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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has confirmed that Ross Fitzsimons will not be involved in Notts County's League Two away game at Cheltenham Town after suffering a car accident on Monday.
The former Crystal Palace goalkeeper was involved in a collision near Trent Bridge, and Nolan says he was not hurt but was shaken and as such will not be travelling to Whaddon Road with the squad.
“It was nothing serious but Ross will not be travelling,” he told the Nottingham Post. “Obviously he’s a bit shaken up and it’s unfortunate because he’s just got a new car.
“As you can imagine, now that we know he is alright he has taken a bit of stick. But the protocol is that we make sure he is alright and his safety and health is the most important thing.
“It’s an unfortunate incident and one you don’t realise you have to deal with until you walk into the office. Cars can always be replaced. It might have actually knocked a bit of sense into him!”
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Joe Jones
Former Cheltenham Town captain John Finnigan has made the astonishing claim that Notts County youth players would eat pieces of paper with their Nottingham Forest counterparts' names on them.
The 41-year-old made the claim in a column for Gloucestershire Live ahead of Tuesday night's rescheduled League Two clash between the Magpies and Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road.
Finnigan, who came through the ranks at the City Ground, wrote: "Memories of living in Nottingham will come flooding back to me on Tuesday night when ex-Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley arrives as part of manager Kevin Nolan's coaching staff at Notts County.
"'Big Norm' as everyone knew him is a great bloke and was a senior player who always had time for the younger lads and never forgot that he’d been one himself just a few short years earlier.
"He was a very good goalkeeper and a great character to have around the place too.
"My main memories of Notts County come from our youth team battles as a youngster.
"There was a fierce rivalry between the two clubs and it was drummed into us Forest lads early that the County lads would love to be in our shoes and were jealous and would want to beat us more than any other team.
"They did want to too, fortunately in my two years in the youth set up they never did.
"I don’t think our youth coach John Perkins who sadly passed away a year or so ago would have spoken to us for weeks had the Magpies from the other side of the Trent got one over on us.
"The Notts boys were always fired up, banging and kicking on our door and trying all the usual intimidation stuff before games.
"We were asked to sit quiet, told to listen to them and we all used to sit there smirking to one another thinking we’ll quiet them down when we cross the white line, when it means something.
"In later years some of the Notts boys confirmed their coach would slip them a piece of paper with their opposite number's name on it and they would eat them, stamp on them or whatever else they could think of to psych themselves up.
"I couldn’t believe it when I heard, I just broke down laughing. Great memories!"
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Joe Jones
Jorge Grant has claimed that his season at Notts County has gone better than expected and insists he is close to reaching his individual targets.
The Magpies midfielder, on loan from Nottingham Forest, scored his 18th goal of the season last weekend as he came off the bench to help inspire a 2-0 win over Stevenage.
Grant scored 16 goals before Christmas but then experienced a barren run in front of goal which now seems to have been put to bed, but he still feels he can improve.
“It (the season) has gone better than I expected,” Grant told the Nottingham Post.
“I set myself targets and I’ve nearly reached both of them in terms of goals and assists.
“That’s a good thing when you set targets high and hit them.
“I still think I can improve. I’ve been inconsistent recently, but before that I was happy with my performances and they were up there most week.
“When the goals aren’t coming people think you have not played well, but I’ve had the odd game where I’ve played well and not scored.
“I’ve developed here massively. I am much more mature off the pitch as well as on it.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has claimed that Matty Virtue should return to Notts County “full of confidence” after scoring for Liverpool Under-23s and believes the Reds youth captain will make successful contributions for his loan club.
Virtue bagged the first goal for Neil Critchley’s team which lost 2-1 to Porto B in the Premier League International Cup last Wednesday.
The 20-year-old, who is eligible to play games for his parent club's youth side despite being on loan, is now back at Meadow Lane.
He will be in contention for a place in the squad which faces Cheltenham in League Two on Tuesday night.
“It’s perfect and we had the same scenario with Tahvon Campbell last season in which he could also play for West Brom’s under-23s team while on loan for us,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“We are hoping to build a good rapport with Liverpool so we are not going to stop him when he has a fantastic game to play in especially when he has not had 90 minutes with us. He will get minutes in his legs and we are always going to encourage that.
“Matty will be back with us and he scored a good goal. A lot of my mates are Liverpool fans and he took his goal very nicely. He will come back full of confidence and hopefully we can keep adding to that.
“People just expected Matty to come in because he was a Liverpool player and take the mantle left by Ryan Yates. It didn’t help that we weren’t going through a great patch at the time.
“Had we been winning games then it would have been seen as seamless. He’s got a bright future in the game and we don’t want to be wrecking that.
“We took him out of the firing a line a bit because people were looking at him even though he was one of the best players on the pitch when we were getting poor results.
“It won’t long before we see the best of him again and seeing him in a winning team and everybody is thinking ‘we’ve got a player here’.
“He’s a great kid and wants to learn. People have to remember it’s his first loan and he is learning every day because it’s different to academy football.
“I am sure come the end of the season he will have made a successful contribution and he will go back to Liverpool a better player.”
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Joe Jones
Born in Sheffield on 12 February 1962, Phil Turner began his career at Lincoln City, making his first-team debut for the Imps in 1979.
A combative central midfielder, Turner won promotion to the Third Division in 1981 under Colin Murphy, and formed midfield partnerships with Glenn Cockerill and then Neil Redfearn during his time at the club.
In May 1985, Turner was in the Lincoln team that faced Bradford City in a Third Division clash at Valley Parade and witnessed the horrendous events of the stadium fire which tragically claimed 56 lives.
In 1986, his spell at Sincil Bank would come to an end as he joined Grimsby Town, for whom he would make 62 appearances, but he left in 1988 for Leicester City, and then only spent one season at Filbert Street.
Turner's subsequent move was the one that would yield the most glory as, in March 1989, he moved up the East Midlands to Notts County in a £125,000 deal which also saw Gary Mills move the other way.
The then 26-year-old hit the ground running as he made 16 appearances for the Magpies as they finished ninth in Division Three under Neil Warnock, who had taken over earlier in the year.
It wouldn't be long before Warnock gave Turner the captain's armband and, under his leadership, Notts would embark on a magical rise up the leagues.
In 1989-90, Turner made 47 appearances as the Magpies finished third in the table and subsequently navigated the playoffs, captaining the side in their Wembley final win over Tranmere Rovers, and Turner was awarded Player of the Season for his contributions.
And the heroics from both player and club continued the following season as Notts cruised to a fourth-placed finish in Division Two and subsequently did it again in the playoffs, beating Brighton & Hove Albion in the final to reach the hallowed top flight - Turner did his bit with the opening goal in the semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough.
Turner had two more Wembley captaincies in him as he twice skippered Notts in two consecutive Anglo-Italian Cup finals, and by the time he departed Meadow Lane in 1996, he had made 284 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 29 goals, and was POTY once again, in 1994.
County was the last club that Turner turned out for, subsequently taking on the job of assistant manager at Grantham Town, and according to The League Paper, he also worked in community care in Derbyshire.
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Joe Jones
Notts County have been linked with a move for former Spain and Sevilla winger Diego Capel.
Alan Hardy had previously spoken about having pursued an unnamed Spanish player, but added that the move fell through due to wages and the player picked a switch to an Italian club.
Nonetheless, reports emerged on Saturday night from the Daily Mail and the Sun suggesting that County have offered Capel £10,000-per-week wages plus £5,000 per played game until the end of the season.
The reported salary would make Capel the highest paid player in fourth-tier history, eclipsing Luton Town's Luke Berry, who is believed to be on £3,500 per week.
In addition, both articles suggest that, contrary to Hardy's claim of the move being off, that it's still active - "Sportsmail understands a deal is some way off from being completed."
According to the Mail, the 30-year-old’s advisers had been talking to clubs in France and Eastern Europe but have been "blown away" by the terms on offer by Notts, who are seeking promotion from League Two.
Capel has been without a club since leaving Belgian giants Anderlecht in August.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan is hoping for an upturn in Notts County's performances after admitting last week's win over Stevenage helped the players get the "buzz" back in training this week.
The Magpies have 11 games left of the League Two campaign and they remain well in the promotion hunt.
The 2-0 win over Boro was followed up by third-placed Wycombe Wanderers losing at home to Coventry City in midweek which keeps Nolan’s side just a point behind an automatic promotion slot.
Although this weekend's game at Cheltenham Town was postponed to next Tuesday, the County boss is hoping their display last time out will nonetheless stand them in good stead at Whaddon Road in a few days' time.
“You could feel the lads were getting that buzz back this week on the back of a really good, solid performance,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“You always like to score an early goal and have a nice win, but those wins are more satisfying when you look back and see how solid we were.
“We didn’t give the opposition many chances and we affected them in lots of different ways. Once we got the goal the shackles started coming off and the confidence grew.
“The more games you play, the more clean sheets you keep and the more goals you score means we will see these lads soon starting putting in performances like we’ve seen all year round.”
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Joe Jones
In contrast to January, which went super slow, February was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it month, but there was plenty to digest on the Notts County news front.
In this article, Pride of Nottingham recaps all the key events from the month.
3 February
Notts County put in one of their best performances of the season in front of the biggest Meadow Lane crowd of the 21st century - 17,274 people in total - in a 4-1 win over Crewe Alexandra. The Magpies charged just £2 for tickets for this League Two fixture, which went on to sell out on Friday afternoon, as part of Alan Hardy's one-year anniversary celebrations.
5 February
Notts coach Mark Crossley revealed how Cardiff City allowed the Magpies to use their training facilities ahead of their FA Cup fourth-round replay with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
6 February
County's live-television FA Cup fourth-round replay at Swansea City ended on a humbling note as Carlos Carvalhal's charges ran out 8-1 winners.
8 February
Adam Collin expressed his relief at being back in action after missing several months out through injury. The goalkeeper injured his knee in the 2-1 win over Barnet on October 14 and only returned to action in the 1-1 FA Cup draw with Swansea City.
10 February
Notts County's hangover from the 8-1 defeat to Swansea City in the FA Cup continued with a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Barnet in League Two.
12 February
Notts County boss Kevin Nolan admitted that Mason Bennett was likely to be sidelined for a fairly long time after injuring his hamstring against Barnet.
14 February
Notts County bounced back from their horror week with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Carlisle United thanks to Jon Stead's brace.
Kevin Nolan provided a positive update on Michael O'Connor, saying the Notts County captain is "well on the road to recovery".
17 February
Notts County lost further ground in the race for the League Two automatic spots after being held to a 0-0 draw at Newport County on Saturday.
18 February
Kevin Nolan admitted that Notts County are on the lookout for unattached players following Mason Bennett's season-ending injury but said "nobody has been standing out".
19 February
Kevin Nolan revealed that Notts County are considering a move for free agent Nile Ranger but is aware of his off-the-field issues and insists that "everybody has to agree" on a decision - in the end Alan Hardy confirmed no deal would be pursued.
21 February
Notts County's promotion hopes took another blow as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium.
24 February
Notts County claimed a much-needed three points in a 2-0 win over Stevenage in Saturday at Meadow Lane, with Jorge Grant back on the goalscoring trail and Shola Ameobi adding a second.
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Joe Jones
Notts County attacker Jorge Grant has hit out at the fans who have criticised his performances in recent weeks and insists that he thrives on pressure in terms of performances and scoring goals.
The 23-year-old came off the bench against Stevenage last week to net the opening goal in what ended as a 2-0 win.
The goal was his first since his all-important equaliser at Lincoln City in mid-January, a long wait for his 18th of the season, and he celebrated by putting his fingers in his ears.
“I was just blocking out the haters with the celebrations,” Grant told the Nottingham Post.
“Me and the missus were watching some Vines and there was a lad who put spoons on his eyes to show that he wasn’t paying them attention. This was my way of just saying I am just getting on with the job in hand.
“Sometimes what people says does affect you. When you are not doing well and you know you’re not doing well, then when people tell you, that’s when it does affect you a bit more.
“I just try to get on with it, but it’s hard when your mate says ‘have you seen this?’. Some of the comments are quite funny actually so I do laugh.
“But there are some when you think 'I’ve got to prove him wrong or him wrong'. That’s life I think. Everybody doubts you in a way, so you’ve just got to go out there and prove it.”
“I think with the start I had everybody expects me to score goals. From a winger’s perspective, it’s not often they score as many as I have already this season. In that way it’s very pleasing, but I like pressure.
“I want people to be on at me and wanting me to do things more and more. I'd rather it be that way than people say 'he’s not scored that many, so it’s okay’. When people put that pressure on you, you thrive on it.”
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has revealed how Notts County were on the brink of signing a Spanish forward on a free transfer earlier this week.
However, the move broke down because the wages agreed "needed to be net of tax, not gross".
The Magpies have been on the lookout for a new forward following Mason Bennett's injury and subsequent surgery forcing him to return to parent club Derby County.
“I think our search for a player who is currently unattached has been well documented,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
“We took that search far and wide, and we were alerted to a Spanish player without a club. I don’t want to name him out of respect.
“But we held productive talks, they were progressing excellently and thought we had the deal agreed.
“Then his agent came back and said the wages we had agreed needed to be net of tax, not gross. Unfortunately, the deal then fell apart which was bitterly frustrating.”
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy is delighted with Notts County's "incredible journey" so far and is looking forward to a "gripping end" to the League Two campaign.
The Magpies appeared to be heading out of automatic promotion contention but last Saturday's win over Stevenage and Coventry City's win over Wycombe Wanderers reduced the gap from fourth to third to one point.
Hardy, discussing the postponed game against Cheltenham Town, told the Nottingham Post:  "At least we won’t have to wait long before we can attempt to build on our win over Stevenage last weekend.
"Results elsewhere largely went for us, too, so it was a very profitable afternoon as we leapt up a place to fourth, one point behind Wycombe.
"The league is going to be extremely tight and I have to say Coventry did us a huge favour by winning at Wycombe on Tuesday night.
"Accrington are still in second but, having had a look at their fixtures, statistically they have the hardest run in.
"They have all the top seven to play so it’s going to be a gripping end to the season with lots of twists and turns.
"All we have to do is ensure we take care of our own results and see where that takes us.
"We have had an excellent season so far and our destiny is very much in our own hands.
"It’s already been an incredible journey and it would be fantastic if we reach our destination ahead of schedule."
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Joe Jones
Notts County's League Two fixture at Cheltenham Town, which was scheduled for this Saturday, has now been postponed to Tuesday next week.
On Thursday, an announcement confirmed that a pitch inspection would be taking place at Whaddon Road - also known as the LCI Rail Stadium - on Friday morning.
The playing surface has been covered by frost sheets all week, but a combination of snow, ice and difficult travelling conditions meant the early decision has been taken to rearrange the fixture.
Blizzard-like conditions courtesy of the "Beast from the East" have battered the UK over the last 48 hours causing schools to shut and roads to close.
A new date for the clash has already been set, however, with both clubs aiming to play next Tuesday, March 6, with a 7:45pm kickoff.
Tickets for the initial fixture will be valid for the rearranged match and Notts confirmed that supporters who are unable to attend the rearranged fixture can return their ticket to them for a refund.
Tickets will remain on sale at Meadow Lane until 4pm on Friday 2 March and will also be available from the LCI Rail Stadium on matchday cash only.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has stressed that Notts County are doing their all to be ready for all outcomes in wake of the potential postponement of Saturday's League Two fixture at Cheltenham Town.
The Magpies and the Robins are awaiting a pitch inspection at Whaddon Road on Friday morning that will determine whether the game will go on or not.
Nolan said the show must go on in terms of preparation even if several players could not get into training on Thursday with such poor weather across the country.
“The weather has hampered preparations, but we are fortunate that we have an indoor facility we can use so we can get some work into the lads’ legs,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“Unfortunately we could not get the full squad into training, but the majority of them were, which I was delighted about.
“We are just preparing as usual. It’s tough, but it’s like Christmas in the fact that the show must go on.
“You’ve got to stay professional and be ready. I know everybody is tipping the game to be off, but I’ve not been involved in many games which have been cancelled because of the snow.
“We got some good quality work in on Thursday, but when you are missing a part of the squad it’s a pain.
“We are doing everything to prepare right and to make sure everything is spot on. If the game is played or if it’s not, we are ready for all outcomes.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has stressed that he wants Notts County's players to have "no regrets" come the final day of the season.
The Magpies have 11 games left of the League Two campaign and they remain well in the promotion hunt.
The 2-0 win over Stevenage was followed up by by third-placed Wycombe losing at home to Coventry City in midweek which keeps Nolan’s side just a point behind an automatic promotion slot.
“I keep saying to the boys it’s all about us and what we do,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“If we keep applying ourselves then I feel we will give ourselves a fantastic opportunity of where we want to be.
“We’ve got a great chance, let’s just enjoy it, let’s keep working hard and have no regrets come the final day of the season.
“I feel that with the squad we have and the people we have, I can’t wait for the run-in.”
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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.
- Steve Evans left Mansfield Town, citing a desire to work abroad, before signing a deal to work as manager of Peterborough United a day later.
- David Flitcroft was swiftly appointed as the new Stags boss after leaving fellow League Two club Swindon Town.
- Forest Green Rovers midfielder Drissa Traore left the club after his contract was terminated by mutual consent and linked up with Tranmere Rovers.
- Port Vale striker Tom Pope has been struggling with a hernia problem that might soon require surgery.
- Krystian Pearce, Mal Benning and Omari Sterling-James signed new one-year contracts at Mansfield with the options of a further 12 months.
- Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale is hopeful that Ryan Brunt, who has spent around two years out with a knee injury, will return to first-team action soon.
- A mediator has been appointed in the long-running legal battle between Coventry City, Wasps and Coventry City Council relating to the Ricoh Arena, which is set to take place in March.
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