Chris

Notts County visit Boundary Park on Saturday as the magpies prepare to take on Oldham Athletic. The Latics have only won one of their last six games, which was against Fleetwood Town. They have lost four and only drawn one. So, Notts find themselves against another team in similar form to themselves, another chance for points to be added to the scoreboard. Oldham Athletic will be seeing this as a game whereby their home advantage might sway things in their favour, however Notts must put out all the stops. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 13th December – Oldham Athletic 0 Yeovil Town 4 Saturday 20th December – MK Dons 7 Oldham Athletic 0 Friday 26th December – Oldham Athletic 1 Crewe Alexandra 2 Saturday 10th January – Oldham Athletic 2 Doncaster Rovers 2 Saturday 17th January – Fleetwood Town 0 Oldham Athletic 2 Saturday 24th January – Gillingham 3 Oldham Athletic 2 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Jonathan Forte 13, Danny Philliskirk 5, Mike Jones 4 and Dominic Poleon 3. Persistent Foulers; Joseph Mills 1 Red Card and 1 Yellow Cards, Jabo Ibehre 1 Red Card 1 Yellow Cards, James Wilson 7 Yellow Cards and Liam Kelly 3 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. Jonathan Forte, Danny Philliskirk, Jacob Mellis, Mike Jones and Carl Winchester. The former magpie forward Jonathan Forte is likely to be a doubt, however he's found form during his time at Oldham and they play to his strengths which has seen him notch up quite a few goals. The lively player may see a return and if so, he will be one of their key players. Danny Philliskirk is a player who is hard working, this allows him to find time on the ball and he has the ability to finish half chances when presented with a chance. The on loan Jacob Mellis is a box to box midfielder who brings creativity, strength and versatile defending to the ranks of The Latics. Mike Jones and Carl Winchester are the heartbeat within the Oldham play, if these two gain a stride opposition teams can have quite the headache on their hands. However, Mike Jones is also a player which Oldham rely upon to pull play together which either sees him play well or disappear within important games. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Oldham Athletic look to mix dropping high balls with forward runs down the side of the flanks, often rushing into space created within the centre of the park. They place close passes, usually into areas whereby their players can gain ground over their opposition effectively allowing them to advance forward. They set-up themselves up to be offensive, however against good teams they drop their defensive line back to counter any fallout from their attacking game. Their main strengths come from the type of balls they choose to play, which allows them to get behind the defenders they face and into key areas. The Latics invite chances for themselves by delivery high balls to their strikers who are quite tall. The link-up play which Oldham can put together can be difficult for teams to defend against, they have won quite a few free kicks in positions as a direct result to this which is another area they like to have a try from. Weaknesses are mainly found from stray passes and a lack of awareness within their defence. If sides seize onto their mistakes, Oldham tend to be drawn into areas whereby they fail to mark or restrict chances. Although they have quite an experienced keeper in Paul Rachubka, he tends to struggle with far placed shots aimed high into the top of his netting. Their midfield often fails to pick up lose play, which invites pressure back onto their defence and if teams can quickly burst towards their penalty box – Oldham Athletic tend to allow players to run on passes or are drawn into making fundamental challenges. Match Thread - League One Preview - Magpies in the Market

Towards the end of December, I didn't really expect Notts to make many signings, if any, during the January transfer window. Some sources claimed that no signings would be made at all. I stuck to hopes that we would see some sort of inbound movement within the transfer period at Meadow Lane. I think more than anything I was hoping we would sign players on a permanent basis. Yet I did think if any movement was made, it would mostly be in the form of loans, and I'm not against that at all – a club like Notts needs to make the most of the loan market. During the same period, the Nottingham Post had claimed that the return of Liam Noble would be like a new signing and most likely all us Notts fans should expect. I felt this was patronising more than anything, as I didn't think Derry would sit out the window completely. Then came the arrival of two untested and untried loanees from Derby County, my father’s team. Kwame Thomas: Looked to be the one with the most promise, in his début he looked to get involved and offered us something completely different up front. It was nice to see a striker looking to bring in the physical side of play, at least to the point he didn't shy a way from getting involved. Good move? Hard to say but I'd gamble on extending his deal. Does he offer us anything different? I would say he does. His attitude and ambition, combined with his raw potential, makes him appear useful to have around. We don't have a striker who isn't afraid of getting involved in the way young Thomas does. Alefe Santos: He arrived with more expectations I would say, instantly I noticed comments about him being Brazilian, but playing football like an English player. This isn't hard to explain, since he's been living in the UK since his early childhood, but he does show some touches of flare and unlike some Brazilians he looks to pass more than he does run – bar the effort he wasted against Peterborough. Good move? So far, no. He simply hasn't done enough. Does he offer us anything different? I don't think he's settled in as he could have done, considering his wages I wouldn't expect them to be a lot and he could be worthwhile hanging onto. William Hayhurst: Put in a very effective and exciting début, even within the last few games he has looked to get involved but has been considerably marked out of games. However, the youngster still continues to impress and if Notts could work more on their dynamics, I can see him being a big signing for the magpies. Good move? Yes, his ability to cross is something we desperately lacked. Does he offer us anything different? To say we have been crying out for a winger who can cross would be a massive understatement but he offers much more than that. He offers energy, someone who can assist with defending and link up with the central midfielders. Billy Daniels: After his speculator début goal, he hasn't quite offered us much else. However, it's very early days and he does seem to have something about him that suggests he could link up well with a striker or an attacking midfielder who can play into him. Good move? Yes, his ability to be a rotational player will be of importance when we require a little more depth in midfield. Does he offer us anything different? I echo my earlier comments, but his height and skill does seem to intrigue me. Hayden White: Coming into the Doncaster Rovers there was a lot said about him, at the time I saw him more as a backup and something we could have needed. Dean Yates said on the radio that he's probably a failed winger, yet having seen highlights of him on YouTube he appeared to be a rugby player and not a footballer – these comments concerned me. And seeing him start at Peterborough United, he offered us nothing and he looked to really struggle in the game. His defending was non-existent and his attacking play was limited at best. Good move? No, not at all. Does he offer us anything different? I wouldn't say so, not even as a backup player. I mean he could prove us all wrong but he doesn't seem to have a future in football, let alone the non-league. Balint Bajner: #NoBajnerNoParty – Now we've got that out the way, I tracked this rumour from the early days where by the Oldham manager said we 'blew them out of the water'. He looked useful from the highlights; his career suggests he has something. His début at Doncaster Rovers received some interesting comments and I was eager to see him start against Peterborough United. His height, ball control and confidence suggest he could be a very good player in League One. I think he did okay in the game against the Posh, I liked his energy, movement and the way he held his own against their defenders. He also didn't go down for a penalty within the first half, many European strikers let a lone at this level would have done. Good move? Yes, this signing could actually pay off. Does he offer us anything different? Aside from his cult following? Yes, definitely. He offers us movement, a bit flare and skill. He's the type of signing with little expectation but a considerable amount of promise. I also don't want to forget about his height! To say he's tall, he offers close control and turns rather nicely. If we can bring that into our play and help him more, I would say he offers a lot of hope. Summary All in all much better than I had expected, the young players from Derby sort of sent Twitter into meltdown and I understand that. Yet bar White, I am not disappointed. Santos could actually improve, whereas Hayhurst, Daniels and Bajner offer a lot of promise and at least they're ours! The kid Thomas is also useful. Am I expecting any more? Notts are being heavily linked with Nicky Clark, whilst Louis Laing seems quite viable. If I am honest, I don't think we will see any more. I do hold hopes we can, quite possibly we will but I do expect any more personally. Tell Us Your Thoughts - League One Preview - Meet the Fans

Join Pride of Nottingham and share the "Notts Community" experience by interacting with us. On match days we take to surveying and asking fans their opinions, if time permits we speak to an opposition fan and we then meet our own. If you would like to feature in our videos please do get in touch, the simplest way in getting involved is by joining our community forums. Alternatively you can e-mail us by using the contact form found in the main navigation. We take great pride in offering our content to the fans, so we do hope you enjoy them! For each home game we hope to bring you our "Meet the Fans" range of content. Find out what away fans think in the "Opposition View", then it's straight onto our own with "Meet the Fans" and afterwards we find out what the "Aftermath" is and how our fans feel the game went. Match Day Interactions Meet the Fans />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyVrew0gPEs Opposition View />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNe77xagdbU Aftermath />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZfi1tbTeMY Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel - PrideofNottinghamTV For more free video content please visit our video system - Here. Feel free to subscribe to our Newsletters, these are sent out regularly, we hope to keep our community updated with what is happening and Pride of Nottingham hopes you join in with us. To Join PoN - Link (Including Facebook & Twitter connect!!) Interested in Other Content? - Live Centre and View New Content Many thanks to all the fans who featured in videos, we greatly appreciate the time taken by the fans to speak with us.

The relegation-zone will see the most action in this weekends fixtures, all four teams have the chance to dig themselves out, provided the scores work in their favour. It will most likely boil down to only two making a successful fight, although it is interesting to see none of the bottom four teams laying down and allowing themselves to be pushovers. Notts could find themselves back within the play-offs or at least just narrowly outside with a win today, it's important that county work hard to create chances today in order to progress. Key Fixtures Fleetwood v Crawley Gillingham v Oldham Port Vale v Crewe Prediction Peterborough United find themselves in poor form, however I cannot write them off for that and I fully expect them to attempt to stay on top of today's game. A lot will depend on Notts and how they set up but I am going to predict a 1-0 win to the magpies. Match Odds Notts County to win 5/2 – Draw 12/5 – Peterborough United to win 21/20 Head to Head Notts County – A win for the magpies could see them return to the play-offs as high as 5th depending on other results today. Realistically I see a win moving Notts to 6th or 7th. A draw could see them move to 8th or move down by a couple of spaces. A loss could see Notts move to 10th to 14th. Peterborough United – If the Posh win the maximum amount of places gained would only be 3, they currently sit 15th with 31 points. A draw would see them remain 15th or if the results work against them they could drop realistically down to 17th. Similar if they lose, they could end up between 15th to 19th. Key Man Notts County; Roy Carroll – Although hopefully Roy will not be forced into action or held under siege for any long periods but he will be the difference between a win, draw or loss. Big Roy will have to make sure the defence are aware to threats from The Posh offense. Peterborough United; Conor Washington – He will be most likely very lively for them today, if he gains his stride the 22-year-old will pose a real threat to the Notts County no1. League Table The top two positions will remain unchanged since the Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City game has been postponed but also Swindon Town do not play until the 31st of January. If MK Dons beat Barnsley at home, they will move closer to the automatic promotion fold. A win would see the Dons move to 51 points, merely 3 points behind Swindon Town and Bristol City, so the game for them is of vast importance. Port Vale and Notts County both find themselves in a position whereby they could re-enter the play-off spaces, with Rochdale not playing in League One until the 31st and the same for Bradford City. In other news, Bradford have a trip to London today as they take on Chelsea in the F.A Cup. Several teams could swop places from the upper to lower position of the League One table, Peterborough will be hoping to make ground away from the relegation zone. A lose for The Posh could seem them slip into the lower half of the table. Coventry City will be hoping to beat Yeovil so that they can move as high as 15th. If Crewe win away to Port Vale this would see them move out of the relegation zone, where The Railwaymen have found themselves inside for the majority of the 2014/2015 season campaign. Crawley will be hoping to step out of the relegation zone themselves, as will Colchester United and Yeovil Town. Match Thread - League One Preview - Scouting Report - Stat Attack

Saturday 24th of January, Peterborough United travel to Meadow Lane with hope of improving their own recent form. Notts will be hoping to make 2 from 2 home wins, however a draw here would also be a good outcome for both teams. Notts will have the returning Liam Noble among their ranks after his sending off against Crewe Alexandra in the last home game. The Posh have won only one of their last six games, with one drawn and four defeats coming by the hands of Port Vale, Colchester United, Chesterfield and Preston North End. The Match Officials for the game against Peterborough United will be Graham Scott, with his two assistants Paul Graham and Mark Howes. The fourth official will be Jason Whiteley. Match Officials Referee; Graham Scott From – Oxfordshire His matches involving Notts County and Peterborough in the last four seasons; Championship – Saturday 20th August 2011 – Peterborough United 7 Ipswich Town 1 – 2 Red Cards and 4 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 29th October 2011 – Colchester United 4 Notts County 2 – 4 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 28th April 2012 – Wycombe Wanderers 3 Notts County 4 – 3 Yellow Cards Championship – Saturday 9th February 2013 – Peterborough United 2 Leicester City 1 – 1 Yellow Card League One – Saturday 22nd March 2014 – Notts County 4 Carlisle United 1 – 3 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 4th October 2014 – Notts County 1 Gillingham 0 – 4 Yellow Cards Run down of his last four games this season; Championship – Monday 29th December 2014 – Fulham 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 – 2 Yellow Cards F.A Cup – Saturday 3rd January 2015 – Derby County 1 Southport 0 – No Cards F.A Cup – Wednesday 14th January 2015 – Ipswich Town 0 Southampton 1 – No Cards Championship – Saturday 27th January 2015 – Sheffield Wednesday 1 Bolton Wanderers 2 – 1 Red Card and 6 Yellow Cards In his last four games 8 yellow cards have been shown and only 1 red card. So far this season in a total of 27 games he has shown 85 yellow cards and 2 red cards. That's roughly 3.1 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Paul Graham From – Manchester Last 3 officiated games; Friday 3rd October 2014 – Burton Albion 1 Cambridge United 3 Tuesday 28th October 2014 – Chesterfield 0 Swindon Town 3 Saturday 20th December 2014 – Carlisle United 2 Northampton Town 1 Assistant Referee; Mark Howes From – Birmingham Last 3 officiated games; Saturday 13th December 2014 – Rotherham United 0 Nottingham Forest 0 Saturday 20th December 2014 – Stevenage 1 Exeter City 0 Saturday 10th January 2014 – Chesterfield 3 Port Vale 0 Fourth Official; Jason Whiteley From – West Yorkshire Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time. Match Thread - League One Preview - Scouting Report - PoN's Live Centre

Peterborough United head to Meadow Lane having lost their last two games, they have only won once in their last six games and that was against Leyton Orient. So they find themselves in quite poor form, similar to ourselves prior to our recent two results. They will be wanting to put aside this disappointment by focusing on an away win. The Posh will be calling upon their more senior players to give guidance to their young talent, as they're desperate to pick up points. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 13th December – Leyton Orient 1 Peterborough United 2 Saturday 20th December – Peterborough United 0 Preston North End 1 Friday 26th December – Chesterfield 3 Peterborough United 2 Sunday 28th December – Peterborough United 0 Doncaster Rovers 0 Saturday 10th January – Peterborough United 0 Colchester United 2 Saturday 17th January – Port Vale 2 Peterborough United 1 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Conor Washington 6, Marcus Maddison 6, Kyle Vassell 5 and Christian Burgess 3. Persistent Foulers; Michael Bostwick 1 Red Card and 5 Yellow Cards, Joe Newell 1 Red Card 4 Yellow Cards, Jack Payne 7 Yellow Cards and Jermaine Anderson 4 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. Jack Payne, Michael Bostwick, Joe Newell, Kylee Vassell and Conor Washington. Joe Newell is a versatile player, the 21 year old can cover the wing or play in the centre of midfield. He offers the Posh side creativity, with the ability of getting forward at every opportunity. Whilst the experienced Michael Bostwick and Jack Payne retain control in midfield, adding the ability to bring in the Peterborough strikers. Kylee Vassell is a raw striker, with pace and an eye for goal. The 22 year old started as an academy player at Norwich before moving onto Brentford, he made his professional début for the Posh and enjoyed a successful start to the 2014/2015 season. Similar to Vassell, Conor Washington is also very raw but appears to have a bright future in football. He is a pacey, robust striker who can quickly become a danger to opposition sides. He has a natural ability to finish chances with power or by placing the ball carefully often chipping keepers in the process. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Peterborough United try to utilise the use of the flanks with direct passes into the opposition penalty box or to have strikers drop back to intercept carefully timed well positioned passes. They try to set the tempo, whilst retaining possession of the ball. They look to mix experience with raw talent, which often allows them to play pretty attractive football. Their strengths are how they direct play, using a mix of simple passes and long balls to gain ground over opposition players. They're a fairly tall, physical side, who offer plenty of energy and effort. The Posh look to introduce players quickly into passes phases, with the added strength of being dangerous with set pieces and from aerial threats. Weaknesses are mainly their inexperience, relying a little too much upon their experienced players. They're fairly scrappy in their approach, which leaves their defence open. Peterborough are fairly disorganized in their defending, which is the reason why they're not doing much better in this current season. They invite pressure onto themselves by not picking up passes or allowing teams to directly run at them. Inside their own penalty box they tend to panic, which sees them look to clear the ball when under heavy pressure often giving the ball straight back to their advancing counterparts. Also, unlike past season they don't often kill games when they should which creates further problems within itself, such as frustration and making rash challenges. Match Thread - League One Preview - League Link-Ups

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 3rd whilst Yeovil could move to 21st 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 11th, whereas a loss will see them remain 13th. Notts County – If the magpies win they will return back to the play-offs, a draw will see Notts move to 9th realistically but 8th is possible. If Notts lose they will remain 10th 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 5th 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 3rd 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. Match Thread - League One Preview - The Match Officials - Preview

Tuesday 20th of January, Notts County travel once again to the Keepmoat Stadium, where the magpies won last time around in the JPT. However, Notts will be without the suspended Liam Noble who scored the winning and only goal against Doncaster Rovers. Notts have lost four of their last six, whilst only drawing once and of course a win last Saturday. Donny have drawn two of their last six, whilst winning three times and losing once. The Vikings have scored a total of seven goals, conceding 4 from the last six fixtures. The Match Officials for tomorrows game against Doncaster Rovers will be Richard Clark, with his two assistants Simon Barrow and Alan Clayton. The fourth official will be David Benton. Match Officials Referee; Richard Clark From – Northumberland His matches involving Notts County and Doncaster Rovers in the last four seasons; League One – Saturday 6th October 2012 – Doncaster Rovers 1 Shrewsbury Town 0 – 1 Yellow Card League One – Saturday 5th January 2013 – Doncaster Rovers 1 – Colchester United 0 – 3 Yellow Cards Championship – Saturday 7th December 2013 – Bolton Wanderers 3 Doncaster Rovers 0 – 1 Yellow Card League One – Wednesday 1st January 2013 – Notts County 3 – Bradford City 0 – 5 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 29th April 2014 – Notts County 2 Swindon Town 0 – 8 Yellow Cards and 2 Red Cards. Run down of his last four games this season; League One – Saturday 29th November 2014 – Coventry City 0 Walsall 0 – 1 Yellow Card Championship – Saturday 13th December 2014 – Rotherham United 0 Nottingham Forest 0 – 3 Yellow Cards League Two – Friday 26th December 2014 – Morecambe 0 Carlisle United 1 – 3 Yellow Cards League Two – Saturday 10th January 2015 – Hartlepool United 2 – Cheltenham 0 – 4 Yellow Cards In his last four games 11 yellow cards have been shown and no red cards. So far this season in a total of 17 games he has shown 48 yellow cards and 3 red cards. That's roughly 2.8 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Simon Barrow From – Staffordshire Last 3 officiated games; Wednesday 10th December 2014 – Bristol City 2 Coventry City 0 Saturday 13th December 2014 – Boreham Wood 3 Staines 0 Saturday 3rd January 2015 – Brentford 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Assistant Referee; Alan Clayton From – Cheshire Last 3 officiated games; Friday 26th December 2014 – Rotherham United 2 Huddersfield Town 2 Tuesday 30th December 2014 – Derby County 2 Leeds United 0 Saturday 10th January 2015 – Morecambe 0 Tranmere Rovers 0 Fourth Official; David Benton From – South Yorkshire Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time. Match Thread - League One Preview - Meet the Fans - League Link-Ups

Join Pride of Nottingham and share the "Notts Community" experience by interacting with us. On match days we take to surveying and asking fans their opinions, if time permits we speak to an opposition fan and we then meet our own. If you would like to feature in our videos please do get in touch, the simplest way in getting involved is by joining our community forums. Alternatively you can e-mail us by using the contact form found in the main navigation. We take great pride in offering our content to the fans, so we do hope you enjoy them! For each home game we hope to bring you our "Meet the Fans" range of content. Find out what away fans think in the "Opposition View", then it's straight onto our own with "Meet the Fans" and afterwards we find out what the "Aftermath" is and how our fans feel the game went. Match Day Interactions Meet the Fans Aftermath Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel - PrideofNottinghamTV For more free video content please visit our video system - Here. Feel free to subscribe to our Newsletters, these are sent out regularly, we hope to keep our community updated with what is happening and Pride of Nottingham hopes you join in with us. To Join PoN - Link (Including Facebook & Twitter connect!!) Interested in Other Content? - Live Centre and View New Content Many thanks to all the fans who featured in videos, we greatly appreciate the time taken by the fans to speak with us.