Jump to content
Show all categories

Articles

Our website articles
Joe Jones
Notts County caretaker manager Mick Halsall has not ruled out becoming Magpies boss on a permanent basis, but remains focused on the immediate job ahead for now.
The 54-year-old has been placed in charge of Notts along with Under-21s coach Richard Dryden following the sacking of Ricardo Moniz, and the pair will be in charge for the club’s home League Two clash against Oxford United on Saturday.
Halsall told reporters: “Let’s get off to a winning start, let’s see what we can do.
“Richard is very similar to myself, we just want to do the best we can, give the players the best opportunity to do what they can come Saturday
“We know it’s a difficult game, don’t get me wrong, they are a good side, but why not? Bring it on. I’m here to do a job and we’re just going to give it the best we can.”
Halsall has not yet spoken to club chairman Ray Trew about the vacant job, but he knows a good run of results will help push him into contention.
He added: “We’ve got to win games, we’ve got to show that we’ve got a belief and an understanding as a team. The consistency has got to come into the game, for our players.
“Can we go and be hard to beat away from home? That’s the big thing Richard and I will be looking at."
Halsall has previously been placed in the caretaker role when he was made joint interim boss with Paul Hart before the now-departed Dutchman was appointed last April.
Who do you feel should be the next manager? Join in the debate within our community - here.
Joe Jones
Ricardo Moniz has been sacked as manager of Notts County after just eight months in charge of the club.
The 51-year-old was appointed County boss in April following the dismissal of Shaun Derry, but was unable to keep the club in League One, suffering relegation on the final day of the season.
Despite a signing spree in the summer, helped out by a sponsorship deal with Ladbrokes described as ‘the most lucrative in the club’s history’, Moniz has failed to light up League Two this season, leaving the club 15th in the table and out of the FA Cup following an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at non-league Salford City in the first round.
Moniz's assistant Dave Kevan and defensive coach Dean Yates have also been dismissed by the Notts board.
"I made it clear when appointing Ricardo that I wanted someone who would bring an exciting, attacking brand of football to Meadow Lane and I think it would be fair to say that in part he has done this, with some eye-catching attacking play on show at times this season," Notts chairman Ray Trew told the club's official website. 
"However, whilst showing considerable flair at times, particularly here at home, I feel that we have lacked a level of discipline and organisation in our defensive play throughout the season which has undermined our efforts and our right to play this free-flowing attacking style."
Trew added: "My goal for this club is, and always has been, to improve and whilst I by no means want to keep chopping and changing managers, I refuse to let us stagnate and I feel that the time is right for a new approach to reignite our season and get us back on track to where we want and need to be."
County's academy manager Mick Halsall and U21's coach Richard Dryden have been placed in caretaker control of the first-team ahead of Saturday's home match with Oxford United, with no appointment expected until after the weekend.
Names reportedly in the hat for the Notts manager's job include former Swindon boss Mark Cooper - who was spotted in the stands at Meadow Lane for the Magpies' game against Morecambe - and Newport manager John Sheridan, while Halsall has also not ruled out taking the job permanently.
Join in with our discussion regarding the dismissal of Ricardo Moniz - Here.
super_ram
With Notts' boxing day game at Hartlpool being postponed it needed two goals from Izale McLeod in Mondays comeback against Morecambe to salvage a 2–2 draw and just one point from a possible 6 in the weekend fixtures for the Magpies.

Notts remain 15th and still 7 points off a play-off place and with a game in hand over most teams but the safety margin from a relegation place has shortened to 14 points.

League Two Results Monday 28/12/15

Bristol Rovers 2–1 Leyton Orient
Cambridge 2-1 Barnet
Exeter 0–2 Wimbledon
Mansfield 1–1 York
Newport 1–2 Plymouth
Northampton 1–0 Accrington
Notts County 2–2 Morecambe
Portsmouth 0–0 Luton
Stevenage 1–3 Dagenham & Redbridge
Wycombe 2–0 Crawley
Yeovil 0–0 Oxford United

Today there were 4 home wins, 3 away wins and 4 draws.

League Two Results Saturday 26/12/15
Dagenham & Redbridge 0–3 Cambridge
Accrington v Carlisle (Postponed)
Wimbledon 0–0 Bristol Rovers
Barnet 2–0 Newport
Crawley 2–1 Stevenage
Hartlepool v Notts County (Postponed)
Leyton Orient 3–2 Portsmouth
Luton 0–2 Wycombe
Morecambe v Mansfield (Postponed)
Oxford United 3–0 Exeter
Plymouth 1–0 Yeovil
York v Northampton (Postponed)

On Saturday there were 5 home wins, 2 away wins, 1 draw and 4 postponed games.

League Two update

Plymouth won both their games and remain top with 49 points from 24 games while Northampton having had their game against York on Saturday postponed but beating Accrington on Monday go back into 2nd place with 46 points from 23 games.

Oxford were held to a goalless draw away at Yeovil on Monday having beaten Exeter 3–0 at home on Saturday but still drop to 3rd with 45 points from 24 games.

Portsmouth stay 4th with 41 points from 24 games.

Wycombe's two weekend wins lift them from 9th to 5th with 40 points from 23 games.

Bristol Rovers are at 6th after beating Leyton Orient 2–1 and drawing with Wimbledon also on 40 points but from 24 games and Carlisle occupy the final play off place at 7th with 37 points but from only 22 games.

Accrington are at 8th from 21 games and share 36 points with 9th placed Leyton Orient and 10th placed Cambridge who have both played 24 games.

Mansfield have slipped to 11th with 35 points from 23 games.

Next come Wimbledon at 12th with 33 points, followed by Crawley 13th with 31 points and Luton 14th with 30 points all having played 24 games.

Notts are at 15th and Exeter 16th, also have 30 points from 23 games.

Morecambe at 17th from 22 games are level on 28 points but above 18th placed Barnet who have played 24 games.

Just in the safety area come Stevenage at 19th with 26 points from 24 games and with a 6 point buffer above Newport at 20th from 24 games and Hartlepool at 21st but from only 21 games, both with 20 points.

York are 22nd from 23 games and remain above Dagenham & Redbridge, who've played 24 games, only on goal difference with 16 points.

Yeovil after 24 games sit rock bottom 24th with 14 points.

Upcoming fixtures

There are no midweek League Two fixtures this week.

Notts' next game is at Meadow Lane on Saturday 2nd January 2016 with a 3:00pm kick off when 3rd placed Oxford United are the visitors.
Joe Jones
Izale McLeod was the saviour for Notts County on Monday afternoon as his brace secured a point in a 2-2 draw against Morecambe in their League Two meeting at Meadow Lane.
Defence has not been a strong point for Ricardo Moniz’s side in recent months, and this weakness was exposed once again as, just eight minutes in, Jamie Devitt picked up the ball and played a defence-splitting pass into the path of Shaun Miller, the striker making no mistake as he put the ball into the empty net from a tight angle.
After twenty-one minutes played, it was to get even worse for the Magpies as Miller outpaced defender Theirry Audel, who brought him down in the penalty area and conceded a spot-kick which the Shrimpers forward took himself. 
Carroll managed to parry his shot but Kevin Ellison - who had already hit the crossbar with a shot after five minutes - was quicker to react than anybody else and smashed the ball into the net to put the visitors two goals to the good.
With the home crowd increasingly on their side’s back, County started to press and won several corners before McLeod found himself one-on-one with the visiting goalkeeper after 37 minutes and tried to lob the ball over him – Barry Roche collected it comfortably, however. 
Nevertheless the former Crawley striker atoned for his error when he managed to beat Roche with a volley from a cross in the dying moments of the first half, getting his side back in the game and giving them the chance to mount a concrete comeback after the restart.
With just after an hour played, McLeod sent Meadow Lane barmy after Thierry Audel rose highest to meet a corner and sending his header goalwards, before it was flicked home by his attacking teammate from close range to complete the comeback.
Having come back from the brink, the hosts went in search of a winner, Roche beating away Jon Stead’s first-time shot after a flowing move 20 minutes from time before Graham Burke fired a shot into the side netting.
Ultimately, Notts couldn’t maintain the attacking momentum and strike a winner, giving them a share of the points at the final whistle as the pressure continues to mount on Moniz.
Joe Jones
Notts County manager Ricardo Moniz has not given up hope of achieving a playoff position this season.
The Magpies sit 16th in League Two as they reach the halfway point of the campaign with their home tie against Morecambe on Monday.
Despite the lowly league position, Notts remain just eight points off the top seven, and Moniz is eager to find the consistency needed to get his team up the table.
He said: "The gap can close to the top seven and some still believe we can do it which inspires me a lot. And we certainly need inspiration from different angles.
"I still believe we can turn this inconsistency and there have been many times this season when we thought we were on the verge of doing so.
"The Christmas period and our inconsistency means I have not had a lot of time to celebrate, but that's the job. You have to accept the good time with the bad
"We set the highest goal and I am very black and white in that respect because we wanted to be the favourite in this division. I don't hide myself either.
"But we have young players in the team and with young players you have to accept they will make mistakes.
The consideration now is to make a change because you have to. We can either look at more experience, or how we possess the pitch and be difficult to break down."
Joe Jones
Notts and Morecambe have only met seven times in their history, with the first ever clash taking place all the way back in September 2007. 
The Shrimpers have a slight advantage, with three wins over Notts, two draws and two defeats. Our last meeting, in August this season, was a 4-1 defeat for us.
The fixture on 19 September 2009 was former Arsenal and England legend Sol Campbell's only game in a Magpies shirt, while the rematch later in the season, on 17 April 2010, is when Notts mathematically secured promotion to League One.
Football in the town dates back to the turn of the 20th century; however, it was not until 7 May 1920 that Morecambe FC was formed. The club then took its place in the Lancashire Combination League for the 1920–21 season.
The fourteen years from 1960 could be said to be Morecambe's golden era. This included an FA Cup third round appearance in 1961–62, a 1–0 defeat to Weymouth; a Lancashire Senior Cup Final victory in 1968, a 2–1 win over Burnley; and an FA Trophy success at Wembley in 1974, a 2–1 win over Dartford in the final.
Morecambe, a non-league side for most of their history, were promoted to the Football League for the first time in 2007 after winning the Conference Playoff Final, beating Exeter City 2–1 at Wembley in front of over 40,000 fans.
Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. While the resort of Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire, due to its railway connection, and Scotland.
Between 1956 and 1989 Morecambe was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest.
-
Notts midfielder Stanley Aborah is hoping to prove his fitness for Monday's clash with Morecambe. The 28-year-old had been doubtful for the Boxing Day trip to Hartlepool after suffering a reaction on his comeback from a knee injury but that game's postponement has given him extra time to recover.
Midfielder Kyle de Silva had also been hoping to force his way into contention after a knock, while Liam Noble is unavailable for the game at Meadow Lane as he serves a four-match suspension.
Morecambe will also hope to have benefited from an unexpected day off on Saturday. Their home encounter with Mansfield was called off because of a waterlogged pitch, potentially giving two players longer to prove their fitness.
Midfielder Andy Fleming, out for a month with an ankle injury, was hoping to make his comeback. Forward Tom Barkhuizen had also been a doubt with a dead leg but he is now expected to be fit.
Joe Jones
Notts County midfielder Stanley Aborah has extended his contract at Meadow Lane, committing to a deal which will run until the summer of 2017.
The Belgian, who has been one of the Magpies’ standout players this season, has made 21 appearances for the club so far, scoring one goal.
Manager Ricardo Moniz managed Aborah when they were both at Hungarian club Ferencvaros and it was the Dutch boss who invited the former Ajax midfielder to train with the Magpies this summer before signing him.
At the end of November Aborah suffered a serious knee injury following a tackle from Barnet's Sam Togwell, but he could return to the Notts squad against Morecambe tomorrow.
Joe Jones
Notts County and Hartlepool United have met 28 times over the years. The first meeting was on 21 September 1959 at Victoria Park, and the Magpies won 4-2.
The head-to-head record stands at 11 wins for Notts, 12 defeats and 5 draws. So let’s get a win and balance the record perfectly!
Our last five meetings stand at two wins for Notts and three defeats, including the last time both sides met, a 3-2 defeat in the 2013-14 FA Cup.
In 1905, the amateur team West Hartlepool won the FA Amateur Cup which at the time was considered second only to the FA Cup. Partly as a result of this the opportunity for a professional team arose in 1908, when West Hartlepool Rugby Club went bust leaving their stadium Victoria Ground vacant.
The stadium was bought and the current club was founded under the name ‘Hartlepools United Football Athletic Company’, representing both the town of West Hartlepool and the original settlement of Old Hartlepool.
The new team joined the professional North-Eastern league and West Hartlepool F.C. lost some of their players to the new professional side. West Hartlepool managed to continue for a few seasons, but it was not long before they broke up leaving Hartlepools United as the only team in town.
In 1968 the "s" and the "United" were dropped from the team name of "Hartlepools United". This was in connection with West Hartlepool being absorbed along with the old smaller town of Hartlepool and the village of Hart into one new borough named "Hartlepool". The appendage of "United" was finally restored in 1977.
Brian Clough was invited to manage Hartlepools in 1965. His reaction was: "I don't fancy the place," but he took the job anyway and stayed for two seasons alongside Peter Taylor.
Under Cyril Knowles' management the club won promotion to the Third Division in 1990, but Hartlepool's greatest moment occurred in 2005 when they narrowly missed promotion to The Championship.
According to local folklore, the term “Monkey Hangers”, which Hartlepudlians are sometimes called, originates from an incident in which a monkey was hanged in the town.
During the Napoleonic Wars, a French ship of the type chasse marée was wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool. The only survivor was a monkey, allegedly wearing a French uniform to provide amusement for the crew. On finding the monkey, some locals decided to hold an impromptu trial on the beach; since the monkey was unable to answer their questions and because they had seen neither a monkey nor a Frenchman before, they concluded that the monkey was in fact a French spy. Being found guilty the animal was duly sentenced to death and hanged on the beach.
An alternative theory is put forward alongside the above on the "This Is Hartlepool" town guide, stating: "Then there are some who point to a much darker interpretation of the yarn. They say that the creature that was hanged might not have been a monkey at all; it could have been a young boy. After all, the term powder-monkey was commonly used in those times for the children employed on warships to prime the cannon with gunpowder."
In the 2002 council election, the team's mascot "H'Angus the Monkey", aka Stuart Drummond, was elected mayor of Hartlepool as an independent, under the slogan "free bananas for schoolchildren". 
Even though his candidacy was just a publicity stunt, Drummond has since been re-elected after throwing off his comedy image and identifying himself increasingly with the Labour group on the council. 
On 5 May 2013, Drummond left his post of Hartlepool's mayor after a November 2012 referendum meant that Hartlepool would no longer have a mayor, instead being led by committees.
In recent years the most visible fan of the club has been Jeff Stelling, presenter of Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. The rock star Meat Loaf, Janick Gers of the metal band Iron Maiden, MP Peter Mandelson, and film director Ridley Scott are also fans of the club.
-
Hartlepool’s Carl Magnay missed Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Plymouth with the groin injury he suffered in the 2-0 FA Cup second round replay victory over Salford on December 15 and remains a doubt for the Boxing Day clash against Notts.
Full-back Michael Duckworth is facing up to a further four weeks on the sidelines with the stomach strain which has sidelined him for the last two games.
Manager Ronnie Moore is still without striker Billy Paynter and defender Harry Worley, although loan signings Kal Naismith, Adam Jackson and Jake Gray are not due to return to their respective clubs until after the Newport game on January 2.
Stanley Aborah has been out for the past month with a knee injury but returned as a substitute in the 3-0 loss against Carlisle. His comeback was ahead of schedule and the 28-year-old has suffered a reaction.
Liam Noble misses the festive fixtures due to his four-match suspension while Kyle De Silva has been nursing a knock and will probably not be fit in time for the trip to the north-east.
The likes of Jimmy Spencer, Ronan Murray, Genaro Snijders, Julian Jenner and Civard Sprockel are vying for recalls as Notts look for their first away league win since the opening day of the campaign.
super_ram
It's a busy time for our teams this coming weekend with games being played on Saturday and Monday so I'm doing a double preview for the last two games of 2015.
First up is Saturday 26 December.
There are several standout, important, games on Saturday with the outcome vital to the hopes of teams at both ends of the League table.
Plymouth should beat 23rd placed Yeovil and remain top, but 2nd placed Northampton will be hoping they slip up as they also play a team at the bottom end, away at 22nd placed York.
4th placed Portsmouth will be hoping form goes out the window with the teams above them and they can climb back into an automatic promotion place as they face a tough away game at 10th placed Leyton Orient.
Accrington at 6th play 5th placed Carlisle and so both will be hoping for a win to keep pressure on the teams around them in the promotion race.
A vital game at the wrong end of league two is Barnet placed 19th against Newport at 20th.
*Important games **Key Game
Saturday 26th December 2015
Dagenham & Redbridge v Cambridge – Kick Off 1:00pm – Score Prediction (1 -2)
*Accrington v Carlisle – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 2)
Wimbledon v Bristol Rovers – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 1)
*Barnet v Newport– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0 - 1)
Crawley v Stevenage– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2 - 1)
**Hartlepool v Notts County– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 2)
*Leyton Orient v Portsmouth – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2 - 2)
Luton v Wycombe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 1)
Morecambe v Mansfield – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0 –1)
Oxford v Exeter–Kick Off 3:00pm–Score Prediction (2 - 0)
*Plymouth v Yeovil – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (4 - 0)
*York v Northampton – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 -2)
My key game- Hartlepool v Notts County
This is the 3rd consecutive away game for Notts and after the disappointment at Deepdale, against Carlisle; Notts face the long journey to Hartlepool and will be hoping for a more positive result like at Wycombe (or even a win)
The last time the teams met was in the FA Cup away at Victoria Park on 9/11/2014 when League Two Hartlepool beat League One Notts 3 -2.
Previous to that game and in League One Hartlepool triumphed 2 – 1 at their place with Notts winning 2 -0 on 21/8/12 at Meadow Lane.
The overall record between Notts and Hartlepool is-
Notts won 11
Hartlepool won 12
Draws 5
For what it's worth I've gone for a 2 -1 win for Notts-An away win is long overdue!
Monday 28th December 2015
Again there are a few standout, important games, with high up teams playing lower placed teams. At the time of writing this Plymouth are top and take on 20th placed Newport away, next to bottom Yeovil are home to 3rd placed Oxford and 8th placed Mansfield host 22nd placed York.
There are also two all top end fixtures with 2nd placed Northampton at home to 6th placed Accrington and 7th placed Bristol Rovers home to 10th placed Leyton Orient
*Important games **Key Game
*Bristol Rovers v Leyton Orient– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2 - 0)
Cambridge v Barnet– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 0)
Exeter v Wimbledon– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 1)
*Mansfield v York– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3 - 0)
*Newport v Plymouth– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0 - 2)
*Northampton v Accrington– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 0)
**Notts County v Morecambe– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3 -1)
Portsmouth v Luton– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 – 0)
Stevenage v Dagenham & Redbridge – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1 - 0)
Wycombe v Crawley – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3 - 1)
*Yeovil v Oxford United – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0 - 3)
Carlisle and Newport don't have a game today.
My key game once again features Notts, this time at home to Morecambe
When the two teams met at Morecambe earlier this season on 29/8/2015 the home side ran out comfortable 4 – 1 victors .As I am writing Notts are 15th in League Two on 29 points with Morecambe two places lower at 17th on 27 points.
The overall record between Notts and Morecambe is:
Notts won 2
Morecambe won 3
Draws 2
I've forecast revenge and a 3 – 1 win for Notts.
If results go badly for Notts it will add to the mounting pressure on Ricardo Moniz but favourable results will restore a feeling of optimism to Meadow Lane.
Joe Jones
Notts County captain Roy Carroll has called on his teammates to stop stressing on the objective of reaching the playoffs, insisting that he and his fellow players need to “take each game as it comes”.
The Magpies missed out on the change of closing the gap to the top seven in League Two in the last week by drawing at Wycombe Wanderers and losing heavily to Carlisle United.
First-choice goalkeeper Carroll told local media: “We are not thinking about the top seven places. We just have to take each game as it comes.
“If you get too far ahead of yourself that's when things start falling apart. That's what I think a lot of players have been doing – thinking about the playoffs.
“What we have to do is work hard. We’ve got a big game against Hartlepool on Boxing Day when we will look to try to get a result and a clean sheet. That's got to be the priority.”
Ricardo Moniz's side are seven points off the playoffs as things stand, with the post-Christmas trip to Hartlepool followed by a home clash against Morecambe.
Joe Jones
Notts County defender Wes Atkinson has been recalled to Meadow Lane following a loan spell at Eastleigh FC.
The 21-year-old former West Bromwich Albion right-back, signed by the Magpies in the summer, was sent out on 20 November to cover for a spate of defensive injuries at the Hampshire club.
He has now returned to Nottingham following three appearances for the National League side, but Spitfires manager Chris Todd has expressed his desire at seeing Atkinson return to Ten Acres in the near future.
Todd said: “Wes has been called back from his loan by Notts County, otherwise we would have kept him. He’s done brilliant for us and shown himself to be a very talented player.
“If he became available, he’s someone I’d look to do something with in the future. He’s a nice lad, really honest, and totally professional in what he does. He’s a credit to himself.”
Joe Jones
Ricardo Moniz has hit out at Notts County's "childish mistakes" in their 3-0 defeat to Carlisle United.
The League Two clash on Saturday had to be played at Preston North End’s Deepdale stadium after Carlisle's Brunton Park was hit by Storm Desmond over a fortnight ago.
Despite this, former Magpies manager Keith Curle’s current side were two goals up by half time thanks to a Danny Grainger penalty and a strike by Jabo Ibehre, before the latter scored again after the break to earn the ‘hosts’ a thumping win.
Moniz told local media: "To concede a penalty so early brought them into the game. We should have cleared the ball and these are childish mistakes. You can't dribble in your own box, you learn that when you are playing in the under-12s. 
We did hit the post which, had that gone in, would have given us an equaliser and put us right back into it. But I do not think they were better than us. They had three moments which they scored from.
"We had moments, but didn't score. In the second half we had a few good chances. But you can't make individual mistakes like we have been doing."
Notts will spend Christmas 15th in the table, their 29 points from 22 games putting them seven points behind the playoffs.
super_ram
No Christmas cheer for Notts in game number 21, losing very disappointingly 0 – 3 to Carlisle at neutral Deepdale. Notts slip to 15th, 7 points off a play-off place but with the same 16-point safety margin from a relegation place.

League Two Results

Barnet 4 - 2 Crawley
Cambridge 1 - 1 Mansfield
Carlisle 3 - 0 Notts County
Dagenham & Redbridge 0-3 Bristol Rovers
Exeter 2 - 3 Luton
Hartlepool 1 - 2 Plymouth
Leyton Orient 1 - 1 Yeovil
Newport 2 – 2 Wimbledon
Northampton 1 - 2 Portsmouth
Stevenage 1 - 1 Accrington
Wycombe 2 - 1 Oxford United
York 2 - 1 Morecambe

Today there were 4 home wins, 4 away wins and 4 draws.

League Two update

The 1 – 2 top end of the table away victory for Portsmouth over Northampton and Plymouth's 1 – 2 away victory against the Magpies next opponents, Hartlepool, means the Pilgrims now occupy top spot, on goal difference, equal on 43 points with The Cobblers who drop to 2nd, with Portsmouth remaining 4th on 40 points. Hartlepool meanwhile drop to 21st with 20 points

Wycombe's 2 – 1 win over Oxford moves them up to 9th, equal on 34 points with Mansfield who fall to 8thafter drawing 1-1 away at Cambridge, who also move up the table to 11th with 30 points. Oxford as a result drop to 3rd with 41 points.

Carlisle remain 6th on 37 points after beating Notts.

Accrington, who have 2 games in hand over most teams, slip to 6th with 36 points after drawing 1 – 1 at Stevenage, who remain 18th with 26 points.

Bristol Rovers replace Mansfield in the final play off spot at 7th, also on 36 points, thanks to their 3 – 0 away win at Dagenham & Redbridge, who now occupy last place with 13 points.

York move off the bottom place to 22nd with 15 points after their 2 – 1 home win over Morecambe, who fall to 17th, with 27 points.
Between York and the Daggers, and in the other relegation spot at 23rd, sit Yeovil also with 13 points.

Barnet's 4 – 2 win over Crawley keeps them at 19th on 25 points and Crawley below Notts on 28 points and 16th.

On the same number of points as Notts and at 13th and 14th respectively lie Luton and Wimbledon.

Upcoming fixtures

There are no midweek League Two fixtures this week. 

Notts' next 3 games are on Boxing Day, away at 21st placed Hartlepool, followed on the 28th with a home game against 17th placed Morecambe and then the first game of the new year sees the visit of 3rd placed Oxford to Meadow Lane. So plenty to discuss over this coming festive season.
Joe Jones
Notts County were thrashed 3-0 by a Carlisle United side playing at Preston North End's stadium in front of 3,067 Cumbrians fans who made the 85-mile trip.

A Danny Grainger penalty and two Jabo Ibehre goals were enough for victory at Deepdale, which staged the game after flood damage at Brunton Park.
Was the result fair?
The score line is fair, Notts didn’t do enough to warrant anything from the game and Carlisle looked like scoring more than just three goals by half time.
How did Notts play?
Notts put a staggering performance in, in hindsight I would say it was caused by missing key players but with the depth of our squad, we should have adequate cover. They just didn’t do enough, and with the midfield, being fairly none existent it always meant Notts would struggle.
How did Carlisle play?
Carlisle played like they had a point to prove, from the back they were tight and structured but going forward they worked as one unit. I am genuinely impressed by what seems to be a very sterling performance by the Cumbians – they just made it difficult to give Notts an inch on the field, with dominating football, it was always going to be one sided.
Did our tactics work out?
The simple answer is no, on paper the selection looked very good but they lacked any sort of mental awareness within the game. It appeared as if the ideas Moniz had wouldn’t work, as no matter what he did, Notts couldn’t adjust to Carlisle’s play.
How did the referee perform?
The referee didn’t really make any untoward decisions and generally called the game well.
Who do we play next?
Next up for Notts is Hartlepool on boxing day, this is the game whereby I don’t expect any points because our track record in recent years hasn’t been very good. Hartlepool are a side which play very well at home and Notts play like they did against Carlisle, it will be a longer journey home for our own fans.
How should we play them?
We should keep the game finally balanced between slow building and positive forward play, I think if we turn the tempo when it suites – this will make it hard for Hartlepool. They will expect us to go out all attacking and this would suite them more than it would us, as it would allow them to put strain onto our defence and for anything to come out of this game, Notts will need to bide their time.
Here is what the Carlisle fans thought about their performance, courtesy of TheCumbrians.net:
Jumpforfun: I thought each and every player was superb today and without any real stars we completely controlled the game for long periods. Yes NC had an odd shot or half chance which on other days might have gone in but generally we were excellent.
Loving Jabo's goals but the energy and work rate of Kennedy, Dicker and Sweeney, the quality.of Grainger's delivery and the sense that the goalkeeper and back 4 weren't going to miss anything all day just made it a great day to be a Carlisle supporter.
Well done to the manager, the team and all the staff for a great performance. Huge well done also to the 3000+ who made the journey
Seesaw50: Absolutely great day for the Blues and the 3366 fans who got down to Deepdale, you`d have thought there was 10k there today. We are going from strength to strength and if we don`t go up this season, it’s gonna be hard to take. Up to 5th COYB.
Wukkie: Excellent result and a rare clean sheet in the League. A bit peeved I couldn't go due to work but we seem to be getting stronger as the season goes on. Top seven minimum it looks like. Now get that contract signed KC.
BaggersBlue: The only concern for me was that we faded in the second half and Notts County had 3 or 4 guilt edged chances which a better side would have taken.
Joe Jones
One step forward, two steps back. Notts County’s exhilarating win against Newport last week and a decent away point at Wycombe in midweek were quickly forgotten as the Magpies were picked apart by Carlisle United at stand-in ground Deepdale, home of Preston North End, in a 3-0 defeat.
The disappointment began early for the black and white faithful as, just five minutes in, Jason Kennedy was upended by Graham Burke in the box to gift the designated hosts a penalty, which captain Danny Grainger thumped down the middle to give his side the lead.
Jabo Ibehre, the Cumbrians’ biggest threat with 10 goals in 13 games prior to kickoff, doubled their lead shortly before half-time, converting an easy volley when unmarked after Michael Raynes had helped on a Mark Ellis long throw.
Carlisle stepped up the pressure after the restart as Mike Edwards, who played for the day’s opponents in between spells at Notts, made a vital close-range block as Ibehre looked certain to score during a heavy spell of pressure.
The visitors almost grabbed an equaliser through Burke, but his 20-yard shot hit the post, and moments later, Mark Gillespie made a fine save to keep out Jon Stead's header.
The big frontman then grabbed his 14th goal of the season in the 59th minute, lashing home from 12 yards after the Magpies defence had failed to deal with Grainger's cross, and killed off the game as the Carlisle fans celebrated a comprehensive win.

About PON

Pride of Nottingham

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.

Useful Links

Support PON

Enjoy our content? Want to help us grow? Your donation will go a long way towards improving the site!

donate-pon.png

Meet the Team

Chris Chris Administrators
super_ram super_ram Global Moderators
DangerousSausage DangerousSausage Global Moderators
CliftonMagpie CliftonMagpie Global Moderators
TheSkipper TheSkipper Media

Social Media

Home
Dashboard
Sign In Register
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Pride of Nottingham uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To approve, simply continue using the site or click 'I accept' Terms of Use.

  I accept