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Chris
Peterborough United come into this game having not lost in the league or cup, they enjoyed a narrow but exciting one nil win over Swindon Town on the 3rd of this month. They also beat Colchester United five goals to one in the Capital One Cup, which indicates the level of opposition we are up against here at Meadow Lane on this very Saturday.

Pride of Nottingham is again delighted to bring you the views of a Posh fan, we hope that you enjoy this feature and of course have a look around out site after. We're very keen to provide a good reliable source of content to fellow Notts fans, so please bookmark us! Come One You Pies!!

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

Firstly I'm Aaron Shelton born in Peterborough, grew up in london so get some funny looks when I say I'm a posh fan but I support where I come from, luckily back living in Boro now, been going to games last 5/6 years on a regular basis, last 3 years home and away.

Can you please tell us about your pre-season, such as how you feel it went and are you happy with the signings you've made?

Pre season has been good for the posh, went on a tour of Ireland, draw 1-1 with shelbourne, then another draw 2-2 with UCD. Beat QPR 1-0 with a late winner which surprised many of our fans, we then suffered a shock defeat against Mansfield losing 4-2, credit to Mansfield there goals were screamers, the posh then bounced back Beating our biggest rivals Northampton with a 1-0 win. We also draw 1-1 to Watford but then lost 1-0 to hull at London road but that was another belter. Overall I am very happy with the signings, we signed jack Payne from gillingham who was on loan with us last season, great central midfielder works very hard and not afraid to put a challenge in, we also signed Britt assabalonga for a club record fee from Watford, he has impressed all at London road in his opening games, by scoring on his debut vs Swindon, very powerful quick and excellent work rate only problem is we're not sure how to say his name. We've also signed a promising young goal keeper from the states who is certainly one for the future.

It's quite rare in football that you see a manager return to a former club and remain successful, what do you make of Darren Ferguson’s return and do you think he can continue to be successful at Peterborough?

We all love fergie, he got us 2 straight promotions when just a few years before we were fighting to even stay in the football league, he deserves all the credit he gets, was tough for us to loose him but let's face it he went to a bigger club with more money would of been daft to stay with us, he then came back and gave us that extra boost for promotion back to the championship, I hope he sees out his contract and goes on to extend it, he can certainly give us a chance of one day just make reaching the prem.

Your teams widely known for being creative and a real attacking threat, on Saturday you narrowly won Swindon and on Tuesday you hammered Colchester away in the Capital One Cup. Can you give me your thoughts on these two games?

We are one of the most entertaining sides in the world, sounds big headed but just look at the amount of goals we score. Swindon at home was a very close game but we looked very comfortable all game, Colchester the first 50 minutes were tough we didn't play how we all know we can, then suddenly the one touch football came in the touches and skills of lee Tomlin and Daniel kearns really came into play, controlled the game, 2 great goals from lee Tomlin, big Tyrone Barnett scored a header, fan favourites tommy Rowe and zakuani also got on the score sheet.Tomlin, nlthe, Alcock, kearns and tommy Rowe all had stand out games but in fairness every player had an excellent game.

Coming into the game, Notts have a slight issue at the back with one centre back being injured and two others being suspended. How do you feel the game will go?

The suspensions for notts county will really help posh, a weakened defence for county will surely mean goals for posh and if we play the way we can we could run riot, but all depends if the players turn up in the right frame of mind. I believe will be a 3-1 win for posh but can't count county out they will always be a threat.

Which game(s) are you most looking forward to this season and why?

The first fixture I looks for was wolves away because they will most likely be a big contender to win the league, mk dons I think every posh fan looks for because we have a little rivalry with them. County was also a stand out for me because Nottingham is good day out.

Can you tell us who you see going up this season?

All honestly I believe posh will go up, hopefully as champions, wolves or Bristol city could also in my opinion but I think Rotherham could surprise a few in the play offs.

How much would it mean to you and Peterborough fans especially to become established in the Championship and how far do you feel you are from this?

Would mean a hell of a lot to get back in the championship especially due to the way we went down, we were robbed by a bad decision and a late Kevin Phillips goal. I believe all we need is maybe one more star player, whether it be in defence or just a proven goal scorer and we could easily make ourselves an established championship team, but the real hold back for us is our support in the city, we have a large city but not enough fans of the posh, most support the likes of Manchester United, arsenal and Chelsea.

Who are your main treats to Notts County on Saturday, can you single any players out?

Lee Tomlin and assabalonga is a certain threat against notts county, Daniel kearns has also really impressed of late. Rowe/McCann/bostwick are also a threat due to there creative play, McCann and bostwick certainly know how to hit a ball.

Which players would you have marked tightly and who do you consider to be a threat to Peterborough?

Not to threatened by any particular players from county but Showumni scored a belter vs Sheffield united so will need to look out for him.

What formation and team would you start with and why?

4-4-2 seems like the formation. We're playing as of late, I would stick with exactly the same squad as against Colchester;Olejnik, ntlhe, zakuani, bostwick, alcock, McCann, kearns, rowe, tomlin, assombalonga, barnett. Payne and Swanson could also be played. Guaranteed goals on Saturday.

Please tell us what your thoughts are of Nottingham and how many times have you visited Meadow Lane?

I've never actually been to meadow lane before will be my first time on Saturday, however I went to first last season and was a great day out, plenty of things to do plenty of pubs and a great atmosphere from the locals, always nice to see the statue of Brian Clough in the centre as well.

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Arron for taking the time to answer our questions, we wish him all the very best.
weymouthPIE

We've Met Before...

By weymouthPIE, in News,

This Saturday will see the 43rd meeting between Notts County & Peterborough United, and the first for two seasons following Peterborough United's dramatic relegation with virtually the last kick on the final day of last season. Of the previous 42 meetings, Notts have won 12 times with Posh winning 17 times, while 13 draws have been played out. Notts have scored 46 goals against Posh, while they have netted 54 against us. It's relatively even really. The first ever meeting between the two clubs took place on 7th September 1961, in a Division Three match at Meadow Lane. Notts were then managed by Frank Hill, and the entertaining game ended honours even.

Goals from Tony Hateley and Bert Loxley were cancelled out by a double from legendary Peterborough striker Terry Bly. Notts first ever visit to London Road came on the final day of that same season. Frank hill had been sacked in October and replaced by Tim Coleman. Peterborough won the game 2-0 to secure a 5th place finish, while Notts ended up 13th.

The following season, the Magpies achieved their first ever win over Peterborough with a 2-0 win on 8th December thanks to goals from Tony Hateley and D Edwards. The reverse fixture ended 0-0. The two sides also met in the FA Cup 1st round that season, Posh winning 3-0.

The 1962-63 season saw the clubs have remarkably similar seasons. Peterborough finished 6th, Notts 7th. We both finished on 51 points, and Notts conceeded just one goal less than Peterborough.

The following season however was not so similar. While Posh finished 10th in Division Three, Notts finished rock bottom. The season included a 5-1 drubbing for Notts at London Road in September, which remains Peterborough's biggest win over Notts.

Terry Bly, who had scored twice for United in the two clubs first ever meeting had been a goal scoring sensation at Peterborough, scoring an amazing 81 goals in 88 appearances for the club between 1960 and 1962. He then netted 25 goals for Coventry during the 63-64 campaign before Eddie Lowe brought him to Meadow Lane. Unfortunatly, he failed to find his form for Notts, scoring just 4 goals that season. Something about Notts and miss-firing strikers!

By the 1970-71 season both sides were playing in Division Four, but this would prove a memorable season for County. The Magpies won the league under Jimmy Sirrel, and their biggest victory of the season came at home to Peterborough on 30th January. Goals from Don Masson, Les Bradd, David Needham, and a hat-trick from Tony Hateley helped Notts to a 6-0 win, which remains our biggest ever win over Posh.

Notts would end the season on 69 points (2 points for a win back then), 9 clear of second placed Bournemouth.

It would be another 21 years before the two sides met again in the league, although we did meet three times in the 80s in cup competitions.

On 24th January 1980, Divison Four Peterborough knocked Division One Notts out of the FA Cup 4th round with a 1-0 win at Meadow Lane. They would lose 1-0 at home to Manchester City in round 5, and City went on to play Spurs in the final where, after a 1-1 draw, they lost the replay 3-2.

The two met in the Football League Trophy the following season, Peterborough winning 3-1; and they met again in the same competition in 1989, where goals from Gary Lund and Mark Draper secured a 2-2 draw at Meadow Lane.

The two met in the league for the first time since 1971 in a Division One (Championship) game in 1992 - Posh winning 3-1. Since then the two clubs have played eachother in the league on a fairly regular basis, as both clubs have been up and down the football league over the years.

On Good Friday 2001, the two sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in a Division Two game at Meadow Lane. Notts' goals that day came from Danny Allsopp (penalty), Kevin Nicholson, and Mark Stallard.

In 2003, Notts were hammered 5-2 at London Road on their way to relegation, Paul Riley getting both County goals.

Another game of note took place on 18th February 2006. Posh's 2-1 victory over Gudjon Thurdarson's Magpies may not be the most memorable of matches, but it was the first match in a TV documentary "Big Ron Manager". It involved Barry Fry bringing Ron Atkinson into the club as a "football trouble shooter", and he was tasked with helping the club out in any capacity he could; be it organising fund raising events, scouting pottential new signings, or helping the manager.

Unfortunatly, it all ended with Peterborough manager Steve Bleasdale resigning in front of the players and cameras just hours before a game at home to Macclesfield.

Atkinson & Fry took charge of the team for the final three games but the club missed out on their target of reaching the play-offs. It was certainly an entertaining programme, although I wonder how the Peterborough supporters felt about it!

The last two meetings between the two sides took place in the 2010-11 season. The first match was a fiesty affair at London Road on 28th September. Ben Davies fired Notts into a 2-0 lead but Gabriel Zakuani pulled one back. Craig Westcarr restored the two goal cushion on the stroke of half time, but Craig Mackail-Smith's goal on the hour mark made it a nervy final half hour for Notts, made worse with the sending off of Ricky Ravenhill. Notts held on for a 3-2 win, and inflicted on Peterborough their first home defeat of the season. Sadly though the match was marred by a mass brawl between both sets of players and both benches at full time, which resulted in both clubs being fined.

The return fixture at Meadow Lane was slightly less memorable. Posh won 1-0 thanks to a wonder goal from Charlie Lee early in the second half, and Posh went on to win promotion with a 3-0 win over Huddersfield in the play-off final.

That was the last time the two sides met, and the visitors will be hoping for a similar outcome come the end of this season with promotion back to the Championship their main aim.

There's been plenty of history and some great games between the clubs over the years. Let's hope this Saturday's match lives up to it and Notts get their first points of the season.

Hope you enjoyed this article. If enough people like it I'm hoping to do something similar for every game.

COYP!
Joe Jones
Notts County made it to the second round of the League Cup for the first time in three years with a nervy 3-2 win against Fleetwood Town. The Lancashire side took the lead and were on top in the first 25 minutes, but the Magpies equalised with a superb Enoch Showunmi header. They added two more superb goals in the second half, but David Ball's last-minute goal made for a tense finish. Another sour point was the sending off of Manny Smith, who will now miss the Peterborough game. Chris Kiwomya began the game with a 4-4-2 formation, Smith replacing the suspended Gary Liddle, and Greg Tempest and debutant Callum McGregor also in the starting eleven.

Notts enjoyed a bright start, winning a corner within the first two minutes, and just four minutes later, nearly scored, but for an awkward bounce taking the ball too far away from Enoch Showunmi.

At the other end, Tempest bravely blocked a goalbound shot, before bombing down at the other end and forcing another corner, courtesy of a deflected cross. Two corners in the first seven minutes were promising signs, and attempts from Danny Haynes and Showunmi in the following few minutes further emphasised Notts' intent to win this game.

One of the main talking points about this game was the return of ex-Notts midfielder Hughes to Meadow Lane, and he made his presence felt with a good one-two before heading towards the box, but Smith charged him down.

Sadly, Notts' early pressure couldn't stop Fleetwood from drawing first blood. On sixteen minutes, Gareth Evans coolly and skilfully chipped the ball over Bartosz Bialkowski after beating Smith.

Notts, for the second time in two games deflated after quarter of an hour, pushed on for an equaliser, Joss Labadie's ambitious free-kick sailing over the bar, but the visitors piled on the pressure for a good ten minutes as they had their eyes on consolidating their lead.

Much like a pendulum, however, the momentum then suddenly swung Notts County's way. On 25 minutes, Haynes headed wide after Showunmi's flick from Mustapha Dumbuya's throw. Just two minutes later, the provider then attempted a header of his own. Again, wide. However, the third headed chance in quick succession finally yielded that crucial equaliser for Notts, as new kid McGregor's brilliant ball was stunningly converted by Showunmi.

The provider and scorer combined again to great effect as, on 33 minutes, the Celtic loanee's pass to Showunmi was crossed into the Fleetwood half and very nearly led to an own goal, courtesy of Mark Roberts.

Just a minute later, the same man very nearly succeeded in lobbing the Fleetwood keeper, much to the surprise of Notts fans who hadn't been used to this much confidence and pomp from the Nigerian international in the previous season. He even showed off some showboating skills!

Soon after, Haynes managed to steal some of Showunmi's thunder by powering in a second goal, a classic poacher's goal and his first for the Magpies, after Mark Fotheringham's cross and Labadie's post-rebounding effort.

Fleetwood threatened first in the second half, Antoni Sarcevic's shot going wide of the left-hand post, but Notts countered with the excellent Tempest nearly combining with Labadie for a potential chance.

The pendulum would swing towards Fleetwood again, a half chance coming on 52 minutes, before Bart's great save from a Matty Blair shot just a few minutes later, going down low to thwart the opposition player.

On 56 minutes, an unfair challenge by Smith on Sarcevic led to his booking, the second Magpies yellow of the game (first came to Labadie for a tackle on the old boy in the first half) but his free kick was blocked and cleared.

Notts eventually got a third to ease pressure on the Magpies players and fans, the superb debutant McGregor curling a fantastic left-footed effort into the net. One assist and one goal for the Celtic loanee, you can't ask for much more on your debut!

The final ten minutes were nerve-wracking for Notts, however. Smith's challenge on David Ball was deemed worthy of a second yellow by the referee, and so Liddle's replacement walked. A second Notts defender to be sent off in the space of two games.

In the 88th minute, the comfortable 3-1 scoreline was suddenly made a lot more precarious by David Ball's right-footed shot from inside the box, which pierced the Notts net. 3-2 with injury time beckoning.

Fleetwood, invigorated by the goal and sensing an opportunity to equalise against a Notts side now increasingly beset by nerves, pushed on, and very nearly scored on a number of occasions, but Bart, showing how indispensable he is to the club, came out on top, saving from Ryan Crowther's dead-cert shot. Tempest and Dean Leacock also contributed with great clearances and blocks, before, to the delight of the Notts fans, the final whistle blew, and Notts County were in the second round of the League Cup for the first time in three years!
Chris
Pride of Nottingham's delighted that we was able to bring this feature for the Capital One Cup clash against Fleetwood Town. Below you will be able to read questions aimed to learn more about our opposition and we cannot thank Liam enough for stepping in at the very last minute to save us from missing this feature. It's always good when you can see football coming together, so this makes an excellent addition to our growing opposition views. Pride of Nottingham hopes you find this interesting! Please keep tuned for our next one which will be against Peterborough United.

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

I've been a fan of Fleetwood since the appointment of Tony Greenwood back in 2003, but on a just follow basis, but a regular since there inclusion of the northern premier back in 2007 (I think, memory has gone). I work at sea as an Merchant Navy officer so can only go when I'm on leave, but I am a season ticket holder with my brother, I'm a local lad so have grown up around the town, I'm 26, even though my good looks say differently, he he.

What are you expecting from the season this year, both in the cup(s) and league?

League wise, I'd say minimum play offs with the signings we've had, and traditional our Chairman doesn't like to stay in the same league longer than 2 years, we've always gained promotion in the second year of the league, so big fingers crossed!!

Cup, don't really know this year as a cup run is always nice but personal I'd prefer to concentrate on the league and do the graft there, but the cup does have something about it and it could/does bring big clubs to the lower league clubs (Bradford last year is a great example)

Can you tell us about some of your squads newest additions?

Great summer signings and as always the chairman does like to do business early so new team members can settle into the squad. I think bringing in the skipper Mark Robberts is brilliant, pure leader on the pitch, Ryan Cresswell is a brilliant centre half, both like to get on the team sheet scoring wise, but personally I think Antonio Sarcevic is the one to look out for in our league.

How do you see the game going and what formation do you see Graham Alexander starting with?

I'd like to say we'd stuff you but I don't think we will, although we did give Preston a good hiding in pre-season. Formation, a solid back of 4, 4, 2, but our wingers pushing forward creating space on the wings and giving Matt the need space to work his magic, hopefully.

What did you make of Jeff Hughes performance against Dagenham and Redbridge?

Unfortunately I was away for the opener of preseason but from all reports Town played with the passion and desire they were lacking at parts of last season, a massive plus for the fans to see.

Can you tell us about your highest and lowest point whilst supporting Fleetwood Town?

Highest has to be the opening game in the football league, what an achievement from where as a club we have come from, also the local derby against Blackpool in the FA cup, although we got battered by them, it was a brilliant run just to get to play them and the rivalry/banter was brilliant.

Lowest for me was the play offs against wimbledon to get out of the Conference, the less said the better, we played really poor, but we bounced back next season and were the champions.

If you could sign any player from the Football League realistically speaking, who would you choose and why?

A lot of Fleetwood fans would agree that we would love to have Jamie Vardy back, we sold him to Leicester for a record £1million, and he was brilliant, he just knew where the goal was, would be amazing to have him back in the squad we have currently, we missed him when he went.

What would say is the most important thing about supporting a football team?

You've got to follow your team through thick and thin, Town is a very involved community club (I think we are the smallest by population in the entire league) so you sort of know everyone, but it's great to be part of what's going on here. Every club has its moaners but that's life I suppose.

Who do you see as being a threat to Fleetwood Town, are there any Notts County players you feel should be tightly marked?

Gary Liddle is a big lad and know doubt could cause us some problems on corners etc. I remember Ryce scoring a few goals for you last season but i may be wrong, to be honest you play at a higher level than us and it will be a good test to see if we can compete against a team such as yourselves as we are trying to gain promote to play in your league.

Please tell us a bit about the players who you would consider to be your danger men?

As said above Antonio Sarcevic is a threat, young talented lad and work rate is really good. If he's back fit, you'll have to watch out for the beast that is Jon Parking, just his pure size is an amazement, he he.

What's your thoughts on Notts County's shirts this season? Both shirts have received some split decision comments from fans of the footballing world.

It's very barcode like, but at the end of the days your going to wear it and if your a fan, with pride. The pink shirt, ha ha, brilliant, real men wear pink, so I'm told!!

We've had a new kit sponsor this season and our home kit is really nice but the away one, a lot has to be desired.

Have you ever visited Meadow Lane before?

Unfortunate not but its on my list, may be next year!!

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Liam for taking the time to answer our questions, we also wish them the very best with their campaign this season - as they push for promotion.
Chris

International Midfielder?

By Chris, in News,

After our interview with Mr Trew, interestingly it splurged some healthy and open discussion as to regards a comment made by our chairman. “We do have 2 more targets in our sights – 1 being a midfielder who is an International and the other is a striker” The striker hinted at was Adam Coombes, a player who we featured not that long ago and is a player highly regarded by Chelsea fans. The international player, well it left room for debate but after several reports in the local media, Notts are being linked with Jackson Irvine a young player from Celtic on loan. Pride of Nottingham have taken the time to write a little about Irvine and collect some views on him!

Jackson Irvine was born and raised in Melbourne Australia on the 7th of March 1993, he had brief spells with clubs in the Victoria League but he signed for Celtic after a successful trial period in December 2010.

He featured for the Scottish U19's making three appearances but eventually switched to his home country where he progressed into Austrilia's U20's team. He's made a total of 12 appearance for the Socceroos so far.

The loan deal is expected to be agreed shortly, with Jackson Irvine expected to feature for Notts shortly after.

Although no actual league experience is attached to his name, he can come to us and make a name for himself. If he settles and takes his chance, we might continue to hear much more from him in the future and so it seems on paper like a very good move for both Notts and Irvine himself.

Pride of Nottingham's managed to speak with two Celtic fans with regards to what type of player Jackson Irvine is and how they feel about such a move for their youngster and of course for a club like ourselves.

Dazzabhoy88 said “he is a very good young player and going to a good league 1 team like Notts county, It would be a good move for him! Decent standard and playing against some good sides can only be good! The only criticism I can give notts county is that they let that big fa**y Davie Weir get his first league win lol....although I heard you guys had ten men so ill not be too hard on you guys”

Kennys Dugleash said “Jackson has a lot of potential and although our pre season in Germany never went the way we wanted in terms of results several of our Academy/Development players more than matched the opposition.

Irvine would be one of those and I think if this transpires you will have acquired the services of a very competent and technically sound defender.

He can also play in midfield so has a bit more to his game than just blocking shots ,heading and tackling.

I always hope our youngsters if they are to be farmed out on loan for experience go to decent Clubs and your Club certainly falls into that category.

He is not so far off the first team at Celtic and I gather there may be interest in Both Kelvin Wilson from Forest (revised bid) and interest in Efe Ambrose from down South so if either or both go I would be surprised if Jackson was allowed to leave myself?

If it happens then I don't think you boys will be disappointed in him.”

With comments like these it seems even more likely to be an impressive short term signing, we have actually a fantastic response from Celtic fans and we're unable to share all the glowing comments but I can add that none are negative. You Pies!

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank both Celtic fans for taking the time to talk to us, which ultimately allowed us to go ahead with this feature.
UniPie
Jeff Hughes returns to Meadow Lane tomorrow evening no more than two months since he departed to the League Two outfit. Having scored on Saturday, the wide man looks to have settled in and there’s a sense that he could well be on the score sheet again tomorrow. Without dipping into the various opinions that have tried to interpret the form of Friday night’s performance against Sheffield United, it is hard to know what Kiwomya will do with the Notts side. It is most likely that the squad will be rotated considering pre-season feels as if it has hardly finished.

Without Gary Liddle at the heart of defence, an opportunity could well show itself to Manny Smith who could possibly rate as the most unlucky of Notts’ playing staff. Having not been able to get a game for love nor money, he could finally have a chance to stake his claim to the centre half position.

At the top end of the Notts squad, it’s likely that Enoch Showunmi could start after his beautiful strike against United. Who partners him is also wide open with Arquin and Haynes having both been unable to really feature in the United match. Adam Coombes could make his debut; it mostly depends on how seriously Kiwomya would like to take this fixture.

Notts are currently priced around 6/5 for the win with Fleetwood just a shade over 5/2. The draw is priced around 3/1 and again I envisage a low scoring game with Notts really needing to display some creativity and ability in passing forward and creating goal scoring chances.

It is most certainly not going to be the game of the season; perhaps the best outcome tomorrow is a good Notts performance including some of the newer and younger players. A lot of Notts’ ambitions rest on the players performing consistently and being better in attack than they were last season.

You Pies.
By James Constantine
super_ram

How It Came Together

By super_ram, in Media,

In this article I will try and show how football developed, slowly at first then suddenly took off in the second half of the 19th century as all the right conditions gradually came together and brought with it footballs first superstar. (Who could that be?) The first part shows how inventions and discoveries changed the lives of people living in the United Kingdom. The second part shows a timeline of events in footballs evolution. As before there are links to the previous articles for anyone who may have missed them or wishes to read again. I hope readers will bear with me as I recap a little and add more, hopefully interesting information in a chronological order.

Part 1 was about the formation of Notts County. Parts 2, 3 and 4 concentrated on, amongst other things, the formation of The Football Association, F.A. Cup, The Football League and professionalism.

So, 150 years ago on 15/1/1863 The Football Association was formed but it took events in the previous 100 years or so to make this possible.

Until the middle of the 18th century life in the UK had hardly changed for centuries.

The UK was a mainly rural society with most of the population working the land or from their homes and hardly venturing far from their villages, but with increasingly efficient methods of harnessing the power of water, factories and mills were built utilising this energy.

This was an age of invention and discovery with advances and improvements being made in all walks of life

The invention and further improvements of the steam engine accelerated the spread of mass organised production in factories and mills. These mills spread quickly where there was a ready supply of water, attracting workers and resulting in a migration of the population and thereby increasing the local population.

Improvements in agriculture increased the supply of food. Medical advances and better medical care reduced the infant mortality rate and raised life expectancy causing a rapid growth in the population.

Coal now became important as a means of heating the water for the steam engines and in the iron foundries and replaced wood as the UK's choice of fuel and luckily there was a plentiful supply of coal in many areas of the UK. This also helped create new communities and enlarge others, where coal mines flourished.

Now a new problem became apparent. How to transport all the raw material to the factories and mills, and then the distribution of the finished goods for export or around the UK.

The transport of large amounts of heavy material by road was slow and costly but the entrepreneurs during the industrial revolution came up with the idea of building canals to add to the river transport already in existence. One horse could haul a barge carrying much more cargo by canal than could be transported via road.

By 1830 a network of canals had been built in the UK in excess of 4000 miles.

Turnpike(toll roads) trusts were also set up to repair, maintain and sometimes build new roads to further aid the transport of materials and people.

The development of machine tools made better and more accurate mechanisation possible especially with the improvements made in the manufacture of iron and steel.

Another advance was the introduction of gas lighting. This was first used in London in 1807 and slowly spread throughout the UK reaching Nottingham in 1819. Now streets and interiors could be lit on a greater scale allowing factories and stores to operate longer and allowing nightlife to flourish.

In 1831 Nottingham became the first place in the world to have a high pressures mains water supply.

The Railway was one of the most important developments during the industrial revolution and was a great improvement on its predecessor - The wagonway.

Wagonways were carts drawn on track by horses. The earliest known wagonway was the Strelley - Wollaton line built in 1604 to transport coal from the Strelley mine to Wollaton where the coal was then moved by road to the River Trent for transportation down stream by barge.

The first public steam railway was built by George Stephenson and ran from Stockton to Darlington in the north east and opened in 1825.

The worlds first intercity link was the Liverpool to Manchester line opened in 1830.

Nottingham was linked by rail to Derby in 1839 and to Leicester the following year 1840

In 1830 there were only 98 miles of railways but by 1860 there were 10,000 miles and still expanding.

The new transportation now available also helped the rapid spread of ideas.

Between the early/mid 1700's and 1850 the UK population had risen from about 5,750,000 to nearly 17,000,000 (Liverpool from about 20,000 to about 376,000 and Nottingham from about 10,000 to about 58,000 (though this was only the central area and did not include much of what is now the City of Nottingham).

So now we can at last trace how football evolved from mob football to Soccer.

18th Century and before - Mob football - played on public holidays, with no rules and almost anything allowed short of murder.

Ball games played in public schools with varying rules.

1830 - Invention of lawnmowers - making the preparation of playing surfaces much easier.

1836 - Charles Goodyear patents vulcanised rubber and in 1855 produces a football.

1842 - First reference of a referee in a game in Rochdale

1845 - First time a referee is used in a public school match - at Eton College

1846 - Time limit for length of a match used in Lancashire games

1848 - Cambridge rules formulated in an attempt to unify the laws and enable inter-school games.

They included goal kicks, throw ins, forward passing and outlawed running while carrying the ball.

These laws were revised in 1856.

1849 - First reference of 3 officials in a match, at Cheltenham.

1850 - The 1850 Factory act - Gives workers free Saturday afternoons.

1857 - Sheffield FC formed - The worlds oldest club playing association football.

Sheffield rules formulated with free kicks, throw ins and a cross bar (previously a tape) across the goal posts and no off side.

1862 - Notts County formed - The worlds oldest league club playing Association football.

1863 - The Football Association formed and rules formulated. Playing area and goal size determined.

1865 - Nottingham Forest FC formed.

1866 - The offside rule introduced by the FA.

FA representative side play Sheffield FC using FA rules.

1867 - The Youdan Cup, the worlds first football tournament is played in Sheffield between 12

Sheffield Clubs with the final being played at Bramall Lane.

Sheffield FA introduce the corner kick.

Late 1860's - Passing strategies evolving.

1869 - Further amendment of FA rules with handling of ball being excluded except for throw ins.

1870 - First appearance of goalkeepers and teams set at 11 a side.

England draw 1-1 with a Scottish eleven at The Oval, though this is not recognised by FIFA as an official international as the Scottish team was made up mostly of Scots playing in England and was organised by the FA.

1871 - The FA Challenge Cup, the worlds oldest surviving knockout competition is established.

1872 - The Wanderers beat The Royal Engineers 1-0 in the first FA Cup Final.

England draw 1-1 with Scotland becoming the first FIFA recognised international match

The FA adopts the the Sheffield rule for corner kicks.

1873 - Goalkeeper restricted to handling the ball the in his own half of the pitch.

The Scottish FA formed.

The offside rule amended to now apply when the ball is passed not as before when received.

1874 - Referees given authority to send a player off for certain offences.

Shin guards(Shin Pads) invented by Samuel Weller Widdowson who played cricket for Nottinghamshire and football for Nottingham Forest. He cut down a pair of cricket pads and tied them inside his socks. He went on to become a referee and officiated the first match where goal nets were used and became chairman of Nottingham Forest - 1879-1884.

1875 - Goal crossbars first used.

1876 - Sheffield FA organises its own challenge cup. The final was watched by 8000 spectators - twice as many as the FA Cup Final of the same year.

1877 - FA adopt Sheffield FA throw in rule - The ball can now be thrown in any direction as opposed to a line out type throw as previously used.

Match duration now set at 90 minutes.

1878 - Experimental use of electric floodlights in a match at Bramall Lane.

Penalty kick first suggested by Sheffield FA but rejected.

Referees begin using whistle.

1880 - First official use of shin guards.

1882 - The 4 UK National Football Associations(England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) meet to discuss unification of laws.

Two handed throw in introduced.

1883 - Accrington expelled from football association for paying players.

The International Football Association Board is formed at a meeting in Manchester by the 4 UK national associations.

Goal crossbar height set at 8 feet from the ground.

1884 - Preston North End given a 1 year suspension by The FA for paying players.

Rules are introduced by the FA in an attempt to prevent players being paid.

Northern clubs in favour of professionalism form The British Football Association in direct opposition to the FA.

The British Home Championship (The home internationals) is established between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales with Scotland winning.

Derby County FC formed.

1885 - on 20th July The FA give in to pressure and legalise professionalism. (BFA now redundant)

1888 - The Football League formed.

Founder members - Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Combination football league formed in competition with The Football league comprising 20 teams but due to poor organisation was wound up in April 1889.

1889 - The Football Alliance formed with 12 clubs, the same number as the Football League, and covering roughly the same area comprising, Ardwick (Manchester City),Birmingham St. George, Bootle, Burton Swifts(not Albion), Crewe Alexandria, Darwen, Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Long Eaton Rangers, Newton Heath(Manchester United), Nottingham Forest, Small Heath(Birmingham City), Stoke(City), Sunderland Albion(Not Sunderland FC), The Wednesday(Sheffield Wednesday and Walsall Town Swifts (Walsall FC).

1890 - Frank Whitby becomes the first professional playing for a southern team, Luton Town, being paid 2 shillings and sixpence(twelve and a half pence) plus expenses.

Irish FA propose introduction of penalty kick to the IFAB but again it is turned down.

The Combination reforms with Burton Swifts(not Burton Albion), Chester, Denton, Derby St. Lukes, Gorton Villa, Hyde,Leek(not Leek Town), Macclesfield Town, Northwich Victoria, Stafford County, Witton(Not Albion) and Wrexham.

In the Football League Sunderland replace Stoke who are not re-elected.

1891 - The referee moves to on field operation.

Football nets invented by Liverpool engineer John Alexander Brodie. After being trialed in a North v South match at Nottingham Forest's Town Ground they are adopted by the FA.

Assistant referees introduced as linesmen.

On the 14/2 /1891 Notts County were playing Stoke City in a FA cup quarter final tie. Notts were winning 1 - 0 when, with time running out, Notts left back, Jack Hendry, blatantly handled the ball preventing Stoke from scoring. The resulting free kick was easily saved and Notts won the match. This incident helped with the introduction of the penalty kick in the 1891/2 season.

Darwen are admitted to the Football league and Stoke are re-elected.

1892 - Stoke were again the victims of injustice while playing Aston Villa. With seconds remaining Stoke were awarded a Penalty kick but the Villa goalie kicked the ball out of the ground and by the time the ball was retrieved the referee had blown for time. The law regarding penalties was changed later in the season to allow time for penalties to be taken.

Football league expands to 28 clubs and forms a second division with the absorption of Football Alliance teams. Nottingham Forest, The Wednesday (Sheffield Wednesday) and Newton Heath join in the new first division with 16 club Darwen are moved to the new second division which also added, Northwich Victoria, Burslem Port Vale(Port Vale) and Sheffield United bringing the number of teams to 12, with Birmingham St George disbanding.

FA adopt penalty kick.

1893 - Football League 2 increased to 15 with the addition of Liverpool, Middlesbrough Ironopolis (Not Middlesbrouh FC), Newcastle United, Rotherham Town(not United) and Woolwich Arsenal (Arsenal),with Bootle resigning.

1894 - Bury, Leicester Fosse (Leicester City) and Burton Wanderers are admitted to Football League 2 but Northwich Victoria resign and Middlesbrough disband.

Referee given complete control of games.

1895 - Walsall Town Swifts are replaced by Loughborough.

1896 - Burslem Port Vale and Crewe Alexandria are replaced by Blackpool and Gainsborough Trinity.

1897 - Burton Wanderers are replaced by Luton.

Juventus FC formed.

1898 - Automatic promotion and relegation between leagues 1 and 2 introduced replacing test matches.

Football leagues 1 and 2 both now contain 18 clubs after the admission of Barnsley, Burslem Port Valle, Glossop and New Brighton Tower.

So there we are, the 20th century approaching and Football, more or less as we know it, well established and ready to spread around theworld.

All we need now are the players. Coming soon - 'Football's first superstar'

Discuss the Series - Super Rams Articles in the Community.

Previous Article | The Football League
Chris

New boy Coombes

By Chris, in News,

Notts County have confirmed the signing of Adam Coombes, known to many as 'Adam Phillip'. He is a youth/reserve team player who started life out at Chelsea FC. He's still regarded quite highly by the Blues fans and I've managed to speak with a couple regarding our newest signing. Adam Coombes was scouted whilst playing Sunday league football for a local club and was offered a chance to join Chelsea's academy, he ended up making his debut in January 2007 against Norwich City in a game in which he hit the crossbar with a header and throughout looked hard to handle. We've tried to find out what the Blues fans thought of him!

Adam's league experience only spans a months loan at Yeovil Town, where he made 3 appearances. Whilst at Chelsea he encountered some injuries which hampered his progression from reserves to Chelsea's first team.

Although during his tenure at the Blues, he knocked up an impressive youth team scoring record.

He was tipped to follow in the footsteps of other youngsters who had broken into Chelsea's first team, although after an injury, Chelsea cancelled his contract.

I spoke to a Chelsea fan who said “All the times I've seen Phillip (or Coombes as he should be technically called now), has been at youth level, having said that I think he'll make a smooth transition into a first team.

When he was younger he had a very good scoring record, with Frank Nouble who's also in the Football League now. Like you said he's fast, skilful, can play wide (probably wide left) and through the centre, even with his injury problems as he grew older, when he was fit, he still always used to score goals. I remember one game, I thought he had a similar style to Sturridge but opposite sided.

It has been a while since I saw him though, his contract cancellation and injury problems meant he got less and less appearances as he entered his 20s. Real shame about his injury problems, as without them (like Woods, Hutchinson and Pappoe) I think they would be making a much bigger impact on the Chelsea team.“

Quite a glowing report, although this isn't the only kind comments I've received whilst trying to find more about Adam.

Esk Watson (username) said “It was important to get Adam a loan move, whilst at Chelsea. He needed regular football and he is a good goalscorer. Hope he does his stuff there..”

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank both Chelsea fans for helping us with this feature, we wish Adam all the best with getting his career back on track and we look forward to seeing “doing his tuff here”.
Fan of Big Tone
This is our final table - aside from our special guest's. All was written before the first game of the season and this one features our Tony Hateley's prediction. Much like the one's before we see similar teams included in the relegation zone, with the addition of Tranmere Rovers. We also see Leyton Orient included in the play-offs, a surprising gamble for me and one which after today's result seems one likely we will have to watch out for. We here at Pride of Nottingham hope you enjoyed this development and series of features, why not compare the tables? Let us know your thoughts!

1. Wolves
2. Sheff Utd
------------------------------------
3. Peterborough
4. Bristol City
5. Gillingham
6. Leyton Orient
------------------------------------
7. MK Dons
8. Port Vale
9. Crawley
10. Bradford City
11. Notts County
12. Coventry
13. Swindon
14. Walsall
15. Preston NE
16. Crewe Alexandra
17. Brentford
18. Colchester
19. Rotherham
20. Oldham
------------------------------------
21. Shrewsbury
22. Tranmere
23. Carlisle
24. Stevenage

Please keep tuned for our special Guest!

Compare | Notts-Joe - WeymouthPIE - ncfcdrapes - Joe Jones - Super Ram - Special Guest
super_ram
The final league tables are slowly being published, Super Ram's kindly taken part in this. His table see's Bristol City gaining promotion along side Wolverhampton Wanderers, the play-offs are being thought out by some pretty strong contenders. With the likes of Coventry who appear very likely to be docked points - Manage to stay a float. Oldham, Carlisle, Colchester and Stevenage have been tipped for relegation by Super Ram. We have one more table and then hopefully our special guests! Please keep tuned for more news here at Pride of Nottingham - Let us know your thoughts!

1 Bristol City
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
------------------------------------
3 Brentford
4 Peterborough United
5 Swindon Town
6 Notts County
------------------------------------
7 Walsall
8 Sheffield United
9 Leyton Orient
10 Gillingham
11 Bradford City
12 M.K.Dons
13 Tranmere Rovers
14 Crawley Town
15 Preston North End
16 Crewe Alexander
17 Port Vale
18 Rotherham United
19 Shrewsbury
20 Coventry City
------------------------------------
21 Oldham Athletic
22 Carlisle United
23 Colchester United
24 Stevenage

Please keep tuned for more!

Compare | Notts-Joe - WeymouthPIE - ncfcdrapes - Joe Jones - TonyHateley - Special Guest
Chris

Sheff Utd - Action Shots

By Chris, in Media,

Pride of Nottingham is once again delighted to be able to bring you some action shots of yesterdays game, which saw Notts lose 2-1 to Sheffield United away at Bramall Lane. The support was very impressive and great to hear fans vocal throughout. It's just a shame about Gary Liddle being sent off and the final result. We now leave you to view the photos which have kindly been submitted to us, we're very proud to showcase fans talents, so we hope you enjoy the pictures! With many Thanks going to Jurgen Halligan, mobile users please see the link below which will take you to our gallery - You Pies!
Mobile Users please visit | Gallery

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Jurgen Halligan for providing us with these excellent fan action shot.
super_ram
So what does an old codger Rams fan make of Notts County's previous season and prospects for the next one? Well here goes, my honest thoughts on the team who are second in my affections. The 2012/13 season began promisingly enough with Notts even briefly claiming top spot in September and the only real disappointment being the league cup defeat by eventually to be promoted league 2 side Bradford City. Notts season began to fall apart in November with the surprising and shocking news that your legend Lee Hughes was to be allowed to leave and with no replacement.

Then just before Christmas, there was the embarrassing home defeat in the FA cup to Rotherham United, another team to gain promotion from league 2.

Notts home form was now beginning to cause concern and it was only the tremendous record away run that was keeping the team near the top of the division and this came to an end with a 2-1 loss at Leyton Orient.

This defeat was soon followed by the sacking of manager Keith Curle. I don't think this was much of a surprise, his tactics and team selection were being widely criticised by fans and the team in general appeared to have lost purpose and direction.

The appointment of Chris Kiwomya as interim manager, soon to be made permanent, did little to raise the mood of Notts fans and any hopes of a play-off place eventually disappeared.

The poor home record and performances in the winter months saw attendances fall and led to a broadside from chairman Ray Trew who seemed to have become disillusioned and disheartened.

Chris Kiwomya did manage to lift fans spirits a little in the final few matches with the introduction of promising youth players and a tremendous last day victory away at champions Doncaster but the season was hugely disappointing in both league and cup matches.

The outlook for Notts fans did not seem overall very rosy though;

A winding up court order added to the gloomy mood of Notts fans even though it was dismissed in 60 second.

The announcement by Ray Trew that the playing budget was being cut by 30% added further concern for the Notts faithful.

Behind the scenes there were accusations of coaching staff behaviour, leading to sackings.

On top of everything else going on at Meadow Lane there was the player unrest;.Judge, Bishop and Jeff Hughes all eventually leaving.

The mood of Notts fans was very mixed and mostly pessimistic as the close season began very quietly. There were no new signings only players leaving and question marks over the future of the remaining players. There was even talk of relegation.

Throughout the summer months CK has remained upbeat and very positive. After an initially slow start to his rebuilding CK has managed to get important players to re-sign and added a good mixture of experienced and younger players to his squad with Dumbuya, Fotheringham, Hayes, Bell, Howarth and others. Individually, some of the signings may not get Notts fans jumping but collectively I think a really good squad is taking shape.

An excellent pre-season abroad and more particularly at home has all but replaced the end of season doom and gloom. CK is winning his doubters over and Ray Trew seems to have his enthusiasm restored.

There was more good news with the chairman changing his mind over the 30% cuts and also the mention of 2 more imminent additions to the playing staff.but the rift with the supporters club needs settling quickly(and quietly).

It's going to be a long hard season, starting at Bramall Lane and the fixtures wont get any easier with relegated Wolves, Peterborough and Bristol City expected to be amongst the pacesetters. There is also the possibility that the promoted clubs could continue their momentum. If you also look down last seasons final positions beyond teams like Brentford and Sheffield United the fixtures list looks even more daunting.

There is still a lot of work to be done and there will be a lot of twists, turns and set backs but if CK can get the best out of players, like Arquin, and there are not too many injuries, well the future looks very bright.

If management, players and fans all unite and pull together I think a top 6 finish is a real possibility.
Joe Jones
Notts County’s first game of the season ended in defeat after Gary Liddle’s sending off in the first quarter of an hour allowed a strong Sheffield United side to earn a narrow 2-1 win at Bramall Lane. Chris Kiwomya, in his first full season with the Magpies, had a virtually full-strength squad at his disposal, giving debuts to Mustapha Dumbuya, Danny Haynes and Mark Fotheringham. Within the first minute, the Blades were given a free kick, which was taken by Jamie Murphy. Bartosz Bialkowski had to get his hands on it, but it wasn’t especially threatening.

Just a few minutes later, Fabien Brandy fell in the box under a challenge, but the penalty appeal was waved away by the referee.

Murphy once again tried his luck in the seventh minute; Notts giving the ball away too regularly for the travelling fans’ liking, but his shot was fluffed wide, while a minute later, Kevin McDonald’s through-ball was just a tad too heavy for Brandy, Bart coming out to collect.

Notts eventually got their act together and managed to force the first corner of the game in the eleventh minute, Jamal Campbell-Ryce’s cross being cleared behind, which was very nearly converted by Haynes, were it not for a good stop by Blades keeper George Long.

However, any hope of building momentum was thwarted when, shortly afterwards, Gary Liddle was spectacularly sent off for a high tackle on McDonald. More recklessness than malice, there still weren’t too many complaints as the referee produced a straight red for the Notts defender. Terrible error of judgement for the Magpies’ Mr Reliable, who played every single minute of every single league game last season.

A panicking Notts soon lost all their momentum, as the Blades began to assert themselves over the game, enjoying over two thirds of possession in the first half hour or so. Chances came from Murphy, Stephen McGinn and Brandy, with another Blades penalty appeal being turned down, before the imminent breakthrough eventually came, courtesy of McDonald’s finish, helped by Brandy and Darryl Westlake.

Notts had their moments in the first half, notably a Joss Labadie diving header from a free kick which went just wide, despite little pressure from the United defenders, and the team and fans felt hard done by after Haynes received a kick from Neil Collins, but aside from those, it was clearly all Blades. Brandy in particular was being a real thorn in the side for the Magpies.

The half ended somewhat favourably to Notts, given they could have been several goals down. As it was, just the one goal difference, but there would be plenty of work to be done to try and address this deficit.

No changes made by either side at half time, and service resumed somewhat after the return whistle, McDonald’s effort on 47 minutes forcing a good low save out of Bart. Just two minutes later, the midfielder attempted a shot from 25 yards, going just wide.

After dishing out yellow cards to Brandy and Mark Fotheringham for both teams, Chris Porter nearly doubled the Sheffield lead twice. The first time he blazed the ball over from just six yards out, and just two minutes later, his failure to react in time to a ball whizzing across the face of the Notts goal meant it was still 1-0.

The Blades would come to regret those missed chances, because Notts equalised in spectacular fashion. Just two minutes after taking the field in the place of Yoann Arquin, a stray ball fall to Enoch Showunmi, and lashed it into the bottom corner from over 20 yards out. An absolute beast of a strike, which surprised everybody.

Sadly, less than ten minutes passed before the Blades were in front again. An innocuous Notts challenge was penalised by the referee, and the awarded free kick was headed in by Harry Maguire.

An injury to Michael Doyle, the United skipper, caused a delay on 77 minutes, before a powerful free kick taken by Taylor was comfortably saved on 80.

Towards the final ten minutes, Notts nearly equalised in spectacular fashion again, as Fotheringham lashed a dangerous volley from over 30 yards out.

Sadly, it didn’t smash into the net like Showunmi’s effort did, and that was pretty much it for the Magpies, as the Blades saw the game out while nearly scoring a third.

A good effort from Chris Kiwomya’s side, but sadly Gary Liddle’s sending off was critical and had a major impact on the Magpies’ chances.
Joe Jones
So far four writers have written their thoughts on last season, they've included a prediction for the final finishes also. Here's Joe J's final standings, it's a very hard league to predict now and as you can see he's go for Shrewsbury, Colchester, Stevenage and Gillingham to lose their places within the Sky Bet League One. Bristol City and Sheffield United have gained automatic promotion, whilst the play-offs contain a surprise. It will be fun to compare how each writer is doing mid season and no doubt even more so at the end! Enjoy catching up on others. You Pies!

1 Bristol City
2 Sheffield United
------------------------------------
3 Rotherham
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
5 Bradford City
6 Preston North End
------------------------------------
7 Peterborough United
8 NOTTS COUNTY
9 Oldham Athletic
10 Tranmere
11 Brentford
12 Crewe Alexandra
13 Leyton Orient
14 Walsall
15 Crawley Town
16 MK Dons
17 Swindon
18 Coventry
19 Carlisle
20 Port Vale
------------------------------------
21 Gillingham
22 Stevenage
23 Colchester
24 Shrewsbury

Please keep tuned for more!

Compare | Notts-Joe - WeymouthPIE - ncfcdrapes - Super Ram - TonyHateley - Special Guest
Joe Jones
So here we are, what originally felt like an eternity has finally come to an end, the season is due to start just this week! Finally, we will be able to see our beloved Magpies competitively once again! As has been mentioned before, last season followed the standard Notts template of recent years, that is hitting the ground running and being in the promotion places for the first couple of months, before running out of throttle towards November and finishing somewhere between upper-middle and mid-table. Last season fell apart a lot quicker than usual however, and though we rallied towards the end.

However notching up a spectacular win against Doncaster away, it was too little too late.

Where did it all go wrong then? Three things, in my humble opinion: the humiliating and morale-sapping FA Cup defeat to Rotherham, which left us short of much-needed funds for the second half of the season, Lee Hughes' departure, and the failure to replace him adequately.

The results were clearly visible on the pitch - I lost count of the times I wrote about us having no penetration, no eye for goal and other similar phrases in the match reports. It was so frustrating, and despite our good rearguard, we just couldn't get those all-important goals in, which resulted in loss of points and, ultimately, the slide down the league table.

Once the season was officially over, more trouble seemed on the horizon: Alan Judge, who carried the star player mantle once Hughesy left, departed himself, on a free transfer to first club Blackburn Rovers. Skipper Neal Bishop, so hard-working and inspirational for us, also left the club, and perhaps most embarassingly of all, Jeff Hughes left the Magpies for... Fleetwood Town of League 2. The message was clear for all: "Players would rather drop down a league than stay with Notts".

However, things have recently turned a corner. We have managed to secure some impressive signings: Mustapha Dumbuya has international football experience, Mark Fotheringham was immense against Galatasaray, Danny Haynes is young and has a good goalscoring record, David Bell was a regular for Coventry City, and Andy Howarth is also showing promise despite previously negative reviews.

In addition, Alan Sheehan deciding to stay on is very pleasing - aside from the fact he's a top player, it shows that maybe Notts County isn't that bad an option that players need to drop down a league to get more out of their careers!

All in all, it's been a make-or-break pre-season for Notts, and the board and backroom staff seem to have handled it well. I'm feeling a lot more positive than I was just two months ago, that's for sure!

As for a prediction, I'm going to play it safely and say we'll finish in the top half, but as we Meadow Lane faithful all know, even if we're ten points clear by the end of December, it doesn't matter, because if you're not in that position by the end of April, then it counts for nothing.

So let's hope this season is an exception - in a good way - and we can maintain good form all the way until the end of the season, and then who knows!

About PON

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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