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Joe Jones
Notts County and Wolverhampton Wanderers have a long history of facing each other. The first fixture came all the way back in January 1889 (about a century before I was born! –JJ), with the Magpies securing an emphatic 3-0 win.

Over the years, County’s record hasn’t quite lived up to the standard of the first game. We’ve won 23 games, but lost 37. Out of the 83 fixtures that have taken place over the years, 21 have ended in a draw.
Wolves have played Notts three times since the turn of the century: On the 21st September 2010 in the Carling Cup, where Wolves won 4-2, just over four months ago, on the 8th October 2013, in the Johnston's Paint Trophy, where Notts won on penalties after a 0-0 draw, and in League One a month later, in November, where we lost 1-0.
 
Prior to the 2010 clash, you have to go back all the way to 1994 for the last encounter between these two: a 1-0 defeat in Division 1 (back then this was the second tier).
That's nothing, however. The longest period of time between Notts and Wolves facing off is from January 1935 to November 1976 - a huge 41 years! To put that into perspective, Elvis Presley was four days old at the time of the 1935 fixture, while the 1976 fixture was just nine months before his untimely passing.
Wolves became founder members of the Football League in 1888, and finishing 3rd in the inaugural season as well as reaching the FA Cup final (where they lost 3-0 to the Preston North End).
Wolves were the first club to score to 7000 League goals - Wolves achieved this when Seol Ki-Hyeon scored in the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on the 10th December 2006.
 
The Black Country side suffered the ignominy of successive relegations, tumbling out of the Premier League during the 2011-12 season and then finishing in the Championship bottom three in 2012-13.
Wolves boast three top-flight titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups, in addition to four Charity/Community Shields. That places them on a par with Newcastle United (13) and just under Manchester City (15) in terms of total trophies won in their history.
Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme is fit to challenge Aaron McCarey for a place between the sticks after six weeks out with a broken hand.
Kenny Jackett's outfit, second in League One after four straight victories, play for the first time in a fortnight following last Saturday's postponement at Stevenage.
Wolves midfielder Jamie O'Hara, who is out of favour at Molineux, has been allowed to travel to the United States to undertake a three-week training programme in Los Angeles.
 
Notts are still without Dean Leacock, who is struggling with a calf and thigh injury, but striker Ronan Murray is back after suspension.
The Pies have not won a league game at Molineux since 1991, but we did win on our last visit in October when the boys in black and white knocked the beleaguered Black Country club out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy 3-1 on penalties.
super_ram

The F.A Cup Early Years

By super_ram, in Media,

Here is Part 7 in the series '150 Years of Football'. As before there are links to previous articles for anyone who missed them or wishes to read again.

As I have explained previously, football in the mid 1800's was very haphazard and with very little organisation. Clubs were being formed all over the UK, playing games to different rules. The Football Association was founded on the 26th October 1863 and the Challenge cup which bears its name was first contested in 1871/2, proving to be very popular with clubs throughout the country. However to take part in this competition teams had to accept FA rules.This helped bring together teams playing the varying forms of football under one set of rules - Association Football.
So how did football develop and what about the teams in the 1870's. Well here goes as I try to explain.
 
By the 1871/2 season The FA had 50 member clubs, 15 of which entered the cup competition originally but only 12 actually played with 12 games in total.
Queen Park who were a leading Scottish club from Glasgow managed to get as far as the semi-final without actually playing a game due to opposition withdrawals and byes. At this time there was a rule allowing both teams through to the next round in the event of a draw, at the organising committees discretion. After holding Wanderers to a draw they had to withdraw themselves as they couldn't afford to travel from Glasgow to London again.
 
The very first FA Challenge Cup final was played at Kennington Oval 16/3/1872. The Wanderers beat The Royal Engineers 1 - 0.
The 2000 spectators who paid 1 shilling to attend this match witnessed a game considerably different to the game we know today. There were no free kicks or penalties. The goals had no cross bar or nets and there was no centre circle or half way line marked out on the pitch.
The Royal Engineers lost Lieutenant Creswell after 10 minutes with a broken collar bone, this being the first recorded accident in soccer, and no substitutes then either.
Wanderers were a team formed by old boys from prominent English public schools. They didn't have a permanent home ground but played at various venues in London and the south of England, hence their name. The team went into decline in the late 1800's when a lot of its members chose to play for the teams formed at their old schools.
A new Wanderers team was re-formed in 2009 and now play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination.
 
The Royal Engineers were the first team to tour,visiting Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield in 1873.
The Army FA was formed in 1888.
On 7/11/2012 Wanderers played The Royal Engineers at the oval, 140 years after the first FA cup final losing 7 - 1
Wrexham AFC, the 1st welsh soccer club was formed this year.
 
The 1872/3 FA cup competition had 16 entrants and Queens Park were given byes to the semi final but withdrew before their scheduled match with Oxford University. Wanderers,having been given a bye to the final triumphed again and were also allowed to choose the venue, beating Oxford University 2 - 0 in the final in front of 3000 spectators. The attendance was considered to be lower than expected due to The Boat Race taking place later the same day.
Rangers FC were formed and corner kicks introduced in this year.
 
In 1873/4 there were 28 entrants for the cup. The rule giving the previous winner a bye to the final was changed for this season when Oxford University beat The Royal Engineers 2 - 0
Aston Villa formed this season.
In 1874/5, with 29 teams entering, The Royal Engineers beat Old Etonians 2 - 0 after a 1 - 1 draw.
Crossbar is introduced.
 
1875/6 saw The Wanderers beat Old Etonians 3 - 0 again after a 1 -1 draw. 32 teams entered this year.
Duration of a match set at 90 minutes this season.
Wanderers were the winners again in 1876/7 beating Oxford University 2 - 1. 37 teams entered.
We can see a gradual increase in the number of entrants for the cup each year but the competition was dominated by teams whose members came from a privileged background and therefore had more free time and money to cover traveling costs. The entrants also came mostly from London and the surrounding counties. As the road and rail network in the UK improved and travel became more accessible to the working classes it enabled more teams from further afield to take part in the cup.
 
So in 1877/8 Notts County entered the FA cup for the first time. Unfortunately they were knocked out in the first round 3 - 0 after a 1 - 1 draw, losing to Sheffield FC (The worlds 2 oldest football teams).
Wanderers made it three final wins in a row this year by beating The Royal Engineers 3 - 1. The attendance for this match was 4500 and 43 teams entered.
West Bromwich Albion and Newton Heath(Manchester United) and St.Domingo's(Everton) formed this year.
1878/9 Saw Notts County lose to Nottingham Forest 1-3 in the 1st round. Forest progressed to the semi final before losing 2 - 1 to Old Etonians who went on to beat Clapham Rovers 1 - 0 in the final.
Sunderland formed this year.
 
1879/80 was even worse for Notts County as they again went out in the 1st round losing 4 - 0 to Nottingham Forest. Again Forest made it to the semi finals before losing 1 - 0 to Oxford University. Clapham Rovers beat Oxford University 1 - 0 in the final.
Manchester City formed this year.
1880/81 was the 10th year of the FA Cup with 62 entrants, 4 didn't play. Notts County lost 3 - 1 to Aston Villa in the 3rd round Old Carthusians beat Old Etonians 3 - 0 in the final.
There were 73 entrants in the 1881/2 season. Notts County beat Wednesbury Strollers 11 - 1 after the FA ordered the original match to be replayed but went out in the next round 4 - 1 after two 2-2 draws to Aston Villa. Old Etonians beat Blackburn Rovers 1 -0 in the final.This was the first season a working class club and also from outside the London//South area had contested the final.
 
A programme from this match was sold at auction in May 2013 for a world record £35,250.
Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur formed this year.
In 1882/3 the number of entrants for the cup rose to 84. Notts County beat Sheffield FC 4 -1 in the 1st round and after getting a bye in the 2nd round went on to beat Phoenix Bessemer in the 3rd round. In the 4th round Notts won away to Sheffield Wednesday 4 - 1 and then beat Aston Villa 4 -3 in the 5th round before losing in the semi final 2 -1 to Old Etonians .In the final, Blackburn Olympic beat Old Etonians 2 -1,becoming the first working class team to win the final and also ending the domination of amateur/upper class teams
Coventry City formed this year.
 
The1883/4 competition saw 100 entrants Notts had another good run beating Sheffield Heeley 3 - 1 in the 1st round. In the 2nd round they beat Nottingham Forest 3 - 0 and in the 3rd round won away at Grantham 4 -1. The 4th round saw Notts win 2 -1 away at Bolton after drawing 1 -1 at home before going on to beat Swifts(Slough) away 1 - 0 again after drawing at home(1 -1) Notts eventually went out in the semi final, losing 1 -0 to Blackburn Rovers who went on to beat Queens Park 2 - 1 in the final, which had an attendance of 12,000.
Derby County formed this year.
Leicester City formed as Leicester Fosse this year.
 
In the 1884/5 season 114 teams entered the cup. Here are a few of the results - In the 1st round Notts County beat Notts Olympic 2 - 0, Nottingham Forest 5- Rotherham Town(Not United) 0, Staveley 4 - Notts Rangers 1, Sheffield Heeley 1 - Notts Wanderers 0, Derby County 0 - Walsall Town 7, Derby Junction 1 - West Bromwich Albion 7, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 - Derby St.Lukes 4 after a 0 - 0 draw, Derby Midland 1 - Wednesbury Old Athletic 2, Note the number of Nottingham and Derby teams.
Here's a few 2nd round results - Nottingham Forest 4 - Sheffield Heeley 1, Staveley 0 - Notts County 2, Derby St. Lukes 0 - Walsall Swifts 1
and round 3 - Notts County 5 -Sheffield FC 0, Sheffield Wednesday 1 - Nottingham Forest 2
and round 4 Swifts(Slough) 0 - Nottingham Forest 1, Walsall Swifts 1 - Notts County 4
Both Notts and Forest had byes in the 5th round.
6th round Notts County lost 2 - 1 after a 2 - 2 draw to Queens Park, Old Etonians lost 2 - 0 to Forest
In the semi final Forest lost 3 - 0, after a 1 - 1 draw to Queens park.
he final was a repeat of the previous season, with Blackburn Rovers beating Queens Park, this time 2 - 0-Attendance 12500.
In the summer of 1885 The FA legalised professionalism(This has been covered in Part 5 - How it came together)
The balance of power had now moved north but soon football would really take off.
 
Discuss the Series - Super Rams Articles in the Community.
Previous Article | Footballs First Superstar
Chris
Wolves come into the game having won all their previous four games, they did however lose narrowly to Gillingham 1-0 prior to this. Notts will be optimistic after casting aside Coventry City. On paper Wolves have many quality players, however as we saw in the Johnstone Paint Trophy we can shut up shop against them and play fairly well against them. Notts fans will be travelling in good numbers, so the League One encounter will be all set. For this weeks opposition view we've spoken to Wolves fan Mike, below you will be able to read his view into our game. Enjoy YP!

Firstly, could you please tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a Wolverhampton fan?

I'm 28 now. First game I remember was in 1990, at home to Bristol City, we won 3-1 and Steve Bull scored a hatrick. At the time Molineux was being rebuilt so it was a million miles away from what it is presently

At the start of the season can you share some of your doubts? Was you concerned about losing key players and did any signings put those feelings to bed?

The only doubt was not bouncing back at the first hurdle. The players that got us relegated from the Championship deserved to be shot and I was glad to see the back of/exclusion of them at the earliest opportunity.

The biggest relief for me was seeing the exclusion of Johnson, Henry, O'Hara, Ward and others by Jackett as soon as he arrived.

We played earlier in the season in the JPT at Molineux. Did you attend and what was your thoughts on the game?

I didn't attend no, but from what I gather it was a typical JPT/Early cup round game, no interest from the home support and nobody were really fussed by the result.

Kenny Jackett is quite the character, how do you feel about him as your manager and would you say the fans are pleased with him?

I had reservations initially but he's been excellent thus far. He's gotten rid of the bad apples with aplomb and given youngsters a chance. Danny Batth for instance was on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and made captain, when do you hear of that? a young loanee made captain? yet he wasn't given a chance by successive managers here. He's come into our side and now part of the tightest defence in League One.

The signings have been excellent, Jacobs and Henry were superb for the prices we've paid, McDonald has genuine quality for 400k.

Can you tell us how you feel the game will go, who the scorers/score will be?

County seem to be improving a lot with the exception of the Walsall result. Also boosted by the capture of the boy from Celtic who we were interested in ourselves... that said if we want to go up we simply have to be beating teams in the bottom 5/6. We're bound to create chances and we have conceded the fewest in League One.. with that, I'll say 2-0.

What would you say your highlights are of the season so far?

Beating Gillingham 4-0 at home must be one. After the previous two relegations we'd won just 19 of our previous 84 (league) games. So it was a massive moral booster even if it was a promoted side and we were expected to win.

Also, playing Orient at home we attracted a crowd of almost 29,000. For League One that's an achievement and we had the 4th highest attendance in Britain that day.

Please share some memories of match days during the years you have supported Wolves, perhaps you could also tell us about how you became a supporter of them?

For a while I was a home and away season ticket holder with friends but I stopped going away so much due to my career, I was a licensee in Wolves town centre for a while so I was often needed at work on matchdays etc after leaving the pub game I've started going away again but go mostly with my dad and his mates. It's always been a good craic. I've seen us lose 3-0 away at Pompey in the driving rain without a roof, and I've seen us beat Liverpool and Spurs away from home.. for me there is nothing better.

What formations have you been using this season and what do you expect to be the starting line up?

We had been playing with one up front with a midfield five with Dave Edwards making some great runs in which were causing a lot of problems for teams but after the transfer window we've reverted back to 4-4-2 with Dicko and Clarke. McDonald will dictate play and he can put a ball on a sixpence, and Evans is the classic Makelele type who breaks up play. Whilst Edwards was good playing the role above he lacks the discipline to play the Evans role and if he were to start we'd look totally lopsided.

I'd expect this

------------------McCreary------------------
Ricketts - Batth - Stearman - Golbourne
Jacobs - McDonald - Evans - Henry
-------------Clarke - Dicko------------------

The last five games has seen Wolves pick up 12 points, how many points do you see being picked up from your next five?

March will be make or break for us, we've got 8 games in the space of 28 days and looking at the opposition we need to be beating them if we're going up automatically. Brentford at the end of the month will be huge.

Notts County - H - Win
Brentford - A - Draw
Port Vale - H - Win
Swindon - A - Draw
Shrewsbury - H - Win

Which Wolves players have been vital to your recent performances? Can you tell us about the threats your side possesses as a whole?

We can break at lightning speed thanks to the speed of our wingers. In Sako we've got somebody who can be completely anonymous for 88 minutes and still score one and set one up in two minutes of brilliance. I really like Dicko because the lad scares defenders and we've scored two own goals from nervous defending.

The back four have been immense, to only concede 20 all season is a hell of a return and I think Evans too because he really is the glue of the side.

Who do you see as being a threat Wolves from our side and how do you see them being dealt with on the day?

The lad McGregor from Celtic. I don't think we've particularly set out to man mark anybody as of yet, as we play possession football the onus will be on County to 'come and get it' though as we saw against Preston, some managers turn up with a negative gameplan leaving their star players ineffective. PNE and Orient have. If I were County I'd accept we're rank outsiders and go for broke. Fortune favours the brave!

Can you advise our travelling fans about the area surrounding the ground? Such as local pubs, eating areas and of course parking?

There are very few pubs in town for away fans and even less by the stadium.

Walkabout in the city centre is your best bet. It's on Queen Street two minutes from the train station.

If arriving by train as you come out the station turn right and next to the BTP station is a marked subway, walk under there and turn right, theres a pub nearby called the Great Western, great pub busy on matchdays but a great atmosphere and I've seen away fans in there untroubled many occasions

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mike for taking the time to answer our questions, we wish Wolves all the very best and hope the better team wins on Saturday (whoever that may be). COYP!
Chris

The Match Officials

By Chris, in News,

Pride of Nottingham once again takes a look at the 'Match Officials', this is in time for our away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This is your chance to gain an insight into those in charge of the game! We hope that you find the feature to be interesting, please do stay around if time permits and read up on some of our other content.

On Saturday the match officials for the away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 15/02/2014. The Referee is Jeremy Simpson, with his assistants Simon Brown and Simon Clayton. The fourth official is Andy Woolmer.

Match Officials;

Referee; Jeremy Simpson has taken control of twenty league games, one F.A Cup game, one League Cup game and one JPT tie. Out of all these games he's issued a staggering amount of yellow cards totaling 68. However, he's only sent 5 players off so far. League 1 appears to be his level after making 9 appearances to-date, he has featured 5 times in the Championship and 6 times in League Two. The rest are split between the cup encounters he has officiated.

Interesting Fact; – The most he's carded in one game so far has been in a League Game featuring York City and Mansfield Town. A total of 6 yellows and 2 red cards were seen during this game which ended with Mansfield claiming the win 2-1.

Assistant Referees; Simon Brown was the 1st Assistant in Nottingham Forest's 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers (booo). He's featured as the 1st assistant a total of 5 times, once in the Championship and two times both in League 1 and League 2. He's been a 2nd official once and a fourth official twice.

Simon Clayton has been the 1st official a total of 5 times, a 2nd official once and the fourth official once. He hasn't featured so far within the Championship, all his appearances have taken place within League 1 and League 2. A number of 4 times each.

Interesting Fact – If it wasn't interesting enough that both assistant officials are called “Simon”, Simon Brown was the 1st official in our home game against Peterborough United back on the 10th of August 2013.

The Fourth Official; Andy Woolmer has only featured once as the fourth official, he's made 4 appearances however as a referee. He's featured once within the Championship and 2 times equally in Leagues One and Two.

Interesting Fact – Andy Woolmer would have been the fourth official in Wolverhampton Wanderers postponed away game against Stevenage FC. He also holds a reputation for not giving penalties (usually within the right circumstances), as he's been mentioned numerous times within the media for this. Most recently in Coventry City's 2-1 win over Bristol City, where the Robins had an appeal waved away as Baker timely halted Cunningham with a perfectly timed challenge.

Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread

Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
Joe Jones
Another match day, another turn of events. Just when it seemed that we were perilously edging back towards the drop zone, comes another great performance, another great result, and another reassessment of our chances of surviving the drop.

Notts County comprehensively beat Coventry City this afternoon, as goals from Hayden Mullins, Jimmy Spencer and Alan Sheehan secured a fantastic 3-0 win.

Shaun Derry gave Spencer his full debut less than a week after signing from Huddersfield Town, as he replaced the big man Enoch Showunmi in attack. Meanwhile Mullins, who had made his first County appearance off the bench against Preston North End, lined up in the starting XI in place of Mark Fotheringham.

And despite Kevin Pilkington's immense performance between the sticks in last week's defeat at Preston North End, Bartosz Bialkowski was restored as the Magpies' Numero Uno.

The club paid tribute to former Notts legend Tony Hateley, who sadly passed away a week ago at the age of 72, by staging a minute's applause before the game.

Once proceedings got underway, the Sky Blues had the first chance of the game, as on-loan forward Nathan Delfouneso struck a shot that whizzed past the Notts post. The Pies hit back with a free kick from Callum McGregor that flew high above Joe Murphy.

Just before the quarter-hour mark, however, Notts were in the lead, thanks to a great run and cross from Jamal Campbell-Ryce that was met by the head of Birmingham City loanee Mullins. His goal sent the home stands into raptures.

Sheehan very nearly scored a few minutes later, but Murphy made a good save to thwart the left-back, before denying Manny Smith twice in quick succession.

Just after the half-hour mark, Notts doubled their lead courtesy of a simply fantastic strike from Spencer. The 22-year-old, let go by the Terriers on Transfer Deadline Day, certainly gave his former employers some food for thought after he won the ball in the final third, before striking a sumptuous 30-yard howitzer into the top-right corner.

Kieron Freeman and McGregor could have scored more goals before half time, but Coventry did just enough to keep the score down to 2-0.

The Sky Blues made two changes at the break, highlighting their desperation, but Notts weren't to do a Peterborough this time, and in fact increased their lead when JCR was fouled in the Coventry box three minutes before the end.

Sheehan stepped up and, making amends for his earlier miss, struck a great penalty to take the scoreline past "respectable" into "thrashing".

We've now stuck our heads just out of the relegation mire again, but with the sides below us having several games in hand, we've got to home that they don't make the most of the potential points up for grabs.

Notts currently occupy 19th place in the League One table, but are a solitary point above Sheffield United in 21st.
Joe Jones
Football is a sport of many styles, many methods, many tactics, many demographics. It’s one of the most inclusive sports in the world, which adds to its global appeal.
You can carve out a career if you’re a skinny 5’5’’ tactician and you can become a star if you’re a 6’6’’ giant built like a brick outhouse. You can be elegant and refined, or you can be uncompromising and sturdy.
Lionel Messi, Nobby Styles, Yaya Toure and Peter Crouch have all been capped multiple times for their respective international teams despite widely differing heights, builds and styles of play.
Brian Kilcline, English centre-back and former Notts County and Coventry legend, was able to get his hands on top-level silverware and forged a highly successful career in the English game, thanks to his tough, uncompromising style, which spread to his appearance – his long hair and beard, combined with his demeanour and passion, ensured that opposition players knew he wasn’t one to mess with.
Born on 7 May 1962, Kilcline began his footballing career with Notts County at the tender age of 16 after being scouted for South Notts Schoolboys, when he signed associate schoolboy forms in 1978.
He got arguably the best birthday present a young aspiring footballer could hope for when he signed a professional contract in 1980, though he already had senior team experience by this point.
He made his professional debut for Notts nine months earlier against Torquay United in the League Cup, before appearing in the league against Bristol Rovers a month later.
Kilcline made 184 League and Cup appearances, and was a key player in the squad that took Notts into the First Division in 1981. A strong, uncompromising defender with a Neanderthalesque appearance, he was the bane of opposition frontlines.
In the summer of 1984, Notts were relegated from the First Division, but Kilcline had the chance to remain in the top flight when Coventry City enquired about the tough tackler. The Sky Blues paid the Magpies £60,000 to secure Killer’s services, putting an end to his time at Meadow Lane.
Over at Highfield Road, Kilcline showed the same commitment and skills that served him so well at NG2, and was eventually made captain of the side.
Arguably his greatest moment in a Coventry jersey came 30 years ago, in 1987, when he led the Sky Blues out at Wembley in the FA Cup final, against highly fancied Tottenham Hotspur.
During the game, which finished 2-2 in normal time, such was his eagerness and drive that he ended up receiving an injury after a tackle on opposition player Gary Mabbutt and had to be substituted before the end of the regulation 90 minutes.
According to an interview, he ended up suffering from a blood clot in his leg and, despite it being a sunny day, he “watched extra-time through thick fog because I was sat beside our two doctors, who were chain smoking to calm their nerves”.
Mabbutt then scored the winner… for Coventry, that is, as he kneed the ball into his own net in the 95th minute. The underdogs then weathered the subsequent Spurs attacks to secure a 3-2 win and, crucially, the fabled, precious FA Cup.
Despite his injury, Kilcline was able to slowly hobble up the famous Wembley step to receive the trophy for the first time in Coventry's history.
Killer recalled an amusing anecdote about the aftermath of the game to The Mirror, where he had to spend time in hospital and wasn’t able to celebrate the cup win.
“We came back to Coventry, showed off the Cup, and I was straight out of the back door at the town hall and off to hospital. All the lads went on an end-of-season trip to Magaluf except me.
“There was no get well-soon card, just a gloating phone call from Dave Bennett and Cyrille Regis to say what a brilliant time they were having. I thought: 'You jammy b******s, I'm not having this' - so I flew out three days later and did my own exhaustive research of Magaluf's licensed premises!”
Oldham Athletic came in for Kilcline in the summer of 1991, paying Coventry a fee of £400,000. However, his time at Boundary Park didn’t work out, so he found himself upping sticks when former England legend Kevin Keegan, now manager of Newcastle United, enquired about his services. Killer duly became Kleine Kevin’s first signing with the (other) Magpies.
During five years at St James' Park, he captained Newcastle to the First Division title in 1993. Keegan later remarked that Kilcline was the most important signing he had ever made for the club. This was echoed by fans, who considered him partially responsible for saving the club from relegation and possible bankruptcy.
During the 1993-94 season, he briefly played for Swindon Town in the Premier -League, before returning to Nottinghamshire for a two-year spell with Mansfield Town, where he made 50 appearances.
His final season was that of 1997-98, where he had a brief spell with eventual Conference champions Halifax Town, before hanging up his boots.
According to The Mirror, Kilcline went backpacking around the world with his wife once his career wound down, then spent time with National Express as an ambassador and became involved in property renovation in Britain and overseas.
With 2017 signaling the 30-year anniversary of Kilcline lifting the FA Cup, the tall, eccentric now-55-year-old was interviewed by the Guardian in March, where he divulged several new anecdotes, including living on a boat, getting married the day after the Swindon Town Christmas night out, where he was found worse for wear outside the town's train station, taking wedding pictures in a graveyard, arm-wrestling Kanu, and setting up home in Holmfirth where he lives with his wife Lynn.
And in true Killer spirit, he shares the house with an eight-foot dragon and a mermaid.
Share your thoughts about this Notts Alumni feature about Brian Kilcline on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
Joe Jones
There haven’t been many fixtures between Notts County and Coventry City, in all fairness: just 35 in the last 94 years. The first took place on the 6th November 1920, the Meadow Lane match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Plenty of high-scoring games between the two, with several 5-1s, 3-0s and 4-2s over the years.

Notts County have the upper hand in the head-to-heads – 17 victories over the Sky Blues, 11 defeats and 7 draws.

In 2001, Coventry were relegated from the Premier League after 34 years in the first tier. At the time, only Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal could boast longer tenures in the top flight.

In 2012, Coventry were relegated to the third tier in English Football for the first time in 48 years.

Coventry’s new stadium, the 32,609-capacity Ricoh Arena, was opened in August 2005, but following a rent dispute with the ground's owners the club opted to play their home games at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium starting in the 2013–14 season, a move which hasn’t proved popular with Sky Blues fans.

The club’s proudest moment was undoubtedly the 1987 FA Cup final at Wembley, which was won by the Sky Blues after an enthralling 3-2 win after two hours of football.

None other than Notts County old boy Brian Kilcline, who will be present tomorrow at Meadow Lane, held aloft the famous trophy!

Following Tottenham Hotspur player Gary Mabbutt’s own goal in extra time, which set Coventry on the way to their FA Cup final win, a fanzine was created called GMK – Gary Mabbutt’s Knee!

Notts County are without Callum Ball, who recently suffered an ankle ligaments injury, for six weeks, while fellow striker Ronan Murray is suspended so new boy James Spencer may start.

Bartosz Bialkowski missed the game at Preston but should be fine to replace goalkeeping coach Kevin Pilkington on Saturday.

Left-back Gareth Roberts and midfielder Hayden Mullins made their debuts during the 2-0 defeat to Preston last weekend. Mullins, on loan from Birmingham, came on as a substitute at Deepdale and will hope to be involved from the start on Saturday.

Dylan McGeouch will hope to finally make his debut for Coventry away at Notts County.

The midfielder arrived on loan from Celtic ahead of the close of the January transfer window but saw last weekend's clash against Walsall fall victim to a waterlogged pitch before missing Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Bristol City due to illness.

Fellow new arrivals Nathan Delfouneso and Mark Marshall made their bows at Ashton Gate, although striker Rory Donnelly returned to parent club Swansea for personal reasons before pulling on a City shirt.

Long-term absentee Callum Wilson remains sidelined with his shoulder injury.
sadlad

PoN's January Round Up!

By sadlad, in News,

Looking back over January, the foot of League One is as tight as ever, with no relegation certainties but a cluster of clubs who are in trouble as they search for improved form and more importantly results to clear away from danger a little. Stevenage were dragged into it as playing just three games in the month they secured just a single win, a somewhat surprise 2-0 win over Swindon Town. It was a terrible month for Sheffield United who in December had shown an improvement but last month saw them draw two and win two, not what manager Nigel Clough had bargained for.

Notts County enjoyed wins against Sheffield United and Bradford City at home and a single goal win at Stevenage with a 3-4 defeat at Peterborough and a bizzare 1-5 thumping at home to in-form Walsall where former County players Febian Brandy (with his first senior hat trick) and Craig Westcarr tormented their previous employers.

Shrewsbury Town had a rotten month with no less than four defeats and just the one success which saw the parting of the ways with manager Graham Turner.

Bristol City had to make do with with just two points return from their four games which saw two 1-3 defeats. Crewe managed two wins in five against Carlisle and MK Dons to give them a welcome six points for the month whereas Carlisle's poor season continues with just one win in their four games which included a 0-4 thumping at leyton Orient.

Tranmere managed a win and two draws whilst Crawley only played two games in January, both 2-2 draws. Oldham enjoyed a remarkable comeback to somehow beat Peterborough at Boundary Park by an amazing 5-4 scoreline after being 0-3 down. Colchester were unbeaten in their three games with good wins against Gillingham and Carlisle. Bradford City had to make do with three draws to go with their heavy defeat at Notts County whilst Coventry City had just the one defeat in their four games.

Out of the teams in mid table Swindon continue to win at home but can't do likewise on away soil. Port Vale recorded just the one win and Gillingham and MK Dons showed indifferent form. Moving on to the clubs in the top six, Walsall had a good month with three wins and three draws the highlight being a 5-1 win at Notts County.

Rotherham's season continues to roll with just the one defeat, a surprise 1-3 slip up against Coventry City. Preston and Leyton Orient continue to impress and pick up plenty of points whilst Wolves and Brentford seem to be the teams to watch out for for automatic promotion.
Chris

The Match Officials

By Chris, in News,

Ever wondered about the match officials? Pride of Nottingham introduces this new feature 'The Match Officials', it's your chance to learn a little more about the people in charge on match days. It's aimed towards providing an insight into the games they've officiated, so that we can go into games knowing more about each one.

Well here we are, meet the match officials for our home game against Coventry City on the 08/02/2014. The referee is Carl Berry, with his assistances Joe Hull and Darren Strain. The fourth official is Robert Atkin.

Match Officials;

Referee; Carl Berry has taken control of six league games and one JPT cup tie. Within these 7 games, Carl's managed to avoid sending off a single player but has yellow carded 26 players in 6 of them. The only game in this current season which he's avoided using a card was on Saturday 30th November which saw Shrewsbury Town win away from home 3-1 against Stevenage FC.

Interesting Fact – Carl Berry sent off MK Dons manager Karl Robinson back in January 2012, Karl Robinson was so outraged after the game that he approached the match officials and was reported to say “I want a fair game, I want the right outcome. “People say that some go for you and some go against you but we’ve had no decisions that have won us a game this season.”.

You can follow Carl on Twitter - https://twitter.com/carljberry

Assistant Referees; Joe Hull's been fairly active playing mix roles so far this season. He's been an assistant within the Championship on numerous occasions, having been the 1st assistant 5 times, the 2nd official 4 times and fourth official once.

Darren Strain has spent the majority of this season assisting within League One. He's mainly been the 2nd official 6 times, whilst being the 1st official twice and the fourth official twice.

Interesting Fact – Joe Hull was the 1st Assistant in our earlier encounter this season against Coventry City, the well known game which saw Danny Haynes red carded.

The Fourth Official; Robert Atkin has mainly featured as a 1st assistant, which has seen him do so 4 times within this current season. He's been a second official once and has featured as the fourth official three times.

Interesting Fact – Out of the 8 games Robert Atkin as been a official 4 have resulted in draws, 2 home teams have one whilst 2 away have also won. Whilst our facts above only feature the league, Robert Atkin was the referee in a local game between Ilkeston FC and Grantham Town – His ability was questions by both managers in their post match comments.

Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread

Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
weymouthPIE

We've Met Before...

By weymouthPIE, in News,

Notts County and Coventry City have been playing one another on and off since 1920, although due to both sides see-sawing between divisions for many years, there were often long gaps of a number of years between games.

This Saturday will see the 36th meeting between the two sides. The Magpies have the upper hand over the years, with 17 wins to the Sky Blues’ 11. There have also been 7 draws between the sides. Notts have scored 56 goals against the Sky Blues, while they have netted 49 against us.

The very first meeting between the two clubs took place on 6th November 1920 at Meadow Lane in Division 2. The game ended in a 1-1 draw – Billy McLeod scoring the Notts goal. The following weekend Notts made their first ever trip to Coventry’s Highfield Road stadium, and the match again ended in a 1-1 draw with Sam Richards scoring for Notts.

It wasn’t until 22nd April 1922 that there was a winner in a game between the two sides – Coventry winning 4-2 at Highfield road. But Notts got revenge the following season by doing the double over the Sky Blues on their way to the Division 2 title. Notts won 2-1 at Highfield Road on the opening day of the 1922-23 season – Harold Hill scoring both the visitors goals.

Notts then won the reverse fixture at Meadow Lane a week later 2-0, with goals from Horace Cope and Jack Cook.

With County winning promotion to Division 1 that season, there would not be another league meeting between the sides for 8 years, although in 1925 they did meet for the one and only time in the FA Cup – Notts winning 2-0 at Highfield Road in the first round on 10th January 1925 – thanks to goals from Donald Cock and Arthur Davis.

The two sides got back to playing each other in the league in 1930, in the Division Three South.

On 21st March 1936, Coventry racked up their biggest ever win over Notts with a 5-1 victory at Highfield Road on their way to the league title. They finished 1 point clear of Luton Town, 2 clear of 3rd placed Reading and 4 clear of 4th placed QPR, scoring 102 goals over the season.

The two would not meet again until the opening day of the 1950-51 Division 2 season, when Coventry picked up their first win at Meadow Lane with a 2-0 win. But Notts got their revenge at Highfield Road on 16th December, with the legendary Tommy Lawton scoring a brace in a 2-1 win.

Notts did the double over City again in 1951-52 as City finished second bottom of Division 2 and were relegated, leaving another 9 year gap before the sides met again, by now both in Divison 3. They enjoyed a busy Christmas in 1960, facing each other on consecutive days. The first meeting was on Boxing Day at Highfield Road and ended in a 2-2 draw – Notts goals coming from Roy Horobin and Bobby Forrest. The following day at Meadow Lane, County won 3-0 – with goals from Gerry Carver, a Don Roby penalty (Roby went on to play for Derby County later that season, one for you super_ram), and an Austin own goal.

The 1963-64 Division Three season was one of complete contrast for both sides. The Sky Blues finished top of the league, equal on 60 points with Crystal Palace but they won the league thanks to their haul of 98 goals. Notts on the other hand finished bottom of the league having conceded 92. Amazingly this was not the worst defensive record of the season – that honour went to second bottom Wrexham, who conceded 107 goals!

City did the double over Notts with a 3-0 win at Meadow Lane and a 2-0 win at Highfield Road.

Again, there was a 14 year wait before the sides met again in Division 1. Notts won both meetings in 81-82, and they racked up their biggest win over City on 16th February, with a 5-1 win at Highfield Road – the goals coming from Mark Goodwin, Rachid Harkouk, Gordon Mair, Trevor Christie and John Chiedozie (who also went on to play for Derby).

They repeated the score-line the following season at Meadow Lane on their way to a second successive 15th place finish in Division 1. This time Justin Fashanu scored 2 goals, and the other 3 game from Aki Lagtinen, Iain McCulloch and Paul Hooks.

On 14th September 1991, Notts visited Highfield Road for what turned out to be the last time, and suffered a 1-0 defeat on their way to relegation from Division 1.

Notts’ 1-0 win at Meadow Lane in April 1992 turned out to be the last meeting between the sides for 16 years, before league 2 Notts visited Championship Coventry’s Ricoh Arena for the first time in the first round of the League Cup in 2007 – City winning 3-0.

Last season saw the first league meetings between the sides in 20 years, with goals from Yoann Arquin and Andre Boucaud helping us to our first win at the Ricoh. The final game of the season ended in a 2-2 draw at Meadow Lane.

When the two sides met at Sixfields back in November, City won 3-0, and in truth we were lucky it was only 3-0. Since then however, things have changed, and we're a much tougher proposition who won't simply roll over.

Both of us have been involved in some high scoring games this season, here's hoping Notts can avenge the Sixfields slaughter of November and gain 3 massive points on Saturday. COYP!
Joe Jones
Well, where do we start? An amazing performance by Kevin Pilkington, but a pretty mediocre performance by Notts County, as we went down 2-0 to Preston North End today at Deepdale.

The goals were scored by Craig Davies and Joe Garner - a contentious penalty - but were it not for Pilks's sterling performance, it could have been much worse.

Shaun Derry was forced to pick the Notts goalkeeping coach today as Bartosz Bialkowski was unavailable through illness, while regular stand-in Fabian Spiess was still sidelined with a hand injury.

As a result, the 39-year-old took place between the posts, while youth teamer Harry Andrews was on the subs' bench.

In addition, Gareth Roberts took place in the starting XI today, at left-back, while Alan Sheehan shifted into central defence as a replacement for Dean Leacock.

Following Andre Boucaud’s trip on Garner in the very first minute, a dangerous free-kick from Paul Gallagher was pushed clear by Pilks.

At the other end, Jamal Campbell-Ryce burst down the flank before setting up Callum McGregor. The young Scot couldn't find Jack Grealish though.

A few minutes later, McGregor was able to set up Mark Fotheringham, but his shot was then deflected wide for a corner.

On the quarter-hour mark, The ball fell to Davies, who cracked off a volley from 20 yards on the turn. Pilks then pulled off a stunning save to thwart the Preston man, while two minutes later, Enoch Showunmi's thumping header cleared the bar by inches.

Midway through the first half, ex-Forest man Garner got his head onto a cross from John Welsh, but his effort was just off target. The Magpies were then able to launch a quick counter-attack and nearly scored through Grealish, his effort swerving away from goal.

A few minutes before half-time, Fotheringham nearly drew first blood for the away side through a deflected shot, but his effort, which wrong-footed Preston keeper Declan Rudd, went just wide and into the side netting.

After the break, Preston came back with intent, and very nearly scored if not for Welsh defender Roberts's timely last-gasp interventions.

Midway through the second half, North End broke the deadlock. Neil Kilkenny fed the ball to Davies, who was then given the space and time to turn towards goal before sending a shot soaring into the top-right corner. Pilks had no chance with that one.

To make matters worse, the home side doubled their lead within seven minutes. A penalty was gifted to Preston for a foul on Davies, despite the tackle being made outside of the Notts box.

Sadly, when a referee tells you that a red flower is a yellow flower, it's a yellow flower. Garner stepped up and converted the penalty for his 14th goal of the season, as well as giving Preston an insurmountable two-goal lead.

The game finished 2-0, and, well, we're right back in the mire.
Joe Jones
These two clubs, two of the oldest in the country (and by extension, the world) go back over 125 years. The first fixture between the two took place in November 1888, when Preston North End defeated the Magpies 7-0 in the first ever season of the Football League.

The 1888-89 season saw Preston remain unbeaten throughout, and would go on to become English football's first "Invincibles", a feat which remained unbroken until 2003-04 when Arsenal also went the whole season without losing. So really, Notts being thumped so heartily wasn't quite such a worrying thing!

Aside from Preston going the whole season unbeaten, they were also the first EVER winners of the Football League. Oh, and they won the FA Cup that year too!

The two clubs have met a total of 86 times, and sadly (for us Notts fans) the Lilywhites have the upper hand by quite a significant margin. They're won 40 times, while the Magpies have won 23 games. 23 draws have taken place.

The two teams that have played the most games overall in the Football League are, in fact, Notts County and Preston North End!

Meanwhile, Preston are ranked as the fourth most-successful English football club of all time domestically.

Over the years, there have been some varied scorelines. We've talked about the 7-0 back in 1888, but we've also had 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, 4-3 and 4-2.

Recently, meetings have been tamer (from a goal-scoring perspective). Since the turn of the millennium, we've clashed seven times, and between the two teams, a mere five goals have been scored.

The National Football Museum was originally situated in Deepdale, Preston, but was moved to Manchester in 2012.

Deepdale was used as the venue for the England U21s when they played Iceland in March 2011. Deepdale was used again at the end of the 2011-2012 season to host three U19s Elite Round matches with England, Slovenia and Switzerland all taking to the famous pitch. The three games were held at the end of May over six days.

Preston have made the play-offs in a record eight seasons, spanning all three league divisions, but have not yet been promoted via this route.

Preston have Neil Kilkenny available for tomorrow's game.

The midfielder, who penned a permanent deal with North End at the start of January, was sent off against Bradford in midweek and was due to serve a three-game ban before the FA overturned the decision on Thursday.

Striker Kevin Davies, meanwhile, will complete a three-match suspension of his own, but will return for the FA Cup replay with Nottingham Forest next Wednesday.

Otherwise, Lilywhites boss Simon Grayson has a full squad to choose from with the likes of Keith Keane, Chris Humphrey and Lee Holmes ready to replace Kilkenny.

Notts County have no new problems ahead of the trip to Preston and manager Shaun Derry will select from an unchanged squad.

After seeing his side thrashed 5-1 at home by Walsall last weekend Derry must decide whether to give those players a chance to redeem themselves or make changes at Deepdale.

The likes of Kwesi Appiah, Curtis Thompson, Greg Tempest, Haydn Hollis and Callum Ball are waiting in the wings should Derry opt to freshen things up.

Forward Ronan Murray will serve the second game of his three-match suspension while Mustapha Dumbuya and Gary Liddle remain out injured.

The new boys, Gareth Roberts and Hayden Mullins, will also be eager to make their Notts debuts.
Joe Jones
Well, here we go again. So much for progress. After a brave but ultimately fruitless effort in midweek against Peterborough United, today was a case of reverting back to the hapless, embarrassing displays of the first half of the season, as Notts capitulated 5-1 to Walsall in front of a home crowd.

The Magpies were boosted by the return of Callum McGregor, who had been so effective in 2013 for the boys in black and white. He lined up just behind striker Enoch Showunmi in place of the suspended Ronan Murray, with wingers Jack Grealish and Jamal Campbell-Ryce either side.

The first ten minutes were quite even, Walsall's Sam Mantom getting a shot in after two minutes, but McGregor replying with a great attempt not long after.

This impasse would be broken in the 24th minute, as former Notts player Craig Westcarr spotted Febian Brandy’s forward run with an incisive through-pass. Brandy, another former Magpie, simply rounded Bartosz Bialkowski with his first touch and placed the ball into an empty net.

Less than 10 minutes later, Brandy scored his second, after Notts were caught out following on from a corner. Milan Lalkovic beat Kieron Freeman and lashed a ball through to the Saddlers striker, who fired a shot into the top-left corner.

On the stroke of half-time, Brandy proceeded to seal his hat-trick, as another great Westcarr cross-chip fell to his teammate, who duly finished with his head. 3-0 at half time.

Things didn't get better after the restart, as a free kick taken by Sam Mantom fell to the unmarked Andy Butler, who had an easy header into Notts net.

Not even an hour on the clock and Walsall were 5-0 up, as Westcarr, ever the tormentor, grabbed a goal for himself against his former club, a simple route one strike following a long punt from the Walsall keeper.

The only positive from Notts was a stunning free kick from McGregor just after the hour, a scant consolation after having been thoroughly eviscerated.

Walsall have scored five or more goals away from home today for the first time since 1997 – a 7-0 FA Cup win at Macclesfield.

Meanwhile, Notts have conceded nine goals in two games and currently sit in 18th.

Don't let that fool you - we're only a point clear of the relegation zone, and have played the most games in the division (29). Four of the six sides below us have THREE games in hand.

Today's storms over Meadow Lane look set to stay for a lot longer.
Joe Jones
Notts and Walsall’s fixture history dates back to the 1890s, but there haven’t been that many fixtures despite over a century of head-to-heads.

The first game took place on the 20th January 1894 and resulted in a 2-0 win for the Magpies.

In total, there have been 62 fixtures between the two sides, and this time, Notts holds the upper edge with 26 wins. The Saddlers have won 19 times, and 17 draws have taken place.

Walsall were formed as Walsall Town Swifts in 1888 when two local teams, Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. merged. The newly formed team’s first match was against Aston Villa, and resulted in a draw

Two players from this early era received England caps while at the club: Alf Jones and Albert Aldridge. They remain the only Walsall players to be so honoured.

In 1896, the Swifts changed their name to Walsall FC, the name that lives on today.

The club's nickname, The Saddlers, reflects Walsall's status as a traditional centre for saddle manufacture.

Walsall had Arsenal and England legend Paul Merson on their books a decade ago, as player and player-manager.

Sky Sports' Soccer AM have given Walsall the nickname "Warsaw" due to the similarity when pronouncing Walsall and Warsaw. The presenters of Soccer AM often refer to Walsall as "our friends from Poland".

Notts County are without suspended striker Ronan Murray, who was sent off in Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Peterborough.

Kwesi Appiah, who impressed making his debut as a substitute in that game, is pushing to replace Murray - as are fellow loan signings Callum Ball and, yes, Callum McGregor.

Walsall are without left-back Andy Taylor (knee), so Malvind Benning is likely to deputise.

The Saddlers are unbeaten in five and boast the best away defensive record in League One, having conceded 10 goals.
Chris

View of our upcoming games

By Chris, in News,

After the popular demand of our last upcoming games article, Pride of Nottingham returns with a view of Walsall FC, Preston North End, Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town. On 21st of January 2014 Notts County played against Peterborough United, it was a game fans perhaps didn't foresee quite en-frilling but in fact Notts secure two very early goals. The game ended 4-3 in Peterborough's favour, however the passion installed by Shaun Derry surely as captured a significant change. Thing's don't get easier for the Magpies, these next few games will be tricky.

In our last edition I mentioned how we needed to prepare ourselves for the great escape, never did I think we would collect a huge 9 points from the 5 games played. However, I did feel Notts could gain 6, although realistically I felt 4 would be quite rewarding.

This doesn't mean it's all over, however it bides us some time and a chance to gain additional points to push us adrift of the relegation zone.

Walsall FC are a side which play free flowing football, although this isn't always the case and the perfect example would our scrappy away encounter at Bescot Stadium.

Craig Westcarr is their highest goal scorer notching up 11 so far this season. Adam Chambers is their most persistent fouler with 6 yellow cards, although Andy Taylor isn't far behind with 5. Andy Butler is their only player to be sent off, although he has been yellow carded twice.

In their last four games, they've picked up an impressive 8 points after drawing to Brentford 1-1 on the 18th January 2014. Sam Mantom clinched three points for saddler's as they beat Oldham Athletic 1-0, whilst at Tranmere Rovers they drew 1-1. Walsall also beat Sheffield United 2-1, which seen the club secure all 3 points after a 17 minute goal from Chris Porter.

Preston North End have finally settled within League One, they're a much better side under Simon Greyson and they're a side which should not be under estimated.

Former Nottingham Forest front man Joe Garner is their highest goal scorer with 13 goals, however they also have former Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies who's scored 5. John Welsh and Bailey Wright share 6 yellow cards each. Kevin Davies, Stuart Beavon, Neil Kilkenny and Paul Gallagher have all be sent off once.

In their last four games, they've picked up 7 points in the league but notably defeated Ipswich Town 3-2 in the F.A Cup 3rd round replay. A late equaliser for Coventry meant the score finished 1-1, they lost 2-0 to Wolves. Beat Port Vale 3-2 after leading 3 nil for 69 minutes and they beat Shrewsbury Town 1-0.

Coventry City despite struggling with financial hardship and starting this 2013/2014 campaign with -10 points, are a very capable side but they are not the same side without leading striker Leon Clarke.

Naturally Leon Clarke is their highest goal scorer with 18 goals, however Callum Wilson notched up 15 and Franck Moussa with 13. A lot depends on if they can keep Leon Clarke who surprised the Sky Blues fans by handing in a transfer request, although they process a very talented attacking squad. John Fleck and Conor Thomas both share 6 yellow cards each, whilst Carl Barker is the only Coventry City player to be sent off.

In their last four games, they've picked up 6 points. Two draws, 1-1 to Preston North End and 2-2 to Crawley. They beat Rotherham United 3-1 away from home in a game they were originally losing and draw to Oldham ending 1-1. On the 4th of January 2014 they also beat Barnsley 2-1, after also going down by 1 goal in the 3rd round of the F.A Cup. They now await Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the 4th round which will take place on the 24th of January 2014.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are a side doesn't require an introduction, although we have some good results against them this season – they are a Championship side still featuring quite a few of their Premier League squad back from 2012.

Leigh Griffiths is their highest goal scorer with 13 goal, whilst Bakary Sako is on 7. David Davis is the most persistent fouler in the Wolves side with 7 yellow cards and Richard Stearman is their only player to be sent off once – Surprised by this? I am.

In their last four games, they've picked up 4 points which as seen them drop from league leaders to 3rd place and they're now 5 points behind Leyton Orient who sit back on top. Wolves beat Preston 2-0, they lost 1-0 Gillingham FC, draw 1-1 to Tranmere Rovers and drawing 1-1 to Leyton Orient.

Shrewsbury Town are one of the weaker teams in League One, although they cannot be written off. They're a side that can surprise teams who fail to mark their offensive players.

Tom Bradshaw is their highest goal scorer on 5, Joe Jacobson and Dave Winfield have 4 yellow cards each and Jon Taylor's their only player to be sent off once.

In their last four games, they've picked up 3 points. They lost heavily to Rotherham United by 3 goals to nil, they narrowly lost 3-2 to MK Dons and again to Leyton Orient, the final score 2-0. However, they beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 – the Shrews first win since the 30th of November 2013.

I see Notts picking up 7 points, realistically who knows after our recent form but 5 would seem about spot on.

My key game is against Coventry City – they're a side I see entertaining us at Meadow Lane, with a reasonable chance of achieving something from the game. Walsall and Shrewsbury are games which strike me as 'winnable', Shrewsbury Town being the side we must defeat for sure.

COYP!!

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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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