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Still thinking tbh. Palmer was steady and solid all game, plus he made some good challenges/tackles and pinged some lovely long passes around. He scored a screamer and could have another 2 tbh. Iorpenda had an incredible 25 mins in the 2nd half, all crafty touches, fierce challenges and mazy runs, culminating in a spectacular goal and another good set up for the og. Hard to split them - Palmer, cool, driving force & Iorpenda, industrious, creative and lethal. Both worthy 9/10 today.

Fond memories of my driving lessons and driving instructors... One was an oldish bloke called Barry from Trowell. No instruction, he just let you drive all around Notts for a hour. The only things I can remember him saying 'one of you mad bastards is going to kill me one day' 'WTF are you doing? Overtaking on a blind bend before a hump-back bridge!!!' I was to be fair...

@Michael D Pie. fortunately I don’t have any horses to worry about, we’ve got a cat but she doesn’t have any problems at the moment. @Robbie sorry to hear your car had an expensive trip to the garage but it sounds as if it’s served you well. @Chris when you spend a lot of time at a desk you definitely need a good supportive chair, glad you’ve got one. I had a call from the garage to say our car was ready to collect so we got in the courtesy car which is a brand new Citroen C3, it had been on the drive since I got back and I couldn’t get it in reverse to back off the drive. In the end I had to call the garage who told me I needed to pull the sleeve up on the gear stick to engage reverse, how embarrassing I’ve had lots of cars in my time but never have I had to do that. The good news is the garage said our car is in excellent condition and has been serviced, washed and polished, it looks like new now.

I went to Wilford Hill Cemetery yesterday with Cheeky. We got caught in the showers, but neither of us was all that bothered. It was actually peaceful and different; we've been when it's snowed like this before, so rain isn't something to stop us from spending time. Unfortunately, by the time we decided to head back, we had thousands of those across the river causing a traffic jam, so we walked to the Nottingham Knight in hope that would make a difference and got our Uber from there. Today, I am a little behind and I realise that I didn't find time to publish an alumni. The good news is I am sitting upright and in heaven thanks to the office/gaming chair my daughter gave me. My old one was good; it just never seemed to support my lower back, no matter how I sat or what I did to try to combat it. I have been on my PC for the most amount of time I have in ages, which shows how nicely this one supports my lower back.

Grimsby visit Meadow Lane having won just 1 of their last 5 League matches. Notts beat Grimsby 0:2 at Blundell Park on the 13th December. Grimsby currently stand in 12th place on 49 points in League 2, with a record so far of 13 wins, 10 draws & 9 defeats over their 32 matches. Notts have a good record against Grimsby since their return to League 2. Notts are unbeaten in the 5 matches played with 4 wins & a draw, the draw being the unforgettable 5:5 draw at Blundell Park on the 13th Jan 2024. Notts will be hoping to repeat their great performance, which they achieved against Tranmere last Saturday, when they recorded their biggest win under Martin Paterson, an emphatic 5:0 win which would have had the rest of League sitting up & taking notice. Grimsby will be a much bigger test for Notts this Saturday, & they must not be underestimated. They will bring a large following with them & it should be a bumper crowd at Meadow Lane with a great atmosphere. Notts will be hoping that Ollie Norburn has recovered from his knock against Tranmere, & there is more encouraging news about Palmer & Jatta getting closer to fitness, that could see one of them make the bench on Saturday. I expect to see Lee Ndlovu lead the Notts line after his great performance against Tranmere. Matt Dennis may start the match just behind him. Upfront for Notts will be a key area for me. If Notts can continue with their good form & take their chances, we should see a Notts win on Saturday. My score 3:1 to Notts.

Yeah, I was well on the way to giving it to our passmaster general himself Matt Palmer. He scored a corker, but it's been overshadowed by Iorpenda’s wonder goal. Tom's energy for the last 30 minutes was phenomenal!

There have not been many games this season where one player stood head and shoulders above the rest of the team. Well for me today was one of those occasions. My vote goes to Tom Iorpenda. His all round game was excellent today and his goal would have graced the premier league. A thing of beauty!

it will sound like excuses but there is not enough time in the day, my training is going well but i have not had any chance to get on here previously. i am away from home until the weekends and you dont realise how bad the internet can be when in a poor signal area. i am well, i do miss the community here.

Good luck to @super_pie with his driving lessons, I remember my first lessons driving along Trent Embankment at about 18 mph and being absolutely petrified, my instructor said if I didn’t get a hold of my nerves I’d never pass but after 40 lessons I passed first time. I was around 19 when I started having lessons, I had just met Mrs. T and her last boyfriend had a car so I felt I’d better get driving and buy a car if I wanted to keep her. 😂

Is the image of Bennetts the clue that he might be leading the line tonight? 🤔 I think it'll be either him or Grant. Surprised that Enrou isn't even on the bench, is he injured? Great night for Harrison Iwunze though, potentially could make his proper first team debut. The trophy doesn't really count!

Yes, it's lovely outside from the looks of it. It's nice to see the bright light shining through my bedroom window. All the talk of MOTs has me thankful I don't drive; it's nightmare enough when electricals inside the home decide to pack in. It's never just one thing, but a whole host of appliances. Speaking of driving, @super_pie had his third lesson with @Drivingmenotts yesterday. It sounds like he's doing well! Today has been quite slow, though I have encountered a lot of strange issues with the resources I am building, and I am hoping, for the sake of my hair, that I have finally resolved these issues. I hope everyone is enjoying the nicer weather, fingers crossed @super_ram will start to feel the benefit of it.

Good morning everyone. It's a beautiful morning here with lots of sunshine. The forecast is for the temperature to get up to a balmy 15 Celsius for this time of the year. Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all of you are celebrating it.

I managed to sit down at my desk for around 6 hours, which is good. I think the fact my back is supported well, it did make a difference because for the times I had walked downstairs, my back felt less pain but it did come on later which forced me into retreating to laying down with my laptop. I did enjoy having two screens, at my desk because I made some real good progress coding wise. Tomorrow, I am going to try to do it again and get some content up. 🫰

I don't mind about the fitness of the players not being disclosed, it keeps the opposition guessing and makes their prep that little bit more awkward not knowing who they are potentially going to face. I'm hopeful though, imagine the buzz around Meadow Lane if both Jatta and Palmer are back in the squad! 🤩 The away fixture was one of our poorer showings this season and we didn't even have an excuse of them sitting really deep and giving us no space, Chesterfield were just simply the better side. So we do need to pay them back now, especially after last season too, I think we haven't won any of the matches since they've been promoted back to League 2. I'm sure we'll see a few changes for this one but I'd be tempted to start with the side that finished the match against Walsall. Although I would keep Macari at RCB because I'm not convinced Platt is suited to playing there.

I have fixed all the existing themes which members can choose from, ensuring that they are all back to working order. If an issue does occur, or you notice something please don't sit on it, mention it and I'll get to the bottom of it as quickly as I can. However, I am happy with the tests and checks I have performed. The default PON theme has been completely resolved. The lightweight theme is fixed. The fluid version which breaks down the forums into a single listing is unchanged as it didn't appear to have any issues. With these changes, I have made sure that the icons in the mobile app are fixed and work accordingly. This includes the mode toggle, which is now my own code as I found the two previous apps to be fiddly to maintain as I made alterations to one and the other used the incorrect icon for the light mode. The majority of resources have been re-enabled after upgrading them to the latest version; only two remain disabled currently. I have also upgraded to the latest version of the site software which brings mostly fixes and speed improvements with the removal of redundant javascript. The Full List can be read below: I would like all who read this to know my aim is to bring back the content ASAP, however, there are still things out of my control such as if I am unwell. I have missed putting out content, but at the same time I can get overwhelmed by social media. I believe the publisher tool I am close to competing with will allow team members to chip in on their terms. It's about making a difference where possible, but it would be welcomed as with the right interest the gaps I find difficult due to health could be somewhat covered. Please do whatever you can to help, whether that be commenting or starting topics. It's wonderful to see so many people engaging, and although things are slow, the community never fails to amaze me. It's a pleasure to be able to do what I can, and although sometimes it's not enough. Your support goes along way in allowing me to fire on all cylinders! Many thanks! Chris

I just wanted to check in and share a message of encouragement to all the people who read this. I hope you are all well and that you are enjoying both life along with the typical rollercoaster of a season that the 25-26 League Two season has been. It doesn't matter if you are a lurker, casual reader, former/active member I just want to make sure that those who read this know that there are people who care about the wider issues we face and that you don't have to be alone even in this mad, busy and fast paced world. 2025 was a big year, and we are 3 months into 2026 now. As the season starts to unwind, please don't take my message as preaching. Take a moment to acknowledge your loved ones, your friends and people you see on a regular basis. It can be difficult for some as the season unwinds, and whilst I wish for people to enjoy being part of the PON community/site. The main thing is Notts, and supporting each other the best way that Notts fans can. Take care!

It was my highlight of the day, especially after the disappointing defeat at Meadow Lane but I can shrug that off. My friend dropped me off at my dad's after the game, and I managed to beat my better half/our children. Jake didn't go to the game due to having uni assighments, but he did go to see @super_ram. Kate whipped up a Victoria sponge and dusted it with icing sugar, making the derby logo pop out - just the ram, of course! Presents given, and some nice quality time with him and we had a good laugh.

I think this is going to prove to be one of the desive games which will reveal if we are a playoff contender or automatic promotion, but at the same time the result really could swing either way. I mean more about how the group of players we have handle the situation, if we can control the game and play with confidence. Grimsby won't be a pushover, and I do expect them to make things difficult. Thier attacking threat is more of a concern, than how they defend and I can see that there's areas where we can exploit to get in behind them. Yet, it would be encouraging to see a strong performance after how we dominated Tranmere Rovers. Gaining confidence in that manner, is something professional footballers thrive on and instead of daunting or being natural about an upcoming game, it can give players something to drive forward. I really hope the conditions do not play an impact, and that Grimsby look to play football. They can be a very good passing team, that aren't fixated on structure and can be robust when trying to break teams down.

The reality was that we were sloppy for both of their goals. They both came down our left flank, where Jones doesn’t provide any cover or support for Bedeau. Theax marking and awareness were shocking for the first and beyond credibility for the second. Other than that, we fought and battled well again, tge balance and shape was generally good but a bit wobbly at times. We engineered great opportunities but either moving the ball quickly or having people prepared to take on opponents. It was Jones, Tangen and Grant in the first half and more of Iorpenda, Bennetts & Hall in the second. If you are clinical in front of goal, you win matches. We scored from 5 well worked and cleverly constructed chances today. 2 of those goals were simply spectacular, the fifth was a superbly created and neatly finished. The other 2 were well earned on the back of a solid team effort. The lack of marking aside, this was a very impressive display from a squad that has developed the art of winning whatever the line up. To be missing the likes of Robbo, Platt, Dennis & Ndlovu yet scoring 9 goals in 2 games at this stage of the season is encouraging, to say the least. The introduction of Norburn and Bennetts was the critical factor today. Jones was running out of gas and ideas and we freed up Iorpenda to play further forwards - he created havoc. Best I’ve seen of Bennetts, he’s improved over the season for my money. He was unplayable today. He’s better defensively and far more robust than Jones - so, if he can go round defenders & cross like he did today then he becomes a viable option as a starter as well as a sub.

Lots of good performances today, including the subs that came on, but I thought that the Player above them all today was Tom Iorpenda. Notts have been blessed with getting two brilliant loanees in successive seasons, Abbott & Iorpenda who are both going to have great careers, Hall is playing his part too. Luker could also make a big difference when he returns.

For his pure commitment and the sensational 2nd half, it probably should go to Iorpenda - but, as I’ve not always been convinced by Palmer, I’m going for him. Without his influence, I’m not sure we’d have won that game as convincingly tbh. When Norburn came on to play alongside him it freed up Iorpenda to push forward - which he did, with spectacular results. (That’s the best team for me, start with Norburn, Palmer, Grant & Iorpenda - I’d play Bennetts too on today’s form.)

How is Matty Palmer not MoM?! Well, he isn't! Cos that has to go to Tom Iorpenda. I'd say two bold things.... That was the best individual performance of the season so far And, that probably puts him well ahead and clinches POTS as well.

I thought Tangen looked really bright first half, best we've seen from him so far. But for me I thought Jones and Grant were the two stand-outs. I've been pretty critical of Grant but he had one of his best matches last night, so I voted for him. Can he finally finish the season in that kind of form?

It's a beautiful morning here. The forecast is for Sunny Weather & a high of 17 Celsius. Good luck with the lesson @super_pie I passed my test on 6th June 1974 after 20 lessons. Tests were much easier then with the hardest manoeuvres being the left hand reverse turn, & the three point turn. When I started off the examiner told me to travel up the road then turn right, I turned left. I thought I'd blown it, but it relaxed me & I went through the test well. I did my emergency stop when a dog ran into the road. As I said, I thought that turning left had failed the test for not following instructions, but after answering the five highway code questions, he passed me for my driving. I was nervous, when I started the test, turning left instead of right, was the best move as things turned out.

Good morning, I expect we’ve all got a bit of a spring in our step after last nights stunning victory, I know I have. Today I’ve got to clear up our garden after yesterdays efforts when I took out a lot of old Clematis Montana which has been growing on the fence since we bought the house, it was getting a bit unruly so I’ve chopped it all back and put some new trellis up, hopefully some new growth will take to it. Apart from that it will be a quiet day, we will go for a walk to keep up our walking challenge in March, we’ve done 58,000 steps so far so we are well on course for reaching our 100,000 target. Have a great day everyone.

What is noticeable as well is that we are getting plenty of bodies into the box when we attack. I'm sure that's because we don't have a recognised striker. Too often this season we have put good balls into the box, but there is no one there to put it into the net.

Although this looks the weakest team we have put out this season, there is plenty of experience out there. The scene is set for someone to become a hero or someone to come off the bench and make an impact. This is definitely an opportunity for the squad to show what it's really made of and the deterimnation to get promotion! COYP!

It is definitely going to be more of a challenge because of our current player availability. I think Iorpenda has to play as one of the CMs, especially as we've no idea if Palmer is capable of starting this one. Same for Jatta, I think Enoru has played up front for Tamworth, and the National League isn’t short of physical centre backs. Ok playing to his feet won’t be his strength, but his pace would allow us to play more balls in behind and turn the Accrington defence. Otherwise, I think that just leaves Bennetts. He’s pretty strong, quick and skilful. I think he could fill in. A massive positive for us is that since October we’ve only lost 2 matches away and generally speaking the team tends respond positively after a defeat.

We've had some really good number 10s such as Ruben, Dan & Didzy, who had an eye for scoring goals. The first two were genuine number 10s, Didzy was a striker that was used just behind the striker & was able to adapt to the role as an AM. Tangen has possibly been brought in to carry on that success. It will be interesting to see if he has similar success as the previous three. Whether he has the skill to do it is another thing. We haven't seen it yet. I still believe that Grant is the best option available in the AM role at the moment.

The McGoldrick departure looks worse by the week

Up to a point @Robbie but if we have to rely on that and play the game on their terms, then what chance have we anyway? I want to see the club's philosophies and strategies prove themselves in games like this. And the coaching. We should be able to beat that type of team with passing and movement. Passes that find our players, clinical play in the final third, shots on target that lead to us scoring more than them. If we can't do that, what are we playing at anyway? On Jatta, I'm optimistic. It must be tough to play when you're fasting. But this game kicks off a perfect few hours after his ifthar meal so he should be absolutely full of energy, exactly at the right time. Platt out means MP will have his best ball-playing defenders on the pitch - Macari, McDonald, Bedeau Norburn and Robbo out means that he might have to pair Palmer and Iorpenda finally We can hope for great games from Jones and Tsaroulla and better games from players like Tangen, Grant, Kouhyar. We should have what it takes to play them off the park. Let's see if we can COYPiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies!

And a jolly good morning to you all also. We have just had our annual service and MOT @Fan of Big Tone and pothole County cost us two new tyres, I hope your vehicle isn't so expensive. A beautiful morning here in the midshires with a bit of a chill to keep you on your toes. On top of the vehicle thing, I have been informed that the horses feet need a trim and the Farrier is due this morning at 08:30 so more expense. I don't think that i can afford to retire. I hope everyone has a great day 😀

Notts need a win to re-establish themselves as promotion contenders after a dissapointing defeat to Chesterfield in front of a large crowd at Meadow Lane on Saturday. Accrington are still in with a small shout of making a playoff place. They are in 15th place in League 2, with 48 points. Accrington have lost 3 & drawn 2 of their last 5 matches. In their last 10 league games, Accrington have won 4, drawn 2 & lost 4. They have earned 14 points from a possible 30 & are 13th in the form table over the last 10 matches. In the five matches between the sides since Notts returned to League 2, Notts have won 3, drawn 1 & lost 1. Accrington did win the last match between them at ML on 1st Jan, so they will be looking to do the double. Notts are going to be without, Lee Ndlovu, Matt Dennis, & Ollie Norburn who are all suspended. Matty Platt limped off injured against Chesterfield so he's doubtful, & Scott Robertson is injured, so Notts will be without several of their key players on Tuesday. Alassana Jatta isn't fully match fit just returning from injury, so he may not start the match on Tuesday. One of the attacking midfielders may have to fill in as an emergency striker until Jatta is introduced later in the game. Accrington can exhibit a high energy, battling, gritty, & physical approach when it comes to competing in matches. Notts have found it difficult to deal with this style, so they will have to battle for every ball & try to grind out a result if they can. It's a must win for Notts, however due to the Notts injuries & suspensions it will be difficult. Much will depend on how Notts line up & who starts upfront. I think a draw would be a good result for Notts under the present circumstances.

Another mouthwatering derby awaits Notts on Saturday, when they meet local rivals Chesterfield at Meadow Lane in an early kick off. Chesterfield have won 2 of their last 5 matches with 1 draw & 2 defeats.They lost their most recent match at home to an improving Shrewsbury side 2:3.They currently stand in 8th place, 8 points behind Notts in League 2 In their last 10 matches Chesterfield have won 4, drawn 3 & lost 3. They have accumulated 15 points from a possible 30, scored 15 goals & conceded 12, so their form is mixed as they currently lie in 12 place in the form league table. Notts have failed to beat Chesterfield in their 3 league meetings since Chesterfield were promoted back to League 2. Notts have lost 2 & drawn 1 of those 3 games. Notts will be hoping to get their 1st win in four matches on Saturday. Notts were boosted by Ollie Norburn's return when he was influential in Notts win at Walsall last Saturday. They will be hoping that Matt Palmer & Alassana Jatta will be fit to return. Striker Lee Ndlovu is still serving a 3 match ban so won't be available. I expect that Head Coach Martin Paterson will make a few changes from the side that started against Walsall. We may see Tangen replace Hall, & Kouhyar replace Grant in the AM positions. We may also see McDonald come in for Platt in defence. It's another tough game & Chesterfield will make it very hard for Notts to get through them. Notts have to come out swinging straight away & try to get an early lead. Key areas will be all over the pitch, particularly in the Notts Attacking Midfield positions. Can they create enough goal scoring opportunities like they did in that 2nd half against Walsall? If they do I think that Notts can get a positive result.

I am currently wide awake with stomachache, and there's zero chances that I will get to sleep any time soon (side effect of medication). I won't go into that further, because it will bore everyone. Though I am finding it enjoyable to continue coding, I have finished the social publishing tool at least a working version but I do need to figure out how to hook it into a part of the which would make it even more powerful. Right now, I am working on the partner system application which has been out for almost a year and bringing that back would be nice to get a handful of business involved with helping me to maintain the sites costs. Before that, I was working on a task manager and in the past I tried using two. One was very powerful but between v4.5 and v4.7 it was maintained very well and I swiched to a simplier one but struggled to make it work. This one I am building a believe to be more effective, and whilst I might release it for others to use right now it's very bespoke to my tastes and needs. And before I get told off by someone, honestly sleeping isn't an option right now and all I can do is wait for the right time. I shouldn't impact me tomorrow at all, I am really enjoying the improvements to the weather and I can honestly feel the difference with moving around. I might try to have a walk to my dad's tomorrow, check in on him and tell him off for not getting into a routine. Really, I just want to make sure he's okay and give him some company. It's my eldest daughter's birthday next week and we'll be grandadnapping him.

@Chris I did a little research & Notts are 6 points in front of where they were last season at the same stage. Notts scored 14 points from their last 11 matches, so Notts are in a better position points wise & form wise, so there is hope we can improve on last season's points total.

I have to agree with @Robbie and @Piethagoram two absolute beautiful class moments that wouldn't be out of place in any top flight game anywhere in the world, to be honest. A game that lacked spark and endeavour from both sides needed that uplift of something special, and boy did we get it. I thought Platt was once again at his best, with interceptions and skillful positioning, keeping the Walsall forwards at bay. He would of received my vote if it wasn't for the class of Norburn. ⚽️🎉🥇

What a comeback. Great subs. Nice to see Tangen as an attacking midfielder, where he belongs. Kellan Gordon with a +8 goal against Swindon - thank you Gordon.

Yes, no doubt we have to be consistently good to get around 24 points over 12 games. Also agree @Fan of Big Tone on the injuries and the rub of the green. I think something else will be needed though - improvement in a key area By and large, we have been pretty consistent, bar a few out-of-character flat, slow-paced performances or poor tactical games. Even then, nobody has really dominated or rolled over us. Across the back and middle thirds of the pitch we have been consistently strong. The problem has been in the attacking third. It hasn't been from lack of attacking intent - it's a personnel problem. Too many of our squad fail to execute in the final third, suddenly lose their composure and fail to find that pass, snatch at a shot or fail to shoot at all. There's no risk of singling out players because there have been so many like this (including really, really good players for us). - Macari, Bedeau, Tsaroulla, Iorpenda, Grant, Kouhyar, Bennetts, Gordon, Cotter, Traore....there's 10, right there. We had 1 player who could keep his composure - but he was sent back to Shelborne. For the sake of balance, maybe he should've stayed. Time will tell So yeah consistency, injury luck, general luck, key decisions - but I don't think we can get autos unless with make a leap in final third execution.

@Fan of Big Tone: Speaking of new cards, mine always fails when I try to tap and pay, it's also very flaky when inserting it for the pin. So, you've reminded me that I must request a new one. I'll also take note that I shouldn't cut up the wrong one when it does turn up. 🤣 To be fair, they do clash but I am lucky that the one I need replacing would match my other card so it will be easy to spot which needs to go. God help me if and when I turn 50. 😂 I know it's my body telling me to rest up, but I don't like not doing things. I must be busy, or doing something productive. Today I did a check on Jake's plant, and unfortunately it's black at the base. Supposedly this means that there's zero chance of it growing again, and would be classed as dead. It's a shame, as I hoped we could get it back but now I know what it is - I think it would always be a struggle to please it when it doesn't like tempreature changes. My house can be cold until the heating comes on, and Jake had it by his window so it could get light. Not far below is his raditor, but he will learn. I have installed an application I have built to show light and dark group images. I need to make amendments to the v5 theme, return changes lost when I upgraded it. I've had to apply 3 patches, as the application works fine on my dev install but when coming onto the live site I encountered issues. There're a few I have finished which I am bringing over, between checking them and ensuring there's no bugs. I will get back to uploading content to the home page. It's been awhile since I have written anything.

I had a lot of back pain yesterday, decided to have an earlier night than normal and woke up this morning feeling very tired. Despite not wanting to, I fell asleep twice and I hate how the day passes me by because I would much rather be doing something. Jake had his first driving lesson today with @Drivingmenotts, he came back very excited and I am proud of how he's doing not just learning to drive but his university course. Still on the subject of Jake, he has a plant that needed repotting. I used to do this a lot with my mum, who would grow her own plants and then repot them once they out grew their original pot. Unfortunately, Jake's plant seems to have a lot of dead roots. I have repotted it and I hope it grows stronger, it looks rather sorry for itself currently. I haven't done any coding, but I have several things I will soon work on. 3 I have completed, but only have tested on my local dev install. I need to take them onto the dev site online and check, then I will bring them here. I hope everyone is okay, I am looking forward to reading catchups from you all. Please do join in, I feel bad for not being able to say much productive.

Please join me in wishing @super_ram a very happy birthday. I hope you have a wonderful day my old mucker (is that a word?) and the mighty Rams give you three points as a present. P.S. Have a fire extinguisher handy when you light all those candles on your cake.

Absolutely, agree. I think Martin Paterson having that winning mentality will remind the players that blips happen, and that if they work hard as a team those types of wins are possible. Provided we proect James Belshaw from driven shots, and he makes those important saves (which to his credit he did against Grimsby). We'll be fine, the issue of Matt Dennis being our only option, due to the suspension of Lee Ndlovu, is only a short term issue. After the game I heard the thoughts from Mark Stallard, and I personally feel we managed at the start of the season so we can hope Alassana Jatta is close to a return but even if Ndlovu returns first. We dictate the flow of games by establishing a solid defense and demonstrating resilience and creativity in midfield. I don't think it's so much 'performance' with Nick Tsaroulla, I think Lewis Macari takes time to support him but they have a decent understanding. The passing back, and slowness is mostly caused by us not being direct enough in my opinion. We anticipate that Tsaroulla will deliver an extraordinary performance, a prospect that seems quite plausible without the right support from midfield. However, I must acknowledge that Jodi Jones does have a tendency to approach things with a more laid-back attitude. I think he was concerned about previous encounters against Grimsby, hence why he never really had that spark. Scott Robertson for me was one of the players who would be quick to win the ball back, but he did make easier passes rather than ones which could move us forward. That said, again it's about the players around making space and giving options and for the first 30 minutes it was a bit scrappy. Yet, Notts were on top and it wasn't until Grimsby had a close effort on goal that they really looked like any real trouble.

Take away the disappointment of losing, and to such a close rival. It seemed always likely, at least to me, that the game would be decided by a single goal. I also felt especially in the first half, that we would have loved a squad which competed as Notts did in the first half previous seasons as we have been a team that tends to go into these games rather flat and empty. Notts did very well to win the ball back, Grimsby at times only did enough to prevent us causing them trouble and I wasn't all that impressed except for how they worked the ball when attacking. They have a fast thought process which opened a lot of space, which did take them time to achieve and defensively we coped for the majority. I think what took the game out of our control is the sending off, I won't debate that because it happened so fast and I am yet to re-see it. The decision to take off both wing backs in Nick Tsaroulla, Jodi Jones and Lewis Macari. I actually would have preferred to keep both Tsaroulla and Macari on. Whilst the referee was fine in the first half, he did quickly start to lose the second half. No matter what is done, I do not like seeing our players lash out, and it's not the first time this season Matthew Dennis has been lucky not to have been red carded himself. Why do some of our players fall for these mind games, where the opposition wants to look like the innocent party? Where does physically pushing a player to the ground warrant smart play in football? The defeat is disappointing but the performance was better for such an occasion considering previous encounters too.

I am not saying people are wrong, but I am surprised nobody has voted for Nick Tsaroulla until I have. I thought he was by far the best attacking player, and defensively strong. It was apprant just how much we missed him after making him off; I felt even Lewis Macari had one of his better games. It's a shame that I feel the narrow defeat seems to overlook matters, as it was one of those games that seemed a single goal would decide it. Unfortunately, the only player higher up the pitch other than Tsaroulla I can praise is Scott Robertson. I think he was very much stuck in and worked hard, but I praise the team for collectively winning the ball back, especially in the first half.

No one was perfect yesterday, but still some good performances. Defence was good, we are defending set pieces so much better this season. I wish we could find a way to get Rod McDonald into the team without dropping Matty Platt. My vote goes to Tom Iorpenda, he was playing a deeper role and yet managed to nearly get on the end of a Jodi cross. I feel he typified the desire even with 10 men to get something from the game.

Happy Birthday @super_ram have yourself a fantastic day. May your wishes come true, with wins for two. COYP COYR 🥳⚽

Happy 30th Birthday Super Ram!! Hoping for two County wins today, and I don't mean Newport.

If the boys have fun and enjoy the task in front of them as they did against Tranmere we will win, if they get nervous and tight things could turn into a nightmare. My feelings are we have set several precedences over the previous few weeks which to me give us the advantage for a comfortable win, not without hard work though. COYP.

Listened to Martin Paterson's pre Grimsby presser. Regarding injuries, Ollie Norburn's is not as serious as first thought, & he'll be back earlier than expected. Matt Palmer is training so Martin & his staff will be getting involved with him. Alassana Jatta is getting close, very close, but Martin reiterated that the players currently in the side are holding the batton & it appears that Martin doesn't want to have to rush those injured players back too quickly. I got that Martin didn't want to give too much away to the opposition, so whether we will see any of those three players back on Saturday, is open to conjecture. I would bet against it.