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Chris
Rotherham United are one of the current in form teams in League One, in their past six games they've drawn 2 and won 4. Their away form in the last 10 to 6 games would put them top of the league. Notts will need to buckle down for this game, however The Millers form would suggest that they will keep our defence busy. In our earlier encounter Notts lost narrowly by one goal.

This week we have spoken to Pride of Nottingham resident 'BradtheMiller', we have asked a series of questions aimed to share the sight of a Rotherham United fan.
 
Firstly, could you please tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a Rotherham Unuted fan?
Hi, i'm Ian, a 52 yr old Millers fan from Rotherham. I attended my first game v Wrexham at Millmoor in the 1971/72 season in the old Third Division & was quickly hooked. The game ended 1-1 (still remember)
 
You did our “Opposition View” for our last encounter, you mentioned how you would like to get into the championship but remained realistic by adding that mid table was your goal. There's a real chance you might make the play-offs, how do you feel now?
This season has exceeded my & most other Millers fans expectations & even the most pessimistic Rotherham fan (me) is starting to believe that the play-offs are possible.
 
The progression Rotherham's made in the past two seasons is very impressive, how important is it for you to see stability within the players and coaching staff?
Evans & Raynor, our manager & number two may not be everyones cup of tea (me neither) because of their touchline antics & cringeworthy interviews but you have to say they are very successful & their managerial record speaks for itself.
Player wise, apart from the 8 to 10 core squad members, it has been a bit of a revolving door this season with many players going in & out of the club, mainly on loan. Fans were dissapointed to lose some of last seasons promotion heros such as Nardiello & Mullins, but some of the players Evans has brought in have been quality, such as full backs Tavernier & Skarz, midfielder Smallwood from Middlesbrough, & Striker Wes Thomas, though not all have been a success. Evans chased Bournemouth striker Matt Tubbs for a year before he brought him to NYS on a six month loan with a view to him being a 200k club record signing & in the sixmonths we had him, he scored ONE goal & couldn't hit a barn door with a bazzooka!
 
Can you tell our members and readers about your passion for football? You have an hobby of watching quite a few games all across England, why is that?
I consider myself to be a football fan first, & a Millers fan second, which might sound a bit mental, but there is something great about going to a match with no vested interest, a true neutral & enjoy the whole day, soak up the atmosphere, & arrive home after an enjoyable day out without wanting to smash the house up when you come home. I still make most Millers home games though!
(I even went to ML this season as a neutral)
 
What's your biggest achievement so far within this season and what's really disappointed you?
Biggest achievement was beating BOTH massive Sheffield clubs at NYS in successive home games early in the season, so, so, satisfying after decades of them calling us "toytown"! Shut them up for a bit!!
 
Please tell us about your goal scorers so far this season, do you have confident strikers or do have goals being scored from all over?
Kieran Agard is our top scorer so far with 16 goals & we play him on the right side of midfield!!
In fact, our next two top scorers are also midfielders, Lee Frecklington (9) & Ben Pringle (7), with striker Alex Revell also on 7. Recent signing Wes Thomas who is a striker has scored in his last three games
 
What formation(s) have you been using and how do you expect your starting line up to look on Saturday?
We normally go 4-4-2 at home but we can adapt to either 4-5-1 or 3-5-2 depending how the game is going.
 
Name three teams which have impressed you at New York Stadium and three teams which have impressed you at their home ground?
The three teams who impressed me at NYS were Swindon, who murdered us 4-0, Preston who looked very strong in a 0-0 draw & surprisingly enough Crawley, who outplayed us but we managed a 2-2 draw with a last minute equaliser.
I've only been to three away games this season (Notts, York in the JPT, & Bradford) & we won all those, so I can't say i've been impressed with any of them
 
Over the years, which three players that you have seen play (for any team) have been the best and was they playing within the league suited to their talent?
Gerry Forrest, my all time favourite Millers player, finally achieved the top division with Southampton, playing in the same side as Le Tissier.
Cesc Fabregas; made his Arsenal debut v the Millers in the league cup 2002/03 season at Highbury, the rest is history.
Teddy Sherringham; played for West Ham v The Millers in the early 00's, sheer quality
 
Who are your main threats within your squad, which players would you highlight as possible tricky players for Notts?
Our main threats are our midfield, who I regard as the best in League 2, Frecklington & Pringle in particular. Watch out too, for Alex Revell, our target man, who is so important to the way we play, your centre backs will know they've been in a game.
 
Which Notts players do you think are likely to cause Rotherham's defence some problems and how do you see the score ending?
For Notts, McGregor looks impressive, & Grealish, your loan signing from Villa seems to have done well. I can't see past a Millers victory, sorry guys, so i'll stab at Millers 3 Pies 1
 
What is Rotherham like for travelling fans? Can you tell us where you would recommend to spend time, perhaps go for a drink and what is parking like?
With the ground being in the town centre & 5 minutes from the train station, all the eating & drinking outlets are within easy walking distance; eg McDonalds, KFC, THREE weatherspoons pubs, cafes etc. There is also a licenced bar inside all the stadium concourses.
There is a Liquid night club just up the road with a huge car park. I think they charge but i dunno how much.
 
Pride of Nottingham would like to thank 'BradtheMiller' for his time answering our questions and for sharing his views with regards to this upcoming game. It is always nice to see the opinions of our resident opposition friends.
Chris

The Match Officials

By Chris, in News,

On the 1st of March this Saturday, Notts County will be taking on Rotherham United. They've risen from League Two and are currently one of the top teams on form in this league. If we based the league on the last six games they would be positioned 2nd. However, if we stretched to four games making it 10, they would be one position lower at 3rd.

Notts will be seeking to pick themselves up after back to back defeats.

The Match Officials for Saturday's at the New York Stadium will be referee Tim Robinson, with his two assistants Jason Whiteley and Ollie Yates. The fourth official will be David Richardson.
 
Match Officials;
 
Referee; Tim Robinson has taken control of eighteen games, he's been the referee in one F.A cup tie, one Capital One Cup game and one JPT encounter. During these games he's issued a total of 66 yellow cards, whilst he's only sent off three players. The majority of them have been League Two standard, a total of 8 games. He's featured seven times in League One and three times in the Championship.
Interesting Fact – Mark Cooper, Swindon Town's manager hit out with regards to the level of referring standards when Tim Robinson took charge in a game back at the start of this month (February), however this could be due to the fact his side was beaten by Oldham Athletic and Tim Robinson red carded Swindon's Archibald-Henville after a second bookable offence - Make up your own mind by reading this.
 
Assistant Referees; Jason Whiteley has been the 1st assistant once so far. He's been the referee five times within the Conference Division and the 2nd assistant four times. During the games he's been the referee, he has yellow carded a number of 12 players and has only sent off one player.
Oliver 'Ollie' Yates has been the 2nd assistant eight times so far, these games feature four within the Championship, two in League One, three in League Two and one F.A Cup game. Oliver Yates has been the fourth official twice.
Interesting Fact – Jason Whiteley was the 2nd assistant in Rochdale's win over Mansfield 3-0, while Oliver Yates was the fourth official in Mansfield's 1-0 narrow win over Fleetwood Town.
 
Fourth Official; David Richardson has been the fourth official twice, once within the Championship as Leeds United draw 1-1 to Ipswich Town and again in League Two Rochdale beat Bristol Rovers 2-0. He's featured as the 2nd assistant three times and the 1st assistant once. These range from the Championship, Leagues One/Two and the Conference N/S.
Interesting Fact – 27 goals have been scored within the games David Richardson's officiated. The most amount of goals is 9, as Gainsborough Trinity beat Altrincham FC 5-4. The second highest game was when Sheffield Wednesday saw off Macclesfield Town 4-1 in the F.A Cup. The least was 1-0, Burton Albion winning away from home against Morecambe.
 
Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread
Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
Joe Jones
Many notable players have turned out for Notts County over the years.
Some, who turned out for the club in the decades following its creation have been virtually committed to folklore, with the occasional grainy black-and-white photo.
The club's longest-ever serving player, early 20th century goalkeeper Albert Iremonger, falls into this category. 
Some, like post-war prodigy Tommy Lawton, may be remembered by the likes of our grandparents or parents.
The further we go through the decades, the more likely it is that the younger generations may have a recollection of them, either through our older relatives or first-person.
In terms of recent players, that is, those who have played for Notts County in the 21st century, there are few more lauded by fans than the man I'm writing about now.
You ask a few dozen twenty-something and thirty-something Notts fans about who their favourite player is, and chances are, a sizeable amount will say "Mark Stallard".
Stallard was born in Derby in October 1974, and began his career with local team Derby County, signing schoolboy terms in 1991. During those fledgling years, he made over 30 appearances for the Rams, as well as being sent out to gain experience at Fulham and Bradford City.
He was on Derby’s books until January 1996, when the Baseball Ground outfit – the club moved to Pride Park the following year – accepted a bid from the Bantams in the region of £110,000 for the then 21-year-old striker.
Stallard etched himself into the Bradford fans’ hearts when he scored the second goal in the club’s Second Division play-off final victory against Notts County of all teams, just four months after joining the Valley Parade outfit.
With the Yorkshire club in the First Division, Stallard spent some time on loan at Preston North End, before being sold to Wycombe Wanderers, then of the Second Division, in March 1997. His time with the Chairboys was fruitful, netting on average a goal every three games in the league.

Eventually came his move to the mighty Magpies in the spring of 1999 for the princely sum of £10,000, and though the club was going through some tumultuous times, Stallard remained a shining beacon of light throughout his entire spell at Meadow Lane, scoring 67 goals during his five years with Notts.
His manager at Meadow Lane, Billy Dearden, said Stallard helped the club through some dark times.
"We went into administration for 18 months, and it was only because of people like Stallard that we kept going," he told the BBC. "He was a top man to work with. He was a very good trainer, and most importantly, he was a goalscorer. He could have probably played at an even higher level."
Stallard was rewarded for his exploits at Meadow Lane by being named the club’s player of the year and players' player of the year in 2003, after scoring 25 goals as Notts battled against relegation and financial adversity during the difficult 2002–03 season.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and so too did Stallard’s stay at Notts County, as he decided to up sticks and move to Barnsley.
Things didn’t quite work out for the striker at Oakwell; after 15 appearances, he was allowed to go on loan to Chesterfield, before making a return to Meadow Lane in February 2005.
After his second spell at Notts came to an end, Stallard moved to Shrewsbury Town at the start of the 2005-06 season, and stayed there for a year, before again upping sticks for another return to the East Midlands, this time with Lincoln City, where he hooked up with former youth teammate Adie Moses.
His time at Sincil Bank was fruitful, the first few months yielding seven goals and yielding the striker the League Two Player of the Month award for September 2006.
Stallard spent two years with the Imps, scoring 17 goals in 66 league appearances, but with his second season being affected by injuries and suspensions, he was let go by the club at the end of the 2007-08 season.

He decided to remain in the East Midlands alongside Moses as they hooked up with Mansfield Town, and for a short period of time, the duo were made caretaker managers of the Conference club and maintained a 100% record of two wins in two games.
Stallard then moved to Corby Town at the end of his contract with Mansfield, after being impressed by the club's ambition, but with the striker looking to forge a career in financial advising – a shrewd investment considering his footballing career was in its twilight he decided to leave the Northamptonshire outfit, citing an unwillingness to draw a wage from the club if he could no longer produce his best football for the team.
It proved to be a gesture that drew praise from the Blue Square North side's manager Graham Drury, who said: "I wish I could work with more people as honest and professional as Mark Stallard.”
And in one short sentence, Drury described Stallard’s career in a nutshell. An honest, hard-working, professional, skilled player, one who played his best football for Notts County and kept the club smiling during testing times.
Luckily for the Notts faithful, Stallard continues to be heavily involved with the Magpies, co-commentating on the club's matches for BBC Radio Nottingham alongside Charlie Slater, having previously done so with the legendary Colin Slater, and regularly offering his footballing services for charity games linked with the club and around the East Midlands. His day job, meanwhile, sees him managing his own financial advice firm.
Mark Stallard, you are a Notts County legend, and a proud inductee of Pride of Nottingham’s Notts Alumni!
Discuss Mark Stallard's career and any memories you have of him by signing up to Pride of Nottingham, visiting the forum, and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Today has to go down as one of the most painful defeats we've suffered in recent months. Against a team we were more than capable of defeating, we raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes. And then we go on to concede a goal, get a man sent off in dubious circumstances, and lose the game.

The worst thing? This isn't first time something like this has happened this calendar year. Although rather than taking place away (London Road to be exact), this horror show took place in front of our own fans.
So, just to confirm, Notts County have today squandered a two-goal lead as the club's League One survival hopes suffer yet another blow with a 3-2 defeat to Shrewsbury Town.
The Magpies scored the first goal when Kieron Freeman lashed a cross into the Shrews box on eight minutes, which was delicately finished by Jack Grealish from close range.
Five minutes later, the on-loan Aston Villa youngster won a penalty when he was brought down by Tamika Mkandawire. Alan Sheehan fired his shot down the middle to double his side's lead.
After taking such a commanding lead so early in the game, any team has to be careful not to get complacent and consider their work done, and Notts sadly failed to do this. Just after the half-hour mark, Jon Taylor was able to latch onto Tom Eaves' cross to slot past Bartosz Bialkowski and pull a goal back for Shrewsbury.
Two minutes before the break came the game-changer as referee Seb Stockbridge decided to show a straight red card to Jimmy Spencer for an apparent elbow against Connor Goldson. Once again, Notts were down to ten men.
 
As luck would have it, Kwesi Appiah, who came on for Callum McGregor in the second half, was then injured by a flailing Goldson arm. Was the Shrews player also sent off? Ha! Don't be daft.
On 66 minutes, the visitors were level when Taylor looped a finish from just inside the Notts box beyond Bart, and just three minutes later, the collapse was well and truly complete for the beleaguered Magpies when David McAllister nudged the ball home, courtesy of a scrappy, improvised finish.
The game ended 3-2 to the visitors and, for Shaun Derry's men, it was a fifth defeat in their last six outings as they dropped to 23rd place in League One, a defeat in a game we should have won and desperately needed to win.
Joe Jones
Notts County and Shrewbury Town don’t go very far back, as the Shropshire outfit spent the majority of its early history in the lower leagues. They were promoted into the Football League Third Division North in 1950, and first met the Magpies in the 1960-61 season. Sadly, it wasn’t a very good day for Notts, because, away at Gay Meadow, we got beaten 4-0 by the Shrews!

The two teams, however, have met quite regularly in recent years – since that first fixture between the two, they've faced off 44 times. The Shrews currently hold the ever so slight upper edge, with 15 wins and 16 draws, while Notts have won 13 games.
Since 2005, Notts have played Shrewsbury every season bar 2010/11 and 2011/12. The longest period between meetings is eight years, between 21st December 1963 and 11th September 1971.
 
The Shrewsbury v Notts game on the 17th April 1990 is believed to have been the genesis of the renowned “I Had A Wheelbarrow” chant. Shrewsbury were winning 2-0 and began singing a traditional American folk song, On Top Of Old Smoky, in celebration. This was sung in such a strong West Country accent that the Notts fans began singing back jokingly what they believed it sounded like, which was “I had a wheelbarrow, the wheel fell off”. Notts then pulled two goals back in the last ten minutes, and as such the chant was seen as a source of good luck, being sung by Notts fans ever since.
Until 1995, some English teams from cities not far from the Welsh border could play in the Welsh Cup, but winners would have to concede the subsequent European Cup Winners’ Cup place to the best-placed Welsh side as per league and European rules. As a result, Shrewsbury have a rather healthy trophy cabinet, having won the competition six times - 1985 was their last trophy victory - and finishing as runners-up thrice, making them the most successful non-Welsh side ever to compete in the Welsh cup!
Shrewsbury are known for one of the greatest giant killings of all time, as they defeated Premier League Everton in the FA Cup in January 2003. The Shropshire side, in Division 3 and free-falling towards relegation out of the Football League, beat the top tier side 2-1, no small feat against a team who, just a few months prior, broke a rampant Arsenal’s 30 game unbeaten run, courtesy of a young 16-year old prodigy by the name of Wayne Rooney.
 
The town of Shrewsbury has helped cultivate two of the greatest minds in British history. Charles Darwin was born and bred in Shrewsbury, while Charles Dickens spent plenty of time in the town, having been fond of the Lion Hotel and performing his one-man shows at Shrewsbury’s Music Hall.
 
Footballers who have plied their trade for both clubs, either as footballer or as manager, include Richie Barker, Glynn Hurst, Lee Canoville, Luke Rodgers and Mark Stallard.
Notts will have Kwesi Appiah available for tomorrow's League One clash at Meadow Lane after the striker extended his loan from Crystal Palace until the 22nd of March.
Mustapha Dumbuya is back in training after a thigh injury, but Dean Leacock and Callum Ball remain sidelined.
Shrewsbury's Tom Bradshaw misses the first game of what could be several weeks out with a knee injury.
Joe Jacobson will assessed before kick-off, as will Luke Summerfield and Aaron Wildig.
Chris

Can We Do It Again?

By Chris, in Media,

Pride of Nottingham is undergoing the task of comparing the last time Notts County were in a similar position as we find ourselves now. The last time Notts found themselves to be in the bottom half of the table in this league was back in the 2010/2011 season.

The majority seem to share similar views to myself that we can avoid the drop but no doubt Derry/Abbott have a task on their hands. Yet until the maths are virtually impossible, we should try to remain optimistic about surviving. We can get behind the squad, even when games are difficult and this might impact the game more than some might realize.
 
Back on 19/02/2011 Notts County found themselves in the 18th position. This was the year we first returned to League One and perhaps underwent our progression a little too quickly, as the squad who helped us gain promotion from winning the League Two title was sadly dismantled.
By the start of March Notts were a position higher, with 4 to 6 games in hand of the teams beneath. However, only Tranmere Rovers could move a place ahead if they won and Notts lost their upcoming game against Leyton Orient. Yeovil Town couldn't move ahead due to -15 goal difference, so things were vastly different than what we see today.
Notts slipped to 19th by the start of April, after we lost 3-0 to Huddersfield Town away from home. Dagenham & Redbridge who would go on to be relegated after finishing 21st, had played one game more than Notts at 37 and the difference in points was only 1.
 
Right now on the 19/02/2014 things are very different, we sit 21st ourselves with 30 points and various teams above and beneath have games in hand.
The final game of the season was at home to Brighton, which we drew 1-1.
By the end of the 2010/2011 season Notts had avoided relegation by finishing 19th. Walsall finished 20th 2 points beneath Notts who stood on 50.
 
The teams relegated were Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon town.
Dagenham & Redbridge –P 46 - 47pts
Bristol Rovers –P 46 - 45pts
Plymouth Argyle –P 46 - 42pts
Swindon –P 46 – 41pts
 
Interesting is the amount of games played compared to the final total of points. On the 12/03/2011 Notts had 42 points compared to our current 30 points.
One of our contributing factors to the current season 8 out of 14 home games, however we can't rely on solely winning at home. We must start picking up wins and draws, if Derry can motivate the players further and avoid the drop he would have achieved no doubt what some fans would've felt impossible.
I have every faith personally that we can avoid the drop.
Chris

The Match Officials

By Chris, in News,

Shrewsbury Town started the 2013/14 campaign quite well, as a side which has struggled in the past few seasons. Their fans will no doubt have thought things might have turned a corner, however there is one thing to be said. They know how to scrap and fight for their League One status! In their past six games, they've only managed to pick up two points. Brentford 1-1 at their home, whilst they drawn away to Port Vale 0-0. Notts come into the game having lost to promotion chasing Wolves, however we have picked up six points from our last six games. We now take a look at the match officials! On Saturday the match officials at Meadow Lane will be referee Sebastian Stockbridge, with his two assistants Christopher Kavanagh and Ben Toner. The fourth official is Andy Newbold.
 
Match Officials;
 
Referee; Sebastian Stockbridge has taken control of fifteen league games, he's been the referee in two F.A Cup games and one JPT tie. During these games he's issued a total of 66 yellow cards, whilst he's only sent off four players. The majority of games have been League Two standard, a total of 8 games. He's featured six times in League One and once in the Championship.
Interesting Fact – Sebastian Stockbridge actually officiated our game against Tranmere Rovers back in September 2013, in which we won 2-0. Goals coming from Joss Labadie 7th minute mark and Marcus Haber 79th minute.
 
Assistant Referees; Christopher Kavanagh has been the 1st assistant a total of four times, he's been the 2nd assistant once and the fourth official twice. He has however spent the majority of time officiating lower league games, where he once issues 8 yellow cards and 1 red all within the same game.
Ben Toner was the 1st assistant once, he's been the 2nd assistant three times and the fourth official once. Like Christopher Kavanagh, Ben Toner has been the referee in a number of lower league games. He's issued 25 yellow cards in 5 games in the conference.
Interesting Fact – In 15 conference games and 1 F.A Cup tie, Christopher Kavanagh has issued a total of 51 yellow cards. He has only issued 6 red cards – Compared to Ben Toner's 16 conference games and 1 F.A Cup Tie, 42 Yellows and 3 red cards.
 
The Fourth Official; Andy Newbold has been the fourth official twice so far in this season, he's been the 1st official three times and the 2nd official 5 times. He's officiated four times within League One, three times within the Championship and twice in League Two.
Interesting Fact – Back in 2009, Andy Newbold was an assistant in a famous Premiership encounter. No, this wasn't a local derby between either Liverpool, Manchester or London big occasions. This was a simple tie between Sunderland vs Liverpool, so why was this exactly a famous encounter? You might recall if you watch the attached video below.
 
[center]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5O8ch-rSFY
The beach ball goal of 2009! Despite the calls for rematch, it was decided the result was final. Let this be a warning to anyone considering having a bit of harmless fun by throwing items onto the pitch, it might just backfire!
 
Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread
Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.
Joe Jones
Well, it was always going to be a difficult game, away at a team that was plying its trade in the Premier League two years ago, but one can't help but feel a little deflated after today's display, as Notts County came crashing to a 2-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers, thanks to a brace from midfielder Michael Jacobs, whose goals came either side of half time.

Shaun Derry named an unchanged starting line-up following the 3-0 victory against Coventry City last week, with the only change coming on the bench, as youngster Ronan Murray, back from suspension, came in place of Curtis Thompson.
Wolves had the better of a scrappy opening period, and their first attempt on goal came in the 12th minute as Nouha Dicko cut in from the right and curled a left-footed shot just off target. The same player came close again two minutes later after some good build-up play.
On the quarter-hour mark, however, Bakary Sako was able to pick out Scott Golbourne on the overlap and the left-back’s cross was nodded home at close range by the unmarked Jacobs.
Wolves continued to dominate after their opener, Sako’s powerful effort from a tight angle having to be turned around the post by Bartosz Bialkowski.
County nearly pulled one back midway through the first half, as James Spencer picked out Callum McGregor in the box with a fine ball, but the County youngster poked his shot just wide.
Wolves were soon back on the attack as Sako’s powerful shot was parried by Bart, Alan Sheehan having to make a frantic clearance from the rebound.
The Molineux outfit were 2-0 up just before the hour, as Richard Stearman strode forward into the final third and squared a ball for Jacobs. The 22-year-old proceeded to bend home a 25-yard shot that squirmed past Bart.
It could easily have been 3-0 moments later when Jacobs’ through-ball sent James Henry racing clear but the Polish shot-stopper made a smart save in a one-on-one.
The home side kept threatening and consolidating their dominance throughout the rest of the game, but with 11 minutes of the game left, Notts missed a great chance to pull a goal back when Jack Grealish headed over from Jamal Campbell-Ryce’s cross.
The Magpies are now back in the relegation zone.
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.

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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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