two headers then the game is out of sight.
"We knew what we would get from Barnet but we didn't deal with it in the second half.
"The players are low in confidence and now it's about time they took some responsibility.
"We work through the week on strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and you can't legislate for miskicking the ball and making the wrong decisions.
"In the second half, that's what happened. They've got to dig themselves out of it. You can defend players, but they have got to show us what they are made of."
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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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