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Joe Jones
Notts could go as high as ninth in League Two and a solitary point off the playoffs if they win away at Carlisle United and results go their way – a victory would put us on 32 points.
The Cumbrians, meanwhile, are just within the top seven, but with four teams – Mansfield, Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient and Wycombe – just three points or less behind them, they could be slip out.
Today’s other League Two fixtures (all 15:00 kickoffs):
· Barnet v Crawley
· Cambridge Utd v Mansfield
· Dag & Red v Bristol Rovers
· Exeter v Luton
· Hartlepool v Plymouth
· Leyton Orient v Yeovil
· Newport v AFC Wimbledon
· Northampton v Portsmouth
· Stevenage v Accrington
· Wycombe v Oxford Utd
· York City v Morecambe
Prediction:
Carlisle are in great form at the minute – they are unbeaten in five, with three wins and two draws, and in their three victories they scored 12 goals. Notts have stopped the rot somewhat with a 2-2 away draw at Wycombe and a 4-3 home win against Newport, but the defence remains shaky. A draw would be a good result for Notts in my opinion, though there is the chance that the Cumbrians may not be at full focus as the game is being played on neutral ground, at Preston’s Deepdale stadium.
Match odds:
Home 11/8 Draw 13/5 Away 7/4
Head to head:
Carlisle United and Notts County have met on just 28 occasions since their first clash back in October 1959, a Fourth Division clash that was won 2-0 by the Cumbrians. Out of those, the Magpies have won 16 and lost 9, with just 3 draws.
Our last meeting was on 22 March 2014, with Notts clinching a 4-1 win at Meadow Lane in League One. The Cumbrians were relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season.
Key man:
Wycombe: Jabo Ibehre has been on fire since joining Carlisle on a free transfer in the summer, following his release from Colchester. The 32-year-old is in the form of his life, having scored 10 goals in just 13 games, and with a strong build and 15 years’ experience, he could test the shaky Notts defence on Saturday.
Notts: Adam Campbell has really come into his own in the last few games, with wonderful performances in midfield against both Newport and Wycombe. With the mercurial Liam Noble ruled out for four games due to his suspension, Campbell will be relied upon more than ever to control the game in the middle of the park and help launch attacks into the final third.
Joe Jones
Carlisle United and Notts County have met on just 28 occasions since their first clash back in October 1959, a Fourth Division clash that was won 2-0 by the Cumbrians. Out of those, the Magpies have won 16 and lost 9, with just 3 draws.
Our last meeting was on 22 March 2014, with Notts clinching a 4-1 win at Meadow Lane in League One. The Cumbrians were relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season.
Carlisle United is one of the northernmost clubs in the Football League, just 10 miles from the Scottish border, and one that’s normally mentioned among the most difficult away days – talk of “Carlisle away” is one for the most hardcore fans, especially in midweek (Newcastle United are further north than Carlisle, however).
The Cumbrians have spent a season in the top flight, back in 1974-75, and recorded a double over Everton, as well as home victories over eventual champions Derby County, former titleholders Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. They were relegated at the end of the season though.
Carlisle is the smallest location, by population, to have had a resident top-flight English football club since 1906. Prior to this, Accrington FC, Darwen, Grimsby Town & Glossop North End were smaller.
Despite their small stature, the club has experience moderate success with regards to silverware – they have won a Third Division title back in 1965, two Fourth Division championships in 1995 and 2006, and two Football League Trophies, back in 1997 and 2011.
Carlisle are famous for one of the most dramatic Great Escape scenarios in all of English football, when on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored in the last 10 seconds of their final game of the 1998-99 season against Plymouth Argyle to keep the Cumbrians in the Football League at the expense of Scarborough.
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Carlisle will stage their 'home' fixture against Notts County at Preston North End's Deepdale stadium as work to restore Brunton Park continues following severe recent flood damage in Cumbria.
Manager Keith Curle, who used to be at the helm of the Magpies, has no major new injury worries and is not expected to make many unforced changes, but defender Tom Miller remains doubtful due to the hamstring injury which has kept him out for three matches.
Goalkeeper Mark Gillespie returned for last week's 1-1 draw at Oxford in place of Dan Hanford following illness and is expected to resume.
On-loan Newcastle midfielder Macaulay Gillesphey was back on the bench as an unused substitute last week following a pelvic injury and is hoping to feature.
Liam Noble is suspended again for Notts after his red card at Wycombe in midweek. It was the second time this season the midfielder has been sent off so he will serve a four-match ban.
Stanley Aborah is back in training but unlikely to be risked. The Belgian injured his knee against Barnet a fortnight ago and the best he could hope for would be a place on the bench.
Kyle De Silva is also struggling with a knock and is likely to be missing from the travelling squad.
Chris
Carlisle United’s aim this season is to gain promotion back into League One, much like the Magpies, they have had to focus on rebuilding and under the helm of Keith Curle – The Cumbrian team have been making steady progress.

With the flooding, which has forced the Cumbrians into playing the game at the Deepdale Stadium, they will be hoping to make the ground a home from home.
 
They have won three of their last six games, having drawn two and losing once.

The Cumbrains are currently 6th with 34 points, only 6 points behind an automatic place but are only 5 points above the Magpies, who sit 13th on 29 points.

Run-down of their last six games.

Saturday 31st October – Carlisle United 3 Yeovil Town 2
Saturday 14th November – Bristol Rovers 2 Carlisle United 0
Saturday 21st November – Carlisle United 2 Portsmouth 2
Tuesday 24th November – Luton Town 3 Carlisle United 4
Saturday 28th November – Carlisle United 3 Crawley Town 1
Saturday 12th December – Oxford United 1 Carlisle United 1

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Jabo Ibehre 12, Charlie Wyke 8, Derek Asamoah 7 and Danny Grainger 4.

Persistent Foulers; Luke Joyce 1 Red Card and 2 Yellow Cards, Michael Raynes 5 Yellow Cards, Tom Miller 5 Yellow Cards, Gary Dicker 4 Yellow Cards and Danny Grainger 4 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

There’s no doubt just how much of a key player ‘Jabo Ibehre’ is for Carlisle United, he’s already highlighting his worth to them and is rumoured to be attracting interest from other clubs.

He’s a physical forward, who has a lethal finish and eye for goal.

Luke Joyce is a defensive midfielder who looks to release the advancing midfielders but he also shares a keen eye for goal.

Anthony Sweeney and Charlie Wyke are also key players for The Cumbrians.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Carlisle United are organized quite defensively, however they do have players who are able to break opposition sides down and have quality League Two players through their squad.

Their main strengths are found within their key players, who are the driving force behind each attack. They can quickly break on the counter, whilst also cleverly placing passes, which allows their movement to be free flowing.

When on the break, they look to get forward as quickly as possible and this has a tendency to leave themselves wide open at the back.

Weaknesses are certainly found within their defence, however to note – Carlisle United appear to have our own philosophy mastered ‘we’ll score one more than you’ and this generally means they’re okay, provided their midfield remain in possession and work hard.

For Notts to come away with a point or more, they will have to work out how to break down their defence. For me, this would be by playing sensible football – carefully passes and advancing with the ball.

Once again, I feel the key will be found within the air and if the Magpies can work harder within the midfield, whilst being steady at the back.
Match Day: Carlisle Series - Opposition View - The Match Officials - League Two Preview
Chris
As Pride of Nottingham builds up to this weekends game, Notts-Joe has taken the time to put several questions to one opposition Douglas. Whilst towards the bottom, you will find a link to a mini fan view from within our camp.

Could you tell Pride of Nottingham a little bit about yourself, such as how long you have supported Carlisle?

I'm 26 years old, and my first Carlisle game was 8th may 1999, the final game of the season at home to Plymouth argyle. This game is most remembered as the game where Jimmy Glass (the goalkeeper on loan from Swindon town) scored in the last minute to save us from dropping into non league. I was brought up in a Manchester United mad family (family are from the Manchester area originally) and always looked out for Carlisle results for as long as I could remember. I started supporting both until finances really took a hold with the premiership, so I then decided rather than doing both Manchester United and Carlisle matches, I would concentrate all my support on my local club. Now in this day I feel that I have no connections to Manchester United because of this and Carlisle United is the only club for me.

How do you feel the season is going so far? Is there anything you would hope to improve on as a side?

The season started off okay, it took us until the end of August v Hartlepool away to register our first victory in the league. We'd had a good victory in the Capital One Cup round 1 previous to that game at home v Chesterfield. After the victory at Hartlepool we have went from strength to strength, improving the squad with a number of effective loan signings that have pushed the permanent squad members as far as replacing in the starting XI. We are currently doing very well indeed, up to 6th place as things stand after a very good point away at the league leaders Oxford United (a game I thought we should have won as well being there) and not many teams in this league will leave the Kassam Stadium with anything I feel. We've had the glory of a fantastic game at Liverpool in round 3 of the league cup, taking them to penalties but now promotion is our main aim. I would like a good run in the FA Cup though, currently through to round 3 where we face Yeovil at "home" (Blackpool fc are hosting us that day).

I would like an extra 3 players in on loans in January and release the players that aren't in the squad regularly. I feel like we could use a right winger and a couple of midfielders of the Liam Noble mould.

Have you been effected by the floods? How has this impacted Carlisle and the Football Club?

I live very local to Brunton Park which was badly affected, however the floodwaters stopped 300m away from my front door so I've not faced the devastation of having water raging through my home like many others, however I was left without electricity and gas for 4 days which was hard for me as family have now moved down south. Carlisle as a city have been amazing, along with the rest of the county have shown the strongest community spirit I've witnessed, along with the rest of the country through donating what is now £3.1 million. The stadium has been ruined, I was 1 of the volunteers who went to help clean up for a couple of days while I was off work and waiting for electricity and gas to come back on in my home, and I've never seen devastation like it. Archives were destroyed, the concourse of the stands were caked in a brown sticky liquid. The first team players made a marvellous offer of helping out locals affected in clearing homes, ripping up carpets ect in the vicinity of brunton park. Even after the club 'digs' outside the stadium was hit by floods, and our first choice keeper Mark Gillespie was airlifted out of the digs as he was unwell to travel to our FA cup fixture at welling United that weekend. Fantastic community spirit from the players, some of whom are local lads and some of whom who are foreign all mucked in when the city needed them.

Who will be your key(s) players on Saturday and why?

Key attacking players I've got to start with jabo ibehre. Big, strong and loves the physical battles with centre backs and currently has 10 goals this season despite missing just over a month injured. Charlie Wyke, his strike partner. Not as physically strong as Ibehre, but after an indifferent start to the season he's found his form and is now scoring goals and doing an awful lot for the team. Alex gilliead, a young winger on loan from Newcastle that has speed in abundance, regularly takes on 2-3 defenders at a time and passes them all with ease.

In the back line, Michael Raynes. A tough, no nonsense typical English centre back, takes no grief and is a focal point in attack due to his strength and stature, if we are chasing a result tomorrow then don't be surprised to see him played as a centre forward and balls flying into him.

Luke Joyce. A no nonsense defensive midfielder. Great tackling and distribution of the ball is excellent.

I'm expecting goals in the game, we tend to play in a gung Ho 'we're gonna score 1 more than you mentality' which makes us exciting yet excruciatingly painful side to watch.

The game will be played at the Deepdale stadium, what are your thoughts on the kindness shown and what does it represent to modern day football?

I think it's fantastic from pne, allowing us use of Deepdale for this game when no club have to offer their stadiums. There has always been a bit of a rivalry between us and pne but this has quelled them thoughts for me personally.

For modern football it's fantastic to show that league clubs do help each other out, with us being as isolated where we are geographically we don't have any near neighbours that we can turn to, so along with Blackburn and Blackpool who are hosting our "home" fixtures (against Plymouth in the league and Yeovil FA cup respectively) it truly does reinforce the theory that there is a football family. Also it's less travelling for you to do as well, with cheaper tickets.

Lastly, what do you feel the score will be?

I'll go for either a 2-2 draw, or a 3-2 win for Carlisle with ibehre and gilliead scoring for Carlisle and Campbell (just because we had him on loan) and Sheehan scoring for Notts.

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Douglas for taking the time to answer our questions, especially at such short notice and we hope Carlisle quickly find their feet again after the flooding.
You can read our Notts fan view by clicking - Here
Joe Jones
Some great news from the Jimmy & Jack Memorial Fund, as they have confirmed that they have reached £101,000 – leaving just a further £1,000 to raise.

Thanks to a generous donation of £1,500 from the former players’ association, in addition to the fans’ ongoing support in the drive to raise funds, we are on the home straight in terms of meeting the overall total and begin proceedings to bring Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler home.

It is hoped that we can achieve this by calling on fans to get behind our Christmas online donation campaign and join the "This One is for Jack" Pub to Club walk on Sunday 10th January 2016 - the sixth anniversary of Jack's passing.

“This one is for Jack” starts at the Wollaton Pub and Kitchen at 12:30pm, with entry costing £5 with the option to raise additional funds through sponsorship. Entry forms can be found in the club shop or on the Jimmy & Jack table on match days.

To donate to the Jimmy & Jack Statue Fund Christmas Appeal, the details are as follows:

Bank account name: Jimmy & Jack Statue Fund
Sort code: 40-08-46
Account number: 81848178

It really looks as if 2016 will be the year that Jimmy and Jack will come home – with your help, we can finally cross the line and elevate Notts County’s greatest ever managerial duo to immortality right outside Meadow Lane!
Please pledge your support by donating just £1 to the J&J Statue Fund.
Chris
Notts will be preparing for a trip to Preston North End's stadium 'Deepdale', as Carlisle will also due to flooding up in Cumbria on Saturday 19th December. The 'home' advantage will probably go out of the window for this reason, however it doesn't mean that the Magpies will be favourites based on this alone. Notts will be hoping a return to the Deepdale, may see them edge closer to the play-off places.

Carlisle United have only lost one game within their last six league fixtures, having won 3 and drawing 2.

The Match Officials for the game will be referee Darren Bond, assistants Peter Wright and Peter Gooch, and fourth official Richard Bartlett.

Referee: Darren Bond
From: Lancashire

His matches involving Notts County within the last four seasons;

JPT – Tuesday 3rd September 2013 – Notts County 1-0 Burton Albion
League One – Saturday 23rd November 2013 – Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Notts County
F.A Cup – Sunday 9th November 2014 – Notts County 0-0 Accrington Stanley
League One – Sunday 28th December 2014 – Bradford City 1-0 Notts County
League One – Tuesday 17th February 2015 – Notts County 1-2 Sheffield United

Run down of his last three games:

League One – Tuesday 24th November 2015 – Oldham 2-5 Southend (3 yellow cards, no reds)
League One – Saturday 28th November 2015 – Chesterfield 0-4 Swindon (4 yellow cards, no reds)
Championship – Saturday 12th December 2015 – Middlesbrough 0-0 Birmingham (4 yellow cards, 1 red card)

In his last three games 11 yellow cards have been issued and only 1 red card.

So far this season in total of seventeen games, he has shown fifty-four yellow cards and two red cards - 3.1 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee: Peter Wright
From: Merseyside

Last three games:

Championship – Friday 21st August 2015 – Birmingham City 1-1 Derby County
League One – Saturday 29th August 2015 – Bury 1-1 Oldham Athletic
Championship – Thursday 29th October 2015 – Leeds United 0-2 Blackburn Rovers

Assistant Referee: Peter Gooch
From: Lancashire

Last three games:

League One – Saturday 31st October 2015 – Doncaster Rovers 2-0 Colchester United
League One – Tuesday 3rd November 2015 – Dartford 1-2 Altrincham
League One – Saturday 21st November 2015 – Crewe Alexandra 1-5 Peterborough United

Fourth Official: Richard Bartlett
From: Cheshire
Joe Jones
Notts County manager Ricardo Moniz has criticised Liam Noble after the midfielder was sent off in his side’s 2-2 draw at Wycombe Wanderers.

The 24-year-old earned his second red card of this campaign at Adams Park with County 1-0 up through Jon Stead's penalty at the time, receiving his marching orders after a clash with Luke O'Nien off the ball.

Michael Harriman levelled for Wycombe before half-time, and though Adam Campbell restored the visitors' lead shortly after the restart, Aaron Holloway earned the Chairboys a draw, much to the frustration of Moniz.

"We gave the three points away," he said. "We totally outplayed them in the first 30 minutes and then Liam Noble gave them the chance to get back in the game.

"The red card was very inconvenient. I will always protect my players, and I haven't spoken to Liam Noble, but you can't do that.

"Even with 10 men we were 2-1 up and shouldn't lose it. You have to take the three points, otherwise we would have been two points off the play-offs.

"But the glass is half full. I'm always like that. It's a big compliment for the guys. They've done well. They dug in and the team gets fitter. But we are a bit disappointed not to get the win.

"It was very intelligent play from us in the last 30 minutes. It shows the strength of the team. It was the same against Bristol Rovers [0-0 draw in October] only there was more effort in this game."

Notts now sit 13th in League Two, just four points below the playoffs.
Joe Jones
Alan Sheehan has expressed his happiness and pride in playing the 300th professional game of his career in a Notts County shirt.
The defender, on loan from Bradford City, reached the landmark in Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Wycombe Wanderers, where he put in another good shift on the way to a crucial and morale-boosting away point.
In a career spanning 13 years, more than half of Sheehan's games have been for the Magpies over two different spells, and he admitted he was happy to hit 300 in the black and white of Notts - especially because he was ill at Adams Park.
He told local media: "My dad always used to say 'if you aren't right, don't play', because once you cross that white line you are judged the same as everybody else. But you've got to get out there and put a shift in for the team.
"Tuesday was my 300th competitive appearance and it's nice to think that nearly half of them have come for Notts County in a period spanning three years and a bit.
"Obviously I am happy, but there's been some bad games in that 300! But hopefully we can keep on putting a run together. We've just got to keep building on that performance because we looked very good in spells."
Sheehan has two more games of his loan spell left to play with his final game set to be the Boxing Day clash at Hartlepool United.
super_ram
Here we are again with PON taking another look at the weekend fixtures in the latest of our League Two previews.

For me the stand-out fixture this week is top of the table Northampton at home to 4th place Portsmouth, with both teams hoping to strengthen their promotion hopes.

Another important game is 20th placed Hartlepool v 3rd placed Plymouth, with the home side hoping to recover from last weeks 4-0 thrashing away at Portsmouth and build on their midweek success in The FA Cup over (sorry to mention them) Salford City and the away side wanting to continue their promotion push. My key game is Carlisle v Notts.

*Important games **Key Game

Saturday 19th December 2015

Barnet v Crawley – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)
Cambridge v Mansfield – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)
**Carlisle v Notts County – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-2)
Dagenham & Redbridge v Bristol Rovers– Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0 -1)
Exeter V Luton – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)
*Hartlepool v Plymouth – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)
Leyton Orient v Yeovil – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)
Newport v Wimbledon – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)
*Northampton v Portsmouth – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)
Stevenage v Accrington – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-0)
Wycombe v Oxford United – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)
York v Morecambe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction(0-1)

My Stand-out Games

Carlisle v Notts County (being played at Preston's Deepdale)
Hartlepool v Plymouth
Northampton v Portsmuth

Thoughts on Notts County v Newport

Due to recent Storm Desmond and the resulting rainfall which left Carlisle's Brunton Park Ground flooded this game will be played at Deepdale, Preston.

This is the second in a block of 3 consecutive away fixtures for Notts and the Magpies will be hoping to make it 3in a row undefeated. It will also be interesting to see how Carlisle approach this game having lost home advantage. I've predicted a 2–2 draw

The last time they played was 22/3/2014 and Notts won 4-1 at Meadow Lane, with Notts losing that seasons corresponding away fixture 2–1 on 28/9/2013.Carlisle were also relegated at the end of that season.

The overall record between Notts and Carlisle is-

Notts won 14
Newport won 3
Draws 9
Chris
After taking the lead twice against Wycombe Wanderers, Notts were pegged back twice following the departure of Liam Noble after allegedly using an elbow on a Wycombe player.

Adam Campbell put the Magpies ahead inside eight minutes, after Aaron Pierre tripped the pacey player inside the opposition penalty box. Referee Nicholas Kinseley instantly pointed to the penalty spot, which Notts striker Jon Stead comfortably converted.

As the game started to get going for the Magpies, the visitors were then reduced to 10 men shortly before the break. Liam Noble clashed with Luke O’Nien, with the Notts midfielder allegedly using an elbow in the process.

The Chairboys took advantage minutes before half time as a winger and PON’s key player from the Build-Up article put the home side level, after carefully heading beyond the Notts keeper Roy Carroll. After the restart, the Magpies once again took the lead when a low cross found Campbell who placed the ball tidily past the Wycombe Wanderers keeper.

However, Wycombe levelled on the hour mark with Sam Wood’s cross found Aaron Amandi-Holloway, whose header looped past Roy Carroll and into the net to deny the Magpies their first away win since Stevenage at the start of the season.

Was the result fair?

In my opinion Notts easily deserved something from the game and for once, I think we can say we were unlucky as a side not to come away with all three points – however, a draw is a fair result considering.

How did Notts play?

Notts played with spirit, which in time will start seeing away wins picked up, after going into the lead – they looked to counter and create chances, rather than sitting back, which only invites play. After losing Noble, Notts reorganized and came back much stronger after the half time whistle had blown. Overall Notts fought well to take the lead twice, putting on a decent away performance.

How did Wycombe play?

I think the home side seemed surprised by how quickly Notts took control of the game, obviously conceding a penalty wouldn’t help but before the sending off – they didn’t seem to create many clear cut chances. They played as I expected, with determination to make use of their team’s ability and once Notts were down to 10 men – this was ever more present within their display.

Did our tactics work out?

I think Ricardo Moniz actually started the game with the right tactics, formation, and even the right players within those positions. The inclusion of Robert Milsom allowed Notts to be direct and he gave us something, which we have been missing for quite a while.

How did the referee perform?

I obviously cannot comment much on the performance of the referee, however a few fans have said he seemed to give the home side ‘advantage’ after the penalty and on reflection it does seem he was a little persuaded not to issue Wycombe players yellow cards. Overall, I do think he called the game fairly okay.

Who do we play next?

Notts now face Liam Noble’s former club Carlisle, on Saturday 19th December. The Magpies will have to come away with more than a point here, it’s a game whereby Notts could claim a push towards the play-off places.

How should we play them?

The direct approach will be key against Carlisle, however the absence provided by the red card to Noble within the Wycombe game will probably leave a void for Notts to fill. Yet with the potential return of Stanley Aborah, Notts should play with a similar setup as to yesterday’s game. Using the flanks will give Notts good width within the game, which in turn could free up our holding midfielders – This game will be about who leads by example within midfield.
Read our full 'Match Report' Here - Join our 'Match Discussion' Here
Chris
Notts lead Wycombe twice, yet stumbled after going down to 10 men. Notts took an early lead though Jon Stead's timely placed penalty after Adam Campbell was fouled by Aaron Pierre.

The Magpies midfielder Liam Noble then saw red (his a second red card of the season) after clashing with Luke O'Nien and, soon after, Michael Harriman headed the home side level.

Adam Campbell then capitalized from a low cross from Rob Milsom but Aaron Amadi-Holloway's looping header meant Notts would only earn a point away from home.
Read our full 'Match Report' Here - Join our 'Match Discussion' Here
shepshedpie
Notts County's Youth team bowed out of the FA Youth Cup to an excellent Luton Town team who have now gone 22 games unbeaten this season.

Notts were without Jake Payling and Yohan Rutty-Smith their powerful, left sided wide player through injury but otherwise they were at full strength.

Right from the off Luton dominated the game playing some neat passing and creating a number of shooting chances.

After only fifteen minutes Notts fell behind when a pacy Luton forward got on the end of a through ball to slot past the Notts keeper for the first goal.

Only four minutes later Notts were two goals adrift after some neat passing in the Notts half released a Luton forward on goal who shot home.

Notts were up against a good team but they never stopped giving it their all in an attempt to get back into the game.

In a rare Notts attack, Montel Gibson was through on goal, inside the area, when he was brought down with a desperate tackle. The referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty and brandishing a red card to the Luton defender.  Montel himself got up to take the penalty and confidently tucked the ball away on the half-hour.

With Luton now down to ten men the Notts fans were hoping for an increased amount of possession, but it didn't happen as Luton continued to control the game.

Half-time: Notts 1-2 Luton

After only six minutes of the second half ten man Luton went further ahead when a corner was headed in off the underside of the bar.

Full-time: Notts 1-3 Luton

Notts gave everything to combat Luton's excellent team work but to no avail.  Even when Luton went down to ten men they were still an absolute pleasure to watch.

The Notts youngsters have a break now until January 9th when they take on Doncaster at home.  Hopefully the young 'Pies can put this defeat behind them and go all out to win the league title.
Find the latest content - Here or join in with our discussions - Here
Joe Jones
Notts County twice took the lead against Wycombe Wanderers in Tuesday's League Two clash at Adams Park, but were pegged back twice following Liam Noble's sending off to leave them travelling back to Nottingham with a point following the 2-2 draw.
The Magpies were ahead inside eight minutes after Adam Campbell was tripped in the box by Aaron Pierre, prompting the referee to award a penalty, and Jon Stead coolly converted from the spot.
The visitors were then reduced to 10 men shortly before the break when Noble clashed with Luke O'Nien off the ball and was given a straight red card - his second of the season and fifth in just over a year.
The Chairboys took advantage minutes before half time as winger Michael Harriman placed a glancing header beyond Roy Carroll after Paul Hayes had picked him out with a pinpoint cross from the left.
Ricardo Moniz's charges, however, restored their lead after the restart when Rob Milsom's low cross found Campbell who steered the ball past Matt Ingram to shock the ever-improving hosts.
Wycombe levelled on the hour mark as Sam Wood's cross, following Campbell's ball loss in midfield, found Aaron Amadi-Holloway, whose header looped over Carroll and into the net to deny the Magpies their first away win since the opening day of the season.
Chris
Notts have a chance to go as high as 10th tonight, provided the magpies win away to Wycombe. With the game being in hand, it’s important that we come away with at least a point. Whereas Wycombe have a chance to creep inside the play-offs, possibly replacing Mansfield Town or at least move to 8th place if all the points remain at Adams Park.

With confidence around Meadow Lane glowing within each performance, Ricardo Moniz will be hoping for some of it travelling away from home with the first team.

Today’s Fixtures

League:
Wycombe Wanderers v Notts County

F.A Cup:
Hartlepool United v Salford City
Scunthorpe United v Leyton Orient
Shrewsbury Town v Grimsby Town
Walsall v Chesterfield

Prediction

Wycombe Wanderers will be hoping to get back to winning ways, with their form dipping as of late. After losing to Bristol Rovers, they will be keen not to concede another three goals and will no doubt aim to be more attacking minded. I think Notts have the stronger squad on paper, with quality being notable throughout the squad but our away form still worries me.

Match Odds

Wycombe to win 5/4 – Draw 23/10 – MK Don's to win 11/5

Head to Head

Wycombe Wanderers – A win for the home side as mentioned could see them push back up towards the play-offs, with a draw leaving them within the same position as they start tonight’s game and the loss would see them drop one place.

Notts County – A Notts win could see the magpies edge ever so closer to the play-offs, whom haven’t won since the start of the season. If Notts drew it would allow them to gain a place, whereas a loss would see the position unchanged for them.

Key Man

Wycombe Wanderers; Michael Harriman – The wide man’s ability to pull the home sides movement together, whilst have an eye for goal and the perfect cross will be paramount. If he plays well, usually the whole side receive a boost from him.

Notts County; Liam Noble – After Saturday’s performance his creativity and spark will be key to enlighten the Notts play. If Noble can create the movement required to get in and behind Wycombe, he will be a vital player to move forward with.
Chris
Wycombe Wanderers will be hoping to mount a successful push towards the play-offs and after a disappointing outcome last year – The Chairboys will be hoping to do one better within the 2015/16 season, after losing to Southend United in last year’s play-off final. Gareth Ainsworth’s side hasn’t been doing that badly this season, however they have hit a dry patch as of lately.

They have won only two of their last six games, having drawn three and lost once.

The Buckinghamshire side are currently 10th with 30 points, only 3 behind the play-offs and only 4 places above the Magpies who sit on 28 points.

Run-down of their last six games.

Saturday 24th October – Wycombe Wanderers 1 Carlisle United 1
Saturday 31st October – Mansfield Town 0 Wycombe Wanderers 2
Saturday 21st November – AFC Wimbledon 1 Wycombe Wanders 1
Tuesday 24th November – Yeovil Town 0 Wycombe Wanderers 1
Saturday 28th November – Wycombe Wanderers 2 Portsmouth 2
Tuesday 1st December – Bristol Rovers 3 Wycombe Wanderers 0

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Garry Thompson 5, Michael Harriman 5, Aaron Halloway 3 and Luke O’Nien 3.

Persistent Foulers; Marcus Bean 6 Yellow Cards, Aaron Pierre 6 Yellow Cards, Luke O’Nien 5 Yellow Cards and Michael Harriman 4 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Ex Magpies winger Garry Thompson has continued from where he left off with Notts, having found form with Wycombe and knowing how ex-players tend to punish us – I would have him as their main threat.

However, they have several players able to attack and create play.

Paul Hayes is an experienced player who can be tricky.

With Michael Harriman and Sam Wood offering width, Michael holds the ability to score and create chances. Anthony Stewart would be the main defender I would single out, he combines the midfield well and leads at the back.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Wycombe Wanderers are a decent League Two team, who know exactly what it takes to do well and achieve wins within this division. They are a possession-based team, who can make the most of chances, which present themselves and work hard as a unit.

Their main strengths come from build-up play, they like to put balls into the box and have multiple players who are able to deliver well-placed crosses. When organized well, they appear to be hard to break down.

When reverting to long balls, they seem to lose shape but can play nice football down the wing and the centre of the park. Set pieces, especially corners are things Ricardo’s men must be aware of.

Perhaps more noticeably is their lack of concentration and indecisive with how best to move the ball forward. Weaknesses at the back come from scrappy play, especially unnecessary fouls and this allows pressure to grow on themselves. Once asserted, their defending can go missing and prone to making mistakes.

Notts would gain advantage in my opinion by playing direct football, which focuses on pressuring the Wycombe left back and centre pairing.

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