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Joe Jones
Mark Hateley has spoken of how his father, Notts County legend Tony Hateley, was instrumental in immersing him in the world of football, and how the 56-year-old made sure to do the same with son Tom, now also a professional footballer.
The Hateley dynasty of pro players stretches three generations, with Tony impressing at a number of clubs besides Notts, including Aston Villa and Liverpool, where he remains just as loved as he is at Meadow Lane.
Son Mark, meanwhile, won 32 caps for England and scored plenty of goals for the likes of AC Milan, Monaco, Rangers, Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth and Coventry City.
Now, Tom is currently enjoying a career as a pro footballer, having enjoyed stints at Motherwell and Dundee, plus a spell in Poland with Slask Wroclaw.
“My dad would take me into the dressing rooms and all that sort of stuff before and after games, and took me to watch games,” Mark told Herald Scotland.
“He had me in and around the training ground too, watching the attitudes of players, and I tried to do the same with Tom, and made sure he was aware of what was happening.
“I thought it would be good for him to see the reaction of players after winning and losing, and basically making him comfortable in that environment, just as I had become comfortable in it through my father.
 “The standards I saw through my dad stuck with me throughout my whole career. It stands you in such good stead. I saw grown men fighting in training, the half-time punch-ups and all that stuff. You see situations after games and how much it means to people.
“It’s beyond a game of football, it introduces the grown-up world. That’s where I had an advantage, because I had experienced all of that before I got to the stage of being an apprentice or a professional football. Tom had the same experience.”
For the full interview on Herald Scotland, click here.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan says he is "deeply disappointed" with Notts County's 1-0 loss at Cambridge United and believes his players are lacking confidence in the final third.
Medy Elito's goal on the half-hour mark condemned the Magpies to defeat at the Abbey Stadium, which dealt yet another blow to their fading automatic promotion hopes.
Nolan is however hopeful that Notts can get back on track when they face Stevenage at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
"I'm deeply disappointed because I thought we were starting to get back to where we were and I feel we have come away from that today," Nolan told the official Notts site.
"There wasn't much in the game but we didn't deal with Uche Ikpeazu well at all tonight. We looked at their strengths and we didn't deal with any of them and we didn't do anything to exploit their weaknesses.
"I have said to the lads we have another quick turnaround and another big game on Saturday where we have to get three points.
"I can't put my finger on (why we're not scoring) but we will be working hard over the next 72 hours to make sure we are ready for Stevenage on Saturday.
"There's a lack of confidence to try something in the final third for a lot of them.
"With the quality we have across the frontline we have to start breaking teams down much more than we are.
"I believe it won't take us long to get back to where we were this time last week after a positive result against Carlisle."
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Joe Jones
Notts County's promotion hopes have taken another blow as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Cambridge United in Tuesday night's League Two encounter at the Abbey Stadium.
The Magpies were comprehensively outplayed in the first half by a side that had won two on the bounce under caretaker manager Joe Dunne, having dispended with ex-Notts boss Shaun Derry's services two weeks ago.
Cambridge were bright from the off and went close in the opening stages of the game as Liam O’Neil’s 20-yard effort sailed wide before Uche Ikpeazu’s low attempt was just the wrong side of the near post.
The closest that Notts came to a goal in the first period came when Liam Noble’s attempted lob on 26 minutes went over the U's crossbar.
Dunne's charges went on to take the lead on the half-hour mark when Jevani Brown's shot took a deflection and ran through to Medy Elito, who took a touch past goalkeeper Adam Collin before firing home.
Billy Waters' shot from the edge of the box was then parried wide by Collin, before Brad Halliday surged forward on the right and forced the Notts custodian into a save with his feet.
Moments before half-time Elito struck an ambitious effort from distance which went only narrowly wide, the whistle effectively putting the visitors out of their misery for 15 minutes.
The restart saw more of the same as O'Neil headed over following Uche Ikpeazu's cross from the byline, but Notts began asserting themselves a little more in search of an equaliser.
That would never come, however, as Cambridge continued to boss the action in search of a second goal, which looked likelier to come for then than it would have for Kevin Nolan's side.
Eventually the final whistle blew on a narrow but overall comfortable win for the hosts, who claim their third win on the trot.
Notts, meanwhilw, are forced to once again lick their wounds and go back to the drawing board as their hopes of promotion continue to slip from their fingers.
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Joe Jones
We're edging towards the end of February and Notts County's forward problems continue following the backfiring of our January gamble.
Bringing Mason Bennett in on loan seemed a great idea at the time, given he's a highly rated and clearly talented footballer, very much admired by most fans of his parent club Derby.
Unfortunately, Bennett is also injury prone, something which plenty of Rams fans I spoke to mentioned in sighing tones - were it not for his injury issues, he would probably be an established first-team despite his young age.
And he showed his quality on his Notts debut against Crewe, getting the final goal in a superb 4-1 win, but then, the harsh reality of his injury record kicked in as he had to be taken off early on against Barnet with a hamstring problem, on which he has needed an operation.
It's a bad situation for all three parties - Bennett is injured and must now go through the healing and rehabilitation process, Derby will be gutted to see one of their most talented youngsters suffer another setback, and Notts are back to square one in terms of their striker conundrum.
So we have Shola Ameobi and Jon Stead, who simply haven't got the legs to do 90 minutes week in week out (sometimes twice a week); Jonathan Forte, who remains overlooked by Nolan and, if we're being especially critical, hasn't had the same impact as a starter as he does off the bench; Lewis Alessandra, who hasn't got the quality in front of goal and finishing touch of a centre-forward; Callum Saunders, who is too raw and inexperienced to be thrown in at the deep end now; and Alan Smith, the footballing equivalent of using a plaster to fix an amputation.
With the transfer window now closed and the emergency loan system very kindly phased out by the suits up top, that leaves us having to root through the dumpster that is the free agent market in order to find somebody.
Maybe that's a little harsh - after all, Shola Ameobi was snapped up last February after the transfer window closed, but Ameobi has always been a model professional who was unsure whether to hang up his boots until former teammate Nolan persuaded him to link up with Notts, and his attitude at the club has been superb ever since signing on the dotted line.
This year, the free agent market is noticeably less impressive, and a name that Nolan has mentioned in terms of prospective signings should ring alarm bells among all the fans.
Nile Ranger. The talented, prodigious forward who could now be leading the line for Newcastle United, and perhaps England, but who instead finds himself without a club after being dismissed by Southend United due to "reoccurring disciplinary issues".
Now, I'm very much one who believes in second chances in any walk of life, and if an individual is genuinely remorseful and shows proper contrition, they should be given another shot instead of being thrown onto the scrap heap, which as a society we are quick to do.
Ranger has been given numerous chances by clubs in hope that he could have knuckled down and delivered as per his talent, but every time, it's simply not happened, hence why a player who should be gracing the higher leagues now finds himself without a club.
Even if we discount the multiple charges he's had over the last 10 years, some of which have resulted in convictions (the latest just last year for online banking fraud, which resulted in him being tagged and not being able to play evening games due to a curfew), there's also the general attitude issues.
Do Notts really want a player who has celebrated a goal by using his boot to mimic a machine gun, or whose timekeeping and disciplinary issues led to his latest club cancelling a contract midway through the season despite having committed to 2020 just a year earlier?
And yes, Alan Hardy did confirm on Twitter today that Ranger "was on a list, along with several others, but none of those are being pursued", which seemingly puts paid to that speculation, but let's not forget how Liam Noble wasn't "being pursued" either.
So no. Personally I would not like to see Ranger signed by Notts, where he could risk disrupting the dressing room and potentially making the wrong headlines, which by proxy means Notts will make the wrong headlines, before an unceremonious mid-season cutting of ties further down the line.
And aside from that, there's got to be a level of principle in the club. And I would personally rather see Notts not get a reinforcement and run the risk of not getting promoted than giving a chance to a player who's spurned far too many over the years.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan was sad to see Shaun Derry lose his job as Cambridge United manager but has tipped the former Notts County boss to be back in the game sooner rather than later.
The Magpies head to the Abbey Stadium on Tuesday to face the U's, who are currently being managed by Joe Dunne on a caretaker basis.
Cambridge have experienced an upturn in form under Dunne, having won two games under the 44-year-old and Nolan believes they will be tough opponents.
“It will be tough because Cambridge have hit a bit of form,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“I was gutted to see Shaun lose his job and I haven’t had chance to call him yet, but I will. We are close off the field so it’s unfortunate what happened.
“But their team are doing well and we have to go there and put a stop to that.
“I don’t think Cambridge have changed too much because when I last spoke to Dezza in the office after the game at our place, he was talking about how he had to patch up a lot of things.
“He was finding it difficult because a lot of his experienced and top players were out.
“But he will be back in the game no doubt because of how good he is as a manager.
“We have done our homework on them and nothing much has changed because the majority of the players were all under Shaun anyway.
“They might tweak a few things here and there, but very rarely will it massively change.
“But they will be full of confidence because they have won two on the bounce.
“It’s going to be difficult, but if we stick to our game plan I feel we can can come away with another positive result.”
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Joe Jones
Head to head & stats
Notts County and Cambridge United have met 28 times in their history.
The first meeting came on Boxing Day 1970 at Meadow Lane, with the Magpies earning a 4-1 win.
Notts hold the advantage in the head to head, with 11 wins, 8 draws and 9 defeats against the U’s.
Recent form is not good, however - we've lost four and drawn two of our last six meetings against Cambridge.
The Magpies have won just once in their last eight league visits to Cambridge, losing three and drawing four.
Uche Ikpeazu has both scored and assisted two goals in his three League Two appearances against Notts County for Cambridge.
The Magpies have won just one of their last 11 away league games, last triumphing on the road with a 4-1 win at Morecambe.
History
The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United before taking the name Cambridge United in 1951.
It first competed in the Football League in 1970 and stayed there until relegation in 2005, nine seasons in the Conference following until climbing back out of non-league.
Cambridge have had two spells in the league's second tier, and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup twice and Football League Cup once during the early 1990s, the club's most successful era to date.
United's highest ever finishing place in the Football League is fifth in the Second Division during the 1991–92 season, competing in a season-ending four team playoff for the final promotion slot to the Premier League's inaugural season.
The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Newmarket Road, approximately 1.86 miles east of Cambridge city centre. The stadium has a capacity of 8,127, made up of terracing and seated areas.
During their days in Division Two, with John Beck at the helm in the 1980's, the club earned a reputation for bizarre training methods and "dirty tricks" to make their opponents feel ill at ease.
These included freezing cold showers for his own players, dirty changing rooms and deflated kick-about balls for the opposition and long grass in the corners of the pitch to slow the long balls into those areas, allowing the U’s forwards to reach them.
Beck carried on his dirty tricks even after leaving to take charge of Preston North End – taking nine of the Cambridge United players with him.
He was not the only famous manager at the club, with Ron Atkinson taking the club from Fourth to Second division and Ex-England and Derby County centre-half Roy McFarland also sitting in the hot seat.
Before their entry into the League, a local animal sanctuary had an escapee and it was found grazing on the pitch at the Abbey Stadium.
This lead to the moose connection with the club, and in the club shop you can buy a range of moose souvenirs to show your allegiance to the U’s.
Famous alumni include Dion Dublin and Luke Chadwick, while famous fans include football commentator Gary Newbon and Tom Findlay of Groove Armada.
Former Notts manager Shaun Derry was at the helm of the U’s until just 10 days ago, when he was dismissed by the club.
Team news
Cambridge will be without striker Barry Corr and midfielder George Maris, as the former was injured in the win over Grimsby Town, while the latter will miss out due to head injury protocol.
Interim boss Joe Dunne was however boosted with the news that Jabo Ibehre, Leon Legge and Piero Mingoia all resume full training on Monday.
For Notts, Shaun Brisley has returned to training following a bout of illness but faces a battle to dislodge 21-year-old Brighton loanee Ben Hall, who has impressed in his absence.
Midfielder Michael O'Connor has joined in training again as he continues his recovery from the serious knee injury he suffered last April.
On-loan forward Mason Bennett has undergone a hamstring operation that means he will play no further part this season.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has 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.
The 26-year-old is not attached to a club at present after Southend United terminated his contract in January on disciplinary grounds.
Ranger served a month-long suspension following a serious breach of club discipline in his first season at Roots Hall before missing the start of his second campaign after being sent to prison for online fraud.
Notts, however, were hit with a setback after deadline day loan signing Mason Bennett was sidelined for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury which required surgery.
As a result, the club is back to square one in terms of striking reinforcements and, with the transfer window closed, only unattached players can join between now and the summer.
“Nile is a complex character shall we say and he’s had a lot of second, third and fourth chances,” Nolan, who was a teammate of Ranger when the pair were at Newcastle United, told the Nottingham Post.
“I am not going to lie but it’s a discussion we have had and we will continue to do so.
“The one thing we have got to make sure is that the perception of our club is the right one. No disrespect to Nile, but he has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons and the wrong side of the paper.
“It’s something that everybody has to agree on and if Nile does come here then we would have to have a good sit down with him and his representatives.
“Everybody has to be on board with it, right the way from the chairman to the players. If there is any sort of doubt, then we have to make sure we protect the club and the squad we have."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has stressed that each member of the Notts County squad will play a part in the latter stages of the League Two campaign.
The wear and tear of the season has shown in recent weeks, with players absent through injury or illness, and tweaks having to be made to each matchday XI.
In the goalless draw with Newport County, Terry Hawkridge and Dan Jones were left out of the squad, while Shola Ameobi was sidelined with a knock.
Nolan says he has a tough job of selecting a squad for each game, but has assured all of his players that they will have a role to play in the coming months.
“Shola was feeling his hamstring and we took the decision not to bring him to the game at the weekend. Hopefully he will be available for Tuesday," the manager told the Nottingham Post.
"Shaun Brisley was back on the bench and it shows the strength in depth of the squad that we can leave out somebody of Terry Hawkridge’s quality.
“He has been such an important member and still is an important member of our squad going forward.
“We have a great squad to choose from and not only am I worried about what XI I am picking, it’s also about what seven I then choose from the rest. We have to make sure we have all bases covered.
“They’ve just got to make sure they stay with us in terms of their attitude, because there are plenty more opportunities from now until the end of the season when they are going to have to step up.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County were held to a goalless draw in Saturday's League Two match away at Newport County.
The Magpies were forced to settle for a share of the spoils at Rodney Parade in a game of few clear-cut chances.
Notts were more dangerous than their opponents, with Lewis Alessandra and Jon Stead both going close, but neither side could find a breakthrough in South Wales.
Here is a compilation from the key post-match reaction from boss Kevin Nolan, defender Carl Dickinson, and as always the Black & White Army commenting on Pride of Nottingham!
Kevin Nolan
"You have to respect the point. It was a difficult game on a difficult pitch in difficult conditions but I thought the lads handled it well and we looked rock solid defensively.
"We needed a bit more patience and quality in the final third to take three points.
"But we've taken four points from our last two games, which I am really positive about, and I'm looking forward to another tough game at Cambridge on Tuesday.
"I'm delighted with the point and clean sheet - it had been a while - but we have to build on it now. If we continue to keep clean sheets it will give us an opportunity to get a lot of points on the board."
Carl Dickinson
"It wasn't the prettiest of games to play in but we dealt with everything they threw at us really well.
"We looked comfortable and I thought if any team was going to score it was going to be us.
"We've got a point and clean sheet away from home so we will take that and now look forward to Cambridge on Tuesday.
"We need to make sure we keep as many clean sheets as possible in the final 13 games of the season because it will only help us.
"We have to make sure we keep our heads down, work as hard as possible and do the basics well. If we do that I am sure we will win more games than we lose."
The Black & White Army
TheSkipper: Two scrappy teams which neither side was able to put in a proper performance. I think from the Notts perspective this is my biggest worry the fact we are woeful and lack that finishing required to win games. Stead missed a few good chances yesterday.
Peter Chalkley: If we don’t go up it won’t be through bottling it as such, it will because we just aren’t quite good enough. If we aren’t good enough I’d prefer not to go up. Without major overhaul we would be easy picking playing ugly football in league one and crowds would soon fall again. We need to get promoted on the back of players who we can keep next year, losing Yates may well be a blessing.
Nick Norman: I've been a season ticket holder for a very long time but I'm sick of a team that starts a season well then bottles it and Nolans tatics are becoming awful. We were lucky Tuesday. Players season after season not good enough. I won't be buying a season ticket next season to watch league 2 shite. Look at Accrington. Crap budget but got the right players. We got over paid clowns.
Phil Buxton: Any team celebrating a point at lowly Newport are not promotion hopefuls. Love Alan HARDY (Absolutely)Love Kevin Nolan (Absolutely) Love NCFC (Absolutely). Love a new STRIKER. (Absolutely) Act now or we will fall short of our expectations. COYP.
Peter Chalkley: I think people confuse ambition and financial suicide. We’ve had a great little cup run and will lose about £600k rather than £1mill this year. I don’t know who people thought we would get but we are short a central defender and a stringer still, tag on a fee or two and £15k a week minimum in a wages between them and you would need to guarantee promotion and big crowds to not be in trouble for next season. We’ve just seen what an injury can do to a January signing. It’s a real shame the season started so far and then faulted. Had we got to this stage without all the weeks top two we’d have been over the moon!
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Joe Jones
Notts County were held to a 0-0 draw by Newport County at Rodney Parade on Saturday.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, the Magpies had to settle for a point which saw them end the day fifth in League Two.
Notts were more dangerous than their opponents, with Lewis Alessandra and Jon Stead both going close.
Four minutes were added on at the end of the match, towards the end of which Notts forced a succession of corners.
However, there was to be no breakthrough as the game ended goalless.
Here are the official match highlights from County's YouTube channel, which we have shared here for you.
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Chris
Notts County were held to a goalless draw in Saturday's League Two match away at Newport County.
The Magpies were forced to settle for a goalless draw at Rodney Parade in a game of few clear cut chances.
Notts were more dangerous than their opponents, with Lewis Alessandra and Jon Stead both going close, but neither side could find a breakthrough in South Wales.
How did the game pan out from a tactical perspective? Pride of Nottingham's Chris takes a look with this weekend's Tactical Talk.
Was the result fair?
Both teams struggled to get a grip of the game, however if chances had been taken, Notts could have won and a goal may have changed the entire game forcing both sides to attack. Yet the game wasn’t that entertaining and the 0-0 seems fair.
How did Notts play?
By all accounts it sounded scrappy and not a direct result of the pitch – more a lack of application. Notts simply didn’t create chances very well enough and the performance does leave some questions about how we can improve away from home. The midfield lost the battle, never really connected play and overall it was a quiet performance by Notts. 
How did Newport play?
Very similar to Notts bar the more physical approach to the game. They looked woeful on goal and scrappy at the back, their midfield did well, moving the ball into dangerous areas, but they never seemed sure how best to distribute the ball. Overall, they didn’t apply themselves well either.
Did our tactics work out?
It’s hard to tell, if we aimed to cancel out Newport and never attack them in a way which would ask questions of their defence, I guess so. However, I think there were yet again questions over the starting line-up.
How did the referee perform?
The performance of the match officials wasn’t an issue yesterday, a good call to disallow Newport’s goal – overall pretty decent for League Two.
Who do we play next?
Next up Cambridge United – the departure of Shaun Derry seems to have hit them at a time whereby they’re making a transitional switch and it’s hard to see what U’s team will turn up.
How should we play them?
I want to see two strikers start both home and away games, I think the only time one is warranted is away from home when the opposition team we face is much stronger than us across the park.
Cambridge United aren’t this team in my opinion and if we focus on playing football we should be able to do well.
It’s all down to performance and ensuring that the starting line-up can get the job done from the off, so we need to see some flair and creativity from the midfield.
With two strikers it would make life naturally much harder for Cambridge United, yet we need to make movement – players must drift into areas whereby we can move forward and the type of chances we create must ask questions.
Naturally our midfield needs to be stronger, this is the type of game whereby a player such Liam Noble would be useful – however, I don't think he has proven why we chased or became obsessed over him this season.
Yet he could be the type of player that could drive the squad forward, it would be nice if he could lead the midfield but I think Elliot Hewitt is more likely to run himself into the ground.
Just smart play, where we work as a team. I think in recent performances we rely too much on forcing play and lack the team work which has given us good results.
We are very capable of playing football, so remove the pressure from ourselves and just become expressive on the pitch – try to enjoy your football lads, maybe we will then?
Newport County fan reaction (from weareexiles.net)
Stan A Einstein: I'll be honest I thought we'd be better today but lose 1-0. We are now 20 points clear of relegation with 13 games remaining. Realistically we are not going to make the play-offs. Perhaps time for Flynn to experiment, tell his team to go for it, especially at home?
Exile 1976: Team worked hard today, I thought we were unlucky with the disallowed goal. Labadie was excellent, Day & back 5 very good. I thought Marlon had a decent cameo too. A point stops the rot. On to the next game.
Confuddled: I thought [Marlon Jackson] was fairly decent. Won most things in the air. However, that team was completely void of any creativity. I think we work our front two harder than any team in this league. Defensively the team was solid. But our game plan was to thump the ball down the channels as soon as possible. Get the front two running all day. Hopefully we will get a throw in and long throw but that is pretty much our entire offensive threat. Now considering our recent form and who we were playing I can accept that. Stop the rut. Be solid and use this game as a springboard to get some form back.
Bush: Thought the defence played well after a shaky start which was maninly down to O'Brien playing like someone with a lack of match practice. Second half O'Brien was really good. My MOM. We have to keep that back 3 together as much as possible although I noticed a slight change today and O'Brien played on the white and white in the middle which was other way around the times I saw them together this season.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has admitted that Notts County are on the lookout for unattached players following Mason Bennett's season-ending injury but says "nobody has been standing out".
The on-loan Derby County striker has undergone surgery on an injured hamstring which forced him to limp out of the 1-0 defeat to Barnet last weekend.
“We spent a lot of hours trying to get Mason over and all we can hope for is that the operation has gone well for him and he gets his opportunities when he comes back,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post/
“If there is something to be done next season then we will discuss that, but the health of the lad is most important and we wish him well in his long recovery back.
“We’ve been looking at all possibilities (free transfers), but nobody at the minute has been standing out.
“We'll continue to look and see if we can pull one out of the hat. But if not then I'm delighted with the squad I’ve got. We’ve still got enough to do what we need to do.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has declared himself "delighted" with a clean sheet and a point from Notts County's goalless draw at Newport County on Saturday but feels the Magpies could have won the game.
A grind of a game at Rodney Parade ended with a share of the spoils as Notts - who had the better of the chances - slipped to fifth in the League Two table.
However, Nolan was happy to see his side shut their opponents out and claim their first clean sheet in nine outings.
“It was a difficult game on a difficult pitch,” he told the Nottingham Post. “But I thought the lads handled that well and defensively they looked rock solid.
“We got a point, and I think we could have had all three with a bit more quality and patience in the final third.
“It was a big week for us but we have got four points from two games which I am really positive about.
“I am delighted with a clean sheet, delighted with a point and we’ve just got to make sure we move on and build on this now.
“If we continue to keep clean sheets then it gives you an opportunity to get a lot of points on the board.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County have 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.
The hosts began brightly as Padraig Amond fired over in the first 30 seconds Dan Butler and Robbie Willmott worked their way down the left flank.
At the other end, Jon Stead was on hand to meet a Carl Dickinson delivery from the byline but the veteran's effort at the near post was wide.
Joe Day was then tested on the quarter-hour mark when he pushed away Elliott Hewitt's drive from range as the contest subsequently become more of a war of attrition in midfield.
There would be little goalmouth action until the latter stages of the first half, when Amond blazed over from a difficult angle and Jorge Grant bent a 25-yard free kick wide of the post.
Neither side could find a breakthrough come the end of the opening 45 minutes and no changes were made when the restart came about.
As with the first half, the game was a slow burner as both teams took a while to get back into the game.
On 55 minutes Joss Labadie found the back of the net but the goal was disallowed for an infringement on Adam Collin.
A quarter of an hour later, Notts spurned a great chance when Grant saw an effort blocked before the ball fell for Alessandra to fire goalwards from the edge of the area.
Day managed to parry the effort, only for the ball to then fall into the path of Liam Noble, who fluffed his lines by blazing high and wide.
Four minutes were added on at the end of the match, with Notts finishing brightly by winning a succession of corners, but ultimately the final whistle blew on a stalemate.
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has stressed that Notts County's destiny is still in their own hands in terms of promotion and insists that a top-three finish in League Two remains the objective.
The Magpies' league form has been patchy for a while and last week's loss to Barnet dealt a big blow, although a win against Carlisle United at Meadow Lane stabilised the ship.
With Newport County away taking place today, Hardy insists Notts must just concentrate on themselves and is looking ahead to a run of games where the promotion rivals will face each other.
"After the disappointment of Barnet last weekend, it was great to see us get back to winning ways against Carlisle on Tuesday night," Hardy wrote in the Nottingham Post.
"It may have been incredibly tense in the latter stages of the game but full credit to Kevin and the team for getting the job done.
"I can’t pretend I was cool as a cucumber when the fourth official indicated there would be seven minutes of stoppage time - where on earth all that came from I do not know - but it was a test of our resilience and concentration levels which we passed with flying colours.
"With five minutes to go in normal time, I presumed we would be heading back into the top three because Wycombe were drawing 2-2 with Swindon.
"Usually I’m constantly checking our rivals’ scores but I got so engrossed in the final stages of our game that I took my eyes away from goings on elsewhere.
"But, after our game was over, I flicked back and couldn’t believe Wycombe had scored another last-minute goal to win 3-2.
"That kept them two points ahead of us but we are hot on their heels and they will know they can’t afford to slip up because we are gunning for that top-three slot.
"Our destiny is still very much in our own hands and I would rather have it that way than be relying on other teams to do us a favour.
"We have the likes of Accrington and Wycombe still to play, which are going to be huge games. I suspect they will have a large bearing on where we finish in May.
"But right now it’s all about concentrating on ourselves, with results - not necessarily performances - the most important thing.
"I said before Tuesday’s game, when we did our pre-match Facebook live interview, that I would settle for a scrappy 1-0 win no matter how the goal was scored. It’s such an important phase of the campaign where momentum is everything."
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Pride of Nottingham is an independent fansite devoted to Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club. Created in 2013, it has served as a source of Magpie news, features, match previews, reports, analysis and interviews for more than three years.

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