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Joe Jones
Notts County have slumped to a fourth consecutive loss in League Two as they left Barnet on the receiving end of a 3-2 defeat on Saturday.
John Sheridan's struggling charges took the lead after 15 minutes when skipper Michael O'Connor curled the ball into the far corner of the net following a short corner routine.
The Magpies were dominant and could have added to their opener on a number of occasions, but Vadaine Oliver and Genaro Snijders failed to score from good chances.
However, the hosts equalised at the Hive on the half-hour mark when John Akinde turned inside the box and forced a save from Adam Collin, before Bira Dembele drilled home the rebound.
Luke Gambin then put the Bees ahead in the 64th minute with a deflected effort and claimed his second, and his side's third, ten minutes later by crashing into the top corner on the run.
Notts did not give up, with Jonathan Forte scoring from close range in the 77th minute to make it 3-2, but it was too little too late for the visitors.
The result puts the Magpies 19th in the League Two table, four points above the drop zone.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Barnet have met each other just 14 times over the years.
The first fixture came on 1 November 1997, with the Magpies earning a 2-1 away win in Division Three.
Notts have eight wins against the Bees, with four defeats and three draws.
The last fixture between the two was on 19 April this year, with Jon Stead's early penalty at the Hive Stadium cancelled out by three second half Bees goals for a 3-1 home win.
The club was founded in Chipping Barnet, then part of Hertfordshire, in 1888.
Several incarnations of the club existed before the third Barnet FC, created after the First World War, came to be - this entity continues till today.
Barnet have won the Football Conference a record three times - in 1991, 2005, and 2015, as well as finishing second three other times.
Aside from a runners-up medal in the 1971-72 FA Trophy, their silverware cabinet is restricted to minor trophies.
A number of Barnet players have gone on to represent Premier League clubs. They include Dougie Freedman, Marlon King, Andy Clarke, Linvoy Primus, Maik Taylor, Mark Gower, Jason Puncheon, Yannick Bolasie and Albert Adomah.
Players who came to the club towards the end of their careers include Jimmy Greaves, Mark Lawrenson, David Hillier, Alan Pardew, Eddie Newton, Paul Warhurst, Steve Kabba, John Oster, Jonathan Fortune, Edgar Davids and Lee Cook.
Team news
Barnet are still without suspended defender Alie Sesay for Saturday's visit of Notts County.
Sesay completes a three-match ban for his red card in the draw against Grimsby Town earlier this month.
Michael Gash, James Pearson, Shaun Batt and Gavin Hoyte are all long-term absentees.
Defender Bondz N'Gala this week left Barnet after two years to join National League side Eastleigh for an undisclosed fee.
Notts County's leading scorer Jon Stead has resumed training after more than a month out with an ankle injury but the trip to The Hive will come too soon for the nine-goal striker.
The 33-year-old is likely to play against Chesterfield next week in a reserve-team match ahead of putting himself back in first-team contention for the FA Cup clash with Peterborough on December 4.
Fellow striker Vadaine Oliver is available again after suspension while winger Alex Rodman could overcome a groin problem.
Rob Milsom will serve a one-match ban after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season in the home defeat to Cambridge.
Midfielder Stanley Aborah is doubtful while Curtis Thompson is still out as the Magpies look to arrest a three-game losing run in League Two.
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Joe Jones
Notts County manager John Sheridan says his team will "be fighting" when they travel to Barnet on Saturday, and believe they can beat anyone in League Two on their day.
The Magpies have lost three in a row in the league, failing to score in each game, and fell into the bottom half of the table, while just a month ago they were in play-off contention.
Martin Allen's side, on the other hand, have picked up 12 points from six games to climb to 11th and are in good form.
"Barnet will think it's a good time to play us but we'll go there believing we'll get something from the game," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"We'll be fighting. I want us to pick up. If we play as we can we can beat anyone in the league. If we play like we did at Blackpool and Newport we'll get nothing."
Sheridan also praised Allen, who previously managed the Magpies, for changing the mentality of the Hive Stadium side.
"I like Martin. I get on well with him," he said.
"He gets his players really pumped up. They've had a great result against Plymouth (on Tuesday) and John Akinde is on fire. We've got to deal with him on the day.
"He's a great threat. Martin will have them believing they can get out the league."
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has revealed that Jon Stead is back in training for Notts County.
The 33-year-old striker has not played since mid-October because of an ankle injury and his absence has been missed by the Magpies.
"Jon trained this morning. He's coming along fine," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"He's worked hard to get back but he won't be playing Saturday.
"We'll see about him playing in the reserves next week.
"He's got eight or nine days before Peterborough and he's desperate to get back.
"When he's back, he's back, but at this moment in time we've got Barnet to worry about.
"When they're injured, they aren't much use to me, without being disrespectful to any player. When I feel he's ready to play, he will."
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan is confident that things will turn around for Notts County as he aims to stick to his guns going into this weekend's game at Barnet.
A month ago, the Magpies were flying high following a 2-1 win at Portsmouth, but since then they have stumbled to a goalless draw and three defeats on the trot in the fourth tier.
"People are probably bored of me repeating it, but I know I've got to get my act together and so too have the players," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"I am gutted at the moment. It's a serious position and football is a funny game because a month ago we were looking quite healthy.
"Then a month later you are down and things look really difficult. I've got to stick to my beliefs and stick to what I believe will be successful for us.
"Hopefully we can get back to winning ways sooner rather than later. I've got to support the players and that's the most important thing for me.
"I have to back them and I am hoping things will turn around starting with a tough game against Barnet."
Notts currently sit 15th in the League Two table, four points off the playoffs but four points above the drop zone.
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has promised to be right behind the Notts County players as their League Two form continues to tumble.
The Magpies succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Shaun Derry's Cambridge United on Tuesday, a result which means Notts have just one league win at Meadow Lane this season.
In addition, their record over the last three games reads three defeats, eight goals conceded and zero goals scored, while the game before that run was a goalless draw.
"I've just got to keep going and try to pick the players up, because we are in a difficult place at this moment in time," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"We are not winning football matches and one or two of the players are not playing as well as we would like.
"But the players have to trust me as I am a manager who is right behind them.
"We had a go in the second half and that does give me some hope.
"I am hurting because I hate losing. I haven't come here to be near the bottom of the league.
"It's our aim to be successful and that's what I want to be."
Sheridan also gave his reason as to why he picked Mike Edwards and Alan Smith to start against the U's.
The reason I played them is because of their experience and their game know-how," he continued.
"We've been letting soft goals in and they bring something to us that we haven't really got which is a bit of communication on the pitch."
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Joe Jones
Notts County's poor form continues as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Cambridge United in Tuesday night's League Two clash at Meadow Lane.
The first chance of the game fell to U's forward Uche Ikpeazu, who made the most of a deflection in his favour but was unable to find the target from 18 yards.
Shaun Derry's charges, however, continued to impress, and they duly took the lead on 26 minutes when Ikpeazu bumped off Louis Laing before playing COnor Newton through on goal to sidefoot past Adam Collin.
Genaro Snijders should have equalised for Notts when he raced clear through on goal but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Cambridge, however, continued to dominate, and caused another scare when Mark Roberts had his half-volley ruled out for offside.
In the second half, Notts had the bulk of possession but found chances hard to come by until the death.
Their best opportunity came when Matt Tootle headed into the box, which forced Will Norris to punch back into the area.
The ball dropped to Aaron Collins but his shot hit a defender on the line and bounced off the back of Norris for a corner.
Cambridge were able to clear the set-piece as Derry's side held on to claim all three points for the third time in a row since he became U's manager.
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has pledged to "work his socks off" to help Notts County get promoted, beginning with improving their home record.
The Magpies have won just once at Meadow Lane in the league this season, with their last home game ending in farce as Newport County claimed a 3-0 win.
"I never expected us to be this poor at home, not in my wildest dreams," Sheridan said to the Nottingham Post. "We need to do a lot better.
"I don't like people watching us when we aren't being a good team. I don't like people shouting my name because it hurts me. It bothers me. I want to be winning all the time.
"I can promise the fans they will get everything from me. I haven't come here to be middle of the table in League Two, I've come here to get us out of this league.
"I will work my socks off to do it too."
Notts face their former manager Shaun Derry and his Cambridge United side on Tuesday night.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Cambridge United have met just 25 times in their history, with the first meeting coming on Boxing Day 1970. The result? A resounding 4-1 win to the Magpies at Meadow Lane.
Notts hold the advantage in the head to head, with 11 wins, 7 draws and 7 defeats against the U’s. The last game, however, was a 2-1 win for Cambridge on April 23 last year.
The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United before taking the name Cambridge United in 1951.
It first competed in the Football League in 1970 and stayed there until relegation in 2005, nine seasons in the Conference following until climbing back out of non-league.
Cambridge have had two spells in the league's second tier, and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup twice and Football League Cup once during the early 1990s, the club's most successful era to date.
United's highest ever finishing place in the Football League is fifth in the Second Division during the 1991–92 season, competing in a season-ending four team playoff for the final promotion slot to the Premier League's inaugural season.
The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Newmarket Road, just under 2 miles east of Cambridge city centre. The stadium has a capacity of 8,127, made up of terracing and seated areas.
During their days in Division Two, with John Beck at the helm in the 1980's, the club earned a reputation for bizarre training methods and "dirty tricks" to make their opponents feel ill at ease.
These included freezing cold showers for his own players, dirty changing rooms and deflated kick-about balls for the opposition and long grass in the corners of the pitch to slow the long balls into those areas, allowing the U’s forwards to reach them.
Beck carried on his dirty tricks even after leaving to take charge of Preston North End – taking nine of the Cambridge United players with him.
He was not the only famous manager at the club, with Ron Atkinson taking the club from the Fourth to the Second Division and Ex-England and Derby County centre-half Roy McFarland also sitting in the hot seat.
Before their entry into the League, a local animal sanctuary had an escapee and it was found grazing on the pitch at the Abbey Stadium. This lead to the moose connection with the club, and in the club shop you can buy a range of moose souvenirs to show your allegiance to the U’s.
Famous alumni include Dion Dublin and Luke Chadwick, while famous fans include football commentator Gary Newbon and Tom Findlay of Groove Armada.
And connecting the two clubs – none other than former Notts manager Shaun Derry, now a the helm of the U’s.
Team news
Notts County captain Michael O'Connor is back in contention for the visit of Cambridge. He missed two matches with a toe injury but is fit for action again, as are Matt Tootle and Jonathan Forte.
Jordan Richards is injured again after returning at the weekend, as are Stanley Aborah, Curtis Thompson and Jon Stead, while Vadaine Oliver completes a three-game ban.
Cambridge defender Josh Coulson is out of Tuesday's trip with an ankle injury sustained during Saturday's loss to Wycombe.
The full extent of Coulson's injury is still to be determined, while Medy Elito was missing with a knock on Saturday which could rule him out again.
George Maris scored his first Cambridge goal after groin and ankle injuries earlier this season and should continue.
Adam McGurk remains out, while Elliot Omazusi and Barry Corr are long-term absentees.
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Chris
Once again Notts stumble back to the drawing board, yet as a club, do we ever learn?
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Jon Stead was League Two's Player of the Month, in fact it was only last September - but things seemed a lot more optimistic back then.
With back-to-back defeats at the hands of Blackpool and more recently Newport County, it seems the Magpies are destined to pitifully play out the remainder of the games until the January transfer window opens up.
The injury to Stead has proved a massive blow. I said this at the time and even warned prior to this misfortune that we were relying too much on him.
That said, away performances have largely made the difference during the 2016-17 campaign and that's when we saw Adam Campbell step up from Stead's shadow.
Twice he’s been our saviour, he helped earn Notts a replay against Boreham Wood in the FA Cup, but we haven’t seen many other players step up to the plate.
Problem is, Notts are largely inconsistent and when things are merry, John Sheridan speaks of praise and, during lean times, he speaks of how it's unacceptable – even going as far as comparing the squad to a pub team.
There’s nothing at all wrong with this, but I am increasingly becoming frustrated by his lack of faith in certain players, whilst others retain a starting place week in and out.
He spoke more recently about welcoming the selection headache when it came to the squad that could be put out against Newport, with only Genaro Snijders, Robert Milsom and Graham Burke coming in after the terrible away performance to Blackpool.
You may be wondering why I haven’t included the likes of Jordan Richards. I haven’t because I largely feel he’s been in and around the first team for a while and is well within the deserved list of having a run in the Notts squad.
However, Robert Milsom and Graham Burke have largely been disappointing whilst Sheridan has been at the helm as the manager.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s right people are calling for his sacking or resignation – much of the issues we see on the pitch is largely down to years of mismanagement and poor decisions from various parties involved.
It’s easy to point the finger, but the fact is we crave stability and this only comes in retaining someone who can carry out the required work. There’s not a big queue of good candidates out there prepared to come in and do this.
I do wonder what has gone wrong these past few weeks, however all season it’s been quite poor with only patches of good spells – it's easy to forget when you're winning games and sitting in and around the play-offs.
At this stage of the season Sheridan should have had the chance to experiment, yet it would appear as if he doesn’t know who is deserving of a starting place or even who should make our best eleven.
Certainly I don’t feel Adam Collin should be number one, and yes I hear the phantom moans of ‘Scott Loach isn’t much better’ – however even he managed to make a small difference last year round.
I at least hope to never hear or witness Alan Smith starting in any form of attacking position, which is another shame because I do feel at times he could have helped in midfield. Just not as someone regularly starting, as we have only just managed to out Alex Rodman from his favourite position – another player who along with Carl Dickinson I would hope remains out of the squad until they learn to fulfil their roles better.
As things stand, I expect to see a few more disappointing performances and no doubt this will include some woeful results.
I just hope that things start to pick up sooner or later, as these winter months are the perfect time to gain form – with the return of Stead and eventually the opening of the transfer window.
Fingers crossed we can rid ourselves of some of the underperforming players who barely reassemble professional footballers in the hope that we can replace them, provided we don’t have further speculations of ‘ghosts’ appearing at Meadow Lane in the form of meaningless takeovers.
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has admitted that he is sick of Notts County's poor form and refuses to make excuses.
The Magpies fell to a second consecutive heavy league defeat on Saturday as they were ran ragged by struggling Newport County at Meadow Lane.
The 3-0 home defeat came a week after an embarrassing 4-0 thrashing at Blackpool, while a 2-0 win over non-league Boreham Wood in the FA Cup barely restored optimism prior to yesterday.
"It is worrying because of the way we are playing," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post. "I am not going to come out and make excuses – it was far, far, from good enough.
"Whatever is thrown at me and the players, we've got to accept it. It wasn't good enough at all.
We were missing one or two, but that's no excuse. It gave an opportunity for players to come in and perform and give me a problem by giving a good performance.
"Again, we were way off it. I am repeating myself, but it's not good enough.
"It's something I need to sort out very quickly because if not then we all know the consequences.
"I have to look at myself because I've picked a team that I thought would win the game.
"I've got to try to look after my players but I am getting sick of it. I am answering all the questions, but it's down to me because I am picking the team."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have fallen to a second humiliating league defeat in quick succession after Newport County, League Two's bottom club, left Meadow Lane with a 3-0 win.
The Exiles took the lead in the 34th minute when Rhys Healey was fouled inside the Magpies area by Richard Duffy, prompting the referee to award a penalty.
Although Sean Rigg's shot was saved by goalkeeper Adam Collin, he latched onto the rebound and fired home from close range.
Six minutes later John Sheridan's former side had doubled their lead as Healey went on an unopposed run and struck his third goal in a week.
Josh Sheehan also notched up his third strike in as many games as he lashed a half-volley beyond Collin in the 62nd minute.
Tom Owen-Evans then forced Collin to tip over the bar with a shot from 30 yards as the afternoon threatened to turn even worse for the Magpies.
Notts mustered little in front of goal all afternoon and remain stuck on just one league win at Meadow Lane all season, to the chagrin of the long-suffering fans.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Newport County have met a total of 46 times over the years, the first fixture coming in 1930, which the Magpies won 3-2.
The head-to-head record is skewed in the Magpies’ favour, with 25 wins, 9 draws and 12 defeats.
The last meeting was in April 2016, with Notts winning 1-0 away thanks to Genaro Snijders' 39th-minute goal.
Notts’s record league win is against Newport – an 11-1 victory. We have also beaten them 5-0, 6-2, 7-0, 6-0 and 8-1 over the years.
Newport County, originally nicknamed "The Ironsides" due to Newport being home to Lysaght's Orb Works steel works, started out in the Southern League in 1912 at Somerton Park.
The official name of the club was The Newport & Monmouth County Association Football Club, although the shorter Newport County was soon adopted.
The club were reformed in 1919 and were first elected to the Football League in 1920.
Newport County were Welsh Cup winners in 1980 and subsequently reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup in 1981.
The club was relegated from the Football League in 1988 and went out of business in February 1989, but reformed shortly afterwards and entered the English football league system at a much lower level.
In 2013 the club then won promotion back to the Football League for the first time since 1988.
In the 1970s and 1980s comedian Frank Carson was appointed as a Director and Vice President in order to raise the profile of the club.
Newport based rappers Goldie Lookin' Chain are also supporters of the club and were the team's shirt sponsors for the 2004–05 season FAW Premier Cup matches.
Team news
Notts County hope to have Alex Rodman and Jordan Richards back for the visit of Newport on Saturday after missing the past two matches through injury.
Striker Jon Stead will not feature as he is expected to be out until Christmas.
Michael O'Connor could return from a toe injury, while Matt Tootle, who has been battling an illness, is likely to be available for selection for manager John Sheridan.
Newport welcome back striker Josh O'Hanlon and midfielders Jack Jebb and Tom Owen-Evans, all of whom were ineligible to play in Tuesday's FA Cup replay win over Alfreton Town.
Winger Jack Compton was forced off on Tuesday after climbing off his sick bed to start the match and he could be given more time to recover fully.
Injured quartet Mark Randall, Jon Parkin, Marlon Jackson and Reece Grego-Cox could all be in contention after missing recent games.
But Paul Bignot is suspended, and Jamie Turley and Joss Labadie are still sidelined as bottom-placed County attempt to extend their unbeaten six-game run in all competitions.
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has praised Stanley Aborah's "magical" skills but claims he needs to be more adaptable for Notts County.
The Belgian has had to make do with a place on the bench in the last few weeks but was restored to the centre of midfield for the Magpies' 2-0 win over Boreham Wood.
With Newport visiting Meadow Lane on Saturday, the Notts boss is likely to give Aborah a chance from the off in the League Two game, but offered words of caution as well as praise.
"You can't just play with the ball all the time, it's what you do without it which is what I and other managers look at," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"There's no doubting his (Stan's) ability because he does things that are magical and when it comes off it looks great.
"He looked good the other night as did Graham Burke. But people suss you out and that's when you have to change your game.
"I am sure if Newport watched the game on Tuesday night they would be saying to get in the face of Aborah and Burke if they are playing.
"But I know what Stan can do and I love what he has got. When he's on form there's probably no better player."
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Joe Jones
John Sheridan has claimed that Newport County will provide Notts County with a stern test on Saturday.
The Welsh club appointed Graham Westley as manager in early October and, since then, have improved in form.
A win at Meadow Lane on Saturday, providing other results go their way, will see the Exiles climb off the bottom of the League Two table.
"They are in a good vein of form at the moment," Sheridan told the Nottingham Post.
"They have a manager who is an excellent appointment for where they are at this moment in time.
"I think he will get them out of there and they'll be safe come the end of the season.
"He knows these leagues, he knows what is required and that's why I am expecting a really tough game.
"They've produced some good performances and they were excellent against Carlisle (a 2-0 win last weekend).
"I am not taking anything for granted. They will be tough to break down. They are fighting for their lives, but they are going the right way about it.
"He will have them working hard and Graham's a good manager. They are organised and they'll be difficult from set plays too."
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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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