Chris

So here comes the big one... Notts County travel to Luton Town on Saturday as first takes on second in League Two. How should the Magpies approach this game? What are their opponents' strengths and weaknesses? PON's Chris has a look in this weekend's Scouting Report. Head to head Notts County and Luton Town have faced off 70 times in their history. The first meeting came in January 1912 when the Magpies secured a 4-2 away win in the FA Cup. Luton dominate the head-to-head with 35 wins over Notts, 20 draws and 15 defeats. Out of the 11 matches between the two that have taken place since the turn of the century, Notts have won four, drawn four and lost four. Run-down of their last six features Saturday 21st October – Crawley Town 0 Luton Town 0 Saturday 28th October – Luton Town 0 Coventry City 3 Saturday 11th November – Cheltenham Town 2 Luton Town 2 Saturday 18th November – Luton Town 7 Cambridge United 0 Tuesday 21st November – Luton Town 3 Carlisle United 0 Saturday 25th November – Crewe Alexandra 1 Luton Town 2 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers: Danny Hylton 13, James Collins 9, Dan Potts 6 and Elliot Lee 6. Persistent Foulers: Dan Potts 7 yellow cards, Alan Sheehan 6 yellow cards, Danny Hylton 4 yellow cards and Scott Cuthbert 2 yellow cards and a single red card. The Key Players At the back Dan Potts leads with example, he’s a very capable defender and likes to get forward as much as possible. His ability to strike the ball and contribute to attacking play is equally as effect as his leadership at the back. Meanwhile, in midfield, duo Olly Lee and Jack Stacey are the creative outlets for Luton Town. They enjoy breaking down teams with clever passing, whilst showcasing an array of different types of passing in order to maximise their attacks. Upfront they are blessed with several options on goal, however the prolific Danny Hylton suits their style of play well and likes to cause as much problems for the oppositions defence. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Luton Town as can be expected are a well organised team, both at the back and going forward. They like to use the flanks as their main outlet for breaking down teams, using a mix of low and high pass in order to get into key areas. In the air they’re naturally very impressive and deliver inch perfect crosses from a wide range of areas that results in chances being created. They commit players going forward, however the shape they often play means they have cover throughout the field of play. Despite being a very attacking minded team, they don’t pressure sides by maintaining the ball and do like to invite play onto themselves – however this is something that they tend to use to counter. When they’re playing well, Luton are a very difficult team to break down and they are comfortable playing the ball on the ground and defending it within the air. Position-wise they don’t tend to leave much space, and cover areas which other teams often tend to forget about when being so heavily focused on attacking play – however, Luton do tend to allow teams to shoot from distance. When they feel comfortable they do allow teams to pass, and their focus can temporarily be lacking but usually only for brief breaks. When they don’t have a grip of the game, play is more open and teams with pace often find this to be the best method of attacking. Likewise, being patient in possession and moving the ball around nicely is something which they tend to worry less about – which can be a mistake on their part. Notts will have to be fully alert to the dangerous capabilities that Luton Town presents. In the air they’ll have to show no fear, whilst on the ground we really do need to be quick at covering the ball and attempting to win it back. Going forward, Notts will naturally need to make use of set pieces – whilst switching the areas in which they attack would be something that might catch their defence napping. We really will be required to be strong on the ball, whilst creative and smart within our play going forward. There will be little chance for mistakes, so we need to focus on playing them at their own game and forcing them to repeatedly attempt to figure out how best to break us down. I think both teams will cancel each other out, for us it’s just a case of being alert at the back and taking whatever chances we may get on goal. Share your thoughts about this Scouting Report piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

For all the excitement of reaching the third round of the FA Cup (and the ensuing anti-climax at drawing Brentford away), all that must now be stashed away until next month because now it's time to refocus on the league. And as fixtures go, this weekend's encounter is probably the most taxing we are bound to have all season (except for an away derby) - Luton Town away. The Hatters are top of League Two and their goal difference is frightening - they've been smashing goals in all season (48 scored in 20 games) and have a mean defence (18 conceded). Ahead of Saturday's crunch clash at Kenilworth Road, Pride of Nottingham spoke to Luton fan James Hall (@LTFCJames98) to get an insight on the opposition. About James: I'm 19 years old been a fan from as young as I can remember, and my favourite player is Marek Stech. Q1: What led to Luton's slide down the Football League and into the Conference, including that infamous 30-point deduction in 2008-09? The sale of key players for club record fees in our last Championship season and Mike Newell's demand for replacements capable of keeping us up failed as there were many sales and replacements were very few and far between. From then we struggled and just slid down the leagues until we eventually got our -30 in the 08/09 season. Possibly the worst season for us Luton fans. Q2: It took four years for Luton to go back up into League Two - how did you navigate the non-league period and what finally led to the club going back up? Every season we played in the non-league we found ourselves high up in the tables, often missing out on automatic promotion due to lack of consistency unfortunately. After several heartbreaks in the playoffs, some fans were starting to think it wasn’t ever going to happen. However, after employing an experienced non-league manager in John Still in 2013 things seemed to take a turn for the best, in his first full season as Luton manager we ended the season as champions, no doubt because of the goals of one man, Andre Gray! What an enjoyable season that was. Q3: Do you think the club would be in a different position had they stayed in the top flight when it was rebranded as the Premier League instead of going down the season before, like Notts did? Yes, without a doubt because the influence of the Premier League money would have enabled us to make positive changes, since then money has become a massive factor! I won’t complain too much though, much more competition and passion down here! Q4: The club has two main colour schemes, white and black, and orange, navy and white. Why is this the case, and which is your favourite? I’m not too sure why the colour scheme changed, however I do know that the black and white was used first back in 1920, then it was modified to the orange which has been used mostly since. My favourite has to be the famous orange of Luton Town, puts a bright noticeable colour into the stands of Kenilworth Road! Q5: Luton are right up there at the top of League Two and boast an impressive goal difference - do you think you'll win the title and what other three teams do you think will go up into League One? With the squad we have to hand this season it’s difficult to see us not getting promoted, our goal difference at this stage is phenomenal, scoring 7 three times this season! Of course we are flying but there are also a few other teams that have the squad capable of such things. Notts are having a strong season as well, sitting on the same amount of points means they are right on our backs. For me, I think we will win the league, however it will get close! Notts, Exeter and Wycombe are my other promotion candidates. Q6: Who are your danger men, and can we get your score and scorer prediction? Danny Hylton is definitely one to watch with 13 this season but also more recently and surprisingly Dan Potts, our left-back, scoring 6 this season. My prediction For Saturday is Luton 3-1 Notts. I think we will step up now against second place and produce probably our best result of the season, Hylton scoring two and Luke Berry getting one with your star player Jorge Grant getting your goal! Share your thoughts about this Opposition View article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

So, Notts County have been drawn away to Brentford in the third round of the FA Cup. Whilst the draw might not be all that glamourous for either side, both teams must surely be fancying their chances in progressing to the fourth round. Personally I think the tie is quite ideal for that reason, and I would hope that we can forge some sort of run that might perhaps see us replicate what Jon Stead did at Bradford City and of course Terry Hawkridge at Lincoln City. It perhaps would have been nice to have drawn Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur or perhaps our neighbours Nottingham Forest. However, a tie against the Bees isn’t the worst thing for me, as I said it’s a good chance to progress and Kevin Nolan will have the bulk of the squad at his call – fingers crossed we’ll have the full squad for selection. Yet wouldn’t it be nice for us to continue doing well in the league, along with a respectable cup run? I actually see the competition as a way to further move the club forward, as it’s easy to dismiss the money which it can attract but it’s only ever really useful when you progress further. And I would like to see Notts put a convincing performance, perhaps similar to that of what we did against Aston Villa in the League Cup in 2015. Just with a more uplifting ending that perhaps might see us continue to dream and realise just how far we have come as a club. So that said, I think I can dismiss the fact that I had hoped we might be fortunate enough to be drawn again at Meadow Lane – I do feel we may have dodged a bullet. Would you rather see us have a decent a chance of progressing or one fairy-tale game? At least we haven’t been drawn to Mansfield. Plus, we can go into the game hopefully being able to place egg on the faces of some Brentford fans who are already appearing to be counting their chickens! The better team on the day will progress, and I hope it will be Notts but despite the fact we weren’t playing them fairly regularly a short time ago – it will allow us to see how we compare now. Fingers crossed we’ll show the Bees just how high the Magpies are flying at the minute. Yet provided the performance is good, all our players give a good account of themselves and we respect the importance of progressing further – it’s fine by me. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County's League Two campaign gets put on hold for a week as they host National League South side Oxford City in the second round of the FA Cup. With the game on BT Sport, the stage is set for the Magpies to try and reach the hallowed third round of the competition, but City have made it through four stages to get here, including a win over Colchester United. How should Notts play? What can they expect from their non-league opponents? Pride of Nottingham finds out with Chris's Scouting Report. Run-down of their last six features Saturday 7th October – Oxford City 2 Poole Town 3 Saturday 21st October – Hemel Hempstead 2 Oxford City 0 Saturday 28th October – Oxford City 1 Concord Rangers 1 Saturday 11th November – Chelmsford City 1 Oxford City 2 Saturday 18th November – Oxford City 3 Wealdstone 2 Tuesday 21st November – Bognor Regis Town 0 Oxford City 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers: Matthew Paterson 9, Reece Fleet 4, Zac McEachran 4 and David Pearce 3. Persistent Foulers: N/A no stats available. The Key Players Looking at Oxford City’s squad, it’s clear that their main threat is that of Matthew Paterson, he likes to get into the opposition's penalty area and generally causes trouble within the lower levels but tends to miss more chances than he takes. Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, the brother of Liverpool and England midfielder Alex, is a pacey winger who can score from the flank when presented a chance. He likes to run directly down the wing, whilst on occasions he does attack more towards goal itself. Reece Fleet is their creative player, often carving out chances with his passing ability but he is also comfortable in front of goal and has a decent strike on him. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Form in previous games, especially games within the league, really does go out of the window here but the style in which they play does take some bearing on the tactics in FA Cup games. In the first round cup, City set themselves up defensively but with the mind set to counter when the chance presented itself – they attacked well at times and deserved their victory, because as a unit they put in a solid performance. Whilst in the league it’s the typical any team can win, when sides work harder or appear more confident on the ball, City really do struggle. Several players tend to go missing and their play takes a major hit due to this. On the ball they can build nicely, either by running directly into space (commonly the flanks) or by playing simple neat one-twos as a way to gain ground. If allowed to play this way, they do it well, and this is where Colchester United failed by never attacking wisely. In games where sides do allow them to play, City tend to assert control from midfield and work the ball around the oppositions penalty box showing no fear of shooting early. If Notts mark tightly, draw them further up the field, this should make it fairly difficult for City. Defensively they don’t like being hit with pace or when multiple players make good movement, this tends to cause confusion and their inability to pick up dangerous runs can be highly effective for opposition teams. From distance set pieces will be a natural way to get around any issue caused by Oxford playing a deep defensive line. Whilst the use of our quicker players who can draw players onto them, will release our strikers. Notts must match their work-rate and work as a team during this clash, as any individual errors are likely to lead only to problems. Share your thoughts about this scouting report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Ryan Yates scored a dramatic last-gasp winner as Notts County kept pace with League Two leaders Luton Town with a 2-1 win over Colchester United. Shola Ameobi's penalty had put Kevin Nolan's charges in front in the second half after Michael Mandron was adjudged to have held back Yates in the U's box. Colchester wasted an opportunity to draw level with a spot kick of their own when Ryan Jackson was fouled by Jorge Grant but Mandron’s shot was saved by Magpies goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons. Substitute Sanmi Odelusi then scored with his first touch in the 89th minute to seemingly give the U’s a share of the spoils. However, the 94th minute saw Yates head home Grant's corner to ensure that Notts remain level on points with the Hatters and preserved their unbeaten home record in the league. Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for the exhilarating victory and interviewed several Magpies fans ahead of kickoff. Questions asked include whether Jonathan Forte is surplus to requirements, whether Richard Duffy is a liability at the back, and what Notts should do in case Grant and Yates return to their parent club in January. Share your thoughts about this week's Meet the Fans on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County claimed three points the hard way on Saturday after requiring a 94th-minute winner to see off Colchester United at Meadow Lane. Shola Ameobi's second-half penalty had given the Magpies the lead and Ross Fitzsimons kept out a spot kick at the other end from Mikael Mandron. Aubstitute Sanmi Odelusi looked to have salvaged a point for the U's with his 89th-minute strike following an effort from Terry Hawkridge. However, there was time for more drama as Ryan Yates glanced home a header to seal victory for Notts in a last-ditch 2-1 win which sent Meadow Lane barmy. The result keeps Kevin Nolan's level on points with League Two leaders Luton Town and five points above the playoff places. Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane to watch Notts County's superb late win over Colchester United and took photos of fans before, during and after the game. Are you in our gallery? Find out by checking out this weekend's Faces of PON! Share your thoughts about this week's Faces of PON on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

A dramatic late winner from Ryan Yates kept Notts County level on points with Luton Town at the top of League Two thanks to a 2-1 win over Colchester United at Meadow Lane. The hosts had gone in front in the 68th minute when Shola Ameobi converted from the spot after Mikael Mandron was adjudged to have held Yates inside the area. Mandron had the chance to make amends for his earlier mistake when Ryan Jackson was fouled by Jorge Grant, but saw his penalty superbly saved by Ross Fitzsimons. However, the U's did manage to draw level in the 89th minute when Mandron picked out the run of Sanmi Odelusi who kept his composure to slot into the bottom corner of the net. Notts did not let their heads drop and were rewarded in added time when Yates headed in at the back post from Grant's corner to send Meadow Lane barmy. Here is Chris's detailed tactical analysis of the Meadow Lane encounter. Was the result fair? I think the first half would have made me sway more towards a draw if Notts hadn’t been so impressive in the second half. Despite the iffy calls from the match officials, I would say the win was deserved. How did Notts play? Awful within the first half, it was stagnant and very depressing to watch. The defence just didn’t pressure or deal with anything and up top we weren’t effective at all. This was all put right within the second with a spectacular performance which honestly I felt warranted more goals for the Magpies – however it was entertaining on both parts and Colchester gave as good as they got. How did Colchester United play? No end product, they tended to overwork the ball which was fortunate enough for us. Don’t get me wrong, they played well and attacked with flair befitting of a Championship team – yet they never actually had much edge when it really mattered. They was organised very well and as a unit they did fine. Did our tactics work out? Reasonably, yet things did change within the second half. We really do need to learn how to break sides down in a more effective manner without waiting for the second half in order to do it – if you remove the penalty, the play was very dangerous at times and Notts played with a sense of confidence which we are becoming accustomed too. I would just like to see it a little more during both halves. How did the referee perform? It’s lucky I’m not an expert otherwise I would get fined for my opinion of the referee and match officials. I think they turned up with Richard Duffy, as they all seemed to be sleeping. The referee sided with Colchester, he issued a very soft card to Notts (Matt Tootle) – yet somehow managed to avoid booking several bad challenges, including assault to Jorge Grant. Then we have the incorrect decisions, and favourable free-kicks. They were dire! Enough said… Who do we play next in the league? Luton Town – it’s going to be one of those games, I can tell now. We’ll either do an Exeter City and come out of it looking very strong or they’ll do a Coventry City and turn us over. How should we play them? The key thing will be all about how we defend, if we sit back – put our feet up and invite pressure, well I don’t think we will have any nails left. It’s important that we press, cover and ultimately defend in a manner which makes it hard for Luton Town. If we allow Luton to play as we did Colchester or a number of other teams, well it’s not going to be enjoyable. There’s a very good chance that both teams effectively cancel each other out, it’s one of them that it’s just so hard to call right now. If we play to our strengths and allow the midfield to do their job, and press in a manner which highlights our conviction and belief that we are capable of winning any team within League Two. It will naturally see chances created, it will just be a case of who’s playing up top? If we have a little bit of pace this will most likely aid us, if Jon Stead is still injured and Jonatyhan Forte too. Well, I don’t know – I can’t see us holding the ball up much, so in most likely event we will need to move and use the ball well. Colchester fan views (from The U'Sual) durham_exile: Absolutely gutted and having just seen the highlights we definitely lost 3 points when we deserved a point at the very least. Still years ago we played Buryat Layer Road we were outplayed by the Shakers but managed to win with a Lindsay Smith goal, Bury were hard done by just as we were today but both teams were promoted at the end of the season. Up the U's. gerry_us: I hate to say "told you so" but U's didn't turn up for the second half until too late. I can't believe that half time talk would have been of a credible draw but County's team talk would have had to be astounding to warrant what happened second half. We did not mount one attack for the first twenty minutes of the second half and just invited County to attack us with renewed enthusiasm especially as they were very second best first half. Pressure mounted on us until the inevitable. Mandron apparently gave up the penalty but not clear enough to comment more. Only being 1-0 down did we return to the earlier endeavours with the resultant penalty award for us. All around were shouting "not Mandron" and how right we were...awful penalty. However continued in attacking ways and finally scored the goal of the game on 88 minutes. Still we failed to protect what would have been a well deserved point when we poorly defended a late corner in 93 minute. You just couldn't make it up. When will we play for 90 minutes? If? we play as we did for first half for the remainder of the season anything is possible. If we play as we did in second half goodness knows what could happen. Just an aside, excellent support from 350 travelling supporters and all were still in the ground at the final whistle. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

We're 19 games into the season and top spot in League Two keeps changing hands more often than a game of "pass the parcel". Notts County were top of the table until Tuesday night, when a 1-1 draw at Yeovil Town saw Luton Town return to the top on goal difference. But this weekend we go again and the team standing between the Magpies and three points is Colchester United, who currently sit in a very healthy ninth place in the standings. How should Notts line up against the U's? What's their style of play and how can we counter it in order to be most effective and clinch victory? PON's Chris aims to answer these questions in this Scouting Report. History Notts County have met Colchester United 43 times over the years, all league encounters except for one Sherpa Vans Trophy tie in 1988. The Magpies are in front when it comes to head-to-head, having won 21 games to Colchester's 15, with seven draws. The first fixture between Notts and Colchester took place on 23 February 1959 at Layer Road, a Division Three clash which finished 4-1 to the U's. The last fixture was last season on 1 April, the Magpies winning 3-1 at Meadow Lane. All league encounters between the two have never taken place higher than the third tier. Run-down of their last six features Tuesday 17th October – Newport County 1 Colchester United 2 Saturday 21st October – Coventry City 0 Colchester United 0 Saturday 28th October – Colchester United 3 Crewe Alexandra 1 Saturday 11th November – Barnet 0 Colchester United 1 Saturday 18th November – Colchester United 0 Morecombe 0 Tuesday 21st November – Colchester United 1 Lincoln City 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers: Sammie Szmodics 7, Mikael Mandron 6, Kyel Reid 3 and Ryan Jackson 2. Persistent Foulers: Tom Lapslie 6 yellow cards and 1 red card, Mikael Mandron 4 yellow cards and 1 red card, Lewis Kinsella 4 yellow cards and Doug Loft 4 yellow cards. The Key Players Mikael Mandron is a versatile player, who can play out wide or up front. He’s a player that Notts will have to mark wisely, as he will cause some trouble if allowed to find space. In an attacking midfield position Sammie Szmodics is capable of lashing a shot towards goal from distance; he’s also a threat during set pieces and from corner kicks. Lastly at the back Tom Eastman tends to lead the line and offers something to both Colchester United going forward and protecting the back. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Colchester United like to get the ball out wide where they have pace, whilst showing determination to take on the opposition with direct runs. They also tend to knock it back into the centre of the park where again they like to run in order to create chances and find space. They can carefully craft chances whilst not being afraid to be patient within their build up play. The majority of chances fall just outside the opposition area where they aren’t afraid to have a pop at goal – which will be a test for Notts to ensure they close them down early as possible. Tactically they build in the right way, showing a nice mixture of styles and methods in order to create organic chances. However, they’re prone to wasting chances but nonetheless they’re a team to be wary of. At the back they are quite solid and well organised, teams find it hard to gain space – whilst breaking them down isn’t easy at all. They hide their weaknesses well, which teams often explore during the half way period on how to exactly attack them – this will be a good test for the creative players within the Magpies’ ranks and the centre pairing within midfield will need to be knocking on Colchester’s door in terms of causing them problems. I can’t see many one-on-ones being created, so Notts may be force into drawing fouls for free kicks or taking shots themselves from distance. Share your thoughts about this Scouting Report article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.