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Joe Jones
Notts County secured a valuable point at the Memorial Stadium as they held a dangerous Bristol Rovers at bay on the way to a goalless stalemate.

The hosts’ first chance came courtesy of Ellis Harrison, who picked up a pass from Lee Brown and fashioned a shot that was blocked by Elliot Hewitt.

On five minutes, unmarked skipper Mark McChrystal got himself in a good position from a Jake Gosling corner, only to put the ball over from ten yards.

Rovers came then closest to a goal in first-half stoppage time when Billy Bodin's right-footed shot from 12 yards following a corner cannoned back off Roy Carroll's crossbar.

Notts improved defensively as the game progressed, but rarely threatened. An Izale McLeod shot from 20 yards, deflected narrowly wide on 53 minutes, was the closest they came.

Jermaine Easter, whose red card at Mansfield Town on Saturday was rescinded on appeal, appeared as a second half substitute for Rovers and grazed the crossbar with a 73rd minute shot.

Late on, Rovers won another free-kick in a promising position after Daniel Leadbitter was hacked down by Mawouna Amevor, but again the visitors stood firm to complete a frustrating night for Rovers and remain five points away from the League Two playoffs.
Joe Jones
Notts County and Bristol Rovers have met a grand total of 85 times over their history, with the first fixture coming on the 11th January 1913, a 2-0 win for the Pirates in the FA Cup at their former home ground, the Eastville Stadium.

The Magpies have claimed 31 wins and 28 draws against Rovers, whilst falling to 26 defeats.

Meadow Lane was the scene of the last meeting between these two on the 19th March 2011, a League One fixture, as Will Hoskins scored just after the hour to give the Gas a 1-0 win.

The club was founded in 1883 as Black Arabs F.C., and were also known as Eastville Rovers and Bristol Eastville Rovers before finally changing its name to Bristol Rovers in 1899.

The club's official nickname is The Pirates, reflecting the maritime history of Bristol. The local nickname of the club is The Gas, from the gasworks next to their former home Eastville Stadium, which started as a derogatory term used by fans of their main rival Bristol City but was affectionately adopted by the team.

Rovers were admitted to the Football League in 1920 and have played there ever since, apart from spending the 2014–15 season in the Conference Premier.

They previously came close to losing their league status in 1939, when they were re-elected after finishing bottom of Division Three (South), and in 2002 when the team finished one league position away from relegation to the Football Conference.

Their highest finishing positions were in 1956 and 1959, on both occasions ending the season in 6th place in Division Two, then the second tier of English football.

The only major cup competition won by Bristol Rovers is the 1972 Watney Cup, when they beat Sheffield United in the final. The club also won the Division Three (South) Cup in 1934–35, as well as winning or sharing the Gloucestershire Cup on 32 occasions.

The team has never played in European competition; the closest Rovers came was when they missed out on reaching the international stage of the Anglo-Italian Cup in the 1992–93 season on a coin toss held over the phone with West Ham United.

In the FA Cup, Rovers have reached the quarter-final stage on three occasions. The first time was in 1950–51 when they faced Newcastle United at St James' Park in front of a crowd of 62,787, the record for the highest attendance at any Bristol Rovers match.

The second time they reached the quarter final was in 1957–58, when they lost to Fulham, and the most recent appearance at this stage of the competition was during the 2007–08 season, when they faced West Bromwich Albion.

They were the first Division Three team to win an FA Cup tie away to a Premier League side, when in 2002 they beat Derby County 3–1 at Pride Park Stadium.

They have twice reached the final of the Football League Trophy, in 1989–90 and 2006–07, but finished runners-up on both occasions. On the second occasion they did not allow a single goal against them in the competition en route to the final, but conceded the lead less than a minute after the final kicked off.

Actor Nick Frost is a Bristol Rovers fan, with his character Danny Butterman seen wearing a club shirt in the 2007 film Hot Fuzz.

The retired Conservative MP for Hayes and Harlington Terry Dicks, is also a Gas fan. He mentioned the club in parliament on 5 May 1994 when debating with Labour MP and Chelsea fan Tony Banks.

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Rovers have appealed against the red card shown to Jermaine Easter during Saturday's Sky Bet League Two win over Mansfield Town.

The striker was given a straight red for allegedly headbutting a Stags player just before half-time in the 2-1 victory and Rovers will find out if they are successful in their appeal against a three-match ban on Tuesday afternoon.

Rovers boss Darrell Clarke will also be concerning himself with the fitness of another of his forwards, Billy Bodin, who was forced to miss Saturday's match through injury. If Easter is unavailable then Ellis Harrison, who came on at half-time at Field Mill, could start.

Notts have no real injury problems any longer as players begin to return to contention.

Midfielder Rob Milsom has yet to make his debut for the club because of a knee problem but he is back in training and closing in on a return.

The same can be said of winger Kyle De Silva, who has recovered from the thigh injury he sustained during the first month of the season.
Joe Jones
Notts County ended a run of three straight defeats and made it five wins out of six at Meadow Lane with a 2-0 win over Yeovil Town, a result that sees the Magpies climb to 15th in League Two and five points away from the playoffs.
The Magpies showed their attacking threat early on as Elliott Hewitt and Izale McLeod both had speculative shots, their side dominating possession with a high defensive line as the Glovers struggled to get out of their half.
Little happened in the early stages of the game, though Matthew Dolan made a hash of a half-volley from 20 yards, while Adam Campbell played McLeod clean through on goal, but the ex-Crawley man struck the post.
It was then Campbell's turn to hit the woodwork with a swerving shot-cum-cross before Liam Noble forced Artur Krysiak to punch away a vicious 30-yard drive.
The second half continued in a similar vein as Notts poured forward and fittingly it was the impressive Stanley Aborah who broke the deadlock.
After Wes Fogden had brought down the midfielder just outside the area, he stepped up to take the free kick and, courtesy of a deflection off the wall, it wrongfooted Krysiak and bundled into the back of the net.
County’s lead was doubled not long after as a clearance from Mike Edwards was cleverly flicked on by Alan Smith, and McLeod rushed in to beat Krysiak with a ferocious drive.
Campbell almost made it 3-0 midway through the second half as he went in one-on-one himself, but Krysiak did well to close him down. At the other end, Dolan had a shot blocked and Connor Roberts tested Carroll for the first time in the game.
Ultimately, Yeovil proved no match for Ricardo Moniz’s side, who made it an enjoyable afternoon for the home faithful.
Joe Jones
Back in April, the Glovers and the Magpies played out a 1-1 draw at Huish Park, with Curtis Thompson's 79th-minute strike cancelling out Haydn Hollis's 10th-minute own goal - the result relegated Yeovil that afternoon.
Yeovil Football Club was founded in 1890, and shared their ground with the local rugby club for many years.
Five years later they were renamed Yeovil Casuals and started playing home games at the Pen Mill Athletic Ground.
In 1907 the name Yeovil Town was adopted, which on amalgamation with Petters United became Yeovil and Petters United. The name reverted to Yeovil Town prior to the 1946–47 season.
The Somerset outfit have spent most of their existence in the lower leagues, though they briefly made a name for themselves in the 1948-49 season when they beat Sunderland 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round.
In the 1980s, Yeovil were founder members of the Football Conference, where they remained for the next two decades, save for a few relegations to the Isthmian League which usually resulted in an instant return to the above tier.
Yeovil Town earned promotion to the Football League in the 2002-03 season, by winning the Football Conference by a record 17 points margin, accumulating 95 points and scoring 100 goals, remaining unbeaten at Huish Park.
In their second ever season in the Football League, the Glovers went one better by achieving promotion to the third tier as champions of League Two, and in the following years even reached the League One playoffs, beating Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals in 2006-07 before losing to Blackpool in the final at Wembley.
Six years later, however, Yeovil achieved what had been deemed unthinkable a decade earlier - they reached the second tier of English football after beating Brentford in the 2013 League One play-off final.
Their stay in the Championship was brief, however, and they went on to suffer back-to-back relegations, leaving them in the bottom tier of the Football League.
Yeovil is a pretty small town, home to just 40,000 people - two Meadow Lanes could comfortably take in the entire population!
In the 21st century, Yeovil became the first town in Britain to institute a system of biometric fingerprint scanning in nightclubs, and the first English council to ban the children's craze Heelys (those trainers with wheels that popped out from the heels).
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Jack Barmby and Roy Carroll return to the Notts County squad for the visit of Yeovil.
On-loan midfielder Barmby is fit again after missing the defeat to Plymouth last weekend, while goalkeeper Carroll is back from international duty with Northern Ireland.
Kyle De Silva has resumed training and was considered fit enough to play 10 minutes against Argyle, so he may be considered on Saturday.
Rob Milsom is edging closer to a return from a serious knee injury while Taylor McKenzie and Ronan Murray need minutes under their belts before they can be considered for first-team places.
Yeovil boss Paul Sturrock will be able to call on defender Connor Roberts after his loan spell from Swansea was extended by a further month this week.
However, midfielder Jake Howells, who like Roberts played in last weekend's 2-2 home draw with Dagenham & Redbridge, has returned to Luton following the end of his loan stint.
Sturrock must also do without injured sextet Kevin Dawson, Simon Gillett, Ben Tozer, Jack Compton, Omar Sowunmi and Jamie Burrows once again.
Joe Jones
Notts County striker Jon Stead has expressed his disappointment in being asked to drop deeper by manager Ricardo Moniz, but insists that he is willing to do all he can to help his team climb up the table.
Speaking at the weekly Magpies press conference, the ex-Sunderland forward said: "The system we're playing, the only way I can get into the team is to play that deeper role.
"And that's what the manager wants because he wants that three in midfield which he sees as being a bit stronger.
"It's a bit of a sacrifice for me, for where I want to play, but if it's doing a job and I can get that defensive side of it right, which is the bit that I struggle with, then I can play.
"I scored two in two and then didn't play the next game, so that's obviously disappointing but I've been doing all I can.
"I'll keep working hard on the training ground and every chance I get, show him what I can do. I'd play left-back or I'd play in goal if it meant I was starting a football match. I just want to be on the field.
"It's a little bit frustrating but it's where I am at the minute. That's where my opportunity is to get in the team, so I've got to go for it.
"I don't believe that's where the club will get the best out of me but I want to play football and I'm not going to go banging on his (Moniz's) door saying, 'I'm not playing there, I want to play up top'. That's not in my make up one bit.
"I'll do my very best in the position wherever I'm asked to play. I think I'm improving in that role anyway, so it might help me to be more of a complete player with that other side of my game.
"I just keep going. I'm not going to throw my toys out the pram, I'm going to get on with it. But yes, it's been difficult. It's a different side to my game.”
Joe Jones
Notts had a rare Sunday matchday as they welcomed Plymouth Argyle to Meadow Lane, eager to extend their great home run.
As always Pride of Nottingham interviewed a number of Notts fans ahead of kickoff to garner their thoughts on the game ahead.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfKW4S1Wao0
Joe Jones
Notts County midfielder Nicky Wroe has joined National League side FC Halifax Town on a month’s loan, subject to FA confirmation.
The 30-year-old midfielder started his career with Barnsley, making 49 appearances for the South Yorkshire side.
He has also had spells at York City, Torquay United, Shrewsbury Town and Oxford United.
Wroe’s loan sees him join a team currently stuck in the Conference relegation zone.
A signing under Shaun Derry in the summer of 2014, he has made just 17 appearances for the club, and was transfer-listed in the summer along with Will Hayhurst, Jordan Cranston and Billy Daniels.
Wroe’s exit comes on the back of Scot Bennett's three-month loan move to Newport County.
The former Exeter City captain signed a two-year deal in the summer but has already been deemed surplus to requirements.
We at Pride of Nottingham would like to wish Nicky Wroe and Scot Bennett all the best at their loan clubs.
Joe Jones
In what has so far proved a very mediocre season far below expectations, Notts had an impressive home form to refer to at least.
This sadly, has now taken a knock after Plymouth Argyle claimed a 2-0 victory at Meadow Lane, with Reuben Reid notching up a brace to bring an end to a run of four straight wins at home for the Magpies.
Reid got the game's opener 18 minutes in, turning into space before firing into the far corner of Scott Loach's goal, with the hosts nearly levelling moments later when Graham Burke latched onto Elliott Hewitt’s cutback but crashed against the post.
Liam Noble then came close with a header at the back post, before Burke tested goalkeeper Luke McCormick with a ferocious low drive.
Notts continued to attack in the second half but could not find a way past the resolute Pilgrims defence, as Burke failed to convert from two decent chances, putting a header over the bar before lashing wide inside the box.
In the latter stages of the clash, Reid struck again for Plymouth, breaking the offside trap and seeing his first effort saved by Loach before firing in from the rebound to hand his side all three points.
Ricardo Moniz’s side moves down a place to 16th in the League Two table, while Derek Adams’s team edges up to the top of the standings.
Joe Jones
Another away day, another defeat, this one more embarrassing than most as Notts fell to a humbling 5-1 defeat at Sheffield United, with the only sliver of positivity coming from the fact that, rather than being in the league, it was in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Jose Baxter opened the scoring at Bramall Lane from the spot in the 20th minute after Jamal Campbell-Ryce was brought down by Thierry Audel in the box, prompting the referee to award the home side a penalty.
Liam Noble went close to equalising not long after when his chip beat Blades goalkeeper George Long, but the ball cannoned off the bar and out.
Just three minutes after their first goal, United doubled their lead when Matt Done beat the offside trap to find himself one-on-one with Scott Loach, and with the stopper rushing out, a simple lob was all it took to get the ball into the back of the net.
And by the break the hosts had notched up a third goal when Baxter scored his second penalty after Haydn Hollis fouled Che Adams, leaving the Magpies with an Everest-sized mountain to climb.
Ricardo Moniz’s side set about trying to get back into the game and looked like they were on the right track when substitute Jon Stead bundled the ball in from close range after connecting with a low cross from Elliott Hewitt.
Stefan Scougall, however, restored United's three-goal advantage in the 67th minute with a neat finish from inside the area.
And on 74 minutes things truly turned farcical when Notts gifted their opponents a third penalty, with Hollis receiving his marching orders for his foul on Adams in the box, and the man brought down opted to do the honours himself, putting his side 5-1 up – and so the game would finish.
Joe Jones
Sheffield United’s first match against Notts took place on the 17th January 1891 in the FA Cup - and we won 9-1!
Since then, however, the Blades have undisputedly held the upper hand in head-to-head statistics.
They have won 49 games against the Magpies. We’ve beaten then just 26 times, and there have been 14 draws.
Our last game was back in February, which ended in a 2-1 defeat at Meadow Lane in League One.
Their ground, Bramall Lane, is the oldest major stadium in the world still to be hosting professional football matches.
Bramall Lane opened in April 1855 – Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin were still alive back then!
Jessica Ennis-Hill, the darling of the 2012 London Olympics, has a stand named after her at United’s ground, following her gold medal in heptathlon two and a half years ago.
A game between Sheffield United and Oldham in February 1984 had to be postponed when a wartime bomb was found near Bramall Lane!
A number of films and television programmes have included references to Sheffield United over the past few decades:
The 1996 film When Saturday Comes stars Sean Bean as a part-time Hallam FC player who is scouted by Sheffield United, who then goes on to play in a FA Cup semi-final.
The character 'Gaz' in British comedy The Full Monty is seen wearing a replica United shirt at one part of the film, and promises his son a ticket for a game at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United & Manchester United.
Even Hollywood has got in on the act: a scene in Batman Begins features a child wearing a 1990s Blades shirt.
United have a decent cup pedigree - they won the FA Cup in 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925.
They were also beaten finalists in the FA Cup in 1901 and 1936, and reached the semi-finals in 1961, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2014 - and reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in 2003 and 2015.
Notable Blades fans include Game of Thrones actor Sean Bean, former Sports Minister Richard Caborn MP, singer Paul Heaton, musicians Joe Elliott, Antony Genn and Toddla T, athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, boxer Kell Brook, cricketer Joe Root and Monty Python member and presenter Michael Palin.
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Sheffield United will be without injured pair Ryan Flynn and David Edgar for their Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie against Notts at Bramall Lane.
Both players were withdrawn at half-time in Saturday's defeat at Port Vale, midfielder Flynn struggling with a groin injury and defender David Edgar sustaining a hamstring problem.
Boss Nigel Adkins will also be without defender Chris Basham, who sits out a one-game ban after reaching five yellow cards.
George Long is expected to be handed a start in goal in place of Mark Howard, with Adkins likely to make several other changes.
Alan Sheehan is an injury doubt for Notts County after coming off shortly before half-time against Leyton Orient on Saturday.
Stanley Aborah missed that 3-1 league loss at Brisbane Road and Magpies manager Ricardo Moniz is preparing to be without the midfielder for some time.
Moniz surprised everyone at the weekend by making nine changes, with only full-back Sheehan and central midfielder Alan Smith retaining their places in the starting line-up following the 1-1 draw at Dagenham.
Roy Carroll, one of the big names dropped against the O's, is unavailable as he is away on international duty with Northern Ireland.
Joe Jones
Notts County’s travel sickness continues to take hold of the boys in black and white as Leyton Orient claimed their first win in six games as they beat the beleaguered visitors 3-1 at Brisbane Road.
The Magpie faithful were astounded by the news that Ricardo Moniz had made nine changes to his seemingly functional line-up prior to the game, the kind of move only carried out following heavy defeats or change of competition level (say league to cup or friendly).
Midfielder Sammy Moore opened the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark when he sprung the offside trap to rifle the ball past Magpies goalkeeper Scott Loach from close range. This would be his first goal in an Orient shirt since his summer move from AFC Wimbledon.
Having dominated the first half, the hosts were then rocked when Notts equalised mere seconds into the second period, with Jon Stead finding himself unmarked at the far post following some neat play from Alan Smith and Adam Campbell and drilling home.
Orient, however, regained the advantage in the 79th minute after substitute Blair Turgott found Sean Clohessy, whose shot was parried by Loach straight to the feet of Jay Simpson for his seventh league goal of the campaign.
The hosts went on to kill the game off seven minutes from time with a wonderful strike from Moore, who smashed the ball into the top-right corner from around 30 yards out for their third goal and all three points.
Joe Jones
The first time that Notts County faced Leyton Orient was 102 years ago, when the Magpies travel to Millfields Road for a Division Two fixture. The East London outfit won 1-0.
A total of 75 fixtures have taken place between the two, with the Nottingham outfit holding the upper hand historically, as 30 games have been won by the Magpies, with 26 O's wins and 19 draws.
Leyton Orient were founded in 1881, and have had several name changes throughout the years, including Eagle Cricket Club, Orient FC and Clapton Orient FC. The O's, who play in Waltham Forest, are the second-oldest league club in London behind Fulham.
The club's unusual name is alleged to come from one of the club's early players (Jack R Dearing) who was an employee of the Orient Shipping Company.
During the First World War. 41 members of the Clapton Orient team and staff joined up into the 17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (the Footballers' Battalion), the highest of any football team in the country and the first to join up en masse.
During the Battle of the Somme, three players gave their lives for King and Country: Richard McFadden, George Scott and William Jonas. Prior to the First World War, O's striker Richard McFadden had saved the life of a boy who was drowning in the River Lea as well as rescuing a man from a burning building.
History was made on Saturday 30th April 1921 when the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VIII, visited Millfields Road to see the O's play Notts County. The Orient won 3-0 and this was the first time a member of royalty had attended a Football League match.
Leyton Orient were involved in a dispute with the Premier League over its decision to allow West Ham to use the Olympic Stadium in London, with the O's expressing an interest in the 2012 Olympics venue, but this has now been settled with a "confidential agreement".
Arguably the most famous fans of the club are Andrew and Julian Lloyd Webber. The album Variations, used as the theme tune for London Weekend Television's South Bank Show, was written by Andrew as the result of his losing a bet to his brother on the result of a Leyton Orient match. Julian later presented a gold disc of Variations to the club chairman at half time during a game with Leicester City.
In addition, David Beckham and Alfred Hitchcock were born in the borough.
--
Orient will be without striker Paul McCallum for Saturday's League Two match at home to Notts County.
The 22-year-old is expected to be out for at least six months after scans confirmed cruciate ligament damage to his right knee.
O's boss Ian Hendon otherwise has a fully fit squad to choose from for the clash at Brisbane Road, in which his side are looking to end a five-match winless run which has seen them slip from the top of the table to fifth.
Ricardo Moniz, meanwhile, has hinted at changes to the team which, at Dagenham in midweek, surrendered a winning position for the third away league game this season.
The Dutchman has a squad of 35 players to choose from so he is not short of options and he could hand on-loan Leicester midfielder Jack Barmby his full debut.
The likes of Curtis Thompson, Julian Jenner, Gill Swerts, Jon Stead and Civard Sprockel are also options.
Midfielder Rob Milsom has resumed training after a knee injury but the summer signing will have to wait at least another week for his first appearance for the club, while Ronan Murray is also making inroads in his recovery from a pelvis injury.
Chris
So far this season, we haven’t yet witnessed a settled Notts County but we have been entertained by a couple of outstanding performances. With the arrival of Izale McLeod, Notts do look much stronger up front and the loan arrival of Alan Sheehan does provide the back with much needed cover.At the recent home game against York City, I mentioned to a friend about how comfortable we looked without so many of our foreign legion players.
I’m not trying to suggest that they’re to blame for the inconsistency, this seems only natural with the amount of arrivals we have seen during this summer but what it does make me think, is some are not ready for League Two football.
With the exception of a few, I think the majority have settled well and contributed nicely already. Yet, on appearance it does seem that a couple need more time to settle to the hustle and bustle of this league.
For me, one stand out signing from our foreign legion (which is how the majority refer to them) is Gill Swerts. It was interesting to see him in pre-season looking already settled, as he mingled with fans after coming off at games like Carlton.
Yet each time I have seen him, he seems steady and reliable. He did extremely well in my opinion in our game at Meadow Lane against Luton Town.
With several players on the verge of returning, it leaves questions as to which players will nail down their positions but for me, I would give Gill Swerts his starting position back.
This said, with Elliot Hewitt coming in and doing well – Would it be fair on him after the performances against Crawley Town and York City?
This weighs up some of the dilemmas Ricardo Moniz has with his now current 41 man squad.
It also begs the question about players like Wes Atkinson, Colby Bishop, Rhys Sharpe, William Hayhurst and Scott Bennett. Will we see any of these feature? Also – is Taylor McKenzie still injured? This would see that Kyle Da Silva, Ronan Murray, Robert Milsom would be fighting for a place once they return from their injuries.
There is so much, which can unsettle a squad, which can lead to inconsistency and Moniz in my opinion really needs to balance his selection decisions.
He’s doing well to make players fight for their places, yet I am unsure if some of the players like Gill Swerts deserve to be benched.
I ask you, what do you think? Does Gill Swerts deserve a place within the starting 11? Does anyone else deserve to be starting more regularly? Have your say below.
Joe Jones
Though Notts County have improved at home no end, it remains a different story on the road, with another game in which the Magpies relinquished the lead – though at least this time we were able to hang onto a point at Dagenham & Redbridge, the final result a 1-1 draw.
In a game of few chances, Adam Campbell went on to open the scoring just after the half-hour mark after receiving possession on the left, weaving into the box and coolly slotting the ball into the far corner for his first goal of the season.
Ayo Obileye went close with a half-volley just before the hour after his initial free-kick from 30 yards hit the wall.
Campbell then nearly doubled his side's lead in the 71st minute, only for O'Brien to brilliantly deny him a second from close range,
He would rue that failed opportunity because, only moments later, the impressive Jodi Jones marauded forward, cut inside onto his left foot and curled a wonderful effort into the top corner from 25 yards.
Notts had a great chance to edge back in front when Jack Barmby was fouled in the Daggers box, prompting the referee to award the visitors a penalty.
Izale McLeod stepped up, but his spot-kick was saved by O'Brien before being cleared out for a throw-in, the chance subsequently disappearing.
Jon Stead came on McLeod soon after and the former Huddersfield striker almost clinched a winner when a powerful 20-yard drive hit the inside of the post, but ultimately the Magpies had to settle for a share of the spoils.
PON_News
All of us who travel to watch Notts’s away performances are covering hundreds of extra miles in League Two compared to the journeys last season in League One. So relegation is proving costly, in financial terms, not only to the club but also to its supporters.
Considering which the away following has been remarkably encouraging as proved by these figures: 331 at Oxford; 459 at Morecambe; and 547 at Kingston-upon-Thames where Wimbledon now play.
The fact that the numbers continued to increase, despite Notts defeats in all three games, is probably attributable to the fact that fans looked forward to an enjoyable weekend on the coast at Morecambe and to visiting the Kingstonian ground for the first time ever.
Whether it continues to be so depends largely, I believe, on results.
I write at a time when it’s still in the balance whether Notts will challenge for at least a play-off place or will have to be content with a mid-table spot, which would be very disappointing, in the context that there was so much pre-season chatter about getting back into League One at the first attempt.
I also write on the eve of departure for a midweek fixture at Dagenham, a distance of just over 140 miles from Meadow Lane to the Daggers’ Stadium in East London. It probably prohibits fans who have to work the following morning from even thinking of making the trip – and they’re not the only ones in the same (or worse) situation on the same evening.
Spare a thought for Leyton Orient supporters, faced with a visit to Carlisle United, a five-hour journey covering 305 miles. Any who, undaunted, drive home from Brunton Park at the end of that game face the grim prospect of not arriving back until at least 3 a.m.
There are numerous other examples in the season’s fixture list where inadequate consideration seems to have been given to the convenience of loyal fans. The Football League can surely do better than this. Indeed, the evidence proves that a strong case can be made for much greater consideration to be paid to the legitimate needs of travelling supporters in all three divisions, but primarily in League Two.
This must include particular reference to holiday time fixtures, particularly Boxing Day. This year Hartlepool v Notts is bad enough at a time of year of family get-togethers.
I rest my case!
By Colin Slater (BBC Radio Nottingham Notts County Correspondent)

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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.

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