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Chris

View of our upcoming games

By Chris, in News,

Pride of Nottingham reflections on our upcoming games against Crawley Town, Bradford City, Sheffield United, Peterborough United and Stevenage FC. Notts County’s Boxing Day defeat against Port Vale saw the Magpies’ three-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt end. As 2013 comes to a close, they need to prepare themselves wisely for some pretty big encounters to follow if they are to drag themselves out of the bottom four. After these five games, two of which see Notts face two promotion contenders, things don’t get any easier - Walsall, Preston, Coventry and Wolves.

It's now we should prepare for the great escape and try to gain advantages over the lesser teams in League One.

Crawley Town have the ability to get back into games where they've gone behind; they are a fairly average side, but could potentially threaten. Their season started quite brightly, even though a recent dip in form has seen them fall to 13th place.

Billy Clarke is their highest goal scorer with 7 strikes to his name. They’ve had three players yellow carded four times, but nobody in the squad has been red carded more than once.

In their last four games, they've picked up 4 points. The game against Preston saw them scoring twice to come back from losing positions – 2-2 was the final score. Their game against Bristol Rover (F.A Cup 2nd Round) was postponed due to weather. They then beat current league leaders Leyton Orient 3-2 away from home and lost 2-0 against the MK Dons on Boxing Day.

Bradford City, a team that Notts took the lead against back in late November, is a side with some very young talented footballers. They also started their season quite brightly, although they have now in mid-table; their form of late has seen them slip since occupying the promotion places back in October.

Nahki Wells is their highest goal scorer with 15 to his name, a great start to the season for the 23-year-old. They also contain threats from James Hanson and Kyel Reid who have scored 10 goals between them. Impressively, they haven't picked up any red cards, although Rory McArdle has picked up 5 yellows.

In their last four games they've drawn twice; 1-1 against Oldham Athletic and 1-1 against league leaders Leyton Orient. They narrowly lost against Peterborough 2-1 and to Rotherham United 1-0 on Boxing Day.

Sheffield United, a side nobody needs reminding about, has seen a disappointing 2013/2014 campaign. They’ve spent the season so far flirting with relegation, but continue to show signs that manager Nigel Clough can turn things around. The former Derby boss seems to have introduced a bit of determination to the squad after a disappointing defeat against Gillingham FC.

Their highest goal scorer, Harry Maguire, has a meagre five goals to his name this season, followed closely by Jose Baxter on four. Maguire also joins us with a joint six yellow cards, along with teammate Tony McMahon. Meanwhile, former Notts striker Fabien Brandy is their only player to be sent off.

In their last four games, Sheffield United have picked up five points. They beat Cambridge United 2-0 in the F.A Cup 2nd round, followed by winning Swindon Town 1-0 and then drawing in a goalless game against Stevenage FC. In their last game they drew 1-1 with Oldham Athletic after an early second half equaliser.

Peterborough United, who a fan deemed 'one of the best teams in Europe' earlier in the season with us, modestly contains many key players who could be playing Championship football. They haven't fallen outside of the play-offs all season and have been league leaders a number of times, until a string of four defeats in a row – a reminder it happens to the best of us.

Britt Assombalonga has scored a sensational 17 goals so far, and is Peterborough's highest goal scorer by far - Lee Tomlin, the second-highest, is on seven. Assombalonga, Michael Bostwick and Danny Swanson all have five yellow cards each, while three have each been sent off once.

In their past four games, Peterborough have picked up a total of 4 points. They beat League Two Newport County in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy Southern Semi Final 3-0. They then drew 2-2 against struggling Gillingham FC, with a late 97th minute goal coming from Assombalonga. They then beat Bradford City 2-1 and lost against Coventry City having taken the lead twice, 4-2 the final score.

Stevenage FC are a side whose misfortunes have seen them move clear of the relegation drop after beating Crawley, only to free fall back into the relegation zone. They are a below-average League One team with some very capable players, one of which Notts fans may remember.

Francois Zoko is their highest goal scorer with 10 goals, who signed on a free transfer after we decided he wasn’t up to scratch for the Magpies. Filipe Morais is a close second with 7. Michael Doughty, a player I'm going to punt will be sent off against us, currently has a total of 9 yellow cards to his name this season but surprisingly he hasn't been sent off! However, Lucas Akins and Roarie Deacon have a red card each.

In their past four games, Stevenage FC have picked up 2 points. They lost to Swindon Town in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy Southern Semi Final after an 82 minute equaliser in normal time led to a penalty shoot-out, which they lost 3-1. They then drew to Port Vale 2-2, Sheffield United 0-0 and surprisingly got thrashed by Colchester United 4-0. Perhaps a good sign? Don't get your hopes up, Zoko is no doubt going to score against us; how many times have we seen ex-players turn up to their old hunting ground and have the game of their life?

I see Notts getting six points from these five games. Realistically you could say four, but in football you never know – we might come away with much more.

My key game is against Sheffield United – they're a side I hope we can get something out of and perhaps surprise ourselves. The games against Crawley Town and Stevenage FC are the winnable ones; we cannot slip up.

Let's hope Shaun Derry can inspire our lads to start the near year off brightly, we can do this! COYP!
Joe Jones
Notts County could not capitalise and build on their three-game unbeaten run today at Vale Park, as Port Vale defeated the Magpies 2-1. The first half saw the home side dominate the game and take the lead through a disputed penalty by Jennison Myrie-Williams, before Ronan Murray equalised with a great goal on the stroke of half time.

A peculiar refereeing decision on the 79th minute, the second one of the game, saw a second penalty gifted to Port Vale, and converted by Gavin Tomlin, which would prove decisive. Shaun Derry was forced to omit Gary Liddle and Callum Ball from the starving eleven, both having suffered injuries against Bristol City last Saturday.

Mark Fotheringham and Ronan Murray came on in their place, while Mustapha Dumbuya returned just in time to replace Kieron Freeman, recalled by Derby County on Christmas Eve.

Port Vale were on top in the opening stages of the game, Lee Hughes making a nuisance of himself within just a few minutes. In the 6th minute, Carl Dickinson lashed in a great cross which was seized by Bartosz Bialkowski before Hughes could get to it.

The Pole would have to be on his toes again just a few minutes later, as a through ball by Tomlin fell to the ex-Notts striker. Again, the keeper saved before he could get his foot to it.

The first Notts chance fell to Morgan Fox on ten minutes, but his header cleared the bar.

On 24 minutes, a Port Vale ball was judged to have been handled by Andre Boucaud in the box, and a penalty was given to the home side. Williams made no mistake from the spot, giving his side the lead.

After a bit of a lull, the home side would continue to threaten, as Dickinson and Williams came close on several occasions.

Notts had been struggling for the majority of the half, but solace came in the form of Murray on 43 minutes. Isolated and rather ineffective up until that point, he lashed in a shot from the edge of the box which beat Sam Johnson. And so it was 1-1 on the stroke of half time.

The first chance of the second half fell to the home side, as Williams' free kick flew over, but on 52 minutes, a great spell from Notts saw Jamal Campbell-Ryce fire a dangerous cross right across the Vale goal, desperately deflected by a defender and out for a corner. Boucaud's shot from the corner was saved, however.

As the game opened up in the second half, JCR had a good chance saved by Johnson, while Boucaud was once again thwarted by the Vale keeper on 58.

The home side's attempts would get more and more dangerous, but Bart's saves would get better each time too, as he pulled out some majestic stops to thwart Tomlin more than once. Tom Pope also came very close with a left footed strike from the centre of the box.

Sadly, despite the end-to-end action which could have seen the game go either way, another controversial penalty was given against Notts on 79, when Tomlin was judged to have been brought down by Dumbuya. As Hughes and Williams had been substituted, Tomlin took the penalty himself, and made it 2-1.

Notts tried desperately to come back into the game, but by this point, had been ground down by the home side's overly physical nature and refereeing decisions, and so the game would end 2-1.

The result sees the Magpies slip to 23rd on 18 points, level with bottom side Crewe. The Railwaymen, however, have a game in hand.
Joe Jones
In theory, footballers will play at clubs which befit their abilities, skills and talents. The top players will obviously turn out for the most lucrative, competitive, highest-profile teams, while average players will wear the shirts of average teams, or play in average leagues.

However, this theory has been confounded many times. Who could have predicted that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, having just had a great World Cup campaign with Argentina, would end up being signed by struggling Premier League team West Ham United? Likewise with David Beckham opting for LA Galaxy when people felt he would still have cut it for a top team in one of the big European leagues, was a surprise.

Sometimes, however, it works the other way round. Players who may be of a lower league level could be unexpectedly thrust into a top team and end up playing with some of the finest players in the world, much to the surprise of every football follower.

When this happens, it's hard not to root for the guy, particularly when he used to play for your team. This is the story of Luke John Rodgers.

Born in Birmingham on the 1st January 1982, Rodgers began his playing career with Shrewsbury Town, rising through the ranks to break into the first team as a youth player.

He made his debut in 1999 for the Shrews as a 17-year-old, and soon became a fan favourite at the Shropshire club for his commitment, pace, skill in front of goal and personality.

After a bit of acclimatising, Rodgers began hitting goals in the 2000-01 season, when, despite regularly being used as a sub, still managed to score seven goals in 27 appearances.

2001-02 saw the Midlands lad really come into form, as he scored a brilliant 22 goals in 41 games. This continued in 2002-03, Rodgers netting 20 in 47. He also played in arguably Shrewsbury's finest hour, the 2-1 defeat of top-tier Everton, featuring Wayne Rooney, in January 2003.

Sadly, the Shrews were to go down that season, but Rodgers stayed loyal to his first club in the Conference, bagging 15 goals in 41 games and helping the team bounce back into the Football League at the first attempt, beating Aldershot FC in the Play-Off Final.

2004-05 was to be Rodgers's final season with the Shropshire club, as he decided to turn down their offer of a one-year contract extension. In July 2005, despite being linked to SPL team Hibernian, he decided to sign for Championship club Crewe Alexandra.

His time with the Railwaymen was disappointing, as team supremo Dario Gradi seldom picked him. After 18 months, he upped sticks again, linking up with Port Vale. Things were slightly better in Stoke, netting 12 goals in 41 games during the 2007-08 season, but by November 2008, he was being overlooked once again, and two months later, just in time for the January transfer window, he was released from his contract by manager Dean Glover.

A short-term contract with Yeovil Town followed, before Rodgers and Notts County crossed paths. July 2009 saw the forward sign for the Magpies on a two-year deal.

Though he didn't score for the first eight games, he smashed an emphatic hat-trick past local rivals Lincoln City in September. As with his previous clubs, he became a cult hero for his work ethic and pugnacious nature, not to mention his knack for finding the back of the net; his 13 goals helped Notts get promoted to League One at the end of the season.

It was during his time at Notts that Rodgers worked with Hans Backe, who was made first-team manager during the Munto Finance period. Backe resigned after just seven weeks in the post, citing financial irregularities, but was impressed enough with the forward that, upon taking his new post with the New York Red Bulls over in the US, he always had his eye on Rodgers coming along.


Indeed, come the close season, the diminutive striker was set to leave the Football League for the MLS, a move Notts permitted, but difficulties with securing a US work permit stalled his transfer. Nonetheless, the move went through in the January 2011 window, and so Rodgers became a New York Red Bulls player, playing in the same league as the likes of David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel.

The Red Bulls also boasted a marquee player of their own, none other than the best Premier League striker of all time, Thierry Henry. Rodgers, whose CV consisted of lower league football, would line up alongside him.

Rodgers scored nine goals in 23 games in Major League Soccer but did so much more than just find the back of the net. When he was on the pitch, he pushed back defences with his pace, made the long ball a viable option against cluttered midfields, and gave Henry the space he needed to operate in between the lines.

Put simply, he was indispensable for the New York Red Bulls, and complimented Henry up front perfectly. He became a firm favourite with the fans, and was loved in the dressing room. He won "MLS Player Of The Week" in April 2011 after scoring two goals and setting one up for Henry against the San Jose Earthquakes. He was regularly picked over USA international Juan Agudelo. He went so far as to tell the Stoke Sentinel: "This is the happiest I've ever been in football".

Sadly, the problem with playing in the United States is that work permits are difficult to obtain and just as difficult to renew. As it happened, Rodgers's visa renewal was rejected in March 2012, and he was forced to leave the club and the city where he spent his halcyon days.

Since then, he's played for a number of clubs: Lillestrøm SK in the Norwegian top flight, struggling Portsmouth, a second spell at Shrewsbury Town, Hammarby IF of the Swedish second division, and Forest Green Rovers, before rediscovering his scoring touch at Sutton Coldfield Town, where he still plays.

Now 34 years old and the twilight of his career, Luke Rodgers will always be remembered as a tenacious, feisty character whose work ethic, pace and eye for goal, not to mention his part in getting us out of the bottom tier in 2010, will forever endear him to the Notts faithful.
Do you have any stories or memories of Luke Rodgers? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Notts County rode out a tempestuous, bad-tempered and badly refereed match to earn a draw against struggling Bristol City. Playing in front of a bumper crowd at Meadow Lane, the Magpies fell behind to a penalty at the end of the first half, awarded under bizarre circumstances and converted by City captain Sam Baldock. However, referee Charles Breakspear, officiating his first Football League match, then gave Notts a penalty at the end of the second half, which Alan Sheehan struck down the middle to make it 1-1.

The game would end this way, though Notts will be sweating on the fitness of Gary Liddle and Callum Ball, who suffered injuries at the hands (and feet) of the overly aggressive opposition.

Manager Shaun Derry named an unchanged first team for the first time since taking charge of Notts. The bench had a few changes, as veteran keeper Kevin Pilkington replaced the injured Fabian Spiess and Haydn Hollis made way for Greg Tempest.

The atmosphere in the ground was electrifying, given the higher than usual turnout and the return to the Lane of Steve Cotterill, our League Two-winning manager.

Notts began the game in lively fashion, though Bristol had the first shot, courtesy of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas's break and, subsequently, Bobby Reid's shot from outside the box on five minutes. Bartosz Bialkowski was right on it, however.

A flurry of activity came on the quarter-hour mark, as the lively Jamal Campbell-Ryce sent a fantastic ball to Ball. The striker couldn't hit it goalwards, but it then fell to Callum McGregor. His effort blocked, the sphere fell again to JCR, whose effort on the right hand side of the box was, however, high and wide.

On the half hour mark, a crunching challenge from Greg Cunningham on Gary Liddle saw the Notts lynchpin crumble to the ground. The referee, amazingly, didn't see fit to punish the Bristol player, as Liddle was forced to make way for Mark Fotheringham.

Cunningham very nearly added insult to injury a minute later, but his header was saved by Bart. The Pole was on hand to keep out a low Baldock shot too.

On 38, Emmanuel-Thomas escaped the offside trap and came close to scoring, but Bart made an excellent save to deny the 15-goal hitman. Kieron Freeman then made a crucial goal line clearance to keep out his follow-up.

The referee then really came into his own when he decided to give a penalty for a minor altercation involding Dean Leacock and Aden Flint. After skipper Baldock converted from six yards, he then booked the Notts defender, much to the ire of the Notts faithful who were getting increasingly incensed with the farce.

The first half didn't actually end until around 4pm, because Callum Ball was then victim of another horrendous tackle, the third in the first half alone by the away team (Jack Grealish was brought down just a few minutes earlier by Louis Carey but was alright). Ball sadly had to be stretchered off after taking a blow to the head, such was the extent of his injury. Ronan Murray came on in his place.

The half time break was an exercise in letting off steam for the majority of the Notts fans, outraged at an absolute fiasco of a first half.

Things didn't get better at the start of the second half, as Bristol carried on their thuggish, aggressive play. On 53, Alan Sheehan's quick free kick saw McGregor curl a shot inches wide. Another penalty call was then waved away as Murray was fouled, the referee judging the tackle in the box not to be worthy of punishment.

On 53, Alan Sheehan's quick free kick saw McGregor curl a shot inches wide. Another penalty call was then waved away as Murray was fouled, the referee judging the tackle in the box not to be worthy of punishment.

A double effort from McGregor just after the hour invigorated the increasingly frantic and agitated Notts fans, the young Scot firing just over, then just wide on 63.

On 68, Bart made another great save against Emmanuel-Thomas, whose right-footed shot from outside the box was saved following a good diagonal ball from Reid.

The fans were eager for Enoch Showunmi to come on, in a bid to give the Bristol defence some grief, and their wish came true as the big frontman came on in the 77th minute.

McGregor then came agonisingly close once again with five minutes to spare, but his shot, following a cheeky backheel from Grealish, was just the wrong side of the bottom left corner.

Notts would earn redemption with just a few minutes to spare, as they were awarded a penalty following an infringement by Marvin Elliott. The celebrations as Sheehan converted to earn his team the draw were pure catharsis.

It could have actually ended perfectly for the Magpies as Showunmi was one-on-one right at the death, but unfortunately his good effort struck the Bristol post and bounced out.

That would prove to be the last action of the game, and perfect though it may have been, the Notts were more than happy to have claimed a rightful point after a game laden with aggression and incompetence.
Joe Jones
Notts County and Bristol City have faced each other a gargantuan 103 times over their history. This is because both clubs have been regularly playing each other since the 1900s. However, tomorrow will be their first league meeting in ten years! Bristol City only just hold the upper edge, having won 41 games to Notts's 39. 23 matches have been drawn.

The city of Bristol is the largest metro area in England never to have won the English top tier championship.

City won the Welsh Cup – despite being an English club – in 1934.

In 1982, Bristol City became the first English club to suffer three consecutive relegations.

Ashton Gate is the only ground in the English football league not to accommodate executive boxes.

Despite their underachievements, Bristol City is supported by some notable celebrities, including John Cleese of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame, Formula 1 great Jenson Button, and actor Russell Crowe.

Bristol City shares the English football league record for consecutive wins, notching up 14 wins in a row during the 1905-06 season. This record is shared with Arsenal, Manchester United, and Preston North End.

If Bristol defender Louis Carey plays against Notts on Saturday, he will tie with striker John Atyeo, who played for the club in the 50s and 60s, on 645 appearances for the South-West club, the current club record.

Some familiar faces will be returning to Nottingham with the club on Saturday. Steve Cotterill, who helped Notts to the League Two championship in 2010, will be facing his former club, while Marlon Harewood, who played for the other team in the city, will be back on Nottingham soil after having played for a variety of other clubs, including one in China.

Notts County also have no new injury worries and could have striker Danny Haynes available after tonsillitis.

Fellow striker Marcus Haber's loan spell has ended while defender Mustapha Dumbuya could return to action before the new year.

Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill has no new injury concerns, but loanee Stephen McLaughlin has returned to parent club Nottingham Forest after picking up a knee injury.
sadlad

PoN's December Round Up!

By sadlad, in News,

With the busy Christmas and New Year games schedule on the horizon it is perhaps time to look at the clubs in League One who are at the foot of the table and see who has made any green shoots of recovery and those who are seemingly in freefall. The four clubs who are presently in the dropzone are Bristol City on 15 points, then come Crewe and Notts County on 17 points with Stevenage sitting in 21st spot with 18 points. Then just six clubs are separated by two points and goal difference, with clubs facing four games over the holiday period.

There could be many changes to the league table than at present, on current form Sheffield United and Notts County are the two big clubs amongst the pack who are showing positive signs that after dreadful starts-and changes of management-are getting their acts together and moving in the right direction. Since Nigel Clough took over at Bramall Lane, the Blades have been picking up a steady flow of points and have climbed up to 19th following their 1-0 win over Swindon at the weekend. Notts County, meanwhile, found results hard to come by even when Shaun Derry was given the nod to try his hand in management but Notts last two outings -a 3-1 home success over Gillingham and a superb 4-0 win at Colchester United - has given real hope to the Meadow Lane faithful. I expect both these clubs to climb steadily over the next few weeks.

So who has not been doing very well? Bristol City only relegated in the summer, have had a torrid time with just two league wins in their first 20 games. That really is a poor show from the Ashton Gate men and they can only hope that new manager Steve Cotterill can produce an upturn in their fortunes. Another suprise down at the bottom is Crewe. They have managed four wins but have by the far the worst goal difference than anyone. To be on -25 at this stage is shocking but they are now two games unbeaten so maybe they are on the way up.

Stevenage have only managed one win in their last five. Tranmere have suffered two bad away defeats in a row - 1-4 at Carlisle and 0-5 at Peterborough - so again they need to sort themselves out. A cluster of teams above Sheffield United have a bit of breathing space but by New Year's Day the whole picture could change and so it will be interesting to see how the bottom 10 teams are looking after the next four games.
Joe Jones
Notts County recorded their biggest away win of the season today as they destroyed Colchester United by four goals to nil at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Jack Grealish and Morgan Fox gave the Magpies a healthy lead in the first half, before Callum McGregor and Gary Liddle completed the rout in the second half against the shellshocked U's.

Manager Shaun Derry opted for the 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 used in the win against Gillingham. The only change in personnel was Callum Ball, replacing Danny Haynes in the starting 11.

The first chance of the game came to Liddle in the third minute, after a neat ball teed up by McGregor. His side footed shot was comfortably saved by Sam Walker though.

Colchester got their first chance on five minutes, as Clinton Morrison seized on a loose ball in the centre of the box to fire a low shot, but Bart saved well.

Long throws were the order of the day from the Colchester starting eleven, and one in the eighth minute fell to Alex Gilbey, who powered the ball towards Bart with a header. Again, saved by the Pole.

Fifteen minutes played, Alan Sheehan put his set piece skills to good use as his dangerous free-kick was cleared away, before the Irishman then launched an ambitious 30-yard shot towards goal, which sadly was over.

As the game went on, Notts grew in confidence and asserted themselves into the game, the skilful Grealish getting several shots in and repeatedly breaking through the U's defence with his pace. The occasional flash of Colchester intent was thwarted by the Notts defence or keeper.

Grealish was eventually rewarded for his endeavour and hard work with a goal in the 30th minute. A good low cross from JCR was met by the young Aston Villa loanee, who kept his composure to fire a low shot past Walker into the bottom left corner. First blood to Notts.

Despite the setback, the U's would continue to drive forward and use those long throws to cause chaos in the Notts defence. Gilbey and Jabo Ibehre were able to get several shots in quick succession on 35 minutes in this manner, all wide or saved though.

Notts withstood the brief barrage, but rather than just consolidate the lead, they went on to extend it right on the stroke of half time. A great cross from Ball on the far side fell kindly to Fox, who proceeded to tap it in at the back post.

Half time, and Notts go in with a healthy 2-0 lead.

Colchester kicked off the second half with intent, Craig Eastmond firing a dangerous shot from outside the box, which Bart saved, and Okuonghae picking up the ball in the Notts box but firing high, a great chance gone amiss. This followed a yellow for Liddle, booked for a tough challenge.

Notts continued to play good football despite Colchester's growing presence in the game, JCR and McGregor causing trouble on the hour mark with good runs into the U's half.

Both sides by this point were going for broke, Notts wanting to capitalise on their lead and momentum, Colchester desperately trying to pull one back. The game became a great display of end-to-end football, chances falling to both teams one after the other.

As the tempo went up, so did the intensity of the players, and as such, the frequency of tackles. Eastmond and McGregor were booked in quick succession on 69 and 71.

Grealish very nearly got a second on 79, but his shot, following a Sheehan corner, smashed against the post.

Not to worry, as McGregor would soon get his customary goal as per his sterling performances, finishing a move started by Andre Boucaud by slotting home from the left-hand side past Walker.

Colchester didn't even have time to compose themselves when the Purple Rain came storming down once again on the beleaguered U's, Grealish crossing to Liddle who pretty much walked the ball into the net a mere three minutes later.

And so the game ended, 4-0, the joint-biggest win of the season (alongside the 4-0 win at Crewe a few weeks back). What made this all the sweeter was the fact it was away, it was a second win on the bounce, and it finally sees us come off the foot of the table.
Joe Jones
Notts County have met Colchester United a modest 38 times over the years, all league encounters except for one Sherpa Vans Trophy tie in 1988. The U's hold the marginal upper edge, having won 14 games to Notts' 16, with 8 draws. All league encounters between the two have never taken place higher than the third tier.

Colchester United Football Club is a baby in English football club terms, having been born in 1937. However, Colchester Town Football Club, the club's predecessor, was around since 1873, but despite dwindling crowds in the mid-1930s, refused to follow its neighbours Ipswich Town Football Club in turning professional, much to the disapproval of its fans and players.

As a result, Colchester United was formed, with the intention of playing professionally, and thrived while its stubborn neighbour fell into decline and eventually folded.

Colchester United are responsible for one of the FA Cup's greatest ever upsets, when, in February 1971, they defeated the infamous Don Revie's Leeds United, an established top flight side who would finish second that season, by three goals to two. The U's were in the fourth division at the time.

Micky Cook holds the all time club record for appearances with Colchester United, having played nearly 700 games between 1969 and 184! Talk about loyalty!

Notable former players include Titus Bramble, Alec Chamberlain, Mark Kinsella, Kevin Lisbie and Newcastle cult hero Lomana LuaLua.

Colchester have a lot of men out injured or suspended for tomorrow's game. Captain Brian Wilson is suspended after receiving his fifth booking of the season in the 2-1 defeat at Tranmere.

Midfielders David Wright and Marcus Bean are injured and will sit out the game against Notts, as Joe Dunne's side aim to pick up what would only be a third win in 20 games.

Long-term absentees Freddie Sears, Gavin Massey, Sanchez Watt, Josh Thompson and Drey Wright remain sidelined.

Notts County have an unchanged squad for the trip to Colchester. Marcus Haber is still suspended. He will serve the final game of a three-match ban, after being sent off against Bradford at the end of last month.

Meanwhile, Joss Labadie and defender Mustapha Dumbuya are still not quite ready to return from injury.
Joe Jones
Notts County has seen plenty of star players grace the Meadow Lane pitch over the years, from the vintage icons of the early 20th century like Billy Flint through to the ones still professionally active such as Kasper Schmeichel and Alan Judge.
However, one player is in the annals thanks to a prestigious statistic, confirming his status as one of the club's all-time greats for decades to come. That man is Les Bradd, Notts County's all-time leading goalscorer.
Born in Buxton, Derbyshire in 1947, Bradd was scouted by Rotherham playing for local team East Sterndale, and in 1966 signed for the Millers.
His spell with the South Yorkshire club was brief, although he did net his only goal against, ironically, Notts County, in the League Cup in August 1967.
Just two months later, joined the Magpies, and he would soon embark on a career where local hero status would beckon.
His first goal in black and white came in a 2-0 win against Rochdale on the 21st October, one of ten goals he would score during the course of the season.
Powerfully built, bustling and with an eye for goal, Bradd also helped set up goals, his great link up play benefitting Tony Hateley and, later on, Kevin Randall and Mick Vinter.
As he developed his all-round game at Meadow Lane, so did the quality of the whole squad, and by 1971, under the tutelage of the great Jimmy Sirrell, Notts had climbed out of the Fourth Division as champions, nine points in front of runners-up Bournemouth. At this stage, Bradd had scored 39 goals for the Magpies, but more was to come.
The following season, as Notts finished just three points off promotion in the Third Division, Bradd scored an impressive 21 goals, more than the previous two seasons' already decent contributions put together, in addition to three in the FA and League cups, and by 1972/73, Notts went one further and were promoted into Division Two, Bradd scoring nine and helping his team-mates score many more.
Bradd eventually reached the 100-goal mark in April 1976, scoring against Fulham in a 4-0 win, in a season where his contributions also helped Notts knock First Division sides Sunderland, Leeds United and Everton.
If that wasn't enough, he sealed his place in Notts County's highest echelons with a goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers just a year later, surpassing Tony Hateley as the club's all-time leading goalscorer.
At the start of the 1978 season, Bradd's love affair with the Magpies ended, as he left Meadow Lane for Lancashire, joining Stockport County. He continued his spectacular goalscoring record, netting 31 goals in 117 appearances, before moving on once again in 1981, remaining in Lancs as he became a Wigan Athletic player.
His tally of 25 in 63 during his period with the Latics, even helping them gain promotion to the Third Division, will ensure both teams will remember him fondly as a player, but it is Nottingham where Les Bradd is most cherished and revered, given his key role during one of the club's brightest periods, not to mention his record-breaking goals tally.
Bradd is now retired, but carries on doing work for the club as an Ambassador and is incredibly active in this role. Showing how much of a good sport he is, he featured in a Soccer AM special on Saturday 7th December 2013 featuring Mockney character Franky Fryer which showcased Nottingham's attractions, including the mighty Meadow Lane.
With it being 50 years since making his Magpies bow, Bradd has this year released an autobiography named Far Post: A Striker’s Tale of Scoring Goals and Breaking Records.
In this book, Bradd takes an in-depth look at his own career and gives an exclusive insight into his relationship with club legends like Jimmy Sirrel, Tony Hateley and Don Masson, and is available at lesbraddbook.co.uk or at the Meadow Lane club shop.
If ever one man deserved to be called a Notts County legend, Les Bradd would be more than deserving of the title.
Share your memories of Les Bradd's playing career or of meeting the man himself by signing up to Pride of Nottingham, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
All in all, a great game for Notts today, as we won convincingly against Gillingham FC, but it certainly didn't look that way in the first 40 or so minutes. A lacklustre, disjointed first-half performance nevertheless managed to yield a goal, courtesy of the frankly unplayable Callum McGregor, while the second half, which began with an equalising Gills goal, was a great display of attacking football in which Jack Grealish and sub Callum Ball, alongside the young Scot, tore the visitors to pieces.

Shaun Derry began the game in a 4-5-1 formation, Morgan Fox getting his first league start at left back. He replaced Manny Smith after the centre-back suffered a knock, as Alan Sheehan moved to the heart of defence alongside skipper Dean Leacock. The back four was completed by reliable Kieron Freeman.

Within the first two minutes, Freeman's free kick fell to Danny Haynes, but he somehow conspired to miss from six yards.

Not long afterwards, former Notts player Myles Weston got a cross in at the other end, but Charlie Lee headed over.

As the foundations were set for a tense and scrappy game, the Gills came within a post's length of taking the lead, Danny Kedwell's header across goal falling to Bradley Dack, whose touch grazed the inside of the post and trickled out.

Quite a few decisions seemed to go against Notts more often than not; midway through the first half, a McGregor shot was handled by Gills' Adam Barrett in the box, but no penalty was given.

After an initial 40 minutes that were an eyesore to Notts fans - some began leaving for the bar as early as 35 - the tactic of getting the ball to the flanks and attempting to cross finally, surprisingly, paid dividends. Jamal Campbell-Ryce managed to get the ball to McGregor, and courtesy of some scrappy pinballing in the box, the young Scot retained the ball and was able to fire into the net. 1-0 Notts.

The second half then began poorly for Notts, and within 90 seconds, were pegged back to 1-1. Dack met a cross from the right at close range and although Bartosz Bialkowski got his hand on the ball, he was unable to prevent it from trickling inside the right-hand post.

However, McGregor, ever the star man, scored an exquisite goal just eight minutes later. He picked up Gary Liddle's ball in front of the Gills goal, but rather than smash it in brutally and thoughtlessly, he weaved into position, made fools out of their defenders, then powered a shot into the net. 2-1, the crowd went wild.

Things would get even better when the ineffective Haynes was replaced by Derby loanee Callum Ball. The rest of the game saw him, McGregor and Grealish completely terrorise the Gillingham defence.

The away side had some good attempts and very nearly pulled it back to 2-2 after Jake Hessenthaler's corner was met by Donervan Daniels, but McGregor only found himself in the right spot at the back to make a stupendous goal-line clearance. Adebayo Akinfenwa had a great chance of his own but Bart was equal to it with an amazing save on 72.

The icing on the cake came courtesy of Grealish on 87. He picked up the ball, weaved past the Gills defence, and finally rifled a fantastic shot into the net, to the sounds of "Shoot! Shoot! SHOOOOT!" coming from the Kop.

The valiant Magpies were able to see out the game, and when the final whistle came, the Notts fans were jubilant. Great performance, great result, and despite still being bottom of the table, we're three points from safety, though we need to see how the games in hand of the teams above us pan out.
Joe Jones
Notts County's head-to-head record against Gillingham is historically pretty poor, winning 8 games, drawing 7 and losing 15 since our first fixture on 25th October 1930.

Fixtures between the two tend to come thick and fast for a certain period of time before ceasing to be for years on end; between 1985 and 1989 we played each other nine times, then no meeting for seven years, squaring up again in October 1996.

Since that league meeting (lost 1-0), another five games took place until March 2000, and then, nothing for eight years!

Our last victory over the Gills was the March 2000 game, where the only goal scored came from Ian Richardson; Notts heroes such as Darren Ward and Mark Stallard also played in that game!

For over 50 years, the record for the fastest hat-trick in the Football League belonged to Jimmy Scarth, who scored three goals in two minutes and 30 seconds against Leyton Orient, on the 1st November 1952.

Sadly in 2004, James Hayter of Bournemouth dispossessed Scarth of said record; he came on as an 84th minute substitute in their game against Wrexham, and scored three times in two minutes and 20 seconds!

Gillingham do however retain one record; having conceded the fewest goals in a 46-match season, when the team conceded only 20 goals during 1995–96.

Former Notts boss Martin Allen led the Gills to the League Two title last season, but a Notts reunion isn't on the cards, as he was surprisingly sacked after a seemingly poor start to the season.

The Gills could have radically changed the face of English football had they not lost against Manchester City in the 1998/99 Second Division play-off final. Had they won, City may have never recovered from a second year on the bounce in the third tier, by their own admission. And let's not forget Gillingham were leading 2-0 will less than two minutes left on the clock!

Instead, as things went, City were back up in the top tier within a few years, just in time to catch the eyes of some very wealthy people casually window shopping in the Premiership...

Shaun Derry says on-loan Callum Ball, Morgan Fox and Bradley Jordan are all in contention for starting places.

Striker Marcus Haber is suspended, while defender Mustapha Dumbuya and midfielder Joss Labadie are injured.

Gillingham are without John Mousinho and Elliott Hewitt, whose loan stints ended early because of injuries.

Charlie Allen has been recalled from his loan spell and Amine Linganzi is expected to be back on the bench.

Striker Danny Kedwell will be assessed following illness but midfielder Steven Gregory and forward Craig Fagan are out.

Former Notts alumni who could line up for the Gills today include Myles Weston and Stuart Nelson.
Joe Jones
What a game, but what a cruel result. A right slug-fest of a match, with both teams trading chances like two boxers would trade jabs and hooks, full of end to end action, with the result only confirmed by one individual slip-up... I'm afraid I'll have to use the word "sucker-punch" once again this season, because that's exactly what happened against Notts. Brentford ran out 1-0 winners today thanks to one, completely against the run of play. And it hurts.

Alan Sheehan was back on the left side of defence after recovering from his knock in midweek, while Loanee Morgan Fox was named among the substitutes alongside fellow new recruit Callum Ball from just down the A52. Meanwhile, Marcus Haber’s red card at Bradford meant Shaun Derry would pair Callum McGregor up with Danny Haynes in attack.

The game began well for the Magpies, who saw Jack Grealish fire a shot in the fourth minute. David Button, Brentford keeper, then denied Haynes' follow-up. Just a minute later, Haynes marauded forward and caused panic in the Bees defence, but Button was quick to it.

Next attempt came from the visitors, Adam Forshaw curling just past the Notts post from a good 25 yards out on eight minutes.

Jamal Campbell-Ryce, on a kind of renaissance since Shaun Derry's appointment, lashed in a cross which very nearly went in, sadly flying just beyond the back post. Just a few minutes later, a Sheehan free kick bounced awkwardly in the Brentford box, but Alan McCormack cleared.

At the other end, Forshaw again caused trouble, sending a volley wide on 22.

The action kept coming thick and fast, and on 25, Liddle thought he'd scored his second goal for Notts, but his scissor kick was blocked off the line by Clayton Donaldson.

On the half hour mark, William Grigg sent a low cross into the Notts area, but Dean Leacock blocked it well and punted it upfield.

On 38, Andre Boucaud lashed a right-foot shot from outside the box, but Button sewed it up well, while in the 42nd minute, Haynes marauded into the box and crossed low, only for JCR to blast it over.

Sadly, the 44th minute saw Boucaud gift the ball to Toumani Diogouraga, who sliced it in for Grigg to prod home.

A massive blow, Notts nevertheless came back fighting in the second half. On 50, a Haynes cross was thwarted by a Brentford handball, which the ref didn't give, the subsequent Liddle cross coming to nothing.

Grealish, McGregor and JCR were working fantastically together, seeing countless shots and crosses blocked or saved, before another near-deadly mistake by Boucaud deep in the Notts half luckily didn't see Notts go 2-0 down, Bart parrying the subsequent shot away. Likewise with a great Donaldson shot which went ever so slightly wide on 61.

This would continue right until the end of the game, both teams trading shots, to the tune of 20 for Notts and 15 for Brentford, on average one every three minutes in the match plus injury time.

If this was a boxing match, Notts would have come out on top, with better possession, more shots on goal, and thrice the amount of corners, were it not for the knockout blow administered by Gregg at the end of the first half.

Notts will also feel aggrieved with another abject refereeing display, having seen two potential penalty shouts for handball waved away.

Good display from Notts, much better than those monstrosities in the weeks leading up to Chris Kiwomya's sacking. But good displays alone won't cut it any more. We need points, and we need them desperately.

What will it take for Notts to win a game, never mind enough of them to actually climb up the table? Six points from safety now, and in danger of slipping away week on week.
Joe Jones
Out of the last 28 English football seasons (going back to 1985/86), Notts County and Brentford have been in the same league 18 of those seasons. Bit of a regular fixture then.

Brentford certainly have the upper edge historically, winning 26 out of the 74 meetings. Notts have won 20, while 28 meetings were drawn.

Notts haven't won against the Hounslow side since the 2003/04 season, when we did the league double over them.

Eight draws followed, but the impasse was broken by Brentford beating Notts home and away last season, both 2-1 wins.

Brentford FC started life in 1889 because the members of the Brentford Rowing Club wanted to engage in a sport as a filler during the winter months. By 8 votes to 5, they opted for football instead of rugby.

Notts County legend Tommy Lawton played for Brentford directly after his talismanic spell with the Magpies, scoring 17 goals in 50 games between 1951 and 1953. He also served as player/manager in his final year with the club before leaving for Arsenal.

Uwe Rösler, their current manager, is a Manchester City legend, averaging a goal every three games during his time with the Sky Blues (he was also a beast on Championship Manager 97/98!).

Rösler is also Brentford's first ever foreign manager - every previous manager in the Bees' history hailed from the British Isles.

Brentford is a popular team with many musicians who grace the pages of NME. Hard-Fi lead singer and guitarist Richard Archer, Bluetones guitarist Adam Devlin, Status Quo bassist John "Rhino" Edwards, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman are all supporters of the Hounslow club.

Since 1954, Brentford have experienced football higher than the third tier for just one season, in 1991/92. Last season, they came within one penalty kick of changing that. Then this happened...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4SK8PP-UP8

New loan signings Morgan Fox, a left-back, midfielder Bradley Jordan, both from Charlton Athletic, and striker Callum Ball from Derby are in contention to make their Notts County debuts after joining until January.

Marcus Haber starts a three-game suspension after his sending off in the 1-1 draw at Bradford City on Tuesday.

Brentford manager Uwe Rosler has no new injury problems as they bid for a seventh win in eight League One games. Versatile team captain Kevin O'Connor is edging closer to full fitness after an ankle injury, but may be rested.
Chris

Young Trio Sign On Loan

By Chris, in News,

Notts County have boosted their current crop of players with 3 more promising youngsters. On the 28/11/2013 it was announced on the Sky Sports website that Notts had landed Morgan Fox and Bradley Jordan on loan. Notts later announced the additional loan signing of Derby County youngster Callum Ball – A tall/strong centre forward who's enjoyed successful periods with their under 16's and reserve team. Shaun Derry has swiftly responded by adding players to each position that fans are voicing concerns over, with a striker was once again on the minds of our fans.

Morgan Fox; A young defender who was born on 21/09/1993. Charlton Fan 'Lamby' told me, “Morgan Fox has played for Wales U21 so he's got the tackling qualities, and can also nick a few goals from corners.”.

Bradley Jordan; Was born on 21/01/1994, the highly rated midfielder enjoy a successful youth campaign along side his co-team mate Morgan Fox. He's an ambitious midfielder who's considered to be one of Charlton's most mature youngsters and he comes to Meadow Lane with some much needed qualities. 'Lamby' added 'Jordan is the captain of the U21's, he's a good leader for us if he's kept the position from last season. I think he's one of the more motivational players in the youth team too. Bradley's the main free kick taker and chips in with the odd few so I'd say he's the old fashioned type of midfielder.

“They've not featured in the first team much. Been on the bench a few times and that's about it. They were part of the U21 team that won the league last season. I think we've loaned them out more for the development process/game time more than anything. It'll be good to see how they get on though and I'm sure they'll make an impact on your team. They're rated highly though, ones for the future.”.

Callum Ball; Started as a youngster with rival side Nottingham Forest before making a switch to Derby County's Academy at the age of 9 years old. He quickly found scoring form for the under 18's, in which he netted an impressive 25 goals and reserve level through that campaign. He also experienced winning the '09/10 Central League Central Selection Title' starting twice and scoring the winning goal against Macclesfield Town.

He's enjoyed two fairly successful loan spells, 2012/2013 with Coventry City, making 15 appearances and Earlier this year with Torquay United where he scored 2 in 9 games.

Super Ram told the Pride of Nottingham community, “Callum is a player I have high hopes for. He was a very prolific scorer for the under 18's and Rams reserves. He's been out on loan several times and done OK, though when he was at Coventry I believe he was injured for a while. His first team appearances for The Rams have been limited because we are fairly well off in attack. I'm sure he will do a good job for Notts (along with Kieron)”

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank 'Lamby' and 'Super Ram' for their time in telling us about their respective player(s) and we would like to wish Morgan, Bradley and Callum all the very best with their careers. Hopefully they will be vital assists to our squad whilst wearing the Black & White stripes! COYP!
Joe Jones
Yet another false dawn, or the sign of Notts finally getting their act together? Today, our beloved and beleaguered team travelled to the Coral Windows Stadium to face the valiant warriors of the 2012/13 Carling Cup, Bradford City, and came away with a point. Gary Liddle scored his first ever goal for Notts just before half time, a few days after having one disallowed but Mark Yeates' equaliser on 69 minutes ensured a share of the spoils for both teams.

Shaun Derry made a couple of changes to the team that lost against Shrewsbury on Saturday: Alan Sheehan was left out of the squad with a suspected knock, Greg Tempest taking his place. Dean Leacock was back in defence, Liddle and Andre Boucaud lined up together in midfield alongside Jack Grealish and Jamal Campbell-Ryce, with Marcus Haber and Danny Haynes up front in a 4-4-2 position. Joss Labadie, like Sheehan, didn't make the team, while Callum McGregor was rested on the bench.

The first chance fell to Nakhi Wells on eight minutes, who, following a headed flick-on from James Hanson, lashed the ball towards goal, but flew wide.

Following a foul on Kyel Reid, a free kick from Gary Jones was well punched away from Bart, but Notts were getting forward at every opportunity, the first serious Notts chance coming from JCR after some great work by Liddle in midfield and a good Kieron Freeman run on 18 minutes.

Just three minutes later, the hosts threatened with a Reid cross which Leacock headed away at the last moment, denying Wells a chance.

Bradford seemed to have drawn first blood, but Rory McArdle's nod-on to Wells was ruled out for offside.

This merely invigorated the Bantams, who then began imposing themselves on the game. On 26, Jones was given too much pace by the Notts players in midfield, but just as he seemed geared up to take a shot, his selflessness proved costly, setting up Reid who fired wide.

Towards the break, Bradford were able to stop Liddle and Manny Smith clearing the ball in the final third, and Wells' follow up shot fell kindly to Bart.

And as people were beginning to stand up to head towards the bar or smoking area to beat the crowds, Notts struck to go into the dressing rooms 1-0 up. Grealish's run down the centre allowed him to play Haynes into the City box. He then whipped a low cross past the home side defence and to Liddle, who prodded the ball in for his first goal in a Notts shirt.

The 15-minute break must have seen Bradford being given the hairdryer treatment by their manager, as they came out with the sheer intent to equalise as soon as possible.

From the off, a Reid cross was deflected out for a corner by Tempest, and the following corner saw a great header from Hanson being emphatically turned away by Bart. Leacock then denied the same player with a great last-ditch block moments later.

Notts had some good chances following on from that barrage, courtesy of Haynes, but Bradford piled forward time and time again, Bart's saves proving crucial more often than not.

However, the equaliser finally came when substitute Yeats fired a long range shot into the bottom left corner, Bart unable to work his magic for once.

The game would finish all square, only our second draw all season, but not before things kicked off in injury time, Haber becoming the umpteenth Notts player to see red this season (a tad harsh this time though), and the red mist even spread to the coaching staff, Greg Abbott being dismissed from the touchline for his heated contributions.

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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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