Chris

Saturday 17th January 2015 Key Fixtures Colchester v Walsall Doncaster v Barnsley Fleetwood v Oldham Gillingham v Coventry Port Vale v Peterborough Rochdale v Crawley Scunthorpe v Bristol City Prediction Crewe Alexandra are currently within good form having beaten some very respectable teams within League One. They will be heading to Meadow Lane to prove a point and to continue their progression away from the relegation zone. I see this ending in a 1-1 draw. Match Odds Notts County to win 23/20 – Draw 12/5 – Crewe Alexandra to win 23/10 Head to Head Notts County – A win for Notts will most likely move them to 11th, only a single place gained. However if Port Vale and Peterborough United draw that would leave the Magpies available to make the most of their game in hand. If Notts were to draw 12th to 15th is likely, whilst the worst case scenario being a loss would drop Notts perhaps as low as 15th to 18th. Crewe Alexandra – If the Railwaymen win it could see them move to 19th, a draw could see them remain 20th or it could allow them to move to 19th, whilst a strong possibility of a return back into the relegation fold is also likely. If they were to lose, it could see them fall all the way to 23rd provided the other teams all win. Key Man Notts County; Garry Thompson – With added quantity to the Notts County ranks, it frees up Thompson to play upfront as a striker. This allows us to have a player who is always in the mix to score goals, which is exactly what the Magpies require against the Railwaymen. Crewe Alexandra; Nicky Ajose – The on loan Leeds striker has given the Alex hope of survival, his form and performance will be key. If he does well, likely the players around will become confident and hes always a concern on goal sight making him the key man. League Table Swindon Town and Bristol City will be hoping to both win, as Swindon could retain the top place or end up being replaced by the Robins. Preston North End don't feature within this weekends fixtures, so they could be replaced by MK Dons who could move to 3rd provided they beat Sheffield United. If MK Dons do win, this would open the 6th place position up to Chesterfield, Rochdale or Fleetwood Town. This provides Rochdale with the perfect opportunity as on paper they have the best chance of winning this weekend. From 18th to 11th could see large movements, as sides are quite closely grouped together on points. Notts will have to give 110% as they could be one of the sides who fall, even if they manage to pick up a draw. Doncaster v Barnsley sums up this fix of games as only two points separates the sides with only Walsall in-between. Leyton Orient and Crew Alexandra could both end up inside the relegation zone, however Gillingham, Colchester United and Crawley Town have all got difficult ties. Whatever the outcome for Yeovil, they will remain rooted to the bottom of League One. However, a win could leave them with a good chance of escaping the relegation zone, provided they beat Bradford City which will not be easy. Match Thread - League One Preview - Scouting Report - Stat Attack

Crewe Alexandra have found themselves in good form as of late and their manager Steve Davis will be hoping his team will continue on Saturday against Notts at Meadow Lane. He has issued a warning about a backlash with the Notts County form being on the decline after several extremely difficult games for the magpies. It's time for Notts to put in a convincing display on Saturday, as fans will be hoping to see that we can get back to winning ways against The Railwaymen. Firstly, could you please tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a railwaymen fan? My name is Nick, I have been supporting Crewe Alexandra for around 10 years now and I am 17 years old. How do you feel about the progress you've made within League One and do you think you can survive relegation? At the start of the season I was quietly confident about staying up this season, when it started it seemed that we were destined for a difficult season and although I am unsure about survival at this point, I know the Crewe squad shows a lot of spirit and the good run in form is important to see us continue. What is the Crewe Academy like, are you still bringing through young players and in recent years who would say is the best youngster produced by your club? The club are still producing youngsters, the squad is mainly consisting of youth graduates. The easy answer would be to name our club captain Matt Tootle, he has given a lot to remain at Crewe and continues to play with the type of passion required for gaining promotion from L2 and remaining in L1 but for me, I would have to say George Cooper. He is young, only 18 but already shows that he has a promising future at the club provided we can keep him. If you could sign anyone from League One who would it be and why? Anyone? Well there is a player available on a free transfer but I would hope Crewe wouldn't touch him with a barge pole. I quite like Eion Doyle who plays for Chesterfield, if he could produce his quantity of goals here and play well, I'd snap him now in an unrealistic world. Which Crewe players are currently in form and who would you label as your main threats? Nicky Ajose is currently on form, Jamie Ness has been playing very well recently and Alan Tate's been putting in steady performances at the back. We have scored 23 goals from 24 games, I would say our squad play as a team with regards to our main threats. Can you tell me which formation and team you see Crewe starting with on Saturday? The squad hasn't changed all that much recently, hopefully Anthony Grant will start. Formation wise I hope we play a steady 4-4-2 but we seem to favour packing the midfield with numbers, this is something which can work but is often the root of our problems because we play 3 at the back at times. Who are Notts County's main threats on Saturday, which players are currently in form? I have been keeping a look out on your forum, I know that Alan Smith is not favoured by the Notts County faithfuls. It seems the veteran Gary Jones is standing out, with Garry Thompson. I would be a little clueless without having had looked but last season I thought Ronan Murray looked to be in hot form for you. Lastly how do you see Crewe and Notts playing, including any possible score prediction? Considering the way we both are performing I see the game ending as a draw. I am not expecting a lot of goals, so I will say 1-1 but I would leave Meadow Lane happy avoiding defeat. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Railwaymen's fan Nick for taking the time to answer our questions, we wish Crewe Alexandra well with their bid for safety within League One and we hope he enjoys Saturday. Match Thread - League One Preview - Scouting Report - The Match Officials - League Link-Ups

Saturday 17th of January, Notts County will entertain visitors Crewe Alexandra at Meadow Lane. This is a good opportunity for Notts to grab themselves a much needed win, however the visitors form is very impressive as they have enjoyed winning 3 of their last 6 games (including Bristol City), drawing 2 and losing only one. A win for the Railwaymen could see them push away from the bottom pack within League One, whilst Notts could move up to 10th with a win. The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Crewe Alexandra will be Iain Williamson, with his two assistants Simon Mather and Wayne Porter. The fourth official will be Akil Howson. Match Officials Referee; Iain Williamson From – Berkshire His matches involving Notts County and Crewe Alexandra in the last four seasons; League Two – Saturday 31st December 2011 – Bristol Rovers 2 Crewe Alexandra 5 – 5 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 31st March 2012 – Notts County 1 Oldham Athletic 0 – 5 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 26th January 2013 – Bournemouth 3 Crewe Alexandra 1 – 3 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 17th August 2013 – Walsall 1 Notts County 1 – 2 Yellow Cards Run down of his last games this season; League Two – Sunday 28th December 2014 – Cheltenham 0 Newport 1 – 6 Yellow Cards League Two – Saturday 3rd January 2015 – Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Bury 0 – 4 Yellow Cards In his only two appearances of 2014/2015 10 yellow cards have been shown and currently no red cards. Assistant Referee; Simon Mather From – Manchester Last 3 officiated games; Saturday 15th November 2014 – Walsall 0 Peterborough United 0 Saturday 6th December 2014 – Derby County 3 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Friday 26th December 2014 – Preston North End 1 Barnsley 0 Assistant Referee; Wayne Porter From – Lincolnshire Last 3 officiated games; Saturday 12th April 2014 – MK Dons 0 Crawley Town 2 Saturday 22nd March 2014 – Brentford 3 Coventry City 2 Saturday 10th January 2015 – Peterborough United 0 Colchester United 2 Fourth Official; Akil Howson From – Leicestershire 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 - League Link-Ups

Crewe Alexandra currently find themselves in decent form having picked up 3 points at home against Gillingham. Whilst also successfully obtaining points against Doncaster Rovers, Bristol City and Preston North End. Their form prior to their recent spell wasn't as good, however they are a reasonably decent side. The Railwaymen are not to be under estimated and although in form it would suggest Notts would come out the likeliest of winners, they cannot be written off so easily. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 29th November – Crewe Alexandra 1 Doncaster Rovers 1 Saturday 13th December – Scunthorpe United 2 Crewe Alexandra 1 Saturday 20th December – Crewe Alexandra 1 Bristol City 0 Friday 26th December – Oldham Athletic 1 Crewe Alexandra 2 Sunday 28th December – Crewe Alexandra 1 Preston North End 1 Saturday 10th January – Crewe Alexandra 3 Gillingham 1 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Nicky Ajose 4, Marcus Haber 4, Billy Waters 3 and George Cooper 3. Persistent Foulers; George Ray 2 Red Cards and 4 Yellow Cards, Anthony Grant 7 Yellow Cards, Oliver Turton 4 Yellow Cards and Adam Dugdale 3 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. Nicky Ajose, Marcus Haber and Uche Ikpeazu would be considered Crewe Alexandra's key front men. The former Magpie Marcus Haber is well known for being a battler and the occasional goalscorer, whilst Nicky Ajose is the one to watch out for with Uche Ikpeazu being a player who can drift in and out of games, combining especially well with Ajose upfront. Anthony Grant one of their experienced players, who is also a physical player who likes to make his presence known to the opposition. He creates play, whilst linking up well with the strikers. Billy Waters is an academy player who is steady all round performer, he has a good set of skill within his locker but he plays the 'simple' passes very well. Jamie Ness is a direct player who looks to involve himself with every passing phase, when played in the centre of the park he offers the creativity and the forward momentum with his calm influence and his natural ability to string out long distance passes. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Crewe Alexandra are not the underdogs to under estimate, they're also not to be fooled by their league position either. They try to play direct football especially within the right way and although they can be a tad bit physical. The Railwaymen look to always get the ball forward, keeping their movement free by picking out the right passes. Their height and strength are a key pluses, something Crewe find to be very effective within set pieces and when dealing with weaker inexperienced defenders. The effort they put into the games, whilst looking to explore opposition sides through their attacking play can often foresee decent build up play and this is the method they have put well into practice within recent games, resulting in several impressive results. Main weaknesses is scrappy play, rushed passes and a general panic when put under pressure. When sides look to get into goal scoring opportunities, players make poor decisions and runs, resulting in other players finding available space. They have a tendency of dropping behind their opposition and paying too much attention to the ball, better players can use this very effectively. When hit with pace, there is a vulnerability which suggests space and time will always open up for opposition sides to gain and take chances. Their inability to close down their opposition is a direct result to many teams having scored against them within this season. Match Thread - League One Preview - League Link-Ups

The importance of networking and making club connections, especially within the local community has never been as beneficial for lower league teams as it is under the new financial fair play rules. Teams within League One and Two have far more to gain by opening their doors to the local teams which play around them. This of course means clubs will have to put aside rivalry for the betterment of their own development if they struggle to bring in that additional quality. Notts have actually been making their own progress in this department this year, whilst the club has actively put into place methods of balancing their financial outgoings by reducing agent fee's with their deals. This allows a club like Notts County to open their doors and to become a club whereby teams can trust Notts with their upcoming players. Shaun Derry has said himself that it is a good way of reducing unnecessary costs at the football club by working with local sides, the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Birmingham City and Derby County to name a few. Locally based players will not have the cost of apartments, hotels and other fee's which come attached to signing players who have to settle a way from their home. Becoming trusted by managers, whilst working on that reputation offers Notts a platform which they can work off. It promotes the club in an efficient and effective way which means once trusted with youngsters, clubs may trust Notts with their out of form players. Of course it puts Notts in a situation where by free players might become interested in seeking the exact same opportunity, so it serves more purpose to be patience about signing young players on short term loan deals, as this enables Notts to really forge themselves within the transfer market. The difficulties of balancing expectations, along with establishing a strong squad for promotion is a difficult game, especially when budgets don't permit a lot of movement. This is where the abilities of being a good neighbour comes into it, it allows teams just like Notts to gain that extra special quality to bulk up their existing squad. It doesn't always mean the arrival of an established head, or a player with a known name. sometimes it means taking a gamble on youngsters eager to make that step up who are below that radar. Who had heard of Callum McGregor or Jack Grealish before they arrived at Meadow Lane last season? Their hard work put themselves on the map, it opened the door to them to their respected clubs first team. The same principles can be applied to this seasons loan players such as Reece Brown, Louis Laing, Stephen Mclaughlin, Michael Petrasso, Jake Cassidy and Zeli Ismail. Louis Laing has that opportunity to prove himself at Forest, whereas Stephen McLaughlin will be in contention for the first team with both players being required under the embargo the club have found themselves under. Michael Petrasso will possibly be loaned out to a Championship side, with Jake Cassidy and Zeli Ismail potentially ending up back on loan with a team lower than that. Yet it does show the openness of Notts to work along side locally based teams, especially now that Alefe Santos and Kwame Thomas arrive at Meadow Lane, it is for Notts to show that they can look after them, make use of their talents and perhaps further doors will be unlocked with time. Aided with the ability to produce young talent of our own, the budget in future seasons might be balanced out with a mix of players offering a vast variety of skills which can be used by Shaun Derry. It's likely until Notts have a few good seasons, whereby crowds increase largely and with the addition of any possible cup runs that things may be different but even under those circumstances the ability to be trusted with loan players is of vast importance to the club. You have to make use of every opportunity available in order to overcome the difficulties attached and really, we can consider ourselves lucky to already have the widening net under our current manager. We have made a lot of ground this season and the way it's going, I see no reason why in the future we can't replicate a mix of aspects the likes of Walsall (youngsters), Peterborough (non league signings) and of course Swindon (parent club, i.e Spurs) have made in order for ourselves to progress. Really you have to make sure that the club is doing all in which it can, I honestly believe Notts are. Whether you agree or not, this leads to a discussion which I openly encourage. Discuss this Feature - Live Centre - View New Content

We're now starting to see which sides are real contenders for promotion from League One, Pride of Nottingham reflects on the league table with it's 'On The Table' feature. Form for many teams is rapidly becoming important, as the table changes for the better, as those who maintain their form are rewarded with contention for promotion. Teams which slip or fail to progress increasingly lay in limbo, as they struggle to keep up with the pack and demand of the tough division. Bristol City have regained the very top position after they cruised against a struggling Notts County, the final score 4-0 in the Robins favour. Swindon Town haven't played, they face Coventry City away from home on Monday 12th of this month. If Swindon win, they move back to 1st, however this would leave Bristol City with a game in hand. A win for Swindon Town would be the best possible outcome, as this would leave for an exciting title challenge. MK Don's move from 4th to 3rd within League One, they drew 2-2 against struggling Crawley Town. Preston North End drop a position after losing to Sheffield United away from home, the final score at Bramall Lane was 2-1. Bradford City and Sheffield United remain in their respective places, despite Bradford losing 2-1 to Rochdale and Sheffield United winning. Bradford sit 5th and Sheffield United 6th. If the Blades win their game in hand, this would leave them 4 points clear of 7th. Chesterfield enjoyed a respectable 3-0 win over Port Vale, this leaves them in 7th position. Rochdale move a position higher after their 2-1 win against Bradford City, they now retain the 8th position within League One. Fleetwood Town jump from 12th to 9th after beating last years league leaders Leyton Orient. Port Vale drop two places from 8th to 10th, they lost to the Spireites 3-0. Peterborough United remain 11th after their shocking defeat to the hands of Colchester United. Notts drop two places from 10th to 12th as a dominant Bristol City went on the rampage at Ashton Gate. Oldham Athletic move from 14th to 13th, they drew 2-2 to Doncaster Rovers. The Vikings (Donny) move from 15th to 14th thanks to the poor result from Walsall. Walsall themselves drop from 13th to 15th after being defeated by the hands of Scunthorpe United 4-1 at the Bescot Stadium. Barnsley move from 17th to 16th, they beat rooted Yeovil 2-0 at home. Scunthorpe United move up one position from 18th to 17th, their surprising win over Walsall continues their claim away from the relegation where they had remained for a considerable amount of time within the 2014/2015 campaign. Coventry City drop from 16th to 18th, they are scheduled to play Swindon Town on Monday. Crewe Alexandra jump from 22nd to 19th, the League One strugglers beat Gillingham 3-1 at home. Leyton Orient drop from 17th to just outside the relegation zone at 20th, their 1-0 defeat to Fleetwood Town sees them dangerously close to falling into the drop. They share the same amount of points as Gillingham who sit 21st, after the Gills lost 3-1 to fellow strugglers Crewe Alexandra. After Colchester United's impressive win over Peterborough United, this saw them move 23rd to 22nd. Crawley Town drop from 21st to 23rd despite their 2-2 draw to MK Dons, it wasn't enough to prevent them slipping. Poor Yeovil Town remain rooted to the foot of the League One table, they ended the weekends fixtures with a 2-0 defeat to Barnsley. Match Thread - League One Round-Up - Match Report - Aftermath