Jump to content
Show all categories

Articles

Our website articles
Chris
After a draw against Tranmere Rovers, Notts county return to Meadow Lane where they beat Bury FC 4-1 live on sky sports. Mr Trews notes found in the Carlisle United edition of #themag touches upon the armed forces who were present for charity at Meadow Lane and promoting the good work of Prostate Cancer UK. As always the notes are a highlight with the award winning programme and we're very proud to feature this on our website.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Meadow Lane for this npower League 1 game against Carlisle United, our first home game since Chris Kiwomya was officially named as manager.

We have some very special guests with us this afternoon, in representatives from the Territorial Army and SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association) promoting the work of our armed forces and helping raise money to help support those that have served for our country.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the armed forces and the brave men and women who protect our interests and freedom both at home and abroad, so I hope you will make our guests feel most welcome and give generously if you see the collectors around the ground.

We are also promoting the good work of Prostate Cancer UK, the official charity of the Football League for this season. As the most common form of cancer amongst men in the UK, we owe it to our fans to raise awareness of this disease and the treatments and support available to those affected by it.

Lots going on off the pitch then, but of course the reason that we are all here is to see what happens on it and to that end I would like to welcome the players, officials and of course the supporters of Carlisle United to Meadow Lane.

As I mentioned, this is Chris Kiwomya’s first home game since being confirmed as full-time manager and I hope that you will all get behind him as we look to build on the encouraging start that he has made in the job.

I thought that we deserved more from the game at Tranmere on Tuesday night, but if we maintain that level of performance, we will get the rewards that we deserve in the run-in to the end of the season.

Onwards and upwards
Ray Trew
Chairman

Many Thanks to Mr Trew for the notes and the Media Team.
Joe Jones
The sun was shining, the weather was mild, the sky was cloudless today at Meadow Lane. By contrast, the display on the pitch, save for a few bright spells, was overcast and grey, but crucially, Notts County finished the game with three very important points which ensured beaming smiles on the supporters' faces and left the club with a much better outlook for the rest of the season.

Chris Kiwomya, forced to take Julian Kelly's absence into consideration - the full-back is recovering from a calf injury - switched the Notts formation to 3-5-2, slotting Jeff Hughes into the left wing position and shifting Alan Judge to central attacking midfield.

The game began slowly, with a couple of half-chances by Carlisle in the opening exchanges, before Notts threatened in the eleventh minute, but John Cofie lost possession when close to goal.

Francois Zoko, the former Carlisle player involved in the previous move, then set up Judge after beating Frank Simek on the left wing, but the Irishman's chip was caught by keeper Mark Gillespie.

Carlisle had a good chance afterwards, when Gary Liddle blocked Liam Noble's goalbound effort, but afterwards, for a good twenty minutes, both teams were bogged down in midfield and not much happened.

This changed all of a sudden when Cofie picked out Judge, who marauded into the Carlisle penalty box and, catching Gillespie off his line, majestically chipped the ball over the keeper. 1-0, 35 minutes played, the crowd delighted at what they'd just seen.

Neal Bishop threatened five minutes later with a quick breakaway, but couldn't find a player to feed the ball through to. Shortly afterwards, a scramble in the Notts box very nearly led to a Carlisle goal were it not for another great goal-line clearance, this time by Alan Sheehan.

In injury time, Notts nearly doubled their lead, but Zoko couldn't finish a move started by Sheehan, who crossed into the area.

One player who stood out for Carlisle was Lee Miller. Although the majority of the time it was for bad behaviour and baiting the Notts players, he did get a good shot on goal in the 57th minute when a great Bartosz Bialkowski save denied him from six yards out.

Just a few minutes later, Sean O'Hanlon was a dead cert to equalise, but again Bart managed to miraculously keep the shot out, so much so both sets of fans applauded him for his save.

Later on in the game, Notts were under the cosh and needed Bart to bail them out again, James Berrett's fine hit parried behind by the Pole.

The skilled Andre Boucaud, towards the end of the game, unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 yards which smashed against the crossbar and into the crowd, before a fingertip save by Joe Jones and a catch by Notts Joe ensured the ball was back in the keeper's hands promptly. Good honest ball work, no time-wasting and ball-spooning akin to ball boys working for trophy-winning Welsh sides.

The much-maligned Miller finally received his marching orders in the last few minutes, as a headbutt on sub Joss Labadie earnt him a straight red card. His ignominious trudge back to the dressing room was accompanied by the very satisfying chanting of "cheerio, cheerio, cheerio" by the Notts crowd.

Despite some last-ditch Carlisle pressure, Notts were well organised and kept the waves of attacks at bay, and when the final whistle went, it was a cause for celebration as the Magpies earned three desperately needed points, courtesy of the Irish Messi's solitary goal, and managed to keep a clean sheet.

Notts remain tenth on 52 points with a game in hand, eight points off the playoffs, and unbeaten in five with three draws and two wins.
Chris
Carlisle suffered defeat at the hands of Walsall on 26/02/2013, Carlisle have found themselves in poor form in recent games. Notts County come off the back of a draw against Tranmere, which was a game that sounded like we had controlled fairly well. We've taken the time to speak with Dave ahead of our game against Carlisle, the first opposition view in recent times due to being unable to locate an interested party. We hope to continue to feature opposition views when possible.

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 Carlisle United fan on-and-off since I was a child, although annoyingly I only started going to the games with family the year after our only top flight season. I was an early connector to the Internet, though, and I ran one of the first Carlisle United fansites - Reeves Is Offside Again!

How do you feel about Carlisle United coming into the game on Saturday and what do you think the result will be?

CUFC have been so inconsistent this season that we don't know what to expect from any game, although we do seem to win a few, then have a humiliating defeat, then get a few good results again.

You previously lost to Walsall in what sounded like a very good game, was this a game you were looking forward to?

Not particularly, unfortunately, as my gut feeling was that this was going to be our humiliating defeat, and so it turned out to be.

Could you tell us about Greg Abbott and what your thoughts are of him as a manager?

I think the politest thing I can say is that he is good at keeping his job, but that I've never been convinced about his abilities as a manager.

Please share a high and low point from your memory of supporting Carlisle United?

High points have to be the Wembley finals, and the low points were the seasons at the end of the Knighton era.

What formation do you see Carlisle playing against us and do you generally stick to one formation?

Probably an ineffectual one.......

Will you be travelling yourself to Meadow Lane and how many times have you visited, could you tell us about it?

I won't be there this Saturday, but I have been previously and had a good meal and pint in your supporters area under the stand, chatting with some of your fans.

Who do you consider to be Notts County's danger-man and which of our players would prefer to see marked?

I'll be honest and say that I pay no attention to Association Football other than Carlisle United, so I don't know many players of other clubs. I only watch soccer on TV to be sociable with friends and family.

How many fans do you think Carlisle will bring to Meadow Lane on Saturday?

We always have a strong away following, so I would expect to see at least 400 there.

Are you looking forward to any remaining games and can you tell us why?

I'm looking forward to the last game of the season so that this "nothing of a season" is over. Hopefully we'll avoid relegation, but with Ah'but in charge.......

Where do you think your club will finished at the end of the season along with Notts County?

I think Carlisle will just avoid relegation, but hopefully Ah'but will be gone very quickly and we can look forward to a better season next year. Preferably with better and more ambitious owners, too.....

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Dave for taking time to answer the question and SadLad for helping find a opposition fan.
Joe Jones
Every Notts fan, young and old, will know about, or at least have heard of, Jimmy Sirrel. The Glaswegian is undisputably the greatest manager in the history of Notts County. Once asked who was the best player in his legendary team of the early 1980s, he nominated his goalkeeper, giving the following reason: "In my opinion, the goalkeeper is the number one man in your team. You start with a point, and if he doesn't lose a goal, you get that. So if you score one, you've won."
The goalkeeper he had in mind was a player he cared about deeply, spending a great deal of money on to bring him to England, as well as investing a lot of time and effort into making him feel welcome and appreciated, in turn becoming one of the top players in that great team. That player was Radojko "Raddy" Avramovic.
Born in Sjenica, a small town in southwestern Serbia (then Yugoslavia), on the 29th November 1949, he began his career at FK Borac Čačak in 1969, before moving to NK Rijeka in 1974, where he established himself, playing 162 games in five years for the club.
Meanwhile, in England, a decades-old rule about restricting the number of foreigners playing in the English league was about to come to an end. Previously, the FA had a rule in place whereby foreigners couldn't play professionally in England, with a couple of notable exceptions such as Bert Trautmann, who served time as a prisoner of war in England before playing for Manchester City.
In 1978, the FA had to remove this rule, when the European Community deemed it contrary to the principles of free movement enshrined in the 1957 Treaty of Rome.
Able to sign foreign players for the first time in 47 years, English clubs began scouting overseas, which saw the likes of Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa come to England.
In Nottingham, Jimmy Sirrel, Notts' manager at the time, toured Europe for two weeks, and in that time spotted Avramovic playing for Rijeka. He reported back to then chairman Jack Dunnet saying he'd found "a goalie who would keep them in the Second Division", and persuaded Notts to part with £200,000 for the Yugoslav, a then record club fee.
Sirrel would put a lot of faith and care into the keeper when he came over to England, aware of the potential issues such as homesickness and acclimatising that may have arisen. Raddy and his family stayed at Jimmy’s house at first until they bought a home of their own. At the beginning of the goalie’s career at Notts there was a social function at which Raddy bought all his new teammates a drink as a friendly gesture. A local Evening Post reporter who covered Notts saw this and wrote a piece about Raddy being a ‘boozer’ and a ‘big-time-Charlie’. The next time that reporter went to Meadow Lane, Jimmy physically got hold of him and had him thrown off the premises and banned from the ground.
Avramovic made his competitive debut for Notts on Saturday 4th August 1979 in the Anglo-Scottish Cup qualifier against local rivals Mansfield, while his first league game was the 4-1 win against Cardiff City on the 18th August.
In his first season, Notts' form was erratic and the club finished in 17th, but the following season was a completely different story, as the club exceeded all expectations to finish second in the league, behind a very strong West Ham side, to gain promotion to the First Division, the top echelon of English football. Avramovic was a key player, taking part in 38 out of 42 league fixtures and keeping sixteen clean sheets.
Rather than finding himself out of his depth in the top flight, Avramovic excelled during the 81/82 season, playing all 42 league games as the club finished clear of relegation in the First Division and registered some impressive results, such as a 2-1 win against Arsenal in October and a 1-0 defeat of reigning champions Aston Villa. Such was his quality that Liverpool legend Ian Rush described how good he was in his autobiography when talking about their game against Notts in January '82.
After maintaining his high standards of goalkeeping once again during the following season, helping Notts survive in the top flight for another year, Raddy left for Canada vith a view to play for Inter Montreal, but then-manager of Coventry Bobby Gould persuaded him to sign up for the Sky Blues, making his debut in a 2-1 home win over Leicester.
He played a total of 24 games - 18 league games and a further six in cup competitions - in his brief spell for the West Midlands club, which saw him lose his first-team place after mistakes against Watford and Stoke, before he returned to Yugoslavia to finish his playing career with OFK Belgrade and to study law.
Avramovic spent some time in Oman before becoming manager of Kuwait, leading The Blue to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and winning the West Asian Games in 2002.
He then became manager of Singapore, where he enjoyed his most successful spell at the helm, winning the ASEAN Football Championship three times - becoming the most successful coach in the history of the competition - and overseeing the nation's progress to the group stages of the AFC Zone World Cup 2014 qualifiers, a first for the team.
After departing from that role, Avramovic continued his adventure in international management by taking the helm of Myanmar, where he stayed until October 2015.
Whatever his future may hold now, Notts County has always been close to his heart, and likewise, the Magpies fans and hierarchy will always remember him for being a cult hero during one of the club's brightest times led by the club's greatest manager.
Share your thoughts and memories of Raddy Avramovic on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Joe Jones
Another match day, another bad first half, another good second half, another decent result. Notts' trip to Tranmere saw the Magpies a goal down at half-time, despite a decent performance, but once again turned it on in the second half, inspirational firebrand captain Neal Bishop with the equaliser which led to a frantic finish as both teams desperately tried to win it. Notts started the game with a 4-4-2 formation, Francois Zoko starting up front alongside John Cofie and Alan Judge on the left.

The first chance of the game came on two minutes, as the frankly amazingly named Max Power fired wide for Rovers. Just three minutes later, Michael O'Halloran troubled Bartosz Bialkowski for the first time, the Notts keeper saving from the forward one on one, and another few minutes later, Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro had a chance of his own. Tranmere were definitely the brighter side in the first ten or so minutes, although the Birkenhead club suffered an early setback as skipper Andy Robinson fell without any provocation and had to be subbed off.

Jamal Campbell Ryce had a few bad moments in the opening instances, losing possession near the touchline, but he did power a very good cross to Zoko who sadly wasn't able to get a shot in, while Judge's ensuing effort was then wide.

Another Rovers played then took a knock and had to be subbed off, Ian Goodison coming off for Donervon Daniels.

After a fairly even opening 28 minutes, Notts were once again stunned in the first-half, as Abdulai Bell-Baggie fired from deep inside the penalty box low into the middle of the goal to gift his side the lead. Bialkowski came out very early, and Bell-Baggie took advantage of this to slide home.

Notts, bemoaning the early loss of the clean sheet once again, nearly equalised from the off, as a cross by Judge was headed on by Neal Bishop and nearly converted by Zoko, while Julian Kelly, who equalised against Bury in the previous game, had another very good chance which was straight at Owain Fon Williams.

The first half ended with the Magpies down on the scoresheet but certainly on the ascendency in terms of pressure and attacking, Tranmere lucky not to have conceded by half time.

The first ten minutes of the second half saw both teams mostly bogged in midfield and creating a couple of half-chances comfortably cleared by the likes of Ash Taylor for the home side and Dean Leacock and Gary Liddle for Notts.

Soon, both teams would spring into life, as Cole Stockton wasted a chance by trying to go solo, resulting in a block and clearance, while a few minutes later, Taylor's effort was bravely saved by Bart.

In response, Jeff Hughes came close with a header in the 65th minute, saved by Fon Williams, while soon after Tranmere caused a scare with their first corner of the game, but Stockton's effort was just over.

Eventually, Notts managed to come from behind once again, as has been the norm over the last couple of games, with a Judge free kick headed into the corner of the Tranmere net by skipper Bishop in the 73rd minute.

Zoko very nearly proved to be the man to put his team in front again a few minutes later, neatly rounding the keeper when through on goal, but wasn't able to finish. On 83 minutes, a delivery by Judge was smashed against the post by Hughes, and buoyed by this action, the game became even more frantic, both sets of fans screaming for their teams to find that all-important winning goal and several players clashing - Power pushed to the Max of his patience and earning a yellow card for his challenge on Zoko - but despite both teams pushing for a goal, the defences were just as driven, and the game finished 1-1.

An away point against a team challenging for promotion may sound like a fair enough result, but judging by the performance and Chris Kiwomya's reaction, Notts definitely had enough quality to win the game, so it may seem like two points wasted. Notts slide to tenth, nine points off the play-offs, but there is definitely a lot to build on, bearing in mind we gave one of the top teams in the division a difficult game, and the new manager has got the team playing good, exciting, promising football again.
Chris

Chairman's Notes - Bury FC

By Chris, in News,

On the back of two consecutive draws with identical score lines, we move onto Bury FC after playing Crewe and Walsall. In recent times we've seen our side play strongly for 45 minutes but often disappointing first halve appearances. The game against Bury was virtually the same, as we allowed them to play direct football and limited our own movements, following up with a wonderful second. In the Bury edition of Mr Trew notes he reflects on our recent performances and caretaker manager Chris Kiwomya who now takes control until the end of the season.

Good evening everyone and welcome to Meadow Lane for this npower League 1 game against Bury that is being shown live on Sky Sports.

We come into this game on the back of a strange couple of performances recently, in which we seem to have been a completely different team in the second half to the first.

I think it would be fair to say that when we’ve been good, we’ve been very, very good though, and I’m hoping to see much more of that from the first whistle until the last this evening.

There has been a lot of speculation about the managerial situation here at Meadow Lane, with Chris Kiwomya appointed as caretaker manager, but the fact is that nothing has really changed, Chris remains in charge whilst we consider our options and that means that he has complete control over first team matters until told otherwise.

I am sure that every supporter has their own ideas on who they would like to see appointed, so whilst we may not be able to please everybody, what I can assure you is that this decision will have been taken after intense consideration of all available options and based on who we think is best placed to take this club forwards.

Back to this evening though and I would like to welcome the players, officials and of course the supporters of Bury that have made the trip down to Nottingham.

It’s always nice for a team to put on a good show in front of the cameras and that’s obviously what we’re all hoping for this evening, so let’s get behind the lads and ensure that we are all doing our bit to show the very best of Notts County both on and off the field tonight.

Onwards and upwards
Ray Trew
Chairman

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mr Trew and the Media Team.
Joe Jones
The way Notts's games have panned out recently, the club may consider selling tickets for just the second half. Joking aside, another game of two halves, this time on a Friday evening in front of the Sky Sports cameras, saw Notts play disappointingly and concede in the first 45, before a scintillating second-half display, aided by some lacklustre defending, saw Notts tear Bury apart and score four goals to give the Magpies faithful a great start to the weekend. Chris Kiwomya played a 4-4-2 formation against the Shakers.

Replacing Jeff Hughes and Jacob Blyth with Julian Kelly and Yoann Arquin, a tame opening period saw Notts play cautiously and in their own half, before Jamal Campbell Ryce, on fourteen minutes, threaded a ball to Kelly, whose cross was just too high for Arquin.

The following ten minutes saw Notts assert themselves over Bury, but on 24 minutes, Notts found themselves behind after some hesitant defending was seized upon by Steven Schumacher. The midfielder intercepted Kelly's poor pass and fired a fine shot inside the right hand post past Bartosz Bialkowski.

Not long after, Arquin's attempt was nervously spilled behind by Bury keeper Trevor Carson for a corner, but on the whole, Notts struggled to trouble him much more than that in the first half. There were many instances where the ball would be practically gifted to the opposition with a pass or cross to nobody in particular.

The Notts fans soon voiced their bemusement, and by the half time whistle, after Bury had several more dangerous chances, the boos rang out. Notts were haphazard and shapeless.

Nevertheless, the Notts fans had a quiet sense of confidence that the second half would bring a dramatic change in performance and possibly result.

However, no fan would have foreseen just what was to come.

Kimowya made one change, Francois Zoko coming on for Arquin. Bury started the second half as they finished the first half, confidently and dangerously. David Worrall and Nicky Ajose testing Bialkowski.

However, Notts looked to be playing with more awareness and confidence, and just before the hour, the dangerous John Cofie threaded a pass through to Kelly, who cut inside Ajose and fired into the net, aided by a Joe Skarz deflection.

Buoyed and ecstatic at having pulled one back, the Notts fans celebrated raucously, although the cheers turned to boos as Kelly was booked for his celebration.

Meadow Lane only had to wait about more three minutes before Notts took the lead, as Andre Boucaud's chipped pass was misjudged by Ashley Eastham and Francois Zoko seized on the loose ball to fire into the bottom corner.

The shellshocked Shakers tried desperately to retake a foothold back into the game, but a hopeful attempt by Schumacher was thwarted by Bialkowski.

Now dominant, Notts soon added a third, as another great ball from Boucaud was poorly headed by former loanee Eastham, and Zoko, the substitute, beat Carson and tapped the ball into an empty net.

The fans were truly loving it, and empowered by the increasing volume of the crowd, the Notts players took it upon themselves to attempt a couple of ambitious efforts, Gary Liddle nearly scoring from a 30-yard volley.

Eastham was once again the culprit as he felled Judge inside the box, and JCR fired a confident penalty in front of the Kop crowd to take the scoreline to 4-1.

The frustration soon got to the Bury players, Tom Soares' snarling challenge enraging the crowd and earning him a yellow card.

As the Kop chanted "It's just like watching Juve!", Notts took their foot off the pedal and, despite Bury's forays into the opposition penalty box, they couldn't trouble the Notts defence further, and the game finished 4-1.

This absolutely exhilarating second half display was the perfect start to the weekend for the Notts faithful, and also convinced Ray Trew to give Chris Kiwomya the manager's job on a permanent basis until the end of the season. Notts rise up to ninth, eight points off a play-off place.
Chris

Notts County - View 20/02/13

By Chris, in Media,

This week we ask a series of questions to Natalie and Ben, with a fairly busy week for myself I haven't found enough time to get around to this but I appreciate the interest which we received when we requested fans to come forward. If you are interested in taking part please do let us know, this is something we would like to continue. Many Thanks to Jon and Iain, aswell as Natalie and Ben who answered our questions very swifty. We're very much looking forward to Friday night and hope to see a good crowd! Come on youpies!

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

Natalie: I've supported Notts for over 20 years, done 70 plus grounds watching the Pies.

Ben: I am 16 year old Notts fan and have supported Notts since I was about 11, before this I was not really interested in football at all!

In our last Notts County fan view Vicki mentioned that she had met Jimmy Sirrel. Can you share any similar experiences?

Natalie: I didn't have any similar experiences really.

Ben: I have met most of the players over the last few seasons and I own a signed Sam Sodje shirt from last season which I won through Magpie Player!

What's your thoughts regarding the recent events at Meadow Lane? I.e Keith Curle sacking, High Court Appearance.

Natalie: The sacking of KC was rather premature I think and was unexpected despite 2 wins in 11 games, the high court appearance did not worry me I assumed if it was bad we would have known more about it.

Ben: I am sad to see KC leave, but can’t help but feel if he hadn’t have been sacked, attendances would have remained low until the end of the season. Some Notts fans just never gave him a chance.

Can you share a memory from your childhood and can you tell us who used to be your Notts County hero?

Natalie: Memory from childhood, 1st ever Notts game when I was around 7 years old Vs Liverpool, my Dad took me to the game and I sat in his season ticket seat DP stand and he stood somewhere else!!

Notts hero hmm never really had a hero, I liked Tony Agana for some strange reason

Ben: Lee Hughes and Luke Rodgers were my favourites! Great strike partnership and we won the league. Great season with a great ending!

What got you interested in football and are there any other Notts County fans in your family?

Natalie: My Dad got me into football he has done all 92 grounds watching Notts,he needs Crawley to complete again.My sister and her kids and my daughter are all Notts fans and my Dad.

Ben: My dad took me to Notts when I was about 10, I was reluctant to go at first but as soon as I’d been a few times I became hooked.

Do you have any outstanding football memories from the past and what are your highlights of this season?

Natalie: Football memories the trips to Wembley in the play off final especially gaining promotion to 1st division and the championship winning season 2010.

Ben: My first away game, Chesterfield when we won 3-1 sticks out for me, first time I’d been amongst fans who sang and an all-round quality day. The highlight of this season… well I’m hoping it’s still to come!

If it were possible to bring a past player to the present team who would it be and why?

Natalie: Past player I would bring back would be Tommy Johnson just for his enthusiasm and shooting power and precision.

Ben: So many to choose from, I think the current team needs a prolific striker, Lee Hughes is an obvious candidate but other players that have been in a Notts shirt have gone on to do better things, Brandy, Gow and Bogdanovic all fairly quiet at Notts but now regular goal scorers for their teams. I’d probably bring back Brandy although I would be very happy to see any of these players back!

Do you travel to many away games, previous and this season?

Natalie: I have travelled to many away games hence visiting 70 grounds, not so many this season because of funds, but I do enjoy away games.

Ben: I have been to a few Notts away games, but only the local ones. When I start earning I will try and get to more!

Where do you see us finishing this season?

Natalie: I see us finishing around 12th, but hope to get into the playoffs.

Ben: Play Offs or just outside.

If we could sign another player from a league one team who would it be? (Personally I would sign Paddy Madden)

Natalie: Signing from another league one team would be Dave Kitson, awkward and scores goals.

Ben: Clayton Donaldson, Brentford; Pacey striker who scores week in, week out.

How do you feel about our connection to Juventus and the amazing work that Italian Magpies do?

Natalie: Connection with Juve is unbelievable because we are a small league one club and they are giants and they seem proud to be associated with us which is great!

Ben: QUALITY. I love that fact that we can have some living history at Notts and the Italian Magpies are keeping it alive!

If we don't make the play-offs (as seems likely) what are your hopes for next season?

Natalie: Hopes for next season to be settled and with a settled team, gaining automatic promotion.

Ben: Next season I would like to finish comfortably in the play offs. I'm hoping that we can get a decent manager in and establish a solid starting eleven and get rid of all the dead wood at the club to free up a bit of money. If we can buy some quality in the summer that fits into our style of play, there's no reason why we can't. Enoch is a good example of players bought without thinking about how he would fit into the team. Just seemed all a bit rushed. Hopefully we can get a decent manager in that can build up his team and then next season have a proper run for promotion! You Pies

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank both Natalie and Ben for taking the time to answer our questions, we would also like to thank Iain also for showing interest.
Chris

Italian Magpies

By Chris, in Media,

On the 8th of September 2011 Notts County played Juventus in the opening of their newly built Juventus Stadium. The 41,000 capacity stadium (the first venue to be modernised but downsized) was the host of a special occasion. Juventus could have played a host of major footballing sides, such as the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona or even Manchester United, they decided to choose history, a kind gesture very unlikely in modern football and it's one which has featured proudly in our own 150 years of formation since the amazing opening ceremony.

A year later a group of travelling Juventus supporters decided to pay homage to where they originally got their black and white shirts, back in 1903.

On the 21/01/12 as Notts prepared to play MK Dons, the group
of travelling fans was shown around Meadow Lane. The game ended 1-1, Jeff Hughes equalizing in the 81st minute from a penalty, salvaging the points for Notts County but also giving the travelling supporters something to cheer about.

The following day the 22/01/12 the travelling Juventus supporters decided to form a group called the 'Italian Magpies'. This act, a really humble gesture, has since seen them heavily promote the work of the club.

To the credit of Italian Magpies they've bound the black and white stripes bringing both clubs closer together.

Our supporters and theirs enjoy friendly relations, as Notts County's official Facebook page had been well received with kind comments from the european giants fans. In recent years this has opened the doors to more foreign based support for the club, credit which Italian Magpies can share.

The successful site italianmagpies.com is the place for Juventus and Notts County fans to respectfully share the achievements, as the team write up daily articles based on the current on-goings.

Having celebrated the sites first full year, Pride of Nottingham were lucky enough to be a part of this as we share a close link with them. (Just as Notts does with Juventus)

To current date Italian Magpies share their dedication on
social streams such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. They've recently celebrated a great achievement of reaching 2500 likes, which isn't bad going for a year! A great sign and reward for their efforts. On twitter they stand at 614 followers which is another sign of how widely popular the work they do is.

It's something in recent weeks we've been trying to highlight, as we appreciate the support given to us. We are very proud of our bond, humble and honoured that we have their backing.

As they move forward we hope to be closely behind them, we also wish them all the best for the future and look forward to their return visit.

We praise them for this long running dedication, something we here at PoN hope to be able to do ourselves as plan to visit Juvenus very much so in the near future. If you're unfamiliar with Italian Magpies or haven't liked or followed them please find their respective pages below, including a link to their informative site.

Forza Juve and Forza Notts County, more importantly Forza Italian Magpies!

Italian Magpies | Site - Facebook - Twitter - Youtube
A day like no other - By Notts-Joe
ncfcdrapes
Sadly now departed for pastures new, Lee Hughes became an icon while at Notts County and his goals in taking us to the League Two title and then keeping us up the following year, allied with his great character, earned him legendary status at Meadow Lane. And there is one game above all that stands out in terms of Hughes’ brilliance for me, and a day that is one of my more memorable supporting Notts. It came during that League Two title season of 2009/10, as the fabled number nine tore poor Burton Albion apart scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at the Pirelli Stadium.

It took Hughes just nine minutes to leave his mark, with his treble coming within this time – albeit either side of the break.

It was Notts’ first action for more than two weeks, coming on Monday, December 28, 2009 – the first action since what turned out to be the only home defeat of the season, against Accrington Stanley on December 12 – Hans Backe’s final act as Magpies boss.

So Dave Kevan was in charge at the Pirelli, with Munto Finance long gone, Peter Trembling on the lookout for £25 million of investment, and fans wondering just where the season was heading. Hughes answered in some style bagging his third treble of the season after earlier efforts against Bradford City on debut, and then Northampton Town.

I missed the first goal of this one though, along with many Magpies, due to the dreadful over-crowding and probably over-selling of the away end by Albion staff. Latecomers, such as myself due to being at a local pub and then grabbing some chips and mushy peas, were forced to grab what view they could from the walkthrough area at the back of the stand. The views were pitiful, and you could only see part of the pitch.

Still, to hear the packed standing area go mad when Ricky Ravenhill struck the Magpies ahead on a bitterly cold afternoon with 13 minutes played was still worth it… and it turned out to be a beautiful volley by the often under-rated midfielder.

Steve Kabba found an equaliser for the Brewers six minutes before half-time, beating Kasper Schmeichel, but Notts weren’t to be denied a half-time lead as Hughes grabbed his first in added-time before the break, pouncing on a Karl Hawley flick-on, holding off the defence and calmy finishing past Artur Krysiak.

At half-time the rush for refreshments in the away end enabled us to get into the ground itself, and we had prime standing position for the second-half action, bang in the middle of the goal Notts would be attacking.

It took just three minutes of the second-half for League Two’s leading goalscorer Hughes to get is 17th of the campaign at that point, taking Craig Westcarr’s past and finishing brilliantly past Krysiak, before rushing to do the ‘Hughesy’ in front of a packed away end – who promptly joined in.

His hat-trick came after he rounded Krysiak and was brought down. At that point he was a reliable spot-kick taker and he duly dispatched from 12 yards, sparking more chaos in the away end as Notts fans rushed forward to acclaim their hero. The atmosphere was immense, Burton were shellshocked and the points were Notts’ – 4-1 up after 53 minutes.

Hughes had been given stick by the home fans all game – arguably more so than at most places despite this being the norm – and he milked the applause of the travelling army, showing his fingers to illustrate how many goals he had scored to the Albion crowd.

And when subbed for Luke Rodgers in the 76th minute, he took his time to wave to all sides of the ground mockingly, to show who was the boss. In truth, he has showed it already. Brilliant.
 
Joe Jones
The relationship between a great player and the football clubs he plays for is one of the most diverse aspects of football.
Some players spend most or all of their career at one club - Jamie Carragher, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville come to mind. Some players will transfer between clubs multiple times, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Nicolas Anelka.
And some are in between, who have played for just a few clubs but made enough of an impact at each of them to be loved by each set of fans. Michael Johnson is one such player.
Born in Nottingham in 1973, Johnson played for the well-known Clifton All-Whites, a regional youth team whose alumni include Jermaine Jenas and Garry Birtles.
In 1991, he made his debut for Notts County, away at Arsenal. It proved a baptism of fire for the then 18-year old, as a tough Gunners team containing stars such as Ian Wright and Tony Adams triumphed 2-0. Johnson also played against Coventry, Norwich, Sheffield United and Manchester City that season. Sadly, it was to be his only season with Notts in the top flight, as the Magpies were relegated that year.
The 92/93 season, in the newly rebranded Division One, saw Johnson becoming a first-team regular, playing 37 league games as the Magpies finished 17th in a very tight league, just three points above the relegation zone. Despite being only nineteen, Johnson played with maturity and composure beyond his years, and never gave less than 100%.
93/94 saw Notts perform admirably and finish in seventh, just three points shy of the playoffs. Johnson was once again a permanent fixture in defence, playing 33 league games.
The Magpies also made it all the way to the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup, where Johnson faced up to the mighty Gheorghe Hagi, the Romanian who would go on to lead his team to the quarter finals of the World Cup just a few months later. Sadly, the 17,185 inside Wembley saw Brescia lift the Cup after outplaying Notts and winning 1-0.
94/95 was a devastating season for Notts, as Mick Walker was sacked early on, and a succession of managers and unsettling off-pitch turmoil led to poor results on the pitch. Johnson played 27 league games but couldn't stop the team finishing rock bottom, though he did at least get his hands on some silverware by helping Notts win the Anglo-Italian Cup against Ascoli in March.
http://i2.walesonline.co.uk/incoming/article9991665.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/BP1197988.jpg
The summer saw Johnson move to newly promoted Birmingham City for around £300,000, and his powerful, swift and committed defending saw the Blues consolidate their position in the First Division. From that first season, the team went from strength to strength each year, finishing higher and higher, as Johnson developed more as a player and added goalscoring to his repertoire.
By 98/99, he was indispensable, having played in every league game that season and scoring five times as they made the playoffs, where they lost to eventual winners Watford.
This year would also see Johnson earn the first of his twelve caps for Jamaica, coming on as a sub against Sweden in a friendly played in Stockholm on the 27th May.
Johnson would experience play-off heartache twice more in successive years, before his team finally nailed it at the fourth time of asking by beating Norwich to finally reach the Premier League. Throughout that long, arduous and often deflating journey, Johnson was always a first team regular.
Heartache of a different kind came as the second-tier team made it all the way to the League Cup final, playing in Cardiff against Liverpool. They took the Reds, who would finish the season with three trophies, all the way to penalties, where they sadly lost out in the most erratic and agonising of ways.
In a bid to survive their first season back in the top flight, a spate of signings were made at Birmingham, which saw Johnson lose his first-team place. After playing just six games all season, he was allowed to leave, and, remaining local, he signed for Derby County.
It didn't take long for him to win a place in the Rams' first team and the fans' hearts, as he played 39 games and scored once, helping Derby survive a tumultous season where they narrowly avoided relegation.
http://www.city-of-football.uk/media/1223/johnson500.jpg?width=500&height=342
Unlike his time at Birmingham, where each season was consistently good and saw the team finish in the top six, Derby were challenging for the play-offs one year and fighting relegation the next. Nevertheless, Johnson was consistently solid and reliable, becoming club captain in 2005/06.
The following season, under new ownership and under the tutelage of Billy Davies, Derby cemented themselves into the promotion positions, leading for most of the season before a late drop in form saw them fall into the play-off zone.
Johnson was in the first-team picture playing 29 times, although injury problems saw him miss the end of the season, including the winning play-off games which confirmed Derby's place into the Premier League. Another promotion, another set of hearts won over.
Because of a change of management and new signings being made in the close season, Johnson found himself out of the first team. Anxious to find the right club at this late stage in his career, the then 34-year old opted for Sheffield Wednesday, joining the club on an initial one month loan in September.
He instantly made an impact as he helped the Owls pick up the first points of the season against Hull on 22nd September. Such was his professionalism, class and commitment that his stay was extended to three months, the maximum possible term for emergency loans.
Back at Derby, Johnson, in a bit of a limbo, nevertheless showed immense professionalism to do his best for the club, and when he came on for the Rams in a cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday, that rarest of occurrences took place: both teams cheered his appearance and were chanting his name and praising him, a testament to a great professional and great man.
Sadly, despite improving the squad and winning the fans' hearts in just thirteen games, a permanent contract at Sheffield Wednesday wasn't to be, as the Owls opted to sign a young Mark Beevers instead.
The Owls' loss was the Magpies' gain, and on 29th February 2008, Notts saw the prodigal son return to Meadow Lane. Initially on loan, Johnson slotted straight into the back four and played twelve times, scoring the winner against Rochdale and helping the team narrowly avoid relegation.
His final season as a player was with his hometown club, as Notts signed the player on a permanent one year deal. Another tricky season for the club saw Johnson play 29 times, his experience helping the club survive another year in the Football League. His final game came against Dagenham and Redbridge on 25th April 2009.
Earlier on in the year, he was offered the chance to become youth team manager the following season, which he duly took up. During the enigma that was the 09/10 season, he temporarily took over the first team reins with Dave Kevan, and during his two matches in charge, he won one and drew one.
Sadly - and how many times have I found myself saying the word in this article - things didn't work out at Notts, he was dismissed when Paul Ince was relieved of his duties and replaced by Under 12s coach Brett Adams.
Not one to be affected by setbacks, Johnson carried on studying for his coaching qualifications, and in June 2012, he qualified for the prestigious UEFA Pro Licence. In October, he rejoined Birmingham, taking charge of the Under-16s squad in the academy.
A campaigner for equality in sport, he demonstrated his coaching techniques in a FA-funded scheme aimed at promoting coaches and managers from minority ethnic backgrounds in August 2012, and in November, he spoke to the BBC about the lack of opportunities for black and Asian coaches, drawing from his own experiences in the field.
Johnson has also involved himself in several ambassadorial roles, which include Help Harry Help Others, a charity raising awareness of brain cancer, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Real United Football Club, a Nottingham-based team set up to reduce substance misuse and related criminal activity amongst young people in Nottingham.
In the last two years, Johnson has been an ambassador at Derby, where he carries out a wide variety of roles including coaching, mentoring, assisting corporate clients and media for in-house station Rams TV, as well as a board member at the League Managers Association and a founder member of On Board and Sports People's Think Tank, and his latest role - manager of Guyana.
A tireless, inspirational man throughout his whole career in every venture he's been involved in, few players are as cherished and revered by so many different clubs, fans and people as Michael Johnson.
What did you think of Michael Johnson when he was at Notts? Do you have any stand-out memories of him? Let Pride of Nottingham know by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.
Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.
Joe Jones
Walsall started the game brightly, and Bartosz Bialkowski, reinstated to the team after his injury spell, was forced into a save early on, a Jamie Paterson shot defused by Gary Liddle before being picked up by the keeper.

Shortly after, Grigg rounded the Pole and could have scored if not for Alan Judge who heroically cleared the shot off the line.

Neal Bishop, back in the team, attempted a wayward shot, but thirteen minutes in, the game appeared to have settled into a bit of a lull on the bumpy Bescot Stadium pitch.

Fabien Brandy, who had a spell at Notts in 2011, was fouled by Alan Sheehan on twenty minutes, but the ensuing free-kick came to nothing.

Half an hour in, Bialkowski rushed out to try and deny Paterson, but in the process fouled the striker and earned Walsall a penalty, which Grigg converted to give the Saddlers the lead.

Buoyed by the goal, Walsall began threatening the Notts goal further. Brandy cut inside and fired, but Bialkowski came out on top. Just four minutes later, he powered a header towards goal which again was saved.

As is often the case, former players are the most dangerous to play against, and Notts alumni Brandy and Craig Westcarr combined to breach the Notts defence, before Grigg's effort was skied.

The half petered out uneventfully, save for a firework being set off from one of the stands which halted the game for a number of seconds, and 1-0 was the half time scoreline.

The second half began brightly for Notts, who replaced Blythe with Yoann Arquin. Jamal Campbell Ryce cut inside in the Walsall area and fired towards the goal. His shot saved, the ensuing corner saw Jeff Hughes power a header against the keeper and scrambled clear.

Shortly afterwards, Arquin and Judge weighed in with good efforts of their own, before a Sheehan free-kick saw Hughes and Judge again come very close to scoring. But 1-0 it remained at this stage.

Liddle, having a great game, was the hero on the hour as a Westcarr chance was blocked by the defender.

The Notts pressure in the second half finally paid off as Arquin, from a JCR cross, fired low into the corner, sending the travelling fans into ecstasy. 1-1, 66 minutes played, game on.

On 78, a penalty appeal was turned down as Brandy was felled in the area, luckily for Notts. The ensuing counter attack however came to nothing.

Just four minutes later, JCR bombed down the flank after Bishop won the ball back, before cutting inside and curling an effort towards goal, but this was saved.

Just two minutes before full time, a Sheehan free kick was so nearly converted by Arquin, who completely changed the game after coming on, but the header was just wide.

The closing stages of the game saw Gavin Mahon replace Hughes, and the game, lacking a climactic finish, ended 1-1, a precious away point against a dangerous side.
Chris

Walsall FC - View

By Chris, in Opposition Views,

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

Been a fan since the early 70's. Moved around the country alot in 80's, 90's an 00's so didn't get to see that many home matches but always saw them if they were playing nearby. Moved back to midlands three years ago and get to most home matches and local derbies.

I keep reading comments from Saddlers fans regarding your good form, can you tell about the past 3 games and how important this form is at this period in the season?

Went 16 games without a win and relegation was looming. A dire FA cup replay match against Lincoln was when we hit rock bottom. However, Smith stuck to his guns of wanting to play proper football rather than hoofing it and it has all come good. Confidence in the team his high.

David Grof, Febian Brandy and Craig Westcarr are all players from Notts County's 2011 squad, do you expect any to feature in our game and who do you prefer personally?

David Grof won't be playing. Smith has no confidence in him, hence a merry-go-round of loan goalies this season. McLoughlin's loan period is up after we play you so we shall probably see a new face betwen the sticks a week on Saturday (unless MK Dons let McLoughlin stay). Febian Brandy has been a revelation. Got injured in a pre season friendly so was slow to make an impression. Now he can't stop scoring. We need to sign him up for an 18 month contract now. Westcarr is an enigma. When he plays, the team plays well. He can hold the ball up and spread it well. Some fans don't rate him, some are undecided, some think he is great! Will probobaly come on for Baxendale in the second half.

We're still playing under caretaker manager Chris Kiwomya, as an opposition fan who do you think is likely to land the full time job and what's your opinion on Chris?

I don't know who you will get. You could do worse than rescue Richard Money (Dickie Dosh) from Cambridge. Did well at Walsall but never seems to get on with fans wherever he goes! Chris Kiwomya played for Ipswich? Good player but early days to be judged as a manager

As an ex player of Walsall FC, Dean Smith is doing a pretty decent job with the Saddlers what are your thoughts on him as a manager?

Has a strong belief on how he wants the game to be played and won't be panicked into changing his systems. The team he has put together has cost nothing compared with other teams in the league. I think that speaks volumes about his ability to get the best out of what he has got. Now his name is linked with Coventry and Preston! Earlier in the season,he was criticised for some bizarre substitution decisionsthat have cost us points. He has seemed to have improved lately.

Can you tell us about your favourite game from this season and a maybe about a classic match also?

For me, the last home match against Oldham who beat Liverpool the previous week. The second half we were fantastic.The attendance went up too so there was a bit of atmosphere. I reckon there should be 5k plus there on Saturday.

Classic Match. Watford 4 Walsall 4 FA cup 5th round replay 1987

Is there any current Notts County players, budget permitting that you would like to sign? (some of our fans will be thinking it's a shame we still don't have Tom Williams right now, some would have paid to send him to Walsall – probably would have even paid his wages).

We don't need anyone from anywhere at the moment! Hang on... Whats your goalie like?

Who are your dangerman? Keeping in mind we're familiar with Febian and Craig.

Grigg (works hard and will create chances for himself). Paterson ( will make constant wrong decsions but still score) Bowerman from the bench. Adam Chambers will run the midfield.

Which of our players do you see as concerns to your defence and who do you think will handle them?

Butler will stick his head were people fear to put their feet. Downing is improving but can be a bit naive. Taylor and Purkiss are good attacking fullbacks with good crosses. Anyone with a turn of speed on the left could cause us problems.

Can you tell Pride of Nottingham about Walsall, such as your ground and nearby pubs/bars?

Well behaved away fans are welcome in the Saddlers Club. There is also a bar in the visitors end. Avoid the Fullbrook pub about a mile away. The ground is easy to get to and plenty of parking. We have our own railway station to. The snack bar will probably run out of food. We don't do chips!

Out of interest did you see the Celtic/Juventus game and are you aware that some of their fans have shown great support to Notts County FC? (Known as Italian Magpies).

Didn't Notts County provide Juventus with their shirts when they were founded? I think the similarity ends with the kit!!

Where did you think Walsall and Notts County will finish up in the league table by the end of the season?

Walsall could nick a play off place if teams around us lose their games in hand. Mid-table for you this season

We would like to Thank DonningtonSaddler for the time of answering questions and sharing his views.
Chris

Fund-raising for Meningtis

By Chris, in News,

Unaware of such tragic events, Pride of Nottingham would like to ask all fans who are in attendance to consider donating to the worthy cause. Ian from Walsall's Supporters Trust fund will be collecting around the Bescot Stadium with a bucket on Saturday from about 1.30.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2159191/Professional-footballers-daughter-17-months-dies-holiday-rare-blood-infection.html

Pride of Nottingham would like to add their sympathy to Dean and Danielle, wishing them all the best in the future.
Chris
It's a day most unlikely to forget, as it's one our younger fans will be able to pass down to their children in future years. The club very optimistic – as in recent years had seen Notts County go onto have decent cup runs.

Back in 2009 the previous season before this meeting Notts County had a very successful cup run which had seen them beat Wigan Athletic after 2-2 draw Meadow Lane.

I fondly recall the draw as a 'change' very much seemed to be in the air at this point and after a concerning season it was nice to get things into consideration. The FA Cup is something I look forward to each season, as it's the time we can forget about our struggles, promotion aspirations and just be ourselves.

I was unlucky enough to be unable to attend the game due to work commitments, my line manager knowing I was a county fan asked a few days prior to the game if I wanted to alter my shift slightly to allow me to catch the game on television which was a very kind gesture.

The shift went by quite fast surprisingly and I fondly recall telling my joy to the residents about this big tie, who I hold very dear to my heart. It was a honour working in the care home, I made so many good friends whose lives had become effected due to mental and physical health. During my time their I often took a resident down to the lane to watch a match.

Having rushed home, my family and parents sat in our living room. My two children (at this point) Jake and Ellie had their county shirts on. Ellie was loosely watching but Jake, excited that Grandma and Granddad were over, quickly lost interest temporarily.

I wasn't very optimistic, I will openly admit to seeing this one as being a tie we would struggle with. The earlier minutes saw Manchester City dominating play but only conjuring up a few key chances. As time progressed Notts County managed to find their feet, which saw us hold play and attempt to attack at times.

Alan Gow would try to use his trickery which drew them into making fouls, Karl Hawley was also very impressive with his work rate but it was a day very much so when our team was a unit.

Most chances in the first half fell to Manchester City who kept Krystian Pearce, Mike Edwards but also than keeper Stuart Nelson on his toes. Around the 8th minute mark, a chance which saw a save made by our keeper after a pass across our back line by Micah Richards had Toure Yaya stretching and Stuart Nelson saving the ball with his feet.

Then in the 59th minute Notts County had a corner, as the floating corner by Alan Gow reached 6 yard box Neal Bishop made a run unmarked through the City defence and latched onto the ball with a gliding header saw the ball fly into the net. Flapping Joe Hart and poor Pablo Zabaleta unable to prevent the wonderful set piece, which made a huge impact on the game. Finally I was thinking could we do the undo-able and actually beat the giants Manchester City of the Premier League?

This saw changes made to the way City were playing, they started to become more direct and they had memorable chances which again kept our defence very active.

As frustration seemed to be getting the better of most of Manchester Cities chances, the game looked in very good shape for our club as our players fought to keep the ball around the half way line, however in the 80th minute once again Micah Richards probably one of their better players of the match ran direct towards our area and provided Edin Dzeko an easy tap in.

The lads unlike some teams kept battling showing great character, as chances fell for both sides. Alan Gow again (underrated in my opinion) floated in another wonderful ball from a free kick which saw the unlikeliest of players 'Steady Eddie' creep around the back narrowly missing the ball.

The game finally drew to a close, by this point I wasn't fully sitting on my sofa but practically right on the edge and somewhat in the air. A great game, one which must of felt more amazing for those in attendance, the final score 1-1. A day that many will remember and for exactly the right reasons. The cup often brings some exciting fixtures, this provided us Notts fans a chance to dream and re-visit one of the biggest sides in the Premier League, a very proud day in modern football.

http://youtu.be/CBQwC5EyT98

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.

Useful Links

Support PON

Enjoy our content? Want to help us grow? Your donation will go a long way towards improving the site!

donate-pon.png

Meet the Team

Chris Chris Administrators
super_ram super_ram Global Moderators
DangerousSausage DangerousSausage Global Moderators
CliftonMagpie CliftonMagpie Global Moderators
TheSkipper TheSkipper Media

Social Media

Home
Dashboard
Sign In Register
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Pride of Nottingham uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To approve, simply continue using the site or click 'I accept' Terms of Use.

  I accept