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Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Jurgen Halligan for providing us with these excellent fan action shot.
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Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Jurgen Halligan for providing us with these excellent fan action shot.
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.
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.
1 Bristol City
2 Sheffield United
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3 Rotherham
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
5 Bradford City
6 Preston North End
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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
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!
Linsbord; I just turned 50 and my first game watching United was in November 1971 when we beat Ipswich 7-0. I thought football was great but I've been waiting for a similar performance since.
YouFUMS; I was born a Blade in 1965, and I must have been to my first game around 4 years later. My grandad was a keen football fan, and used to take me along to Bramall lane with him. My earliest memories are of a 3 sided football stadium, with the 4th side housing the cricket pavillion. Watching great players such as Alan Woodward, Geoff Salmon, Tony Currie, and my boyhood favourite, Trevor Hockey.
The curse has stayed with me, and I have followed United to over 80 different grounds over the years. The Blades gene has been passed onto my 2 sons, and my 1 year grandson is already enrolled as a junior Blade...Childline have been informed!
40+ years of heartache and underachieving - sound familiar?- has been interspersed with spells of mediocrity, and an occasional highlight....cup semi-finals...play-off defeats...and flirtations in the top league. However, Your football club is part of what makes you who you are, and nothing will ever change that.
Are you happy with your pre-season, signings and new shirt(s)?
Linsbord; I'm happy with pre-season so far. The new manager has completely changed the style of play and it's great to see the kind of football we haven't really seen since Nigel Spackman left in 1998. In terms of new recruits we have Brandy, who you'll be familiar with and who is now starting to deliver on all that potential he showed previously. Still only 23 and a proper handful nowadays. McGinn looks a tidy CMF and Conor Coady on loan from Liverpool and the England U-20 Captain looks a very assured young footballer. Lyle Taylor was prolific for Falkirk last season but we know that doesn't mean he can cut it in the English Leagues. He does however possess a trick or two and has plenty of pace. McGinty and Johns, from Man Utd and Everton respectively, are really more development players and will probably see action in the cups or later in the season. So far we've retained George Long in goal and Harry Maguire at CB so I'm happy with that too.
I like the design of the new home shirt but not the quality of the fabric or the 'iron-on' sponsor logos. The away shirt is a catastrophe and looks like a Norwich reject. The worst part of it is the fact that it says 'football manager - hand held' on the back. I'll let you work out your own connotations of being handheld by a football manager - embarrassing stuff.
YouFUMS; Very happy that we have targetted young players. The oldest of the 6 new signings is 24 year old. We lacked pace last season, so the additions of Lyle Taylor and Febian Brandy will give opposition defenders something to worry about. We've added a defensive midfielder in Stephen McGinn to put pressure on captain Michael Doyles position, and have the bright young prospect, Conor Coady, in on loan from Liverpool. He's captained the England U'21s and made a couple of appearances for the scousers last season, so obviously has some pedigree. The final 2 signings are 19 yr old defenders, Sean McGinty and Jasper Johns, released from Man U and Everton.
I'm not one for buying a new replica shirt each year, I much prefer my Toffs 1971 replica. This years new home shirt looked pretty good when I saw pictures on the net and I was tempted into the club shop before our home friendly game last week. Trouble is, there are too many sponsor logos on the thing. The worse one being the 'Football Manager' on the middle of the back. I'm pretty used to one or two people pointing and sniggering behind my back, but this would cause severe paranoia, so I gave it a miss. The away shirt does nothing for me...it's yellow..it looks like a Norwich cast off. It could be a lot worse, have you seen your new away monstrosity?
How disappointed were you on missing out on promotion to the championship?
Linsbord; I wasn't remotely disappointed about failing to get promoted last season. Let me explain. The season before, of course we were disappointed. We had one of the highest goals-for tallies in Europe and were only 2nd in English football scoring behind Man City, yet our main striker gets locked up and we end up getting pipped at the post by our deadliest rivals. THAT season we played some great stuff and I was very disappointed although, as I was living darn sarf at the time I got to go to some great away games such as Yeovil, Charlton, Brentford, Bournemouth etc. However, last season Danny Wilson lost his bottle. Instead of wanting to go out and beat everybody he concentrated only on 'not losing'. This led to dour, slow and predictable football and I was glad to see the season finish to be honest. I was actually pleased we failed in the playoffs because I was afraid we would try the same tactics in the championship and thereby end up back down where we started.
YouFUMS; I think we all knew how it would end, once we were confirmed in the play-offs last season. We'd gone into the last 5 games in poor form, and our Chairman had made another ridiculous footballing decision by sacking Danny wilson, and giving the job to Chris Morgan. Expectancy was low, and it was no surprise that we whimpered out to Yeovil.
Where do you see Sheffield United finishing this season?
Linsbord; Where do I see us finishing this season? Well we have a new manager, new system, several new players so I do think it'll take a few months for it all to click into place. I'm happy for us to build up a head of steam to become a force in the League even if it takes 2 seasons providing we can see some genuine progress. Having said that, I do expect us to finish in the top 6, especially as 2 excellent players in Miller and Diego de Girolamo will be back fit around the turn of the year so watch out for us in the run-in. I think we'll get stronger as we go, so I'll say my heart says top 2, my head says 4th or 5th.
YouFUMS; A lot depends on how well we start. New manager, new players, new system. I can see us getting stronger as the season progresses. If we can hit the ground running, then there's no reason why we can't be pressing for a top 2 finish. In reality, I think it may take time for players and systems to bed in, but we could finish the season strongly, and for once be favourites to get up through the play-offs.
On the 10th of June 2013, David Weir became manager. How is he settling in and what was your thoughts on this his appointment at the time?
Linsbord; David Weir. At the time of the appointment, a huge relief. They were looking to give it to Robert Page or Michael Appleton. David Weir came from nowhere, I'm told a call from Moyes to our Owner set the ball rolling, and I have to say I'm delighted. He's calm, intelligent, hugely respected, and he is starting to introduce some excellent tactics into the players. The guy clearly knows what he's doing and we're generally buzzing here about our prospects for the new season, if only in the expectation of hugely higher levels of entertainment.
YouFUMS; Fantastic appointment that has united our fanbase and given us new hope. When you consider some of the candidates that we were being linked with; Chris Morgan, Gareth Southgate, Robert Page, Wally Downes, Keith Curle Then to get someone like Weir, with all his playing experience and contacts in the game, a man who comes across as very knowledgeable and well respected. Then we can't help but be excited.
Since our last opposition view with a Sheffield United fan, James Beattie's moved into management. Would you have liked to of kept him on?
Linsbord; James Beattie. Superb the first time around, should have kept him then. Second time around he was fatter, slower, and spent all his time trying to fight with defenders. A waste of time. I wish him well but have no problem with us letting him go.
YouFUMS; Beattie is yesterdays man. He was great when we first had him in our team, scoring for fun...well, actually scoring for a reputed 30k per week!! We sold him at the wrong time, again that was a chairman decision, as I believe his goals could have got us back to the PL. However, to take him back after his stints at Rangers and Blackpool was an even worse decision as he contributed very little.
Can you single out your main threats to Notts County and who's been your best player in your pre-season?
Linsbord; Main threats....Porter or Taylor as core striker, Brandy and Murphy joining in from the wings, MacDonald pulling the strings behind the striker. I'm not giving anything away there because a delegation from Meadow Lane were at our friendly with Atromitos last Friday.
YouFUMS; I would have said Lyle Taylor. 29 goals in 42 games for Falkirk last season. But he may not start due to the form that Chris Porter has shown in pre-season. Porter is generally a scapegoat for Blades fans, but I admire the way he gets on with things. He knows his limitations, plays to his strengths; uses his height, holds the ball up, and gets the occassional crucial goal. He always seems to play well against Nottingham County
The player that I think could be the difference in the game is Febian Brandy. Top assists player for Walsall last season. He is so quick and direct, he will terrorise many defenders this season. I think this could be a 'breakout' season for him.
Another threat is Jamie Murphy. He took time to settle in last season after leaving Scotland. We have so many scots around the place this year, that he probably feels like he's still back home. He has been in good form pre-season.
Which Notts County player(s) do you see posing a threat to your team?
Linsbord; County have some good players and have made some astute signings, with pace and creativity amongst them. I think you will do well this season and before a ball is kicked I have you down for top 8 with playoff potential. At this stage I'd pick out Fotheringham, Haynes and Dumbuya as ones to watch from the clutch of new players but I do think you'll miss Judge. We all wanted him down here
YouFUMS; Obviously a player like Haynes is always a threat. He has power, pace and an eye for goal. Our centre halves are strong in the air, but always look clumsy when a player is runnung at them. I also like that big oaf, Showumni. Is Sheehan still in your team? If so, then you have a player capable of putting some dead balls for Enoch to attack, that could make it difficult for us.
What formation and team do you see David Weir starting with?
Linsbord; No comment.
YouFUMS; From what we've seen so far, he likes to keep the centre of the park very tight, with 2 defensive midfielders, but also likes to use the wings in attack. So the formation is a 4-2-3-1. This then can easily change to 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 with the players at his disposal.
How do you Notts County doing this season and have you looked into any of our signings ahead of our game on Friday?
Linsbord; No comment.
YouFUMS; I think you will be one of a dozen clubs that has a chance of finishing in the top 6. You have picked up a quality finisher in Danny Haynes, and I also saw that you had signed Dumbaya from Crawley. It seems you have a lot of pace available to play with the likes of Zoko also being no slouch. I honestly see you finishing somewhere between 4th and 8th.
Can you tell us who you see finishing in the top 6?
Linsbord; Top 6 Sheffield United, Wolves, Peterborough, Bristol City, Preston, and either Rotherham, Milton Keynes Dons, or Notts County.
YouFUMS; Wolves are the obvious choice for champions. They still have a championship squad, and are still getting parachute payments. I'm a big admirer of Shaun O'Driscoll and his methods, and so expect Bristol City to be up there also. Brentford, Peterbrough, Notts County, and ourselves for play-offs. As a long shot, look out for Rotherham making a charge on league 1.
Please tell us about Sheffield and the facilities around Bramall Lane?
Linsbord; As for the facilities etc, for those who haven't been before, come out of the station and turn left
Safe pubs with excellent beer and food are: Rutland Hotel on Paternoster Row - very close to the Station, the Devonshire Cat on Wellington Street - a bit of a walk but worth it and the ground's not too far away. If you're not wearing 'colours' the Sheffield Tap at the Railway Station is a beer-lover's paradise. Most pubs near the ground are a bit scruffy although the new one on London Road, The Bell Jar is OK. Aside from these places, good food and good beer is a tad further afield. If you just want a pint, look for the Red Lion on Charles Street, again very close to the station and again, a safe place for visiting fans.
Inside the ground you can get expensive fizzy wee if you want a drink. We've just done a deal with Pukka Pies but if Bramall Lane is anything like previous seasons they'll sell out by 12 seconds after the half time whistle.
After the game it will either be very peaceful as we all exit, but if there's been any tension inside just be sensible as every club has its nutters, so just keep your head down and get to your transport quickly and quietly, just as I do when I come to Meadow Lane
For any other info I always use http://www.footballgroundguide.com/ - never let me down yet.
Right then, that's that. I hope you enjoy the visit to the world's oldest professional football ground, and I hope everything passes off in the right spirit, although when Brandy gets that penalty you will be spitting feathers - Hopefully we'll be spitting Magpie feathers by full-time, in a footballing sense at least.
All the best for the new season Joe, at least from Saturday onwards. Cheers
YouFUMS; Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane is a proper old lady of football, much like Meadow lane except that Bramall Lane is better dressed. The oldest professional football ground in the world has a wealth of history. If you get a chance, take a look at our club museum 'Legends of the Lane', to see how the stadium has evolved over the years.
Our Club is in the heart of the city, unlike our blue n white sisters that play in South Barnsley. So when visiting Bramall lane, you have all the amenities of the city centre, just a 10 minute walk away. Bus station, Train station, a plethera of pubs and eateries all within walking distance.
I hope the game lives up to it's historical billing. Enjoy your visit to the home of football, but I hope your journey home is a miserable one.
Up the Blades! Up the Magpies!
Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Linsbord and YouFUMS for taking the time to answer our questions, we wish Sheffield United all the best for their season but tomorrow is all about NOTTS COUNTY!! Come On You Pies!!
The challenge of predicting the composition of the league table come the end of the season has thankfully already been undertaken here on Pride of Nottingham. This leaves me with the slightly easier, but still baffling task of dissecting and digesting what may happen come 9:35 on Friday.
I must admit, I was slightly worried with the departures of Judge, Hughes and Kelly. A few holes were appearing in the squad and as a Notts fan it is always hard not to feel uneasy. Alas those holes were filled in as quickly as they appeared and it must be said both the backroom and playing staff have done a sterling job in replacing and building what was lost.
Dumbuya, Fotheringham, Bell and of course Haynes have entered the squad and seem to have provided grit to the cause so badly needed in League One. Perhaps it is thought, rightly so, that passion and determination are more important on a wet and windy night up in the far North in January than raw technical ability. Thus with Fotheringham already talking like a leader off the pitch, it is thought he can add character to the tough personalities within our squad.
Yoann Arquin looks reinvigorated. His goal against Ipswich was a sign more of confidence than of a change in ability. Alan Sheehan remains at Left Back and the solid trio of Bart, Liddle and Leacock are enough to build any great League One side. With some great fixtures and performances across pre-season it is fair to say that nothing bad can be said or aligned to the way in which Notts will have prepared for Friday.
A few murmurings of impending signings from Scotland nestle themselves at the glee of fans wanting to see even more quality brought to the side. For the purposes of Friday’s game, we shall leave it to you to speculate on these quietly spoken words.
Thus, with Notts looking in respectably fine shape heading into Friday’s game, what can we expect from Sheffield? They harbour a new manager at the helm in the form of David Weir who has wasted no time in imposing himself on a rather flat side who lost out in the play-offs of last season.
Febian Brandy, remember him? He has been brought into the side along with Lyle Taylor, a 23 year-old who netted 29 times for Falkirk last season. Conor Coady has come in on-loan from Liverpool to support the other end of the United side already boasting Liverpool first team appearances.
Both sides will want to start with three points, talk about stating the obvious. But I don’t see either team being too open at the back. Important to start out well and accumulate points early on, I fail to see either side willing to take too many risks in going for broke to fulfil this theory.
A front two likely to compose of Haynes and Arquin, will both be raring to make a goal scoring debut in the 2013/14 season. From my perspective though, I would be very happy to come away with a point and see a good solid performance with lots of potential demonstrated.
It would not be far off in saying we are about equal with Sheffield United going into this match in terms of new signings and pre-season activity. The bookmakers tell a different story though with United best priced 20/21 to win with Notts a 10/3 shot. Reputations should be avoided with no competitive matches having been undertaken at this point and thus my prediction for this Friday is a good display with a 1-1 draw. Or, if I’m being cheeky, a 1-0 victory to Notts.
You Pies
James Constantine. @JConstantine22
ND's 2013/14 Final Table
By ncfcdrapes, in Media,
2nd. MK Dons
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3rd. Peterborough
4th. Bristol City
5th. Preston
6th. Brentford
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7th. Sheffield United
8th. Bradford
9th. Notts County
10th Crewe
11th. Gillingham
12th Swindon
13th Coventry
14th Stevenage
15th Leyton Orient
16th Port Vale
17th Tranmere
18th Rotherham
19th Crawley
20th Walsall
------------------------------------
21st Oldham
22nd Carlisle
23rd Colchester
24th Shrewsbury
Please keep tuned for more!
Compare | Notts-Joe - WeymouthPIE - Joe Jones - Super Ram - TonyHateley - Special Guest
The lack of transfer activity at the start of the summer heightened concern, particularly when a discarded Aston Villa trainee in Malcolm Melvin and an unwanted journeyman in Andy Haworth became our first two signings - and the only two for a while.
But suddenly things changed. The arrival of striker Danny Haynes, and the belief Kiwomya and the fans have in him to go and do the business and be that missing marksman we so desired last term, had a lot to do with it.
But moreover, impressive performances in difficult pre-season fixtures against Galatasaray, Rayo Vallecano and Ipswich Town shifted lots of the gloom. As did the immediate scoring form of Haynes and more surprisingly Yoann Arquin. He who couldn't be arsed last season has returned from international duty on fire, scoring two absolute belters in his two pre-season appearances to earn draws with Vallecano and Ipswich.
Fellow new boys Mark Fotheringham, Mustapha Dumbuya and David Bell have looked assured, while the likes of Bartosz Bialkowski, Dean Leacock and Gary Liddle have picked up where they left off last season - in resolute mode.
Suddenly our first eleven - which for the season's opener with Sheffield United should, for me, consist Bialkowski; Dumbuya, LIddle, Leacock, Sheehan; Labadie, Boucaud; Arquin, Campbell-Ryce, Bell; Haynes - looks a decent bet for a play-off push. And suddenly Kiwomya's work in the transfer market commands respect. Especially if he can continue to get out of Arquin the talent he clearly has on a regular basis.
Now everyone is looking at the Blades encounter - which has brought even greater excitement as it opens the entire new football season live on Sky Sports on Friday evening - with great optimism. It seems everyone thinks we will win.
I, too, am convinced we can get something at Bramall Lane - though most likely a point, which will definitely be a good one.
They are under new management, an untested, untried one at that, and will have suffered from great cutbacks after a second successive play-off failure.
But the Blades are too big a club to be down for too long and they, along with Wolves, Peterborough, Preston, Bristol City and last season's surprise package Brentford will contest the promotion battle. I also fancy MK Dons to rejuvenate and make a push.
As for Notts - I'm still not entirely sure. I've tried to work out an outcome during the course of this article but there are still too many question marks over many at the club.
Kiwomya, despite impressing me with his summer business - not least bringing in Mick Jones and Andy Watson to the backroom staff - remains very unproven. It is difficult to know how he will fare with a full gruelling campaign and the notably thin patience of Notts supporters.
Also, are the new boys going to be able to step up and replace proven senior players like Hughes, Judge and Bishop?
Can Haynes handle the expectation of being the leading man for the first time in his career?
There are more, not least how we will fare with one or two injuries as the back-up brigade certainly don't look up to it… in defence, Haydn Hollis, in midfield, Andy Haworth and up top, Enoch Showunmi and the woefully out of form Francois Zoko, inspire next to no confidence.
So for once I will stave off a Notts prediction, only to say it will no doubt be fun and games once again.
Keith Curle eventually got the sack in February and the players’ attitude quite frankly stunk after that. Many of them didn’t seem to care, and appeared as though they just couldn’t wait for the season to end so they could leave.
It looked like our season was going to fizzle out into a series of gutless, hopeless defeats but then Chris Kiwomya began to give our promising youngsters a chance. Although at first results didn’t improve, performances certainly did, and the penultimate home game of the season against Colchester United was a really big day for the club. A number of youngsters played and impressed in that match, and it was topped off with young Romello Nangle getting his first ever senior goal in his first senior appearance. A 1-0 win at eventual Champions Doncaster followed before we ended with an encouraging performance in a 2-2 draw with Coventry.
As far as player movements were concerned over the summer, Alan Judge’s departure was inevitable and no surprise. He leaves us with some great memories and goes with our best wishes. Neal Bishop’s departure didn’t come as a big surprise either. I was quite sad to see Bishop leave the club mainly because that made him the last player from that amazing 2009-10 campaign to leave the club. He was an important part of that side in the midfield, and he always gave his all. Sadly towards the end of his time with the club, his outspoken Tweets got him into hot water with some fans and in the end it kind of soured his relationship with them. Sad to see, but nevertheless he goes with my best wishes too.
One player who many were surprised to see leave was right back Julian Kelly. He’s deffinatly talented and on his day a fantastic player. Unfortunately, he appeared to be made of glass. He was constantly injured or carrying a knock during his time at the club, and to be honest I think letting him go made sense. If we’re tightening our belts we can’t really afford to be paying somebody who is constantly on the treatment table.
The loss of Julian Kelly may not be such a big problem though with the capture of Mustapha Dumbuya. Dumbuya played for both Portsmouth and Crawley Town against Notts County last season. I saw him on all three occasions he played against us, and I was really impressed with him every time. That must say something as I rarely take much notice of opposition players during a match, but his hard work and constant runs forward were noticeable. He must have covered every blade of grass every time. He’s impressed the fans with his hard working performances so far in pre-season and hopefully that’ll carry on into the new league campaign. He’s deffinatly a good capture for the club.
Former Charlton striker Danny Haynes appears to have been the Magpies most popular summer signing. He’s already netted two goals in his first two games against Rayo Vallecano and Ipswich Town. He comes highly rated by fans of his former clubs and he had a pretty impressive record at Championship level last season. He is a bit injury prone, but if we can keep him fit and get the best out of him, Haynes could prove to be that 20 goal a season striker we were crying out for last season.
Speaking of strikers, Yoann Arquin has impressed a lot of fans this pre-season. Despite being the club’s top scorer last season many people were un-impressed with Yoann. He seemed to lack interest and hunger a lot of the time and to be honest most people were surprised to see him stay at the club.
Arquin has been away in America playing for Martinique in the Concacaf Gold Cup, and he’s returned to Notts seemingly a different player! He’s netted two fabulous goals in the last two friendlies and suddenly appears to have a new desire and better attitude about him. He has a natural talent but we just need to get it out of him consistently. If we can do that, Yoann could prove to be a very dangerous player for us because on his day, he’s capable of causing any defence in league one problems.
Winger David Bell has also joined the club after leaving Coventry City at the end of last season. He looked a dangerous player in the two games against Notts last season and has also looked good in the friendlies, fingers crossed he can do well this season.
Andy Haworth is another new signing. He’s only here on an initial six month deal but despite a lot of people dismissing him on the news of his arrival, he’s had an excellent pre-season – scoring a few goals out in Finland and looking pretty dangerous going forwards in the home friendlies.
We have a small, but talented squad here at Notts County. We all know from last season how good Bartosz Bialkowski is in goal and Fabian Speiss is a competent number 2. Defensively we’re also very strong with new signing Dumbuya along with Captain Dean Leacock, Manny Smith, Alan Sheehan, Haydn Hollis, and midfielder Gary Liddle who played much of last season in the centre of defence very well.
In midfield we have wingers David Bell, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Greg Tempest and forward Francois Zoko can also play on the wing, while in midfield we have Gary Liddle, Andy Haworth, another new signing in Mark Fotheringham – who has been described as a younger, better version of Neal Bishop, a host of youngsters, Andre Boucaud and of course Joss Labadie. He struggled to get into the side for much of last season and was sent out on loan to Torquay United, where he netted 4 goals in 7 games to help the club in their fight against relegation. He came back to Notts a different player, scoring a memorable free-kick against Doncaster Rovers and showing potential to be one of Notts’ main stars this season.
With Danny Haynes, a seemingly revitalised Yoann Arquin, Francois Zoko, Enoch Showumni, Tyrell Waite & Romello Nangle up front, we have what looks like a very dangerous attack, it’s just a case of getting them firing on all cylinders. The youngsters have been very impressive.
There’s no doubt that this year League One is going to be even tougher than it was last season. At the minute I think the play-offs are a pretty tall order for Notts but we’re certainly capable of a top half finish. If we can be in the top half come the last few months of the season who knows what might happen!
As far as league one itself is concerned, I don’t think you can look beyond the relegated clubs for promotion. Wolves have by far the biggest budget in the league and getting Wolves out of league one shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for former Millwall boss Kenny Jacket. They’re certainly my favourites for the title, with Darren Fergusson’s Peterborough United to come second. Posh’s poor start to last season effectively cost them their Championship status, as they finished the season in promotion form, only being relegated with virtually the last kick of the last game.
Bristol City should also be up there with Sean O’Driscoll at the helm and what look like some impressive new signings on paper, and of course Sheffield United. The Blades have just missed out on promotion for the last two seasons now and will be more determined than ever to get back to the championship. They may have a rookie manager in David Weir, but Weir has years of experience playing at the highest level, and he was always known as a very hard worker on the pitch. If he can implement that side of his own game onto his new side the Blades will deffinatly be a force to be reckoned with.
Preston North End had a strong squad last season but it just didn’t happen for them. However they have Simon Grayson in charge now. He successfully guided Leeds United to the championship in 2009/10 and has made some impressive signings over the summer, in particular Kevin Davies. They could be dark horses for automatic promotion. They’re certainly play-off contenders.
And of course there’s Uwe Rossler’s Brentford – last season’s beaten play-off finalists. Brentford were one of the best sides we played last season, and they had the best home record in the division. They should be in the play-off mix again at least.
I think Crewe Alexandra could be dark horses for the play-offs. They have a great young manager and a hungry, talented young squad. They had an impressive first season back in league one last season and with their potent attack and fast flowing style of football, they could cause a lot of sides problems this season.
When I think about relegation candidates, the first club that comes to mind is Colchester United. Their league position has been getting worse for the last four seasons now and with one of the smallest budgets and smallest squads they could be in for a long season. Carlisle, perhaps surprisingly also struggled last season and don’t appear to have done much business over the summer.
I don’t think any of the four promoted clubs will go back down. Martin Allen’s Gillingham look quite strong. They’ve managed to keep to bulk of last season’s title winning squad and have made some impressive summer signings – most notably Cody McDonald from Coventry City.
Rotherham United have also kept most of their side together. They have a nice new stadium, plenty of money to spend and the experienced Steve Evans at the helm. They could be looking towards the top half along with the Gills.
Port Vale were the country’s leading scorers last season and we all know what Bradford City are capable of, those sides should all be fine.
I won’t predict a final league table because I don’t know enough about a lot of clubs, there are always a few surprises at both ends of the table but I’ve given you the sides I think will be the ones to watch at both ends.
One thing’s for sure, it promises to be a very exciting 2013-14 league one season. For Notts it should be a season of bedding the youngsters in and improving on last season’s 12th place. Chris Kiwomya is a good coach with great enthusiasm, and I think we can push for a top ten finish.
There’s a feel good factor amongst the fans, the new kits selling well (I love the home kit! The away not so much), and fans appear to be buying into the clubs philosophy of bringing through the younger players and building towards a brighter future.
So, roll on Friday night. We are capable of getting a result at Brammel Lane. We mustn’t go there with any fear. If we believe we can win there and play to our strengths we’re a big match for them.
We’ll need the black and white army in the stands to be our 12th man this season and get behind the team from the very first whistle. Sing loud and proud!
As Ray Winston would say - let’s get on it boys!
COME ON YOU PIES!
WP's 2013/14 Final Table
By weymouthPIE, in Media,
2nd. Peterborough
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3rd. Preston North End
4th. Sheffield United
5th. Brentford
6th. Bristol City
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7th. Rotherham United
8th. Crewe Alexandra
9th. Notts County
10th. Gillingham
11th. Leyton Orient
12th. MK Dons
13th. Crawley Town
14th. Oldham Athletic
15th. Walsall
16th. Coventry City
17th. Bradford City
18th. Swindon Town
19th. Stevenage
20th. Port Vale
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21st. Tranmere Rovers
22nd. Carlisle
23rd. Shrewsbury Town
24th. Colchester United
Please keep tuned for more!
Compare | Notts-Joe - ncfcdrapes - Joe Jones - Super Ram - TonyHateley - Special Guest
2. Peterborough United
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3. Sheffield United
4. Notts County
5. Brentford
6. Wolves
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7. Preston North End
8. Walsall
9. MK Dons
10. Coventry City
11. Swindon Town
12. Crawley Town
13. Bradford City
14. Colchester United
15. Gillingham
16. Tranmere Rovers
17. Crewe Alexandra
18. Port Vale
19. Shrewsbury Town
20. Leyton Orient
------------------------------------
21. Carlisle United
22. Rotherham United
23. Oldham Athletic
24. Stevenage
Pride of Nottingham is very excited about this series of features, please keep tuned for other writers which include a special guest.
Compare | WeymouthPIE - ncfcdrapes - Joe Jones - Super Ram - TonyHateley - Special Guest
If I think back, for myself the point it became concerning was when speculation started spreading around with regards to Lee Hughes future.
The passion from this point just seemed to be draining, the players seemed to have lost hope and when this happens any prospect for promotion must really be questioned but even then I still had hope right up to the very end.
For me the pitch is a poor excuse especially if other teams manage to play okay on it. I would point the downward spiral to mental awareness and perhaps Keith Curle's tactical decisions in which we saw countless times a striker replaced for a midfielder in games we was narrowly winning or drawing. Also noticeably the players lacked to take a chance and some seemed to be scared to have a go at goal, such as Hamza Bencherif at Swindon (although to be fair other players too).
It got to the point it looked like the players just wanted to have the season over, the fans cried out for entertainment and it just became a depressing atmosphere.
Into 2013/2014 things look better, as Chris Kiwomya is assembling a pretty good squad. The only release I questioned – Julian Kelly, a player who I felt could have been worth the gamble on fitness but what do I know about football?
Signings such as Danny Haynes, Mustapha Dumbuya, Mark Fotheringham and David Bell tick boxes for expectant fans. With Andy Haworth showing promise after being written off by some of our own fans and fans of former clubs.
Friendlies – It's been exciting on this front, after a fairly quiet period. Galatasaray was a very impressive performance by all involved, Mark Fotheringham earned his contract in this game, no question! He was flawless and shows the spirit of a team midfielder who wants to win games.
Our previous friendly against Rayo Vallecano much the same, free flowing football and quick paced attacks. We didn't seem afraid to try something, which in games is all you need – along with luck of course.
The tour in Finland regardless of the structure of the teams we played or the quality of the sides for me is important, the fact Chris Kiwomya wanted to get the players bonding and to have fun, it can't be faulted and it seems to have paid dividends with morale being high.
Before the signings, I must admit I was getting concerned – much like I was when Chris Kiwomya took over but he's earned the word 'faith' and I put my trust in any future decisions.
This leaves me to discuss the upcoming season which isn't far away now at all, I'm very excited about this as I stuck to my promise and purchased a season ticket. I also plan to attend as many away games as I can but not everybody can and I feel very fortunate that I can.
Whilst a section of fans were thinking relegation ahead, I was thinking mid table, around the 12th position. Having had time to reflect on the friendlies, see the players and take into consideration that the teams we've played are of a better standard of football it's looking more rosy for us.
I definitely feel that we can achieve a play-off place, if we can pick up big results I do not see why we can't push more but ultimately this will fall down to the character of the players and the hope that we the fans can encourage them or pick 'em up when they're dropping their heads. I would love to see a repeat of the Galatasaray game, the support was second to none.
If we can bulk our squad a little more, with strengthening to the midfield and centre backs for rotation/cover, we will have a squad capable of challenging anywhere from around 4th up.
The pitch looks good, the fans are optimistic which leads to a really good go this season.
I am one of these guys who is never satisfied. I always want better and I want better for Notts. So to answer your question - no I am not. Yes we have come a long way I believe but we still have some way to go
Question asked by MuddyPatchPie; Do you have any plans to sell the naming rights to the stadium to generate income and if so would you stipulate that "Meadow Lane" is part of the name?
Yes we would sell naming rights to Meadow Lane providing it generated a sum which I considered suitable. We would endeavour to keep Meadow Lane as part of this
Question asked by MuddyPatchPie; When you first purchased Notts County you must have had a long term plan. Are you still on track with that?
Yes overall we are on the course to the targets I set.
Question asked by MuddyPatchPie; Can you reveal one from the past and one for the future Notts related secret to wet our appetites for next season?
There are none really that come to mind from the past. We do have 2 more targets in our sights – 1 being a midfielder who is an International and the other is a striker
Question asked by TonyHateley; I understand if you can't answer this Mr. Trew but my question is when Keith Curle was sacked did you consider approaching Steve Cotterill or Neil Warnock to return to the club in any capacity.
No to both. Firstly, Steve left my employment and whilst I cannot deny he did a good job during his time with us I felt he let me down and for that reason I wouldn’t give him another chance. We could never satisfy Neil demands on salary and for that reason I did not want to insult him and therefore no approach was made.
Question asked by TonyHateley; What has been your happiest moment since taking over and what was the worst moment.
Without a shadow of doubt the best moment was gaining promotion from League 2. The worst was the equaliser Man City scored in the FA Cup to force a replay. I really thought we would hang on for the win
Question asked by TonyHateley; I am sure there have been lots of players that the club have tried to sign in your time and have failed for whatever reason, which player do you most regret slipping through your fingers.
I have saying in that should not not regret the ones you didn’t sign only some of the ones you did
Question asked by Super Ram; Since The Rams were relegated from the Premier League, after one disastrous season, us Derby fans have had to be very patient, with the spending constraints imposed by our owners. We at last seem to have a team capable of making a serious promotion challenge. You have also 'tightened your belt' with Notts. My questions are - How are Notts progressing financially after all the steps you have taken and how long before Notts fans can look forward to their own serious promotion push. I also realise some fans may not like your answers.
I did say on record at the end of the last campaign that I was reducing the playing budget by 30%. However I have not done this and my reason really was I felt I had to give Chris Kiwomya every chance to succeed. I think we are 1 or 2 players away from making a serious bid for promotion.
Question asked by Joe Jones; What plans do you have in place to attract "sleeper" fans, ie those who have an affinity towards Notts but don't attend games, or haven't attended any for a while?
I wish I knew the magic answer to this question. We are always trying to think outside the box to not only attract stay away fans but to seduce new fans both young and old. I think the easiest way would be to give them a team capable of promotion and one that plays attacking attractive football.
Question asked by Joe Jones; How can we ensure that the club has enough home shirts in stock all season for every fan to purchase one if they so wish? Many fans were left empty-handed last season after the home shirts ran out by the end of 2012. For a football club not to have any current season home shirts on sale either in the club shop or official website is frankly unheard of, and this needs to be addressed.
I would rather be in the position of having no stock to sell than a shop full of shirts we have to sell off at huge discounts. Unfortunately with our current provider there is a minimum order of 1000 shirts and one has to take a view if we can sell this quantity or not. Our current agreement expires at the end of this season and we have started negotiations now with our current supplier and 3 other well known brands. It will be a stipulation of ours that we can order in batches of 100. Hopefully this will rectify the situation to everyone's satisfaction
Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mr Trew for kindly agreeing to do this Q/A and to take the time to answer, it's very much appreciated by our community. I would also like to say a big thank you to the members who put questions forward for this feature, I enjoyed reading the questions as this progressed.
Bradford City
Manager: Phil Parkinson
Ins: Niall Heaton (Liverpool; second-year apprentice), Jason Kennedy (Rochdale; free), Mark Yeates (Watford; free)
Outs: Dean Overson, Adam Baker, Steve Williams, Zavon Hines, Matt Duke (Northampton Town; free), Will Atkinson (Southend United; free)
Brentford
Manager: Uwe Rösler
Ins: Martin Fillo (FC Viktoria Plzen; loan), Javi Venta (Villarreal; free), Jack Bonham (Watford; free), George Savile (Chelsea; loan), Alan McCormack (Swindon Town; free), Will Grigg (Walsall; fee yet TBC), Jake Bidwell (Everton; Undisclosed fee)
Outs: Antonio German (Gillingham; free), Harry Forrester (Doncaster Rovers; fee yet TBC)
Bristol City
Manager: Sean O'Driscoll
Ins: Frank Fielding (Derby County; Undisclosed fee), Aden Flint (Swindon Town; around £300k), Derrick Williams (Aston Villa; free), Jordan Wynter (Arsenal; free), Scott Wagstaff (Charlton Athletic; free), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich Town; Player Swap Deal)
Outs: Cole Skuse (Ipswich Town), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jon Stead (Huddersfield Town), Lewin Nyatanga (Barnsley), Richard Foster (Glasgow Rangers + a friendly match), Paul Anderson (Ipswich Town; Player Swap Deal), Matthew Bates, Brian Howard, Dean Gerken (Ipswich Town), Mark Wilson, Lewis Carey
Carlisle United
Manager: Greg Abbott
Ins: Reece James (Manchester United; loan), Josh Gillies (Gateshead; tribunal fee TBC), David Amoo (Tranmere Rovers; free), Alex Salmon (professional contract), Jack Lynch (professional contract)
Outs: Adam Collin (Rotherham United; free), Mathieu Manset, Peter Murphy, Frank Simek, Rory Loy, Jon-Paul McGovern, Tony Caig (retired), Andy Welsh (Scunthorpe United; free)
Colchester United
Manager: Joe Dunne
Ins: Craig Eastmond (Arsenal; free), Sanchez Watt (Arsenal; free), Mason Spence (Milton Keynes Dons; free), Danny Pappoe (Chelsea; loan), Sam Walker (Chelsea; loan)
Outs: Matt Heath, Jackson Ramm, Bradley Hamilton (Concord Rangers; free), John White (Southend United; free), Jack Compton (Hartlepool United; free)
Coventry City
Manager: Steven Pressley
Ins: Leon Lobjoit, Louis Garner, Lewis Rankin, Ben Maund (all professional contracts),
Outs: Richard Wood, Jordan Stewart (San Jose Earthquakes; free), Danny Philliskirk, Stephen Elliott, Nathan Cameron (Bury; free), Cody McDonald (Gillingham; free), Will Roberts, Joe Henderson, Shaun Jeffers, Josh Ruffels
Crawley Town
Manager: Richie Barker
Ins: Andy Drury (Ipswich Town; free), James Hurst (Valur; free)
Outs: Richard Brodie (Gateshead, free), David Hunt (Oxford United; free), Shaun Cooper, Matt Sparrow (Scunthorpe United; free), Mustapha Dumbuya (Notts County; free), Lateef Elford-Aliyu
Crewe Alexandra
Manager: Steve Davis
Ins: Vadaine Oliver (Lincoln City, Undisclosed fee), Thierry Audel (Macclesfield Town; free), Lee Molyneux (Accrington Stanley; free), Anthony Grant (Stevenage; free)
Outs: Joe Gorman (Inverness Caledonian Thistle; free), Luke Murphy (Leeds United; Undisclosed fee), Andy White, Harry Clayton, Brendon Daniels, Paris Bateman, Brandon Moores, Liam Wilson, Toby Appleton
Gillingham
Manager: Martin Allen
Ins: Joe Gritt (Hayes & Yeading United; free), Amine Linganzi (Accrington Stanley; free), Antonio German (Brentford; free), Adebayo Akinfenwa (Northampton Town; free), Cody McDonald (Coventry City; free), Tommy Forecast (Southampton; free)
Outs: Jack Evans (Tamworth; free), Andy Frampton (AFC Wimbledon; free), Lewis Montrose (York City; free), Jack Payne (Peterborough United; Undisclosed fee), Deon Burton
Leyton Orient
Manager: Russell Slade
Ins: Jake Larkins (West Ham United; free), Shaun Batt (Millwall; free), Yohann Lasimant (Unattached)
Outs: Jimmy Smith (Stevenage; free), Michael Symes (Burton Albion; free), Charlie MacDonald (Oldham Athletic; free), Anthony Griffith (Port Vale; free), Lee Cook, Leon McSweeney, Martin Rowlands, Lee Butcher
Milton Keynes Dons
Manager: Karl Robinson
Ins: Patrick Bamford (Chelsea; loan), Ben Reeves (Southampton; free), Jason Banton (Crystal Palace; loan)
Outs: Mason Spence (Colchester United; free), Ryan Lowe (Tranmere Rovers; free), Gary MacKenzie (Blackpool; Undisclosed fee), Adam Chicksen (Brighton & Hove Albion; Undisclosed fee), Mathias Doumbe, Charlie Burns
Notts County
Manager: Chris Kiwomya
Ins: Malcolm Melvin (Aston Villa; free), Andy Haworth (Rochdale; free), Mustapha Dumbuya (Crawley Town; free), Danny Haynes (Charlton Athletic; free), Kyle Dixon, Romello Nangle, Malachi Lavelle-Moore (all professional contracts), David Bell (Coventry City; free)
Outs: Jeff Hughes (Fleetwood Town; free), Alan Judge (Blackburn Rovers; free), Neal Bishop, Julian Kelly, Hamza Bencherif, Liam Mitchell, Jake Wholey
Oldham Athletic
Manager: Lee Johnson
Ins: Jonson Clarke-Harris (Peterborough United; Undisclosed fee), James Dayton (Kilmarnock; free), Sidney Schmeltz (SC Veendam; free), Korey Smith (Norwich City; free), Mark Oxley (Hull City; loan), Charlie MacDonald (Leyton Orient; free), Anton Rodgers (Brighton & Hove Albion; free), Edijs Joksts (Unattached; free)
Outs: Connor Hughes (Hyde; free), Matt Smith (Leeds United; free), Alex Cisak (Burnley; free), Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers; free), Jean-Yves M'voto (Doncaster Rovers; free), Robbie Simpson, Dean Bouzanis, Liam Jacob, Daniel Taylor
Peterborough United
Manager: Darren Ferguson
Ins: Jack Payne (Gillingham, Undisclosed fee)
Outs: Jonson Clarke-Harris (Oldham Athletic; Undisclosed fee), George Boyd (Hull City; free), Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace; Undisclosed fee)
Port Vale
Manager: Micky Adams
Ins: Kaid Mohammed (Cheltenham Town; free), Chris Robertson (Preston North End; free), Gavin Tomlin (Southend United; free), Chris Lines (Sheffield Wednesday; free), Anthony Griffith (Leyton Orient; free)
Outs: John McCombe (Mansfield Town; free), Sam Morsy (Chesterfield; Undisclosed fee), Darren Purse, Kingsley James, Calvin Andrew, Clayton McDonald, Ashley Vincent
Preston North End
Manager: Simon Grayson
Ins: Tom Clarke (Huddersfield Town; free), Chris Humphrey (Motherwell; free), Declan Rudd (Norwich City; loan), Kevin Davies (Bolton Wanderers; free)
Outs: Chris Robertson (Port Vale; free), Andy Proctor (Bury; free), Luke Foster
Rotherham United
Manager: Steve Evans
Ins: Joe Skarz (Bury; free), Richard Brindley (Chesterfield; free), Adam Collin (Carlisle United; free), Danny Hylton (Aldershot Town; free), David Worrall (Bury; Undisclosed fee), Robert Milsom (Aberdeen; free), Michael Tidser (Greenock Morton; £50k)
Outs: Nicky Hunt (Accrington Stanley; free), Ian Sharps (Burton Albion; free), Dale Tonge (Torquay United; free), Andy Warrington, Alec Denton
Sheffield United
Manager: David Weir
Ins: Jasper Johns (Everton; free), Sean McGinty (Manchester United; free), Stephen McGinn (Watford; free), Febian Brandy (Walsall; free), Lyle Taylor (Falkirk; Undisclosed fee), Conor Coady (Liverpool; loan)
Outs: Barry Robson (Aberdeen; free), Dave Kitson (Oxford United; free), Jordan Chapell (Torquay United; free), Richard Cresswell (York City; free), Matt Harriott, Lescinel Jean-Francois, Danny Coyne
Shrewsbury Town
Manager: Graham Turner
Ins: Alex McQuade (Bolton Wanderers; free), Dave Winfield (Wycombe Wanderers; free), Tamika Mkandawire (Millwall; free), Akwasi Asante (Birmingham City; loan), John Marsden (Stoke City; free)
Outs: Marvin Morgan (Plymouth Argyle; free), Mark Wright, Rob Purdie (Hereford United; free), Matt Richards (Cheltenham Town; free), Ryan Doble, Asa Hall (Oxford United; loan), Jermaine Grandison
Stevenage
Manager: Graham Westley
Ins: Luke Jones (Mansfield Town; free), Oumare Tounkara (Bristol Rovers; free), Simon Heslop (Oxford United; free), Sam Wedgbury (Macclesfield Town; free), Jordan Burrow (Morecambe; free), Jimmy Smith (Leyton Orient; free)
Outs: Patrick Agyemang (Portsmouth; free), Michael Thalassitis (Ebbsfleet United; loan), Mark Roberts (Fleetwood Town; free), Anthony Grant (Crewe Alexandra; free), Andy Iro, Miguel Comminges, Bondz N'Gala
Swindon Town
Manager: TBA
Ins: Jack Barthram (Tottenham Hotspur; free), Alex Smith (Fulham; free), Grant Hall (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Massimo Luongo (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Tijane Reis (Unattached), Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Nathan Byrne (Tottenham Hotspur; Undisclosed fee), Adam Rooney (Birmingham City; free)
Outs: Joe Devera (Portsmouth; free), Aden Flint (Bristol City; £300k), Gary Roberts (Chesterfield; free), Alan McCormack (Brentford; free), Chris Smith, Simon Ferry, Raffaele De Vita, Tommy Miller
Tranmere Rovers
Manager: Ronnie Moore
Ins: Stephen Foster (Barnsley; free), Evan Horwood (Hartlepool United; free), Ryan Lowe (Milton Keynes Dons; free), Akpo Sodje (Scunthorpe United; free), Chris Atkinson (Huddersfield Town; loan), James Rowe (Forest Green Rovers; free)
Outs: Paul Black (Mansfield Town; free), Danny Harrison (Chester; free), David Amoo (Carlisle United; free), Michael Kay (Chester; free), Adam McGurk
Walsall
Manager: Dean Smith
Ins: Milan Lalkovic (Chelsea; loan), Troy Hewitt (Queens Park Rangers; free), Richard O'Donnell (Chesterfield; free)
Outs: Jake Jones (Tamworth; free), Febian Brandy (Sheffield United; free), Will Grigg (Brentford; fee yet TBC), Jamie Paterson (Nottingham Forest; Undisclosed fee), George Bowerman, Richard Taundry, Aaron Williams, Connor Taylor
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manager: Kenny Jackett
Ins: Sam Ricketts (Bolton Wanderers; free)
Outs: Adam Hammill (Huddersfield Town; Undisclosed fee), Dorus De Vries (Nottingham Forest; free), Eggert Jonsson, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Stephen Hunt, Christophe Berra, Johnny Gorman, Sam Winnall, Jody Craddock (retired)
Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Dan Phillips for providing us with the latest transfer news and we wish Port Vale the best of luck! Let's all do the Hughesy!! (Just not against us please)
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