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Joe Jones
Notts County manager Mark Cooper has bemoaned his side’s injury crisis ahead of their League Two clash at home to Stevenage, but has called on the side’s fringe players to step up.
Curtis Thompson is struggling with an ankle injury picked up at Northampton Town, while Rob Milsom is struggling with a problem in his left knee and Graham Burke is also out of action.
Cooper said: "We are struggling injury wise. But it gives somebody else an opportunity.
"I've never been one to moan about injuries. It's a big squad so there are players in there who will have an opportunity.
"It is frustrating, but it's football. You've got to come up with solutions.
"That's what we have tried to do this week. We had hoped Curtis might make it, but I don't think he will.
"Rob declared early doors that he wasn't right, so we will have to change a couple of players.
"You can look at it either as a positive or a negative. It could bring freshness because somebody will get an opportunity to show for six or seven games they are worth a new deal."
Who should come into the Notts squad against Stevenage? Share your opinions with Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County manager Mark Cooper has claimed his side “give possession away too cheaply” and need to work on controlling games better.
Since taking over at Meadow Lane, the ex-Swindon boss has transformed his side within a matter of days, with promising performances against playoff-chasing Wycombe Wanderers and League Two leaders Northampton Town that led to draws.
Cooper said: "In terms of the players' will to win and their desire, I am pleased, but we have to be better in terms of controlling a game.
"We give possession away much too cheaply. At times we surrender possession when there is absolutely no need.
"If you are going to lump it, then at least lump it into an area where it's not going to come back straight at you. I have lots of work to do on that."
Notts take on Stevenage this weekend. Can they win? Let Pride of Nottingham know your thoughts by signing up to the site, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County winger Will Hayhurst has claimed that his experience of recovering from two broken legs as a Preston youth player has helped him mentally overcome the "toughest season" of his career.
The 22-year-old has not played a competitive game for the Magpies this term after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Carlton Town in pre-season.
Hayhurst told local media: "If I hadn't had those injuries I wouldn't have realised what it takes and how you can come back from one like this.
"The first leg break was easy to overcome because it was my first serious injury and I knew I would come back fitter and stronger.
"But the second break was harder, knowing I would have to go through the same routine again having worked so hard to get back.
"Having that experience has helped though, and I've done a lot of psychology work that I think has benefited me as well.
"It can be difficult being away at the gym every day, away from the lads. You do get the lads in and out with little injuries, but when they are fit in a few weeks and you're still going it's tough.
"But to be fair the lads, they have been brilliant with me, the more time you have around them, the easier it is to get through it all."
Hayhurst arrived at Meadow Lane in January 2015, but is out of contract in the summer.
Will Hayhurst play again for Notts County? Let Pride of Nottingham know your thoughts by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
The sale of Notts County is close to completion and could even be announced by the end of the week, according to reports.

Current Magpies owner Ray Trew put the club up for sale at the end of February, and according to the Nottingham Post, talks with the purchasing party have progressed over the last few days to the point that the sale is imminent.

Businesspeople and consortiums from Denmark, China and the United States have all been linked with Notts over the last few weeks, as has local businessman Alan Hardy, the chief executive of the Paragon Group and the only bidder to make his interest public.

Trew has owned the club since 2010, after he bought it for a nominal fee of £1 following the Munto debacle.
Do you think the club will change hands this week? Let Pride of Nottingham know your thoughts by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County defender Thierry Audel has admitted that his side have had an awful season, but is hoping to at least finish on a high and enjoy the final few games.

The Magpies were expected to challenge for promotion, but after 39 matches they sit in the bottom division’s bottom five, although they are 13 points clear of the bottom two.

They are also on their third manager of the season in Mark Cooper, having previously sacked both Ricardo Moniz and Jamie Fullarton.

"I am not the gaffer, but now we will take it game by game and try to enjoy it because it has been a tough season," Audel said.

"We started the season well and we had a lot of belief. But the players and the fans have been disappointed how the season has gone from month by month."
Where will Notts finish this season? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Northampton Town manager Chris Wilder has claimed that Notts County’s poor league position this season is because they have been badly managed throughout the campaign.
More than six thousand Cobblers fans crammed into Sixfields on Saturday in the hope of sealing promotion to League One, but the Magpies – now 20th in the table – fought back from Ricky Holmes' opening strike to lead through Thierry Audel and Jon Stead, with 2-2 the final score.
"I thought we played well," Wilder said. "(Notts) were tough opposition shape-wise and have good players who've been badly managed this year with the likes of Stead, Izale McLeod and Liam Noble.
"They've played at a good level and sometimes when you go away from home against a team who's about to be promoted, you don't want it to be against you."
Where would Notts be had Mark Cooper taken over directly from Ricardo Moniz? Let Pride of Nottingham know your thoughts by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County have held table-topping Northampton Town to a 2-2 draw in Saturday’s League Two clash at Sixfields, Thierry Audel and Jon Stead bagging the goals for the Magpies.
The hosts were first to threaten as Ricky Holmes' cross found Marc Richards before the loose ball was struck towards goal, but Scott Loach was able to make the save.
Mark Cooper’s side enjoyed the odd foray into the Cobblers’ final third but the home team was on top in the opening stages, Nicky Adams coming close on the quarter-hour mark.
Northampton then went on to take the lead 32 minutes in when Holmes struck a clean volley past Loach, sending the Sixfields crowd wild.
Their joy lasted just four minutes because the Magpies pushed forward, with Liam Noble sending a header towards goal, and despite Smith’s save, Audel persevered to get to the ball and nod home.
After the restart Notts threatened through Noble’s corner to Stead, which was blocked en route to goal, while 54 minutes in the latter felt the visitors should have had a penalty, though this was denied.
Stead did eventually win a penalty midway through the second half after he was bundled in the Cobblers box, and he chose to take it himself, powering the ball into the roof of the net.
Just a few minutes later, however, Northampton won a spot kick of their own, which Holmes – who won the penalty – slotted down the middle to make it 2-2.
This is how the game finished, Notts fans in high spirits and voices at the final whistle to praise their side for another impressive performance, while Northampton's promotion champagne had to be put on ice.
What do you think of the game? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Northampton Town and Notts County are playing out a 1-1 draw in Saturday’s League Two clash at Sixfields.
The hosts were first to threaten as Ricky Holmes' cross found Richards before the loose ball was struck towards goal, but Loach was able to make the save.
Mark Cooper’s side enjoyed the odd foray into the Cobblers’ final third but the home team was on top in the opening stages, Adams coming close on the quarter-hour mark.
Northampton went on to take the lead 32 minutes in when Holmes struck a clean volley past Loach, sending the Sixfields crowd wild.
Their joy lasted just four minutes because the Magpies pushed forward, with Liam Noble sending a header towards goal, and despite Smith’s save, Audel persevered to get to the ball and nod home.
What do you think of the game so far? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Chris
Hello and welcome to episode 22 of the Pride of Nottingham PONCast, the number one Notts County podcast.
In this episode we look at Jamie Fullarton’s departure as Magpies manager and the appointment of ex-Swindon boss Mark Cooper.
We also discuss comments made by Liam Noble over the old manager, assess the impact of Mike Edwards, and much more.
Remember you can subscribe to our PONcast.
You can do so by using iTunes for IOS devices, downloading any of the main podcast apps from the Google play store or even listen to show using the TuneIn Radio app.
As always, let us know your thoughts on this week’s PONcast on the forum or on the Facebook page, and once again, thank you for joining us.
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The Pride of Nottingham PONcast - back with a vengeance!
Episode 22 features the departure of Jamie Fullarton and arrival of Mark Cooper, an interesting revelation from Liam Noble, the impact of Mike Edwards, and plenty more.
Regular playback (including direct download).
Website
http://poncast.co.uk/
Be a part of our community if you're not already - Join Us | Also, don't forget to subscribe to PrideofNottinghamTV - Here.
Chris
Like so many Notts County fans, I had big hopes for the 2015/16 season. I generally do get ‘excited’ at the start of any season, but this time round things felt different. Pre-season we seemed to be building a robust squad, unlike previous years – Ricardo Moniz took to assembling a squad, which at face value had a lot of character.
The arrival of so many unknown players really gave the spark to light up my hopes because they looked technically very good, albeit against lower non-league opposition at first.
However, for me the captures of Graham Burke and Adam Campbell really impressed.
Seeing Notts having signed two youngsters, who I was well aware, had potential really gave me more encouragement – whilst the arrival of Scott Loach announced at the Carlton friendly felt somewhat surreal, as it meant Notts would have two solid keepers, who within their own rights would be fit to start as a regular no.1 for most teams above League Two.
I headed to Stevenage at the beginning of the season with so much confidence for the year ahead; I never once felt that by this stage Notts would be sitting on 41 points, glued to 19th place and with the real possibility that they could slip further down.
However, despite the two previous campaigns ending in a fair amount of disappointment – the confidence of a new start really did resonate with me.
I should probably acknowledge at this point, it did take some initial time to process the fact we ended up being related back to fourth division of English football. However, the way seasons turn out is something which I do accept – It’s the passion and pride of supporting a lower tier club, one which the ‘local roots’ hold a firm grip with my family that I cherish.
So, back to Stevenage. Where did it all go wrong?
I left the game feeling very entertained, having witnessed Notts produce some of the best football I had done for years.
Yet somewhere along the lines (and I believe our home defeat to Mansfield didn’t help) the pride and togetherness of the players disappeared – as did the performances. Matters only made worse by the departure of Moniz and the arrival of Jamie Fullarton.
Whether certain players found it difficult to cope with expectations, I am unsure. If the fact we weren’t winning every other game or really contending for promotion put others off – I don’t think it makes much difference but from a point of view from the fan.
Rewinding back, you really can see how the 2015/16 campaign really unravelled before our very eyes.
I suspect it’s a combination of ‘confidence’, ‘expectations’, ‘disappointment’ and to a degree both prior managers making poor uninformed decisions when it came to their squad selections.
I’m just pleased that under Mark Cooper some of the positivity has been restored, as I will openly admit I have felt extremely uninspired during Jamie Fullarton’s reign. It’s with that I hope the turmoil and ‘toxicity’ (a word I heard a lot of around Meadow Lane during that period) doesn’t return, that we may finally be able to push on and secure a bright future eventually. Whilst talk of next season seems ‘bleak’ when there are so many unknowns, I am fully committed to fight for the love of the team I support.
Like Joe Jones, I find myself wanting to end the current campaign and for the next to begin. But I want us to try and do it the right way.
Joe Jones
Notts County and Northampton have met a total of 54 times over the years, the first fixture taking place on 22 November 1930, which resulted in a 2-2 draw at Meadow Lane in Division Three (South).
The Magpies have a superior head-to-head record – they have won 27 times, drawn 10, and lost 17.
Our last meeting was earlier in the season, on 21 November 2015 – this finished 2-1 to the Cobblers, as Jon Stead’s goal was sandwiched between strikes from Rod McDonald and Brendan Moloney.
Northampton were formed in 1897, after meetings between the town’s schoolteachers and local solicitor A.J. Darnell.
They play their home games at the 7,653 capacity all-seater Sixfields Stadium, having moved in 1994 from the County Ground which they shared with the owners, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.  
They hold the record for the shortest time taken to be promoted from the bottom tier to the top tier and relegated back down to the bottom again, in the space of nine years.
They played their only season of their existence in the top division of English football when they reached the First Division in 1965–66 before then being relegated back to the Fourth Division by 1969–70.
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Northampton could secure automatic promotion from League Two with victory over Notts County today.
The Cobblers, who sit 13 points clear at the top of the table and have not lost in the league this year, will go up if they win and favourable results occur elsewhere.
Lee Martin and Joel Byrom could both return to the starting line-up this weekend after sitting out Monday's 2-2 draw at Mansfield Town with knocks.
Mike Edwards is back in contention under new boss Mark Cooper after struggling for games during former manager Jamie Fullarton's reign.
"If he's fit he has to play every game. I know if the ball is there he'll head it and kick it and that's a basic rule of defending," Cooper told the club's official site.
County are 19th in League Two after Monday's promising 0-0 draw with promotion-chasing Wycombe Wanderers.
Can Notts get a result at Northampton? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County have been selected to take part in an exclusive pre-season friendly tournament alongside some of the biggest clubs in the world.
The International Champions Cup will see teams including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain fight it out in front of Australian, Chinese and North American fans in the last week of July.
Juventus were set to take part in the Australian tournament alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid and A-League side Melbourne Victory, but they have been forced to drop out due to other pre-season commitments.
As a result, they have chosen to give Notts the chance to represent them at Melbourne’s 100,000-capacity Cricket Ground, citing the two clubs’ shared heritage and bond stretching back over a century.
A Juve spokesman was quoted as saying: “We have discussed the move with the relevant people and they’ve agreed to let Notts take our place.
“Given that they played out a creditable 1-1 draw at the Juventus Stadium five years ago, both the ICC and us believe they will represent us proudly.”
An Australian FA spokesperson, meanwhile, was quoted as saying: “Danny Allsopp, one of Notts County’s finest strikers of the last few years, was born in Melbourne and played for several Melbourne teams.
“Also, their ladies’ team features Aivi Luik, an Australian international who played for Melbourne City, so the connections are certainly there.
“We know the Melbourne crowd will turn out in their thousands to see the world’s oldest football league club showcase their talents on the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch.”
Another factor that played in County's favour is the fact fellow East Midlands side Leicester City was selected to take part in the North American tournament.
There was no place for Nottingham Forest, however.
Will you be heading to Australia to watch Notts take on Spurs, Atletico Madrid and Melbourne Victory this summer? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Ahead of Notts County’s clash against Northampton Town, manager Mark Cooper has expressed his desire for the Magpies to be in the same position as the Cobblers in a year’s time.
The League Two leaders were going through a turbulent time at the start of the season, with players and staff unpaid for two months by the time they visited Meadow Lane.
Chris Wilder, the Northampton manager, publicly pleaded for David Cardoza to sell the football club to Kelvin Thomas, and a few days later, the deal was done.
There are parallels between the early-season Cobblers and Notts today, the latter having gone through an underwhelming season recently fraught with issues both on the pitch and behind the scenes.
Cooper said: “I will be saying to our players ‘this should be you - you should be in this position’.
“Maybe next year it might be us, where we are potentially one game away from getting promoted, and that is what we have to strive towards to get that success.
“But you have to put in an awful lot of hard work to get where Northampton are.”
Can Notts County get promoted next season? Let Pride of Nottingham know your thoughts by signing up o the websie, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County manager Mark Cooper has claimed that veteran defender Mike Edwards will play all the remaining games for the Magpies if he remains fit.
With Notts struggling for defensive solidity all season, Cooper picked the 35-year-old centre-back in the starting XI against Wycombe, and was rewarded with a clean sheet.
The Magpies boss said: "If (Edwards) is fit he has to play every game because I know if the ball is there, he will head it and kick it. That's the basic rule of defending.
"He knows the game, he knows how to defend, he knows when to get up the pitch and when to drop off.
"That's a start for us and the more of them we can get in the team again, the better."
How many more games will Edwards play for Notts this season? Let Pride of Nottingham know your opinion by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County defender Mike Edwards has urged everyone connected with the club to put aside all differences and stick together in a bid to finish the season on a high.
The 35-year-old returned to Mark Cooper’s starting XI at centre-back in Monday's goalless draw against Wycombe Wanderers, where he defended stoutly alongside centre-back partner Haydn Hollis.
Edwards said: "We are in this position for a reason, but we don't want to be there. We want to be higher up the table, but we need everybody to stick together.
"It has felt as if everybody has been pulling in different directions. It's been pulled apart a little bit but now we've got to stay together.
"We've got to look forward to finishing the season well so we can take it into the next campaign."
How high can Notts finish in the table? Let us know your thoughts by signing up to the Pride of Nottingham website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

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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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