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Joe Jones
Mansfield Town boss David Flitcroft has described Notts County as "quite an intimidating place" as he gears up for his first Nottinghamshire derby.
The 44-year-old has only been in charge of the Stags since the start of March, leaving Swindon Town to take over from Steve Evans in the Field Mill dugout.
As derbies between the two go, Saturday's clash at Meadow Lane is arguably one of the most significant in recent years, with both sides in the thick of the League Two promotion race.
“They play a certain way and do things how Kev (Kevin Nolan) likes to play and we’ve got to combat that,” Flitcroft told the Nottingham Post. "We must make sure on the day we turn their strengths into weaknesses and that we are stronger in what we do.
“Notts can be quite an intimidating place. They have made it a fortress and we have to try to take ownership ourselves, which can only come through the performance of the players and the energy they show which will cascade onto our fans.
“Notts have had a good season. Kevin has had that momentum from last season. He went in there just after Christmas time and built momentum. Obviously the owner's backed him. He is a great football man, but we have to concentrate on our game.
“They are up there for a reason. If you are in the top three over the course of a season then you’re doing something right. We have to understand that. But since I came in here from day one we’ve been concentrating on Mansfield Town and what we can do to improve and how we can get better. We are certainly seeing small signs of that.”
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Joe Jones
Matt Tootle has urged Notts County to have "fire in the belly and ice in the mind" when they face Mansfield Town on Saturday.
The two Nottinghamshire teams are high up in the League Two table and will lock horns at Meadow Lane for points and bragging rights.
“When I was younger it always stuck with me that you should have fire in your belly and ice in your mind,” Tootle told the Nottingham Post.
“I’ve always stuck by that and no matter what the atmosphere is in the stands, you have to take yourself out of that situation.
“It’s just another game and you’ve got to keep your head. I’ve always been good at that and you hope everyone else does the same.
“Saturday is going to be a great advert for League Two and for us to both be in the mix is fantastic.”
Should Tootle score against the Stags, or in subsequent games, he suggested that his famous slug celebration might not be wheeled out.
“I don’t want the slug to be something that I do every time because it will get boring otherwise,” he said.
“I want to do other things. No matter what, I will point at myself and give it the big one.
“But I don’t think I will be doing the slug again unless it’s two years until I score.
“I did not expect the slug to go down like it did, but it’s just a bit of fun. It gets noticed and people think I am a bit mad for doing it.
“But the next celebration could be the dinosaur. I will put some time and thought into it.
“Myself and Elliott Hewitt did have one based on Magnet and Steel from Max and Paddy. But I will keep everyone updated.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has questioned why Notts County have given Mansfield Town so many tickets but is eager for his players to do what they've been doing for most of the season when the two sides clash on Saturday.
The Stags travel to Meadow Lane for the 1pm kickoff, which will see two sides in the thick of the promotion race duke it out for points and, given the huge rivalry between the two, bragging rights.
“It’s just like any other rivalry and you live it and feel it,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“Everybody knows about it around the city and they’ve got 4,000 fans coming, which says it all. Although, I don’t know why we have given them that many tickets, I must admit.
“But I am looking forward to it. I don’t think I have managed to beat them since I’ve been here.
“We lost there earlier in the season, and then we lost in the Checkatrade Trophy when we made plenty of changes.
“We didn’t get off to the best of starts in that game as we conceded so early on, but I just think we are going to be really well prepared.
“If the lads can be what they have been for the majority of the season, then I feel we can come away with a really good result on Saturday and we will all be celebrating.
“That’s what we want. We want to keep plugging away and keep the momentum building.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County midfielder Noor Husin has picked up the February award for League Two Goal of the Month.
The goal in question was the equaliser in County's 4-1 win over Crewe Alexandra on February 3.
It saw the 21-year-old pick up the ball outside the box after a free kick had been poorly headed clear, before rifling home a superb long-range effort into the top-right corner.
Husin, who beat Swindon Town's Matt Taylor and Cheltenham Town's Joe Morrell to the gong, was presented with the award at his club's training ground.
"It's a good individual prize to win," he said. "I was up against some good goals so I'm delighted to win it.
"I thought I would just try and hit it and keep it on target. Luckily it flew in the top corner!"
The winners of the Sky EFL Goals of the Month are chosen by a fan poll on the Sky Sports website, with Pride of Nottingham sharing the link on its forum and on its social media pages, urging fans to vote.
The shortlist for the poll is decided by a judging panel following suggestions from supporters via Twitter.
The judging panel comprises of Sky Sports’ EFL expert Don Goodman, Sky Bet Sponsorship Executive Michael Holinski and EFL Senior Media Manager Rob Meaden.
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ARLukomski
So the big match is upon us. Notts County against Mansfield Town.
And you know what, I’m sick of losing to these lot. It really is getting annoying.
It’s fair to say our record against Mansfield really isn’t the best. This century, in the league, we’ve played them 14 times, winning once, drawing five and losing eight times.
Notts haven’t beaten Mansfield in the league since September 2005, a 3-2 win at Field Mill with a late winner courtesy of Glynn Hurst.
However, after seven years apart in different divisions, both of these two returned to playing each other in 2015-16. It was not a good season for Notts. The first home game of the season saw us lose the Nottinghamshire derby 2-0. However, it’s the reverse fixture that makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons for Notts. A 5-0 defeat. A defeat, which summed up the Ray Trew era. A lack of fight, effort and passion.
Notts were 1-0 down at half time and in the second half went to 3-5-2 and went for it in hope of getting back into the game. Sadly, it didn’t work and once the second went in, Notts gave up.
A lot changed that summer. Players, manager, board members. Notts returned to Field Mill on October 8th and lost again. A 3-1 defeat in a game, which I summed up as being an absolute joke. John Sheridan said it how it was ‘we lost to two deflections and a penalty.’
A lot of things still annoy me about that game. We should have been 3-0 up at half time. Jonathan Forte missed a one-on-one chance, Jon Stead hit the post, and also had another good chance. Alex Rodman equalised in the 82nd minute but I knew something controversial was coming. You could just sense it.
It was. Mansfield were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute for what most would call ‘a 50-50’ but Matt Tootle took so long to clear the ball. They scored a 3rd in the 93rd minute as well.
In the reverse fixture on January 14th, Notts halted a run of 10 successive losses in Kevin Nolan’s first game in charge, with the game finishing 0-0. Mansfield were in good form coming into that game but Notts held firm. =
In fairness, nothing much really happened in that game. Ben Whiteman came close to scoring with a deflected effort, which was well saved by Adam Collin. Michael O’Connor came close for Notts in the second half. In the 90th minute, a shot by Mansfield was saved by Collin and cleared by Carl Dickinson in a moment where my heart skipped a beat.
The 3-1 defeat earlier this season again showed a lack of fight in which we crumbled under the pressure. Stead missed an easy chance from close range and Danny Rose starred as Mansfield ran out winners yet again.
Form coming into this game has never been important. The four games in which Notts have lost against them, they have had the better form coming into each one. The 0-0 draw in January was the only time in which Mansfield had the better form coming into the derby.
There is a slight theory behind this game too, as every time there has been a Tuesday night fixture preceding the derby, Mansfield have won.
2015/16 (0-2) Huddersfield 1-2 Notts, Sheff Wed 4-1 Mansfield – Notts lost the derby
2015/16 (5-0) Notts 1-0 Hartlepool - Notts lost the derby
2016/17 (3-1) Rochdale 2-1 Notts, Port Vale 0-1 Mansfield - Notts lost the derby
2017/18 (3-1) Exeter 0-3 Notts, Cheltenham 3-0 Mansfield - Notts lost the derby
Notts have looked brilliant recently and I have the feeling this could the game in which we end the derby curse. Richard Duffy has said about how the players had a talk during the rot they were going through on how to turn it around. He also said they are now doing what they were doing when they were doing at the start of the season.
I’ve also had friends who are Mansfield fans messaging me saying that the style of play since David Flitcroft came in has got worse. Danny Rose and Alex MacDonald have been two players who played well under Steve Evans but haven’t done so far under Flitcroft.
This game is also massive for the promotion race. A Notts win and promotion is in their own hands with 8 games to go. A Mansfield win and they are right back in it with a game in hand. A draw is no good for either team and only hands the advantage to Wycombe and a recently resurgent Coventry. Notts must win to retain their advantage in the promotion race and finally end our awful record in this fixture.
A last word to the fans. We cannot be outsung like last time. Players thrive off the support and it could make all the difference come Saturday. We cannot be outsung.
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Joe Jones
What's been happening in League Two over the last week?
Here is Pride of Nottingham's round-up of the biggest League Two news from the last seven days.
- Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman won February's L2 Manager of the Month award for guiding his side to 16 points out of a possible 18 during the month.
- Player of the Month went to Swindon Town forward Marc Richards, who scored five goals in six appearances in February.
- Swindon Town appointed former Derby County, Hull City and Preston North End boss Phil Brown as manager until the end of the season.
- Grimsby Town also appointed a new man at the helm of their first team - former Falkirk coach and Cambridge University graduate Michael Jolley.
- Also at Blundell Park, the club have signed forward Gary McSheffrey until the end of the season.
- Chesterfield's League Two game against Lincoln City was stopped to allow an air ambulance to land on the Proact Stadium pitch after a supporter was taken ill.
- Dover Athletic signed Forest Green Rovers winger Keanu Marsh-Brown on loan until the end of the season.
- Exeter City captain Jordan Moore-Taylor could be ruled out for some time after injuring his knee in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Carlisle United.
- Cheltenham Town have launched a "full investigation" after alleged "homophobic comments" by some fans during Saturday's win at Swindon Town.
- Highly rated Accrington Stanley youngster Calum Hatton Warbrick, 10, joined Everton's academy.
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Joe Jones
Former Notts County youth player Jamie Parkes has come third on his horse racing debut.
The 18-year-old was released three years ago from the Meadow Lane academy for being too small, but coach Mick Leonard suggested the prospect of going down the jockey route.
Although Parkes was not interested at first, given his disappointment at failing to make the grade at Notts, he soon warmed to the idea and began learning the ropes, enrolling at the Northern Racing College near Doncaster.
After graduating from the college, Parkes spent time with Mick Appleby prior to joining Martyn Meade’s Newmarket stable.
On Wednesday his journey took the next step up when he raced in the 20:45 at Wolverhampton, partnering Sociologist for Meade in a 1m1f handicap, and came third in the race.
“Football was my life, it broke my heart,” Parkes told the Racing Post.
“I was sceptical about being a jockey at first. I didn’t sit on a horse until I was 16, but now I love it and I'm really looking forward to making a career in racing.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan is looking forward to Saturday's League Two derby between Notts County and Mansfield Town but warns that the opposition are "no mugs".
Both sides are in the hunt for automatic promotion this season, with the Magpies hoping to make it four games unbeaten, deal a big blow to a direct promotion contender, and claim regional bragging rights.
Although the game will be the first Nottinghamshire derby for new Stags manager David Flitcroft, Nolan is still mindful of their strong squad and will treat them with respect.
“It’s going to be really tough for us because Mansfield have got a fantastic squad, team and all of that,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“They are no mugs and we know that. We will respect them like we always do and if you do that, you give yourselves a good chance of getting a result.
"We are really looking forward to it.”
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Joe Jones
Richard Duffy has stressed that Notts County's weekend meeting with Mansfield Town will bring "a totally different kind of pressure".
The two Nottinghamshire rivals will lock horns at Meadow Lane early on Saturday afternoon, both eager to get three points to boost their automatic promotion ambitions.
Last time they faced off in Nottingham, Kevin Nolan had just taken over at County as he set about trying to stave off relegation from League Two.
“You look and read things like any normal person. You can’t look too far ahead because it will bite you on the bum,” he told the Nottingham Post. “Mansfield is the next game. Beating them is our aim.
“It’s a different kind of pressure than when we last played them here. I think we were bottom (they were second bottom) when Mansfield came to town, but we picked up a valuable point.
“It’s a totally different kind of pressure now. We were facing pressure not to fall out the Football League as the oldest league club. It’s different pressure now, but it’s a nice pressure.
“It’s a big occasion for both sets of fans. We’re big rivals and we’re both looking for the three points bearing in my mind where we both sit in the table. We’re both looking to get in that top three at the end of the season.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County defenders Matt Tootle and Ben Hall visited Dovecote Primary School in Clifton as part of the Football In The Community-delivered Premier League Primary Stars project.
During the afternoon, the two answered questions from the Key Stage 2 pupils and got involved in their PE session.
The Premier League Primary Stars project uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.
As well as engaging children in physical activity and healthy living, PLPS uses the power of the beautiful game to teach core subjects such as Maths, English, PE and PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education).
Tootle told the FITC site: “I hadn’t done a school visit for a while so it was nice to do it today. I like answering the kids’ questions and just making them happy I suppose.
"At that age, they’re just really curious and some are football-mad like I used to be so it’s really nice for them to be able to ask us anything they want to know.
“Also when I was a young kid, I got snubbed by a footballer so I always said to myself – if I ever become a footballer, I’ll never snub anyone so I’m trying to be a good role-model now.”
Brighton loanee Hall, who was making his first school visit, said: “It was great interacting with the kids and nice to see their faces light up as they saw us.
“Some of the questions were tricky but it was really enjoyable. The kids obviously look up to us and it’s a nice way of giving back to the community."
Find out more about Notts County FC Football in the Community by clicking here.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Mansfield Town will contest the Matt Salmon Trophy when they face off at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
Matt, who died last May aged just 25 after a long battle with cancer, had a work experience spell in the medical department at Meadow Lane before spending three-and-a-half years with the Stags as academy physio.
Both sides competed for the trophy in the reverse fixture at Field Mill in September, with Mansfield winning on that occasion, and the fixture at the Lane will be the final time the trophy will be at stake.
Notts also announced that Matt's family will be welcomed into hospitality for the League Two match, which kicks off at 1pm, while a number of his friends will be in the stands.
Notts chairman and owner Alan Hardy told the official club site: “We saw in the reverse fixture how loved and respected Matt was by people from both clubs.
“He left such a positive impression on all who knew him and we’re proud to once again be remembering him by competing for a trophy named in his honour.
“This serves as a timely reminder that football – as important as it is to us – is not the be all and end all.
"We look forward to having his family here with us and paying our respects to such a popular young man.”
Mansfield CEO Carolyn Radford told the Stags site: "We all know of the fierce rivalry between Mansfield Town and Notts County, but this is an instance in which both clubs are united to remember someone who was genuine, hard-working and warm-hearted.
"I know Matt would have been really touched by the outpouring of love from the football community and we thank Notts County and their chairman Alan Hardy for remembering Matt with us in this way.
"As a family club, we were all devastated to learn of Matt's passing last year and his wife and family remain in our thoughts and prayers."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has challenged his Notts County players to put together another unbeaten run as they seek to finish the League Two season off in the automatic promotion places.
Saturday's 2-1 win over Forest Green Rovers means the Magpies currently stand on three games without defeat, alongside victory over Stevenage and a draw with Cheltenham Town.
“Earlier in the season when we had a couple of losses we have always gone eight, nine, 10 games unbeaten,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“That’s the challenge to the boys now because seven points out of the last nine is a fantastic return.
“We probably should have nine out of nine but for refereeing decisions which I am disappointed about.
“But we just have to keep looking after ourselves. We have a really tough game this weekend and everybody is looking forward to it.
“We will have a game plan and if we stick to it we have every chance of getting 10 points out of 12.”
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Joe Jones
Liam Noble has vowed to try and get rid of his reputation as a volatile player as he insists he will not "blow up" when provoked on the pitch any more.
The 26-year-old was sent off five times during his first two seasons at Notts County but has not been shown a red card in more than 70 games since his spell at Forest Green Rovers and subsequent return to Meadow Lane.
“I have this bad reputation for being sent off but I’ve not had a red card in 70-odd games now so that needs to go now,” Noble, who scored the opener in County's 2-1 win at FGR, told the Nottingham Post.
“People are waiting for me to blow up but it isn’t going to happen. I am 26 and if people are kicking you then they are doing it for a reason – because you are a good player.
“When I was 21 or 22, I would have volleyed them back. I just need to get this rid of this reputation. I played 50 games last season and another 25 this season for Notts and Forest Green and not one red card.
“The gaffer said that if I got sent off for something stupid then I would never play for him again. That was only right. I think that will be the case until the end of the season until I gain his trust as well.
“He felt the need to pull me and say don’t get sent off so there’s probably some doubt in there. Hopefully I can keep proving him and everyone else wrong.”
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Joe Jones
Mark Cooper has claimed that Forest Green Rovers deserved to get something out of their game against Notts County despite a "terrible" first half.
The Magpies ran out 2-1 winners over the Green Devils at the New Lawn on Saturday, taking the lead through Liam Noble after the visitors pounced on a defensive mistake.
Although Tahvon Campbell grabbed an equaliser for the hosts, Matt Tootle had the final say when he slugged the ball through a crowd of bodies and into the back of the net.
“The first half was a non-event, we didn’t start well so the only complaint I can have today was that the first half was terrible,” former Notts boss Cooper told the official FGR site.
“We didn’t play with any tempo, that obviously wasn’t coached that was just us being pedestrian, not asking questions of Notts County at the back, of their defence, and we just let them play themselves into the game and get a goal.
“Wishart dribbled in the box and gave it straight to their centre forward and it ricocheted and they tapped it in.
“I thought in the second-half we were brilliant, I thought we had a right go. All I said at half time was go and have a go and we deserved to get something out of the game.
“We should defend better and with the experience we’ve got in the side, we should get something. We didn’t produce that final telling pass in the final third which we’d have liked to.
“We dominated the second half but we have to make sure we get at least a point as I a point would have been a good result for us. It was a chance to test ourselves against a top three and see how far away we are and in the second half we showed we’re not far.”
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Joe Jones
Former Notts County forward Montel Gibson has been left with "no representative and no club" after Ilkeston Town confirmed his departure.
The 20-year-old made 28 starts for Steve Chettle's team this season and enjoyed a fruitful turnaround of 15 goals.
However, Gibson is no longer at the New Manor Ground club, with the team manager citing his difficulty in attending training from Birmingham due to lack of own transport.
“Montel was finding it hard to balance his time between training, playing and travelling from Birmingham, he was making these journeys without his own transport and was reliant on lifts from other people, because of this, he was only able to make training once a week," Chettle said.
”I spoke to him last week and he has really enjoyed his time with Ilkeston, and everyone at the club would like to thank him for all of his efforts this season, and we wish him well in the future, wherever that lies.”
Gibson told the Ilson site: “It’s been quite emotional to leave such a big club full of positivity and such supportive people who believe in you.
"Considering my time has only been short, Ilkeston has become a second home to me. So, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Ilkeston, I’ve met a great bunch of lads along the way, the fans were magnificent week in, week out. The support here is different class every single game.
“Steve has been amazing since the day I came to Ilkeston, he believed in me and pushed me from the start, on and off the pitch. I’d also like to thank the rest of the coaching staff, Ian, Craig, Simon and Physio Dave.”
Gibson was on Notts County's books between 2016 and 2017, making five appearances for the Magpies, before joining Ilson on a free transfer last summer, and has now expressed an interest in playing abroad.
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