Notts County have met Swindon Town on 62 occasions, the first time being 103 years ago in the FA Cup. On that day in January 1911, the Robins beat the Magpies 2-0 at the County Ground.

Of the 62 clashes, 24 have been won by Notts, 26 by Swindon, and 12 have been drawn.

The last meeting between the two was in December last year, when the Robins won 3-0 at Meadow Lane, thanks to an Andy Williams brace and a strike from Massimo Luongo.

The club was founded in 1879 by Reverend William Baker Pitt. Yes, you read that right! Whilst curate of Christ Church, the high church of Swindon, Pitt formed Swindon Association Football Club to provide recreation for young men in his parish.

Swindon won the Southern League championship in 1910-11, earning themselves a Charity Shield clash with Football League champions Manchester United.

This, the highest-scoring Charity Shield game to date, was played on 25 September 1911 at Stamford Bridge with Manchester United winning 8–4!

Some of the proceeds of this game were later donated to the survivors of the Titanic.

During World War II, The War Department – the government body responsible for the supply of equipment to the armed forces in the UK – took over the County Ground in 1940, where for a while prisoners of war were housed in huts placed on the pitch. For this, the club received compensation of £4,570 at war’s end.

Swindon Town were the first League club to use floodlights, having had them installed in 1951.

The County Ground is also the only football stadium in the world with a Rolex watch acting as its timekeeper –the clock on the Stratton Bank stand featuring its name was erected to celebrate promotion in 1963.

Swindon have spent one season in the top flight, in 1992-93, during which Glenn Hoddle managed them. Sadly, they didn't do too well, being relegated at the end of the season after conceding 100 goals.

The most notable silverware in the Robins’ possession is undoubtedly the League Cup, won in 1969 after beating Arsenal in the final at Wembley.

Royle Family and Two Pints Of Lager actor Ralf Little was rumoured to be on trial at Swindon back in 2002, though the funnyman later claimed that he was just training with the squad. Pint-sized jazz singer Jamie Cullum is also a fan of the Robins.

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Swindon look set to be without Louis Thompson for a few weeks after the midfielder suffered suspected shoulder ligament damage last weekend against Crewe.

He has returned to parent club Norwich City while he awaits a specialist's opinion on the injury.

Nathan Byrne should recover from a dead leg sustained in the midweek defeat to Gillingham.

Ben Gladwin is expected to be fit after a neck injury, while Jack Stephens and Anton Rodgers could return after suspension and injury respectively.

Notts have no new problems as they look to seal back-to-back wins in the league for the first time since October.

Leroy Lita could be handed his full debut after making his first appearance for the club as a substitute against Colchester United in midweek.

Shaun Derry can also call on Alan Smith, Will Hayhurst, Nicky Wroe, Sean Newton and Balint Bajner should he want to reshuffle his his starting XI.

Ronan Murray will miss the remainder of the season with a recurrence of a groin problem he suffered in training.

Notts County have met Colchester United a modest 41 times over the years, all league encounters except for one Sherpa Vans Trophy tie in 1988. Notts hold the marginal upper edge, having won 19 games to Colchester's 14, with 8 draws. All league encounters between the two have never taken place higher than the third tier.

The recent history between those two sides is very positive for the Magpies - we have won the last six games against the Essex side, by an aggregate score of 17-3!

The last game was back in August last year, a 2-1 league win at Meadow Lane.

Colchester United Football Club is a baby in English football club terms, having been born in 1937. However, Colchester Town Football Club, the club's predecessor, was around since 1873.

Despite dwindling crowds in the mid-1930s, though, they refused to follow its neighbours Ipswich Town in turning professional, much to the disapproval of its fans and players. As a result, Colchester United was formed, with the intention of playing professionally, and went on from strength to strength while its stubborn neighbour fell into decline and eventually folded.

Colchester United are responsible for one of the FA Cup's greatest ever upsets, when, in February 1971, they defeated the infamous Don Revie's Leeds United, an established top flight side who would finish second that season, by three goals to two. The U's were in the fourth division at the time.

The U's won the Football League Trophy (now the Johnstone's Paint Trophy) in 1996-97. and also compete in a competition called the Essex Senior Cup, a tournament contested by mostly non-league clubs within the region (Colchester usually field a youth/reserve team for this), winning this trophy back in 2009-10.

Micky Cook holds the all time club record for appearances with Colchester, having played nearly 700 games between 1969 and 1984.

Notable former players include Titus Bramble, Alec Chamberlain, Mark Kinsella, Kevin Lisbie and Newcastle cult hero Lomana LuaLua.

The town of Colchester is said to be the oldest recorded town in Britain on the grounds that it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder, who died in AD 79. It was for a time the capital of Roman Britain, and is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network.

Since 2006, Colchester has been one of 12 places in the UK where Royal Salutes are fired to mark Royal anniversaries and visits by foreign heads of state.

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Colchester midfielder Tom Lapslie could return from an ankle injury, but Sammie Szmodics is unlikely to feature as he is still recovering from a foot problem.

George Moncur came off the bench in Saturday's loss at Doncaster and is pushing for a starting place after recovering from tonsillitis.

Notts have no new injury worries - Alan Smith, Will Hayhurst, Sean Newton and Gary Jones are all options if boss Shaun Derry wants to make changes.

Notts County have met Port Vale a grand total of 93 times over the years, with the first two fixtures coming within a week of each other back in February 1921. The Magpies won the first game 2-1, but lost 1-0 at Meadow Lane.

Notts have the upper edge having won 39 games, lost 34, and drawn 20 against the Valiants, with the highest scoring matches coming in February 1927 (a 6-2 defeat) and April 1935 (a 5-3 defeat).

Last time these two played, in August last year at Vale Park, the Magpies won 2-0.

Port Vale is one of the few English league clubs not to be named after a geographical location.

The name Port Vale exists on maps pre–dating the formation of the club, which probably occurred in 1879, and is a reference to a valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal, associated with the city's pottery industry.

The club itself is actually based in Burslem, one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

Port Vale have never been in the top tier of English football, and the last time they were in the second tier was back in 1999-2000.

In terms of silverware, the Valiants have won the Staffordshire Senior Cup twice, in 1920 and 2001, whilst being runners-up in 1900 and 2010, as well as several other regional cups like the Birmingham Senior Cup, one of the oldest county football competitions still active.

The club, despite being fairly small, enjoys the support of some world-famous celebrities. Robbie Williams is a huge fan, to the point that he held £240,000 worth of shares in the club and has a restaurant at Vale Park named after him.

For the videogame FIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song called It's Only Us, on the condition that Port Vale should be included in the game, which they were, located in the Rest of World section!

Also, in 2005, Williams founded Los Angeles Vale F.C., a Super Metro League team in the United States, named after Port Vale and based at his Los Angeles home.

Darts star Phil “The Power” Taylor is also a big fan, while Blue (that Noughties boy-band) singer Simon Webbe was part of their youth setup until a ligament injury hampered any prospect of a career in football.

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On-loan Brighton man Paddy McCourt may make his Notts County debut when Port Vale visit Meadow Lane. The Northern Ireland international could get a chance on the wing on Saturday.

The returning Jamal Campbell-Ryce, back on loan at County from Sheffield United, Haydn Hollis, Will Hayhurst, Balint Bajner and Billy Daniels are also options for Shaun Derry,

Meanwhile, Ronan Murray will probably remain on the sidelines through injury.

Shaun Harrad this week joined Cheltenham on loan while fellow striker Jimmy Spencer remains a long-term absentee after suffering a knee injury during pre-season.

Notts are chasing only their second double of the season - the only team they have beaten home and away this season so far has been Vale's local rivals Crewe.

Colin Daniel's return from injury means Vale travel with a fully-fit squad.

Daniel is back in contention after three weeks out with an ankle problem but a place on the bench is probably the best the forward can hope for with Valiants boss Rob Page likely to name an unchanged starting line-up for the third game in a row following back-to-back wins.

However, there is also plenty of competition to be named among the substitutes after Achille Campion, Greg Luer and Richard Duffy all missed out on the matchday squad last weekend.

Saturday marks only the second time that Notts have met Fleetwood Town in a league match. The first meeting was at the start of this season, in August - when the Fishermen beat the Magpies 1-0 at Meadow Lane.

And the first ever meeting between the two sides was around eighteen months ago when Notts beat Fleetwood 3-2, again at our place, in the League Cup. You might remember it as the game that preceded THAT epic clash against Liverpool at Anfield.

In its current guise, Fleetwood Town has only been around since 1997, but the club has had predecessors in the form of Fleetwood FC, formed in 1908, and the original Fleetwood Town FC created in 1977.

The original Fleetwood FC were champions of the Lancashire Combination in 1923–24, and registered a hat-trick of Lancashire Combination Cup wins in 1932, 1933 and 1934. Manchester City legend Frank Swift used to play for them at the time.

This incarnation of the club folded in 1976 due to financial difficulties, before being reborn as Fleetwood Town FC. After some moderate success in the non-league, including a final appearance at the FA Vase in 1985, this guise also folded, in 1996.

Re-formed in 1997 as Fleetwood Wanderers, the club was placed back in Division One of the North West Counties Football League (now the tenth tier of the English League system) and a sponsorship deal saw the club's name immediately changed to Fleetwood Freeport F.C.

The club was promoted to the Premier Division of the North West Counties League in 1999 and subsequently renamed Fleetwood Town F.C, a name that remains today.

Their meteoric rise to the third tier of English football began just ten years ago, as the Fishermen went from playing in the North West Counties League in 2004 to the Conference in 2010, before making it to the Football League in 2012 and eventually being promoted from League Two at the end of last season.

Just to give you an idea how quickly they have developed in the last decade – the average Fleetwood Town attendance ten years ago was 134. Now it’s over 20 times that amount at 2819.

The Fishermen currently hold the record for a non-league player sale, as Jamie Vardy left the then-Conference club for Leicester City, who paid £1m for his services (potentially rising to £1.7m).

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Fleetwood Graham Alexander has an almost fully-fit squad ahead of Saturday's game at Highbury.

Striker Jamille Matt and full-back Danny Andrew are the Cod Army's only long-term absentees.

Meanwhile, Ronan Murray will miss out for the Magpies after sustaining an injury in training last week.

Aside from that, Notts have no other fresh injury or suspension worries and could be unchanged for the third game in a row.

Sheffield United’s first match against Notts took place on the 17th January 1891 in the FA Cup - and we won 9-1!

Since then, however, the Blades have undisputedly held the upper hand in head-to-head statistics: they have won 48 games against the Magpies. We’ve beaten then just 26 times, and there have been 14 draws.

Our last game was back in November, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Their ground, Bramall Lane, is the oldest major stadium in the world still to be hosting professional football matches.

Bramall Lane opened in April 1855 – Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin were still alive back then!

Jessica Ennis-Hill, the darling of the 2012 London Olympics, has a stand named after her at United’s ground, following her gold medal in heptathlon two and a half years ago.

A game between Sheffield United and Oldham in February 1984 had to be postponed when a wartime bomb was found near Bramall Lane!

A number of films and television programmes have included references to Sheffield United over the past few decades:

The 1996 film When Saturday Comes stars Sean Bean as a part-time Hallam FC player who is scouted by Sheffield United, who then goes on to play in a FA Cup semi-final.

The character 'Gaz' in British comedy The Full Monty is seen wearing a replica United shirt at one part of the film, and promises his son a ticket for a game at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United & Manchester United.

Even Hollywood has got in on the act: a scene in Batman Begins features a child wearing a 1990s Blades shirt.

United have a decent cup pedigree - they won the FA Cup in 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925.

They were also beaten finalists in the FA Cup in 1901 and 1936, and reached the semi-finals in 1961, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2014 - and reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in 2003 and 2015.

Notable Blades fans include Game of Thrones actor Sean Bean, former Sports Minister Richard Caborn MP, singer Paul Heaton, musicians Joe Elliott, Antony Genn and Toddla T, athlete Jessica Ennis, boxer Kell Brook, cricketer Joe Root and Monty Python member and presenter Michael Palin.

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Team news to follow.

Notts County have played local rivals Chesterfield a total of 64 times over the years, the first meeting coming on the 29th November 1930 in the FA Cup.

The game took place at the Spireites' old ground, Saltergate, and finished 2-1 to the Magpies.

The head-to-head record favours Notts, with 27 victories, 19 defeats and 19 draws. The latter was the outcome of our last meeting (1-1) back in September last year.

Nobody knows the date when the first incarnation of Chesterfield Football Club was formed. A Derbyshire Times newspaper report from the 2nd January 1864 noted a scheduled game between "Chesterfield and Norton football clubs", suggesting that a club in the town was active from at least 1863.

By contrast, club historian Stuart Basson had placed a formally constituted Chesterfield F.C. as being established as an offshoot of Chesterfield Cricket Club in October 1867.

The early history of the club is dotted with tumult and instability - the club lost the right to play at Saltergate following worsening relations with Chesterfield Cricket Club, while in 1915 the subsequent incarnation of the club, Chesterfield Town, was put into voluntary liquidation.

To fill the footballing gap left in the town, Chesterfield Borough Council reformed the club on 24 April 1919, giving it the name Chesterfield Municipal F.C.

After the Football Association and Football League made it clear that they were against a council-run club, the entity became independent, reflected in the name change to Chesterfield F.C. in December 1920.

The club have been successful in terms of minor silverware, winning the Fourth Division (and its subsequent reincarnations) a record four times, while also claimin the Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1982 and the Football League Trophy in 2012 (and finishing runners-up in 2014).

The 1996–97 season saw Chesterfield beat six clubs including Nottingham Forest to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup for the first time. The semi-final match against Middlesbrough was drawn 3–3 after extra time; Chesterfield lost the replay 3–0.

The club's nickname, The Spireites, comes from the Church of St Mary and All Saints in Chesterfield, famous for its crooked spire.

Legend goes that a virgin once married in the church, and the church was so surprised that the spire turned around to look at the bride. It is said that if another virgin marries in the church, the spire will return to true again.

The more realistic explanation is more of a scientific nature, however. It is now believed that the twisting of the spire was caused by the lead that covers the spire.

The lead causes this twisting phenomenon, because when the sun shines during the day the south side of the tower heats up, causing the lead there to expand at a greater rate than that of the north side of the tower, resulting in unequal expansion and contraction.

This was compounded by the weight of the lead (around 33 tons) which the spire's bracing was not originally designed to bear.

Famous Chesterfield players include Ernie Moss, Kevin Davies, Gary Stone, Jason Lee, Walter McMillen, Sam Hardy, Gordon Banks, Herbert Munday, Steve Ogrizovic, Barry Sunday, Freeman Hardy and Willis Edwards .

Famous fans include glamour model Jo Guest, presenter Robert Primrose Wilson, and ex-Arsenal goalkeeper John Lukic.

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Shaun Derry has no new injury or suspension worries ahead of Chesterfield's visit.

Kaiyne Woolery and Balint Bajner started up front together against Oldham Athletic last weekend and could both keep their places in the team.

Spireites boss Paul Cook lost leading scorer Eoin Doyle this week, as he moved to Cardiff City, but added loan signings Caolan Lavery, Mark Duffy and Ashley Carter to his squad.

Lavery will battle it out with Byron Harrison to replace Doyle in the starting line up while Duffy looks likely to come in for injured winger Dan Gardner.

Striker Armand Gnanduillet will be assessed but winger Gary Roberts remains out.

Notts County first played Oldham Athletic all the way back in 1910. During the Division One fixture, played at the Oldham Athletic Ground (now known as Boundary Park), the home side ran out 2-1 winners against the Magpies.

The Latics hold the upper edge against Notts in the head-to-head, having won 36 games to our 34, while 21 draws have taken place - making a total of 91 games.

Of those draws, arguably one of the most important in recent years was a mere eight months ago, when Notts travelled to Boundary Park at the end of the 2013-14 season with their League One status in the balance.

I'm sure I don't need to remind people of events on that day, but needless to say, Notts got the job done with an Alan Sheehan penalty helping his then side to a 1-1 draw and completing the Great Escape.

The last fixture was a lot tamer, at the opening end of the current season back in September when the Latics travelled to Meadow Lane and played out a 0-0 draw.

The club was formed in 1895 as Pine Villa F.C. When local rivals Oldham County F.C. folded in 1899, Pine Villa moved into their stadium, the Oldham Athletic Ground, and changed their name to Oldham Athletic.

The Latics' most successful season came in 1914-15, when they finished runners-up in the First Division by a single point. They also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, after making the semis just a year earlier.

Boundary Park is less than 9 miles from the nearby stadiums of Bury, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Rochdale.

Oldham's mascot, Chaddy the Owl, has famously been flagged for offside in a game against Peterborough United in 2000, while in 2003, in a game versus Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, Chaddy was involved in a scuffle with Bloomfield Bear after throwing his foam boots into the crowd. Chaddy defended himself, stating that Bloomfield Bear was attempting to break his beak.

Near the end of the 2005–06 football season, Chaddy was ejected from Belle Vue in a game versus Doncaster Rovers. Chaddy was escorted off of the premises after inciting a riot and making obscene gestures.

Notable Oldham Athletic fans include comedy duo Cannon and Ball, professor Brian Cox, ex-Manchester United footballer Paul Scholes, glamour model Michelle Marsh and Hollyoaks star Alex Carter.

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Oldham could give a debut to on-loan goalkeeper Jake Kean, and will check on top scorer Jonathan Forte - who spent time on loan at Notts a few seasons ago - who is nearing recovery from a groin injury.

Notts have midfielder Liam Noble and on-loan striker Kwame Thomas back after suspension.

Kaiyne Woolery is also in contention to start after joining on a one-month loan deal from Bolton Wanderers.

Notts County and Peterborough have met a grand total of 45 times over the years, dating back to the 1960s.

The Posh hold the upper edge, with 18 wins to our 12, while 15 draws have taken place.

The first meeting between the two, a Third Division fixture on the 7th September 1961, ended in a 2-2 draw.

Our record win over the Posh is a 6-0 drubbing at Meadow Lane in the 1970-71 season, while our record defeat to them is a 5-1 loss in 1963.

The last game between the two sides was in September 2014, a goalless draw at London Road.

Peterborough United are nicknamed "The Posh" because Pat Tirrel, then manager of Fletton United - the current club’s previous incarnation - was reported to say he was "looking for posh players for a posh new team".

Fletton, previously known as the 'Brickies', re-formed as Peterborough and Fletton United in 1923, and both nicknames were in use through the 1920s, although supporters complained that 'Posh' references were sometimes used by newspapers in a derisory manner.

Peterborough and Fletton United folded in 1932, the present club was formed two years later and a Midland League debut against Gainsborough Trinity on 1st September 1934 was greeted with cries of 'Up The Posh' from the crowd.

14 years ago, Peterborough United clashed with Victoria Beckham, aka “Posh Spice”, over the use of the “Posh” nickname. She had apparently objected to Peterborough's plans to register "Posh" and "The Posh" as registered trademarks, but eventually backed down after realising the club had been using that nickname some 50 years before she was born.

Notts and Peterborough also played a blinder of a game back on the 28th September 2010 at London Road, the Magpies surging into a two-goal lead courtesy of Ben Davies, before Gabriel Zakuani’s header halved the deficit. Craig Westcarr restored the away side’s two-goal lead, before Craig Mackail-Smith made things tense for the last half hour thanks to his angled shot.

The game is also known for a 22-man brawl at the final whistle, which resulted in an FA charge for both teams and a £15,000 fine.

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Notts will be without striker Kwame Thomas and midfielder Liam Noble.

Noble, who was sent off against Crewe on his return game following a lengthy ban, has one more game to serve this time round.

Meanwhile, Thomas is suspended after being sent off amid confusing scenes against Doncaster and is likely to be replaced in the starting XI by the greatest footballer in the universe, Lord Balint Bajner.

Peterborough United have no new injury concerns as they look for only a second league win in 13 matches.

Jon Taylor and Jack Baldwin remain long-term absentees, while keeper Ben Alnwick remains sidelined with thigh-knack.

With only two games featuring tonight with Oldham v Rochdale being postponed, all play-off chasers and hopefuls will be keeping an eye out on the result of our game. Preston North End will be hoping to beat Yeovil so they can move back to 3^rd whilst Yeovil could move to 21^st if everything works out for them.

Notts will be hoping the squad additions can continue to help us progress, whilst Doncaster will be focusing on how to take the game to us and using the home crowd to their advantage.

Key Fixtures

No other games effect the Notts position at all.

Prediction

Doncaster Rovers will be eager to win after beating Barnsley in their local derby, whilst Notts will be hoping to maintain their own form. It's a difficult game for both sides, however Notts have enjoyed their trips to the Keepmoat Stadium in recent years. I see this as a draw and I will play it safe by saying 1-1.

Match Odds

Doncaster Rovers to win 4/5 – Draw 5/2 – Notts County to win 18/5

Head to Head

Doncaster Rovers – A win for Doncaster will put them inside the play-offs. A draw will see them move to 11^th, whereas a loss will see them remain 13^th.

Notts County – If the magpies win they will return back to the play-offs, a draw will see Notts move to 9^th realistically but 8^th is possible. If Notts lose they will remain 10^th as no other games effect our position.

Key Man

Doncaster Rovers; Harry Forrester –Will be hoping to continue impressing both fans and manager, whilst seeking chances to add to his goal tally. His movement and ability to get behind the opposition defence will be vital to them.

Notts County; William Hayhurst – I would hate to just name him for the sake of it, however crosses will be key in finding chances within the Donny penalty box. Otherwise efforts will be met from outside, as they draw sides to shoot from distance.

League Table

If my prediction happens and tonight’s game results in a draw both teams will gain places, which will move them closer to the pack of play-off contenders. With both sides having this tie in advance over

quite a few other teams in League One, it will suggest that there may be more to play for than a draw.

The Oldham v Rochdale game would have made this a little more interesting, as Oldham could have also moved into the play-offs with a win, whilst Rochdale could have strengthened 5^th place as their own, at least for now.

Yeovil Town will be hoping to use their game to ease their relegation fears, however it will be a difficult game away at Preston North End.

I could actually see this game resulting in a draw which wouldn't suite either sides, as Yeovil would only gain one place and Preston would then have 47 points, 1 point off 3^rd place MK Dons who have 48 points within League One.

So there won't be a lot of changes tonight, however still the two remaining ties do offer some interest to other teams within the league.

Doncaster Rovers could include new signing Abdul Razak in their squad against Notts County, pending international clearance. The former Manchester City man has completed his move from Greek club OFI Crete, signing a deal at the Keepmoat until the end of the season.

Doncaster have no new problems following the 1-0 home victory over South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.

Midfielder Dean Furman is still away with South Africa at the African Cup of Nations, while defender Rob Jones is still recovering from a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Notts will be without Liam Noble again after the midfielder picked up another suspension.

Noble returned from a five-match ban on Saturday but was sent off deep into injury-time against Crewe after receiving a second yellow card. He will now begin a two-game absence.

Shaun Derry can pick from Alan Smith, Curtis Thompson and Elliott Whitehouse to replace the 23-year-old.

New signing Billy Daniels will also be pushing for a full debut after scoring the winning goal from the bench against Crewe on his first appearance.

Mike Edwards missed out at the weekend and the veteran will have his hamstring problem checked.

Saturday 17th January 2015

Key Fixtures

Colchester v Walsall

Doncaster v Barnsley

Fleetwood v Oldham

Gillingham v Coventry

Port Vale v Peterborough

Rochdale v Crawley

Scunthorpe v Bristol City

Prediction

Crewe Alexandra are currently within good form having beaten some very respectable teams within League One. They will be heading to Meadow Lane to prove a point and to continue their progression away from the relegation zone. I see this ending in a 1-1 draw.

Match Odds

Notts County to win 23/20 – Draw 12/5 – Crewe Alexandra to win 23/10

Head to Head

Notts County – A win for Notts will most likely move them to 11^th, only a single place gained. However if Port Vale and Peterborough United draw that would leave the Magpies available to make the most of their game in hand. If Notts were to draw 12^th to 15^th is likely, whilst the worst case scenario being a loss would drop Notts perhaps as low as 15^th to 18^th.

Crewe Alexandra – If the Railwaymen win it could see them move to 19^th, a draw could see them remain 20^th or it could allow them to move to 19^th, whilst a strong possibility of a return back into the relegation fold is also likely. If they were to lose, it could see them fall all the way to 23^rd provided the other teams all win.

Key Man

Notts County; Garry Thompson – With added quantity to the Notts County ranks, it frees up Thompson to play upfront as a striker. This allows us to have a player who is always in the mix to score goals, which is exactly what the Magpies require against the Railwaymen.

Crewe Alexandra; Nicky Ajose – The on loan Leeds striker has given the Alex hope of survival, his form and performance will be key. If he does well, likely the players around will become confident and hes always a concern on goal sight making him the key man.

League Table

If MK Dons do win, this would open the 6^th place position up to Chesterfield, Rochdale or Fleetwood Town. This provides Rochdale with the perfect opportunity as on paper they have the best chance of winning this weekend.

From 18^th to 11^th could see large movements, as sides are quite closely grouped together on points. Notts will have to give 110% as they could be one of the sides who fall, even if they manage to pick up a draw. Doncaster v Barnsley sums up this fix of games as only two points separates the sides with only Walsall in-between.

Leyton Orient and Crew Alexandra could both end up inside the relegation zone, however Gillingham, Colchester United and Crawley Town have all got difficult ties. Whatever the outcome for Yeovil, they will remain rooted to the bottom of League One. However, a win could leave them with a good chance of escaping the relegation zone, provided they beat Bradford City which will not be easy.

Notts County’s head-to-head history with Crewe Alexandra dates back to September 1893, when the Magpies faced the Railwaymen at the Alexandra Recreation Ground. The result was a 2-0 win for Notts.

After several further meetings in the late 1890s, the fixture would experience a hiatus of 63 years; between 1896 and 1959, the two teams didn't play each other.

Despite our shared history going back so far, there have only been 40 meetings between the two sides. Notts have the upper hand with 20 wins to 13 defeats, and just seven draws have taken place.

The Alex have been on the receiving end of several thumpings at the hands of the Magpies – in 1894, we beat them 9-1 and 5-1, in 1896 we won 6-0, in 1959 we recorded a 4-1 victory, 1970 brought a 5-1 victory, while last season, a 4-0 scoreline at Meadow Lane brought some light to a gloomy first half of the campaign.

This season, Notts registered a nice 3-0 vistory at Gresty Road back in September, Jake Cassidy netting a brace and Shaun Harrad completing the rout.

The origins of the “Alexandra” moniker in the club name aren’t fully known. Whether they took the name from a hotel, patronised by those connected with the railway works and where they held their meetings, or whether it was after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who married Queen Victoria’s eldest son, later King Edward VII, is open to speculation.

Crewe is synonymous with arguably one of the greatest and most longevous managers in the English game: Dario Gradi. He is the Alex’s very own Sir Alex Ferguson, having managed the club between 1983 and 2011, with the exception of a hiatus between 2007 and 2009 where he nevertheless took the reins on a caretaker basis for a period. He currently manages the Academy. Speaking of which…

Crewe Alexandra’s academy is one of the best and most renowned in the English lower leagues. The Academy is known to stress technical excellence, which accords with the aim to have the first team play attractive, passing football.

Most of the club's achievements in youth development have come from none other than Gradi, and alumni include Geoff Thomas, David Platt, Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon, Steve Jones, Rob Jones, Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Dean Ashton and David Vaughan.

Impressively, Crewe’s final fixture of the 2012-13 season, a 2-0 win against Walsall, involved a starting XI made up entirely of Academy players.

In 2013, the club won its first-ever major silverware after beating Southend United 2-0 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy final at Wembley.

Crewe are known as the Railwaymen because of the town’s links to the British train network. Crewe station was completed in 1837 and is one of the most historic railway stations in the world.

Nowadays, as well as serving the town of Crewe that has grown near it, it still operates as a major junction on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). It also serves as a major station on the WCML and as a major rail gateway for the North West.

The town of Crewe has an interesting roll call of local legends, including rugby player Mark Cueto, professional BMX racer Shanaze Reade, 1990s heartthrob Adam Rickitt (ask a female friend or relative between the ages of 25 and 30), Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, and Jimmy MacDonald, also known as the voice of Mickey Mouse.

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Mike Edwards is an injury concern for Notts ahead of the visit of Crewe.

A hamstring problem forced the veteran defender to come off after only 12 minutes during the 4-0 defeat at Bristol City last weekend, so he may have to sit it out this Saturday.

Liam Noble is available again after a lengthy suspension, while Kwame Thomas, Billy Daniels and winger Will Hayhurst have joined the club this week, all three players possibly coming into contention against the Railwaymen.

Another recent arrival, Alefe Santos, made his debut from the bench at Ashton Gate and the Brazilian winger, on loan from Derby County, could make his home debut.

Meanwhile, Crewe are keeping their fingers crossed over the availability of Harry Davis and Anthony Grant.

Defender Davis received dental treatment after losing a tooth against Gillingham last weekend while midfielder Grant, who also completed 90 minutes, is a doubt due to a hip problem.

George Ray returns from a three-game suspension while Brad Inman returned to training this week following a virus.

Adam Dugdale is considered over his illness and injury problems now but Ryan Colclough remains out with a pelvis injury.

All is to play for today as Bristol City, Swindon Town, Preston North End and MK Dons stride to continue their progress towards their title challenges. Whereas Notts will be trying to secure points which would allow them to remain within the top half of the division. A draw would be a brilliant result.

Sheffield United v Preston North End is the stand out game within League One, two top teams coming head to head with a lot on stake.

Key Fixtures

Saturday 10^th January 2015

Bradford v Rochdale

Chesterfield v Port Vale

Leyton Orient v Fleetwood

Oldham v Doncaster

Peterborough v Colchester

Sheffield v Preston

Walsall v Scunthorpe

Prediction

Bristol City are likely to make use of their 12^th man with the home advantage, whilst they will most likely put our defenders under a lot of pressure. A lot depends upon the way we play and set ourselves up, however I predict the final score will be 2-0 to the Robins.

Match Odds

Bristol City to win 1/2 – Draw 100/30 – Notts County to win 5/1

Head to Head

Bristol City – A win for Bristol City keeps them right in contention for the League One Title. Drawing would allow them to remain 2^nd and they still have a game in hand over Swindon Town. A defeat could see them drop to 3^rd if goal advantage favours MK Dons and provided the Don's win themselves, the likeliest case they will remain 2^nd.

Notts County – A win for Notts could see them move back into the play-offs (this requires a lot of luck) or it would place them just outside. A draw, I think would move Notts to the middle of the table and a lose would most likely push them all the way down to 13^th to 15^th perhaps.

Key Man

Bristol City; Matt Smith – The on loan Fulham striker is currently in hot form and with the absence of two other main players, Matt will be eager to impress Steve Cotterill.

Notts County; Roy Carrol – The Northern Ireland international will be relied upon a fair bit tomorrow, his experience, ability to organize the defence and the way he foreseer’s danger makes him my Key Man for Notts.

League Table

A win for Bristol City will allow them to make the most of their game in hand over promotion chasing Swindon Town. Whilst if Preston defeat Sheffield United it allows them to move to keep right within the mix with MK Dons also hoping to keep within touching distance.

Sheffield United will be hoping to avoid losing, if they do lose this will open the gap for several other clubs who will all be eager to jump into 6^th place.

If Notts lose they could fall into the bottom half of the League One table for the first time in the 2014/2015 campaign. A draw could have the same effect, however it's most likely that Notts will fall smack bang into the mid half. A win could see Notts return to play-offs or just outside, this is a vital game whereby the magpies will have to keep aware and cope under the pressure of their opposition.

Notts County and Bristol City have faced each other a gargantuan 106 times over their history. This is because both clubs have been regularly playing each other since the 1900s.

Tomorrow will however be just the fourth league encounter between the two in just over ten years.

City only just hold the upper edge, having won 43 games to Notts's 39, while 24 matches have been drawn.

The city of Bristol is the largest metro area in England never to have won the English top tier championship.

In 1907 they finished runners-up in Football League Division One, which is their highest ever final position.

City won the Welsh Cup – despite being an English club – in 1934.

In 1982, Bristol City became the first English club to suffer three consecutive relegations.

Ashton Gate is the only ground in the English football league not to accommodate executive boxes.

Despite their underachievements, Bristol City is supported by some notable celebrities, including John Cleese of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame, Formula 1 great Jenson Button, and actor Russell Crowe.

Bristol City shares the English football league record for consecutive wins, notching up 14 wins in a row during the 1905-06 season. This record is shared with Arsenal, Manchester United, and Preston North End.

Bristol was home to Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry, created in Bristol in 1796, and J S Fry, who produced the world’s first bar of chocolate in Bristol in 1847.

Bristol has been voted one of the most popular places to live in Britain and one of the top three most popular cities.

The Plimsoll line, Ribena and Tarmac were all invented in Bristol.

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City are looking to regain top spot in League One.

Matt Smith will be hoping to start up-front after scoring four against Gillingham in Tuesday's Football League Trophy area final first leg.

Notts midfielder Liam Noble is available after suspension, while Alefe Santos has joined on a youth loan from Derby.

Striker Jake Cassidy and winger Stephen McLaughlin, however, have both returned to their parent clubs.

Notts have faced Bradford 65 times in their history - the first clash came in 1908, when the First Division fixture at Meadow Lane finished 1-1. Over the years, the Magpies have the edge, with 28 wins over the Bantams, 22 defeats, and 15 draws.

The last game between the two was on New Year's Day this year, a resounding 3-0 win for Notts.

Bradford City was founded in 1903. It was immediately elected into Division Two of the Football League despite not having played a previous game.

Promotion to the top tier followed in 1908 and the club won the FA Cup in 1911, its only major honour.

After relegation in 1922 from Division One, the club spent 77 years outside the top flight until promotion to the Premier League in 1999.

City stayed up - with a then record low of 36 points - in the first season in the Premier League, but were relegated the following season.

In the 2012–13 season, Bradford sent shockwaves through the world of football by becoming the first ever team from the bottom tier of English football to reach a major domestic Wembley cup final, the League Cup, but sadly the fairytale couldn't be completed as they lost 5–0 to Swansea City.

The Bantams have never had a manager from outside Great Britain and Ireland.

A number of recent ex-Notts players now ply their trade for the club, including Alan Sheehan, Gary Liddle and Francois Zoko.

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Bradford rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture, particularly wool. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the earliest industrialised settlements, rapidly becoming the "wool capital of the world".

Sadly, the textile sector in Bradford fell into decline from the mid-20th century. Since this time, however, Bradford has emerged as a tourist destination, becoming the first UNESCO City of Film with attractions such as the National Media Museum, Bradford City Park, the Alhambra theatre and Cartwright Hall.

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For Bradford, Mark Yeates and James Meredith were left nursing injuries following their victory at Fleetwood Town and will be assessed.

Billy Clarke, suffering a knee injury, will play no part in the festive period but manager Phil Parkinson has options in the forward positions, with on-loan Zoko still waiting for his first start.

The Bantams are currently in the middle of an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and have moved up to fifth in League One.

For the Magpies, Liam Noble comes back into contention following his suspension.

The midfielder's return further boosts Shaun Derry's options after defender Mustapha Dumbuya was fit enough for a place on the bench on Boxing Day and on-loan striker Jake Cassidy made his comeback from a bout of illness against MK Dons.

The gaffer is likely to make some changes on Sunday, with winger Ryan Hall and experienced midfielder Gary Jones pushing for recalls to the starting line-up.

Colby Bishop was handed his first start against the Dons but the 18-year-old may be back on the bench at Valley Parade.

Bristol City, Swindon Town and even perhaps Preston North End fans will be hoping Notts can 'surprise' MK Dons today, as Notts prepare to host them at Meadow Lane. This is a very tough game for us Magpies, MK Dons are in fine form and may put on a performance to suppress that of what we seen by Swindon.

Notts will have to be tactically prepared, whilst the defence and midfield will be key to over coming any danger.

Key Fixtures

Boxing Day | 26^th December 2014.

Chesterfield v Peterborough United

Fleetwood Town v Bradford City

Port Vale v Sheffield United

Preston North End v Barnsley

Scunthorpe United v Rochdale

Prediction

MK Don's might be seeing this as a 'easy' game, however installing organization and a plan to handle the Don's threats could allow for hard work could pay off. This said, I feel it will be a close game and if the lads do their jobs I see this resulting in a narrow loss, I predict 1-2 win to MK Dons.

Match Odds

Notts to win 3/1 – Draw 13/5 – MK Don's to win 17/20

Head to Head

Notts County – A Notts win would most likely see a return to a play-off position, a draw would keep Notts just outside, anywhere from 8^th to 10^th is realistic. A defeat could see us drop as far as 11^th provided the other clubs all win their games and of course if goal difference ended up favouring Chesterfield.

MK Dons – A win for the visitors could see them move to the very top of the league. Despite having a game in hand, a draw could see them move from 2^nd to 4^th and that is also the worst case scenario if Notts were to beat them.

Key Man

Notts County; Alan Smith - His knowledge and understanding of the philosophy in which the Dons play will be of avast importance but a physical player who can be of a calm influence in midfield would actually benefit Notts.

MK Dons; Danny Green – The wide man’s ability to take on opposition defenders allows him to pull the strings from midfield. He can be a constant threat from his passing, crossing, to his eye for the goal but it's his ability of turning something out of nothing into the perfect opportunity which makes him their key man for PoN.

League Table

As you can see Notts are still in a very healthy position, whilst the league table looks incredibly tight. If we can remain above Peterborough United that would please me, as a side of their stature should be up much higher. Whilst Bradford City, Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield are all decent counterparts in this division.

I do expect to see Oldham and Chesterfield fade a little more, with Walsall and Barnsley coming into the mix.

No matter what the outcome Notts will end 2014 in a very respectable position even if we drop around 9^th to 11^th within League One. We will remain with games in hand, with Sheffield United being postponed and also, within the new year Notts start a refresh test against Bristol City, Crewe Alexandra, Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United.

If we take into account that the Milton Keynes Dons began their history in 2004, then Notts County have faced the club just 12 times. The first fixture took place in 2006, which was won by the Dons 3-2.

Its predecessor, Wimbledon, was around for over 110 years, but nonetheless, Notts have only played six games against them.

A depressing statistic: out of 18 games between the Magpies and both Dons incarnations, we’ve only won once. The last game, in March 2014, was a 3-1 defeat at Meadow Lane.

The Buckinghamshire-based outfit has been the subject of much controversy since its former incarnation, Wimbledon, moved from London to Milton Keynes, discarded its previous history and became the Milton Keynes Dons. Many feel aggrieved that such a move was allowed to take place.

A new club was then created called AFC Wimbledon that, in the space of less than a decade, rose through the leagues to reach League Two. Fate has drawn the two teams together on the pitch three times in two years, with MK winning twice and losing once.

The first fixture between the two sides took place in the second round of the 2012–13 FA Cup, where they were drawn to play each other at stadium:MK.

MK Dons won that match 2-1, with a winner scored in injury time by Jon Otsemobor and dubbed by the fans as "The Heel of God”.

In the second game when Kyle McFadzean scored the opening goal with his heel it was immediately dubbed "The Heel of God II".

The town of Milton Keynes, about 56 miles (90 km) north of London in Buckinghamshire, was established as a new town in 1967.

It is comically known for its statues of concrete cows and many, many roundabouts (300, or if you count painted bumps, over 1000!).

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Notts should have an unchanged squad for the visit of MK Dons. Liam Noble serves the final match of his suspension, while Jake Cassidy and Mustapha Dumbuya are still sidelined.

Second-placed MK Dons have no new injury worries following their 7-0 thrashing of Oldham on Saturday.

Ben Reeves could return after missing that match with a hamstring injury, but full-back Lee Hodson and midfielder Mark Randall are set to miss out.

Notts and Rochdale have only met a total of 38 times over the years, with the first meeting coming on the 10th December 1949. During this FA Cup clash at Spotland, the Magpies triumphed 2-1.

The last meeting between the two was two and a half years ago in February 2012, and in this League One clash, again at Spotland, Notts won 1-0.

Rochdale AFC was formed in 1907, and in their entire history, they have only ever switched divisions six times.

They have had three promotions and three relegations, with promotion coming in 1969, 2010 and 2014, while relegation came in 1959, 1974 and 2012.

The club reached the League Cup final in 1962 – the first time a club from the bottom league division has reached the final of a major competition – where they lost to Norwich City.

Rochdale played 36 consecutive seasons in the Football League's bottom division from 1974 to 2010, the longest time any team has been in the bottom division of the League, with some even derisively renaming it "the Rochdale Division".

The club have the lowest average position of all the clubs which have existed continuously in the Football League since its expansion to four divisions in 1921–22 (76th), and since its expansion to 92 clubs in 1950–51 (79th).

Additionally, they share with Hartlepool United the distinction of having played the most seasons in the Football League without ever reaching the top two tiers (82 seasons through 2009–10).

Rochdale play their home matches at Spotland, which has a capacity of 10,249. The stadium was built exclusively for the Dale in 1920, but since 1988 the ground has been jointly owned by the football club, Rochdale Council and Rochdale Hornets.

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Rochdale centre-back Jack O'Connell is available again after not having permission to play in the FA Cup replay win against Aldershot.

Dale striker Joe Bunney could also return after his illness.

Notts captain Hayden Mullins is set to return to the squad after almost six weeks out with a calf injury.

Liam Noble will miss the game as he is serving a five-match ban, having received a straight red card after being shown his 10th yellow of the season against Swindon last week.

Notts County and Preston North End are two of the oldest football clubs in the country (and by extension, the world), whose history goes back over 125 years.

The first fixture between the two took place in November 1888, when North End defeated the Magpies 7-0 in the first ever season of the Football League.

The 1888-89 season saw Preston remain unbeaten throughout, and would go on to become English football's first "Invincibles", a feat which remained unbroken until 2003-04 when Arsenal also went a whole top-flight season without losing.

Aside from Preston going the whole season unbeaten, they were also the first EVER winners of the Football League. Oh, and they won the FA Cup that year too!

The two clubs have met a total of 88 times, and sadly (for us Notts fans) the Lilywhites have the upper hand by quite a significant margin. They're won 41 times, while the Magpies have won 23 games. 24 draws have taken place.

The two teams that have played the most games overall in the Football League are, in fact, Notts County and Preston North End!

Meanwhile, Preston are ranked as the fourth most-successful English football club of all time domestically.

Over the years, there have been some varied scorelines. We've talked about the 7-0 back in 1888, but we've also had 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, 4-3 and 4-2.

The National Football Museum was originally situated in Deepdale, Preston, but was moved to Manchester in 2012.

Deepdale was used as the venue for the England U21s when they played Iceland in March 2011. Deepdale was used again at the end of the 2011-2012 season to host three U19s Elite Round matches with England, Slovenia and Switzerland all taking to the famous pitch. The three games were held at the end of May over six days.

Preston have made the play-offs in a record eight seasons, spanning all three league divisions, but have not yet been promoted via this route.

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Notts will be without Liam Noble when they face Preston in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area semi-final on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old midfielder was sent off against Swindon Town on Saturday and will now serve a ban, subject to an expected appeal from Shaun Derry.

Club captain Hayden Mullins could be handed some much-needed game time after he returned to training following a month-long absence with a calf problem.

Louis Laing has returned to parent club Nottingham Forest following the expiry of his loan deal.

Andy Little could start for Preston after three months on the sidelines with hamstring and calf injuries.

Bradley Fewster has returned to Middlesbrough after his loan spell was cut short for personal reasons.

Joe Garner and fellow striker Jordan Hugill, both nursing knee injuries, remain long-term absentees for Preston.

Notts County have met Swindon Town on 61 occasions, the first time being 103 years ago in the FA Cup. On that day in January 1911, the Robins beat the Magpies 2-0 at the County Ground.

Of the 61 clashes, 24 have been won by Notts, 25 by Swindon, and 12 have been drawn.

The last meeting between the two was back in April this year, which Notts won 2-0 at Meadow Lane

The club was founded in 1879 by Reverend William Baker Pitt. Yes, you read that right! Whilst curate of Christ Church, the high church of Swindon, Pitt formed Swindon Association Football Club to provide recreation for young men in his parish.

Swindon won the Southern League championship in 1910-11, earning themselves a Charity Shield clash with Football League champions Manchester United. This, the highest-scoring Charity Shield game to date, was played on 25 September 1911 at Stamford Bridge with Manchester United winning 8–4! Some of the proceeds of this game were later donated to the survivors of the Titanic.

During World War II, The War Department – the government body responsible for the supply of equipment to the armed forces in the UK – took over the County Ground in 1940, where for a while prisoners of war were housed in huts placed on the pitch. For this, the club received compensation of £4,570 at war’s end.

Swindon Town were the first League club to use floodlights, having had them installed in 1951. The County Ground is also the only football stadium in the world with a Rolex watch acting as its timekeeper –the clock on the Stratton Bank stand featuring its name was erected to celebrate promotion in 1963.

Swindon have spent one season in the top flight, in 1992-93, during which Glenn Hoddle managed them. Sadly, they didn't do too well, being relegated at the end of the season after conceding 100 goals.

The most notable silverware in the Robins’ possession is undoubtedly the League Cup, won in 1969 after beating Arsenal in the final at Wembley.

Royle Family and Two Pints Of Lager actor Ralf Little was rumoured to be on trial at Swindon back in 2002, though the funnyman later claimed that he was just training with the squad. Pint-sized jazz singer Jamie Cullum is also a fan of the Robins.

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Notts have no new problems ahead of Saturday's match against Swindon. Shaun Derry could bring back Gary Jones, who was left out of the squad against Doncaster, or Garry Thompson, who was on the bench for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie in midweek. Taylor McKenzie, Curtis Thompson and Drissa Traore are also options.

Captain Hayden Mullins is back in training after a month-long absence through injury while on-loan defender Louis Laing will be involved for the final time before returning to parent club Nottingham Forest.

Swindon boss Mark Cooper is sweating over the fitness of three defenders: Jordan Turnbull, Harry Toffolo and Amari'i Bell are all suffering from injuries and will be assessed by medical staff ahead of the trip to Meadow Lane.

Captain Nathan Thompson, however, has recovered from an ankle injury and is likely to be back in the starting XI.

Raphael Branco is back in training having spent two months on the sidelines with a groin injury but it may still be too soon for the Brazilian.

Notts County have met Doncaster Rovers 51 times over the years, with the first fixture coming on the 13th December 1930. On that occasion, an FA Cup tie, the Magpies triumphed 1-0.

Rovers have the upper edge head-to-head, but only just. They have 23 wins and 21 defeats against Notts, with seven draws.

Our last meeting came at the tail end of the 2012-13 season, when Notts secured a 1-0 victory at the Keepmoat courtesy of this rather decent effort by Joss Labadie...

/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjd42giwT8s

The club was founded in 1879 and turned professional in 1885. They have spent the majority of their playing history between the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system and are one of four clubs to win the Division 3/League Two title three times, the last being in 2004. Football League rules state that any team who wins a trophy three times can keep it.

However, when Rovers tried to retain ownership of the actual Third Division trophy, the Football League claimed that Rovers could not keep the trophy because the league names had changed from Fourth to Third Division, and so they had not won that particular league three times. Bit harsh...

The team's mascot is a brown dog known as Donny Dog, who wears the red and white Rovers jersey.

Before a scheduled appearance during the game against Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium on 4 March 2006, police prevented Andrew Liney from entering the stadium in costume, citing unspecified "police intelligence", and refused him permission to wear any part of the costume within 50 metres of the stadium. Mr Liney later received a full written apology for these unfounded allegations from the head of West Yorkshire Police.

The mascot was next portrayed by Tracy Chandler and in June 2011, she was relieved from the position after she posed in her underwear for a Sunday newspaper. Later in the same week she was reinstated back as the clubs mascot.

Arguably the club's most famous fan is One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson. The 22-year-old had agreed to play in a charity game at the Keepmoat to raise money for the Bluebell Wood Charity and was offered a deal by Donny to join the club on non-contract terms after impressing in the game.

Tomlinson also put himself forward to take over the club alongside John Ryan, but the deal fell through in July this year.

And if you're not the biggest fan of 1D or Louis, then you can always take a moment to enjoy this...

/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZrIq-CqVSo

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Doncaster will be without Nathan Tyson, who has missed the last two matches with a calf strain.

Dean Furman, Harry Forrester and Marc De Val Fernandez are among the options should manager Paul Dickov decide to shuffle his pack for the quarter-final clash.

Meanwhile, Notts have almost a fully fit squad for their trip to the Keepmoat Stadium, with only long-term injury victim Jimmy Spencer out as far as we're aware.

Sheffield United’s first match against our beloved Notts took place on the 17th Jan 1891 in the FA Cup.

Just to give you an idea how long ago this was… Sir Winston Churchill was a mere 16 years old when the game was played!

The scoreline is also of note: Notts won 9-1! Since then, however, the Blades have undisputedly held the upper hand in head-to-head statistics: they have won 48 games against the Magpies. We’ve beaten then just 26 times, and there have been 13 draws.

Their ground, Bramall Lane, is the oldest major stadium in the world still to be hosting professional football matches.

Bramall Lane opened in April 1855 – Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin were still alive back then!

Jessica Ennis-Hill, the darling of the 2012 London Olympics, has a stand named after her at United’s ground, following her gold medal in heptathlon two years ago.

A game between Sheffield United and Oldham in February 1984 had to be postponed when a wartime bomb was found near Bramall Lane!

A number of films and television programmes have included references to Sheffield United over the past few decades:

-The 1996 film When Saturday Comes stars Sean Bean as a part-time Hallam FC player who is scouted by Sheffield United, who then goes on to play in a FA Cup semi-final.

-The character 'Gaz' in British comedy The Full Monty is seen wearing a replica United shirt at one part of the film, and promises his son a ticket for a game at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United & Manchester United.

-Even Hollywood has got in on the act: a scene in Batman Begins features a child wearing a 1990s Blades shirt.

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Sheffield United strikers Michael Higdon and Marc McNulty will both return to contention for Friday night's home game against Notts County.

Higdon has been sidelined for six games and McNulty has been been out for a similar period due to a facial injury.

Clough has no new injury or suspension problems but midfielder James Wallace and defender Ben Davies remain sidelined.

Diego De Girolamo has returned to York City on loan and fellow forward Che Adams is hoping to make his first appearance after twice being an unused substitute.

Gary Jones will be available for Notts after his red card against Yeovil Town last weekend was overturned on appeal.

Blair Adams was forced off with an injury against the Glovers towards the end of the first half and the defender is a doubt ahead of the trip to Bramall Lane.

A further injury blow for the Magpies has seen Zeli Ismail ruled out for around four months. The on-loan Wolves winger suffered a knee injury during the goalless draw with Accrington in the FA Cup first round.

Ryan Hall has been brought in as a replacement for Ismail and the Rotherham United loanee is expected to go straight into the squad against the Blades.