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Joe Jones
Notts County have announced the loan signing of Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben Hall on a season-long loan.
The 21-year-old Northern Irishman began his career at Dungannon Swifts before joining Motherwell in 2013.
A central defender by trade, Hall made his first-team debut for the Scottish side in December 2015, and scored in a 2-0 win over St Johnstone later that month.
Hall then joined the Seagulls from Motherwell for an undisclosed fee in June 2016, a move which riled then manager Mark McGhee.
"I am sure he will do well there eventually. They have got themselves a bargain," he said at the time.
"Ben is an excellent young prospect," Seagulls boss Chris Hughton told the club website upon signing for the South Coast club.
"His challenge is not only to progress but to be ready to make that step up into the first-team squad."
Speaking about the loan move, Brighton development coach Simon rusk said: “This is a great opportunity for Ben to gain experience in a first-team environment as Notts County challenge at the top end of the league table.
"He’s been a regular in the heart of defence so far this season and his form has rightly attracted interest from outside the club.
"It’s a fresh and exciting challenge for Ben and we wish him the best for the remainder of the season.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County captain Michael O'Connor visited Scotholme Primary School in Hyson Green as part of the Football In The Community-delivered Premier League Primary Stars project.
The midfielder, who is currently recovering from a long-term knee injury, signed autographs and participated in a Q&A with students eager to learn about the life of an athlete.
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).
“Today’s project has been a fantastic day and a real eye opener for me,” O'Connor told the official FITC website.
"Like many people, I was aware of the work FITC within Nottingham schools but I didn’t quite appreciate the impact they have on the students.

"With a young family myself, it is great to see students, regardless of sporting ability or background, get the opportunity to enjoy the sessions these great coaches deliver.
"Footballers like myself and the delivery staff FITC have are role models to children with Nottingham and it’s great to see first-hand the impact they’re having."
Adam Dunleavy, Lead Coach of Premier League Primary Stars programme, added: “Scotholme Primary School are a fantastic example of a school have benefited immensely from the work we deliver in schools.
"We wanted to reward the pupils with a very special guest and Michael was a fantastic ambassador for the club on the day.
"My coaches, FITC staff and the children of Scotholme Primary would like to say a massive thank you Michael and we look forward to him being back on the pitch very soon!”
The project also saw fellow Notts players Jonathan Forte, Noor Husin and Matty Virtue visit Whitemoor Academy earlier this month.
 
 
 
 
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has expressed his disappointment with drawing Sheffield Wednesday away in the fifth round of the FA Cup but believes that Notts County could beat the Owls should they get past Swansea City.
The Magpies remained in the hat for Monday's last-16 draw after holding the Premier League Swans to a 1-1 draw at Meadow Lane for a replay at the Liberty Stadium.
The winner of the tie will go on to face Wednesday at Hillsborough and, despite hoping for an away tie against a Premier League giant, Hardy thinks the Yorkshire side could be a similar proposition to third-round opponents Brentford.
“We were hoping this was going to be the big one after Brentford and Swansea. We were hoping this one would be Man United or Spurs away,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
“It’s not to be but it gives us a great opportunity to progress through the rounds if we can beat Swansea.
“We have got a chance to do that. We’ve shown we aren’t scared of them. I know the boys are up for the replay.
“Wednesday are an iconic club in their own right. It’s one of the great grounds in the country.
“It would be a great atmosphere. They’re well below Brentford in the Championship and we won there.
“There’s no reason we couldn’t do that again. The lads would love to go there.
“Sheffield is one of those great tribal football cities like Newcastle or Manchester.”
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Joe Jones
Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal has praised Notts County for stepping up their game in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round encounter at Meadow Lane, which enabled them to come away with a 1-1 draw.
The Magpies began brightly but their opponents soon stepped up a gear and had the hosts under the coash before finding the net on the stroke of half time through Luciano Narsingh.
Kevin Nolan's charges were much improved in the second half, however, as Jorge Grant spurned three gilt-edged chances in quick succession.
Eventually, County's pressure was rewarded as veteran striker Jon Stead turned home on the hour to draw the Magpies level and ultimately clinch a replay at the Liberty Stadium.
"After the first ten to 15 minutes we started to control the game," Carvalhal told reporters.
We created chances and took the lead against a side that defended very well and in numbers. We were prepared for that and we were in total control.
"In the second half we must give credit to Notts County. They played more long balls and were more physical. They scored and they deserved it during that period.
"After that, it was just Swansea on the pitch moving the ball. They were compact but we created two clear chances to finish the game.
The negative was not winning the game, but there are lots of positives about this game. We are still fighting in this competition. We have another chance to get to the next stage of the competition."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has reiterated his support and pride in Jon Stead, who boasts a perfect goalscoring record of a goal a game for Notts County this calendar year.
The veteran striker had his fair share of criticisms in the first half of the season but in 2018, only Manchester City's Sergio Aguero boasts more goals than him in the four top divisions of English football.
Alongside scoring in every league and cup game this year, Stead also has a goal in every round of the FA Cup he's played in, and his tally this term currently stands at 11.
"I spoke a month or so ago about Steady and said his contribution to our football was absolutely terrific," Nolan told the official Notts website.
"Now he is scoring the goals himself and that is why everyone is talking about him again.
"But he brings more than that to my team, he has been magnificent and one of our outstanding performers of the season so far and long may it continue.
"As long as he keeps rattling them in, I'm sure we'll keep moving in the right direction."
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Joe Jones
Jon Stead kept up his record of scoring in every round of the FA Cup as his equaliser earned Notts County a deserved replay in a 1-1 draw with Swansea City in the fourth round.
Luciano Narsingh's strike on the stroke of half-time put the Premier League's bottom club ahead at Meadow Lane but the Magpies went up a gear after the restart, with Jorge Grant coming close on three occasions in quick succession.
Stead, who famously put in a superb performance for Bradford City in their fourth-round upset of Chelsea several years ago, then fired home on the hour mark to guarantee a place in the hat for round five and a replay at the Liberty Stadium next month.
Pride of Nottingham has compiled some of the key post-match reaction from Notts boss Kevin Nolan, the players, and the fans.
Kevin Nolan
"I'm absolutely delighted and immensely proud. We got we deserved and made the better chances throughout the game.
"But against a Premier League team they only need half a chance and it's in the back of the net and that showed today.
"We were really good in the first half but all it took was one slip and we were 1-0 down.
"The reaction after the break was fantastic and we had some excellent opportunities both before and after our goal."
"The way the players have performed today is a testament to what they are all about."
Jon Stead
"We matched them and we've got to be immensely proud of ourselves.
"We were a bit cagey in the first half but at the start of the second half we really showed what we are capable of and pushed them all the way.
"You know they are going to have large amounts of possession and keep the ball well so it's about getting in the right areas and limiting their space.
"We had to work hard for it but we gave as good as we got and created some decent chances.
"If we had won the game I don't think you could have argued too much about it but, on reflection, a draw is probably a fair result."
Shola Ameobi
"We got our just rewards for a really tough, battling performance. We're in the draw for the fifth round, and in the FA Cup magical things can happen.
"We know it'll be a tough order at Swansea, but the team spirit in that dressing room right now is fantastic. We'll go there and give it all we've got."
Players on social media
 
 
 
 
The Black and White Army
Who R Ya? You Pies!: That was class , great atmosphere , great occasion , terrific result, in the draw , get the replay on TV , well done Notts great combative performance had our moments as well , so proud COYP
Chris: No criticism of either us or Swansea, I felt both teams did very well. Second half again for Notts was a delight to watch and, although I think it shown how the formation being 4-4-2 suites us best. I do feel we gave Swansea a good fight and wholeheartedly deserved the draw. Very impressed with our fans and the fact the performance was motivated.
Liampie: I thought we could count ourselves lucky that swansea seemed poor on goal in the first half. we had a few okay chances but never really tested their keeper, i do think we defended well throughout the game. good to get level with them after the lapse in concentration.
Jay Dalton: notts gave 100% shola held the Ball well Collin made some crucial saves and when stead got the leveller the fans errupted l with sheer jubilation brilliant kop atmosphere
Trevor Robinson: Great support from the kop today. I'm in Pavis stand and you lot sounded fantastic. Pat yourselves on the back.
Jimmy Gee: Soft goal just before halftime spoiled good work. Deserved equaliser, Notts had more chances to win it. Well done!
Richard Thompson: Much better 2nd half, sat back a bit at times, we were at our best putting pressure on them, then again why am I moaning? a draw against a team 3 leagues above? great result really
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Chris
Notts County have earned a place in the hat for the fifth round of the FA Cup after holding Premier League side Swansea City to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's fourth-round match at Meadow Lane.
The Magpies began brightly but their opponents soon stepped up a gear and had the hosts under the coash before finding the net on the stroke of half time through Luciano Narsingh.
Kevin Nolan's charges were much improved in the second half, however, as Jorge Grant spurned three gilt-edged chances in quick succession.
Eventually, County's pressure was rewarded as veteran striker Jon Stead turned home on the hour to draw the Magpies level and ultimately clinch a replay at the Liberty Stadium.
Pride of Nottingham was at the Lane to watch the action unfold and took plenty of photos of the Notts fans.
Have a look through our gallery in this week's Faces of PON, published on our Facebook page, and don't forget to tag yourself and your loved ones!

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Chris
Jon Stead kept up his record of scoring in every round of the FA Cup as his equaliser earned Notts County a deserved replay in a 1-1 draw with Swansea City in the fourth round.
Luciano Narsingh's strike on the stroke of half-time put the Premier League's bottom club ahead at Meadow Lane but the Magpies went up a gear after the restart, with Jorge Grant coming close on three occasions in quick succession.
Stead, who famously put in a superb performance for Bradford City in their fourth-round upset of Chelsea several years ago, then fired home on the hour mark to guarantee a place in the hat for round five and a replay at the Liberty Stadium next month.
How did the game pan out? Pride of Nottingham's Chris takes a look with this weekend's Tactical Talk.
Was the result fair?
Both Notts and Swansea really went head-to-head yesterday.
Swansea obviously looked full of energy and naturally looked very creative, as any Premier League team should.
Notts struggled to match them at times in the first half – however over the course of the 90 minutes, the magpies’ actually improved and grew in confidence.
A draw is very fair, some fans feel we should have won but honestly both teams could have done this.
How did Notts play?
First half we naturally did a lot of chasing, yet there wasn’t much wrong in terms of heart or performance.
Notts just naturally struggled at times due to Swansea making it different through their play.
One note for me is the lack of pressing at times and I feel defensively we should have shaken off the nerves sooner.
In the second half, Notts really took the game to the Swans and the game became very open as a result.
There was a lot of character, passion and desire in this game from a Notts perspective and reverting back to 4-4-2 really showed why we had done well in previous games before the formation switch.
How did Swansea play?
They played well, credit where credit is due.
However, going 1-0 up there was a lot of time-wasting – in fact, I recall times even before they scored but this is quite normal in football.
Swansea looked creative, very direct and they played neat overlays, which put Notts often on the back foot.
The Swans were a joy to watch at times, and I feel if their strike-force had played better – the outcome might have been vastly different but this doesn’t take anything away from their performance as they did well.
Did our tactics work out?
Reverting to 4-4-2 must have taken some swallowing of Nolan’s pride, it was clear that 4-5-1 isn’t a formation which would work for Notts – could you imagine how many limited chances we would have had against Swansea if we hadn’t have reverted?
I felt the line-up was pretty spot on, it was nice to see Terry Hawkridge starting and I felt we had a lot of width about our play – something that has been lacking even before we went to five midfielders in previous League Two games.
It was clear that Kevin Nolan had told the players to go out and enjoy themselves. Notts played organised but almost with a certain level of freedom.
Attacks were carefully played out, although at times passes did stray or certainly became rushed – this for me was down to nerves and, I feel the tactics were spot on.
How did the referee perform?
There were periods of the game that I felt he liked breaking the action up, solely just to sound his whistle but overall by the end of the game I actually felt he did alright.
Second half he noticeably improved, and as a result allowed the game to flow better.
It was nice to see him standing his ground when players attempted to sway his decisions, something which most recent officials haven’t done well but this referee did okay. No real complaints as such from me.
Who do we play next?
Focusing on the FA Cup here, it’s obvious that the fourth round replay will be against Swansea – yet it will be interesting to see who we might possibly get in the 5th round, provided we make it that far.
I actually feel we stand a greater chance of upsetting them away from home.
How should we play them?
I sent out a tweet before the game against Swansea City echoing my thoughts on how Notts should be balanced and, defensively aware.
I felt breaking out on the counter would serve us well, especially if we didn’t commit too many players forward.
This would ring true playing them in our 4th round replay, it’s important that we don’t get a rush of blood and go all attacking on them.
We need to build carefully, pressing them into wider positions as a way to open the game up.
Jorge Grant did really well with taking a lot of the play forward, with the likes of Elliot Hewitt running himself into the ground.
These will be things we must repeat when fancy Swansea next.
I would like to see our two strikers stay further up the field, however if we can find a way to get the best out of Liam Noble – I feel his energy being found could give us two players to unlock any opening which may present themselves.
It’s important we go and, in the process ask questions – ensuring that Swansea City’s defence doesn’t have it easy.
If we pressure them in the right way, I feel a cup shock could very well be on the cards – as winning a team at their home ground often happens against the big boys as it lifts the opposition players.
Swansea City fan views (from The Fans Network)
Londonlisa2001: I thought we were absolutely woeful. We were a little better in the first half than the second, but we didn't give a crap. Not giving a crap and playing at half speed when you saunter out a 2 goal victory is one thing, doing it and not being able to beat a team that together quite possibly gets paid less than Bony is on is a disgrace. I didn't see it as a chance to walk around and build patterns, I saw it as a chance to give it our all (at least until safe), and score some goals in an attempt to create some confidence and put some zip and spark into our lacklustre forward line.
Cockneyswan: After watching that abject performance, I think Carlos message must have been "ok if you can win it without too much effort do it, however if we lose don’t worry, we got bigger fish to fry." Unfortunately Notts co delighted with another pay day.
Jackrabbit: I only saw the second half but it was obvious that County wanted it more. I sincerely hope Bony is unfit and lacking match practice because he was dreadful - slow, ponderous, clumsy and indolent. Both he and Abraham were AWOL in the goal area. A centre forward needs to be pressurising the goalkeeper, be on hand for crosses in front of the goalkeeper and be available to tuck away rebounds - neither of them were ever there when they needed to be. Abraham was our only touch of class at the start of the season. What has happened to him? Ki made mistakes but he looked classy - he passed the ball well and tried to slide balls inside the fullback for Narsingh to run on to. He doesn't deserve the special bile he gets on here. At least he looks like a footballer. Ayew must have been as underwhelmed as we were by the Swans performance because when he came on he decided he would beat County on his own. All in all Swans looked like a team that were saving themselves for a big game on Tuesday night. I thought County were terrific.
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ARLukomski
Notts County have earned a place in the hat for the fifth round of the FA Cup after holding Premier League side Swansea City to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's fourth-round match at Meadow Lane.
The Magpies began brightly but their opponents soon stepped up a gear and had the hosts under the coash before finding the net on the stroke of half time through Luciano Narsingh.
Kevin Nolan's charges were much improved in the second half, however, as Jorge Grant spurned three gilt-edged chances in quick succession.
Eventually, County's pressure was rewarded as veteran striker Jon Stead turned home on the hour to draw the Magpies level and ultimately clinch a replay at the Liberty Stadium.
Notts vlogger and Pride of Nottingham contributor ARLukomski discussed the fixture ahead of kickoff, gave his thoughts as the game went on, and talked about the performance and result after the final whistle.
Follow ARLukomski on his YouTube channel by clicking here.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has lauded Notts County's "magnificent" performance in their 1-1 draw with Swansea City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Magpies began brightly at Meadow Lane on Saturday but their opponents soon stepped up a gear and found the net on the stroke of half time through Luciano Narsingh.
Notts were much better in the second half as Jorge Grant spurned several chances before veteran striker Jon Stead turned home on the hour to clinch a replay at the Liberty Stadium.
"I'm absolutely delighted," Nolan told BBC Sport. "I thought the boys were fantastic, and we were unfortunate not to go in the break level, but the reaction in the second half was brilliant.
"The lads' work-rate was brilliant, and the togetherness, and the communication - we were magnificent.
"I think we showed them a bit too much respect in the first half, but we rattled them early doors in the second half, which was magnificent. And we got the goal in the second half, but we couldn't quite keep it going.
"It's [Stead's] vision in and around the box that does so much for us, and it's his nous that allows him to get in the right areas to score goals, let's hope he continues doing it for us."
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Joe Jones
Notts County's FA Cup adventure is still alive as the Magpies held Premier League side Swansea City to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's fourth-round encounter at Meadow Lane.
The hosts began brightly as Jorge Grant and Jon Stead combined to get the ball into the box and Elliott Hewitt came within a whisker of turning home at the far post.
Swansea took a while to get into gear, with Mike van der Hoorn and Tammy Abraham failing to trouble Adam Collin, whose return to fitness coincided nicely following Ross Fitzsimons's suspension.
Around the half-hour mark the visitors began to provide more of a threat as Van der Hoorn and Wilfried Bony both mustered more significant chances.
Notts, however, resisted and looked like going back in the dressing rooms all square but on the stroke of half time Carlos Carvalhal's charges took the lead.
The Magpies' defence was cut open as Ki Sung-yeung, on for the injured Renato Sanches, rolled the ball into the path of the overlapping Luciano Narsingh down the right side of the penalty area.
The Dutch forward made no mistake, beating Collin with a low shot into the far corner of the net to edge the swans ahead just at the right time.
Notts were much improved after the restart, however, and Jorge Grant had three chances to equalise as he went close with a free kick, then rifling over the bar, then nodding a header just wide.
Grant made amends by turning provided as a rejuvenated County side launched another attack in the opposition third, his low ball across the face of goal turned home at the far post by Jon Stead.
Swansea, desperate not to add another fixture to their schedule given their Premier League strugglers, pushed forward in a bid to restore their lead.
Ki's dangerous 80th-minute strike was parried down low by Collin while Bony sent a header just wide of goal as Kevin Nolan's side held firm en route to a famous draw and a replay at the Liberty Stadium.
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has expressed his hopes of seeing Notts County repeat the heroics against Brentford in knocking Swansea City out of the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage.
The Magpies have done superbly in the competition, seeing off two higher-league teams in the Bees and Bristol Rovers, plus a banana skin in non-league Oxford City, to find themselves up against the Premier League side.
Hardy has described the third-round win over Brentford as the greatest day of his reign as chairman so far and is hopeful to become "the centre of the headline-writers’ attentions across the world".
"When I bought the club just over a year ago, never did I envisage Notts County playing a Premier League team in the FA Cup fourth round at Meadow Lane," Hardy wrote in his weekly Nottingham Post column.
"But it has now become a reality and we are hoping that, come 5pm, we will have become the centre of the headline-writers’ attentions across the world.
"I accept that nobody will give us a chance of winning, but earlier this month there were plenty who dismissed our hopes of getting a result at Championship side Brentford.
"In the end we produced a quite magnificent performance to win 1-0, in which determination was matched with inspiration as Jon Stead’s wonderful goal sealed a memorable victory.
"I said afterwards that it was the greatest day of my reign as chairman so far. I was so overcome with emotion I felt as if I couldn’t breathe.
"Should we do the unthinkable against a Premier League team blessed with so much talent, I’m sure it will eclipse that fabulous afternoon we experienced in West London.
"I know the players are absolutely buzzing with excitement because games like this do not come around very often.
"Equally, the fans I have spoken to cannot wait for kick-off because they know our home record is extremely impressive regardless of the last couple of results.
"Like our manager, Kevin Nolan, said in the build-up, he fancies us against any side at Meadow Lane so why can’t we beat Swansea?
"We hope to have more than 10,000 fans inside the ground, generating an excellent atmosphere to give the players further inspiration.
"And with our home record, combined with determination, quality, and incredible backing from the stands, we would give ourselves a fantastic chance of causing a real upset."
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Joe Jones
Head to head
Notts County have met Swansea City/Town 70 times over the years - the Magpies have 24 wins, the Swans have 30 wins, and 16 games have been drawn.
The first meeting came on 23 October 1926 in Division Two, Swansea Town winning 3-1 at Meadow Lane.
The last time both sides met was in League Two on 5 March 2005, a 1-0 win for the Magpies thanks to Mark Stallard's 50th-minute goal.
The last meeting between these two sides in the FA Cup came in January 1934, with the Swans winning 1-0 at home.
Stats
Notts County have reached the fifth round on just one occasion this century, beating Wigan Athletic 2-0 in a fourth-round replay in 2009-10.
The last time Swansea reached the fourth round was in 2014-15, losing to Championship side Blackburn 3-1 at Ewood Park.
In fact, the Swans have been eliminated from two of their last three ties against lower league opponents.
After being eliminated in eight successive FA Cup ties against top-flight opposition, the Magpies have progressed in two of the last four - beating Wigan in 2010 and Sunderland in 2011.
Swansea City have won just eight competitive games all season so far - three of which have come against lower-league opposition in domestic cup competitions.
History
Swansea City began life in 1912 as Swansea Town Athletic Football Club.
Following the lead of many other South Wales sides, the club joined the Second Division of the Southern League for the following season.
J. W. Thorpe was the club's first chairman.
A site owned by Swansea Gaslight Co., called Vetch Field due to the vegetables that grew there, was rented to be the club's ground.
The club's first professional match was a 1–1 draw at the Vetch Field against Cardiff City on 7 September 1912.
During that first season the Welsh Cup was won for the first time. The Swans beat reigning English champions Blackburn Rovers 1–0 in the first round of the 1914–15 FA Cup, Swansea's goal coming from Ben Beynon.
Following the First World War the Southern League dropped its Second Division, and with many clubs dropping out due to financial difficulties, the Swans were placed in the First Division.
After four seasons in the Southern League, Swansea became founder members of the new Third Division of The Football League in 1920 and then Division Three (South) the following season.
The club changed their name in 1969, when they adopted the name Swansea City to reflect Swansea's new status as a city.
Swansea moved to the new Liberty Stadium during the summer of 2005. The first competitive game was a 1–0 victory against Tranmere Rovers in August 2005.
Team news
Notts County goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons and defender Matty Virtue are both banned for Notts County after being sent off against Crawley Town.
Matt Tootle has missed the last two games through illness and remains out for Saturday's FA Cup encounter with the Swans.
Swansea, meanwhile, have no injury concerns - striker Tammy Abraham, defender Angel Rangel and Bayern Munich loanee Renato Sanches have all trained and could feature at Meadow Lane.
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Joe Jones
Notts County have announced the departure of Curtis Thompson on loan to Wycombe Wanderers until the end of the season.
The 24-year-old has been restricted to just four appearances in cup fixtures this season, reaching a total of 100 appearances for the club he joined as a scholar in 2009.
Thompson, who will wear number 29 at fellow League Two side Wycombe, will not be eligible to play when the Chairboys visit Meadow Lane on Friday 30 March.
“Curtis is someone who impressed me when he’s played against us and I’ve kept tabs on him ever since, so I’m really pleased to be able to bring him here and work with him to help unlock his potential," Gareth Ainsworth told the official Wycombe site.
“He’s a tenacious midfielder – someone who can win the ball and give us extra strength in the midfield. We’re in a great position in the league and need competition for places all over the park to make sure we can consistently pick up the results we need to have a successful end to the season.
“I know Curtis is looking forward to getting some minutes under his belt and we may need to be patient with him while he recaptures some match sharpness, but I think there’s plenty of talent there and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do for us.”
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Joe Jones
Much like in politics, a week - or to be precise in this case, two - is a long time in football.
When Notts County learned of their FA Cup fourth-round opponents, quite a lot of fans would have been happier to be up against Swansea City than against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After all, one is a team top of the Championship with momentum, players way too good for the division and shedloads of cash, while the other is a down-and-out team with morale the same as their position in the Premier League table - ie rock bottom - and couldn't score in a brothel.
Notts, meanwhile, had enjoyed a decent enough festive period, began the year with victory over Port Vale to entrench their place in the top three of League Two, and had put in a superb performance to beat Championship Brentford on their own turn in the FA Cup third round.
Then, over the following two weeks since the fourth-round draw, Swansea City have drawn against Newcastle and beaten Liverpool in the league, as well as overcoming Wolves in the cup, while Notts have drawn one and lost two in the league to put their automatic promotion hopes in jeopardy.
Another transformation is that of Ross Fitzsimons. When he came along at the FA Cup fourth-round draw event at Meadow Lane, he could do no wrong. After Adam Collin suffered his long-term injury, a lot of people were worried about just how good the back-up keepers at Notts were.
Fitzsimons was drafted in, a big ask for a 23-year-old who had virtually no experience of senior league football, but over the coming months put in impressive performance after impressive performance to leave fans wondering whether Collin was going to simply reclaim his first-team place.
And then, came the moment when he went from "hero" to "zero" in the eyes of a lot of fans - Crawley Town, Meadow Lane, Tuesday 22 January 2018.
Notts were level with their opponents in injury time but had just been reduced to 10 men and were hanging on, but they had possession as Fitzsimons claimed the ball from a corner and set himself up to lump it upfield while the outfield players made their respective ways forward up the pitch.
And then came the glitch in the matrix - Fitzsimons, still in possession of the ball, kicked out at Mark Connolly, who then made the most ridiculous fall since the ref that was nudged by Paolo di Canio all those years ago, and by the rules of the game, red card and penalty.
I admit I described the ending to the game as "shambolic", and it certainly was. You can understand to a degree how a footballer can get so riled up that they lash out at another, and you have to wonder whether Connolly had said something to Fitzsimons prior that made him lash out.
But at the same time, as football mistakes go, it's pretty big - I'd compare it to an own goal scored by a player who decided to pull off some inexplicable stunt and, predictably, it backfires - Lee Dixon's own goal in Arsenal v Coventry is a prime example of it. Not deliberate, but so daft that it feels like it may as well have been.
Predictably, heads were lost among the Black and White Army, many of whom wanted to see Fitzy dropped from the first team entirely or sacked outright for the incident. It all felt like a pitchfork-wielding mob.
Yes, it was a bad mistake. Yes, it cost Notts a point and deprived them of yet another goalkeeper at a time when things are wobbly and ahead of a crucial cup tie against PL opposition.
But Fitzsimons will know this. He will be absolutely mortified to have succumbed to his red mist and his confidence will undoubtedly have taken a hit, especially how he will now be powerless in the stands watching his team in action when they need him the most.
And he will learn from it. Kevin Nolan has had his fair share of brain farts over the years as a player and, even though he probably gave Fitzsimons a rollocking behind closed doors, he's come out in support of his player and will be good guidance to helping him overcome this blip.
In the meantime, there's a chance Collin could return to contention and, if not, Branislav Pindroch will be given his own chance to try and make the number 1 spot his own.
So in conclusion, the best thing to do is to keep faith in Nolan and in the club, and I'm sure when Fitzsimons returns from his ban, he will be a much better, wiser player.
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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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