Chris

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

All is to play for today as Bristol City, Swindon Town, Preston North End and MK Dons stride to continue their progress towards their title challenges. Whereas Notts will be trying to secure points which would allow them to remain within the top half of the division. A draw would be a brilliant result. Sheffield United v Preston North End is the stand out game within League One, two top teams coming head to head with a lot on stake. Key Fixtures Saturday 10th January 2015 Bradford v Rochdale Chesterfield v Port Vale Leyton Orient v Fleetwood Oldham v Doncaster Peterborough v Colchester Sheffield v Preston Walsall v Scunthorpe Prediction Bristol City are likely to make use of their 12th man with the home advantage, whilst they will most likely put our defenders under a lot of pressure. A lot depends upon the way we play and set ourselves up, however I predict the final score will be 2-0 to the Robins. Match Odds Bristol City to win 1/2 – Draw 100/30 – Notts County to win 5/1 Head to Head Bristol City – A win for Bristol City keeps them right in contention for the League One Title. Drawing would allow them to remain 2nd and they still have a game in hand over Swindon Town. A defeat could see them drop to 3rd if goal advantage favours MK Dons and provided the Don's win themselves, the likeliest case they will remain 2nd. Notts County – A win for Notts could see them move back into the play-offs (this requires a lot of luck) or it would place them just outside. A draw, I think would move Notts to the middle of the table and a lose would most likely push them all the way down to 13th to 15th perhaps. Key Man Bristol City; Matt Smith – The on loan Fulham striker is currently in hot form and with the absence of two other main players, Matt will be eager to impress Steve Cotterill. Notts County; Roy Carrol – The Northern Ireland international will be relied upon a fair bit tomorrow, his experience, ability to organize the defence and the way he foreseer’s danger makes him my Key Man for Notts. League Table A win for Bristol City will allow them to make the most of their game in hand over promotion chasing Swindon Town. Whilst if Preston defeat Sheffield United it allows them to move to keep right within the mix with MK Dons also hoping to keep within touching distance. Sheffield United will be hoping to avoid losing, if they do lose this will open the gap for several other clubs who will all be eager to jump into 6th place. If Notts lose they could fall into the bottom half of the League One table for the first time in the 2014/2015 campaign. A draw could have the same effect, however it's most likely that Notts will fall smack bang into the mid half. A win could see Notts return to play-offs or just outside, this is a vital game whereby the magpies will have to keep aware and cope under the pressure of their opposition. Match Thread - League One Preview - Scouting Report - Stat Attack

Saturday 10th of January, Bristol City will be playing host to Notts County at Ashton Gate Stadium, this will be the Magpies first game within the new year. The Robins welcome Notts County in their worst form of the 2014/2015 season and it is important for Notts to oversee this blip by believing in themselves. A win for Bristol City could see them return back to the very top of League One, whilst Swindon Town will face Coventry to defend the number 1 position. The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Bristol City will be Simon Hooper, with his two assistants Stephen Daly and Lisa Rashid. The fourth official will be Brett Huxtable. Match Officials Referee; Simon Hooper From – Wiltshire His matches involving Notts County and Bristol City in the last four seasons; Championship – Tuesday 19th February 2013 – Crystal Palace 2 Bristol City 1 – 4 Yellow Cards JPT – Wednesday 4th September 2013 – Bristol City 2 Bristol Rovers 1 – 3 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 14th December 2013 – Colchester 0 Notts County 4 – 4 Yellow Cards League One – Tuesday 19th August 2014 – Bristol City 0 Leyton Orient 0 – No Cards League One – Saturday 1st November 2014 – Notts County 1 Walsall 2 – 2 Yellow Cards. Run down of his last four games; Championship – Saturday 29th November 2014 – 5 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card League One – Saturday 20th December 2014 – MK Dons 7 Oldham 0 – 4 Yellow Cards Championship – Sunday 28th December 2014 – Nottingham Forest 1 Birmingham 3 – 2 Yellow Cards JPT – Wednesday 7th January 2015 – Preston 0 Walsall 2 – 2 Yellow Cards In his last four games 8 yellow cards have been shown and only a single red card. So far this season in a total of 23 games he has shown 73 yellow cards and 3 red card. That's roughly 3.1 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Stephen Daly From – Middlesex Last 3 officiated games; Saturday 6th September 2014 – Stevenage 2 York City 3 Saturday 20th September 2014 – Cambridge United 0 Luton Town 1 Sunday 28th December 2014 – Swindon Town 1 Port Vale 0 Assistant Referee; Lisa Rashid From – Birmingham Last 3 officiated games; Saturday 25th October 2014 – Cambridge United 2 Hartlepool 1 Saturday 29th November 2014 – Southend United 2 Northampton Town 0 Saturday 20th December 2014 – Coventry City 1 Fleetwood Town 1 Fourth Official; Brett Huxtable From – Devon Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.

Being 2nd in League One with a game in hand of the 1st place Swindon Town, Robins fans have every right to be exited about this seasons campaign. Bristol City have lead the division and put together several impressive displays, as they hover around the two top positions. Pride of Nottingham's taken the time to ask several questions to Robin's fan 'Hodge' who is currently exiled away from the club in which he supports. Firstly, could you please tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a Robins fan? I've been a City fan for around 13 years having started watching them at about the age of 10. Outside football I'm currently studying a masters degree at UCLan in Preston so a bit of an exile but managing to get to a fair few away games. At the start of the season where did you hope Bristol City would be by this point and what is the difference compared to last season? Given that least season was our first back in the division and we started it by being rooted to the bottom until sacking Sean O'Driscoll and replacing him with Steve Cotterill its hard to compare, Cotterill did a great job to get us back to 12th from taking over in January so going into this season I wasn't sure what to expect. However given our activity in the transfer market bringing in players who were attracting interest from championship clubs such as Luke Freeman, Korey Smith, Aaron Wilbraham and Kieran Agard (who left promoted Rotherham as their top scorer to join us) I was expecting us to be around the play-offs. Which three players do you feel will be runners for your 'Player of the Season' and why? Luke Freeman - Great engine, never stops running and chasing the game when we're not on the ball, his influence only grows game by game as he becomes accustomed to a unfamiliar position while being dangerous going forward. Aden Flint - Rock of our defence, great aerial presence and along with Luke Ayling and Derrick Williams has been a big factor of success in our defence. If Aaron Wilbraham hadn't been injured the last few weeks I'd have said him, but Korey Smith. Does the job that no one really notices, cleans up any opposition attacking play well, recycles and gets us going forward again. Also has a mean right boot on him when given the chance. What are your thoughts on Steve Cotterill as your manager? Do you always agree with his lineups and substitutions? Honestly when I heard Cotterill was the manager we were after, not even interviewing someone else I really didn't feel enthusiastic about what the club was doing, never have I ever been so wrong. Cotterill was an inspired choice as he managed to take us from bottom at Christmas last season to top at Christmas this season. In the calender year of 2014 we picked up around 84 points which put City 9th overall from all 4 divisions. As for his line ups well, we're going to play 532 with wingbacks, you could practically bet your mortgage on it and the line up will rarely change. GK - Frank Fielding RWB - Mark Little RCB - Luke Ayling CB - Aden Flint LCB - Derrick Williams LWB - Joe Bryan CM - Wade Elliott CM - Korey Smith CM - Luke Freeman ST - Matt Smith ST - Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Only way that will be different will be if either Kieron Agard or Aaron Wilbraham have recovered from injury where they may replace Emmanuel-Thomas. Its hard to argue against the team as its one that has only found itself being knocked off the top spot for the first time in over 100 days due to Swindon playing a league game while we were playing an FA Cup game. As for his substitutions, occasionally I feel Cotterill can wait a bit too long to make subs, as if he's hoping things stay like they are (having been top all season and results generally being in our favour). Sometimes you can see and feel the game changing and as a fan think something needs to be changed where as Cotterill does nothing, sometimes it costs us, sometimes it doesn't. At Ashton Gate what is the atmosphere like, which away teams have impressed you with their support and why? This season the atmosphere can be very hit and miss I find, with the main bunch of loud fans having to be relocated due to the redevelopment it has meant that some have split up and gone to other areas of the ground leading to some quieter games, but when the fans get going it can be a fantastic atmosphere. As for away fans, I've only been able to get down to a few games this season given my distance from Bristol. Yeovil Town provided a decent atmosphere on boxing day, however the distance between the two sides geographically probably helped in that regard. How much does football mean to you in general and what attracted you to supporting Bristol City? Admittedly Football is not my main sport, I never played it apart from at school. However I have watched Football since a young age and was glued to it instantly, I try and watch as much as possible, whether watching Bristol City games where I had been a season ticket for around 5 years before moving for university or when possible watching any games on tv. As for what drew me to City, I moved to Somerset when I was 8 and my dad started taking me along to games within a year or two so I have probably been watching City for a good 13 years or so. Which Bristol City players are currently inform and how would you expect your side to play on Saturday? While limiting it to three is hard as so many are playing well I'd have to say Matt Smith (on loan from Fulham), Luke Freeman and Aden Flint would probably be my three picks for players in the best form. Smith has scored 8 in 4 games (4 against Gillingham in the JPT semi final), Freeman despite being a winger has found himself being played in central midfield with license to go forward and has adapted brilliantly. And finally Aden Flint has been our rock in defence a really commanding centre back both in terms of his game play and as a presence within the team. Out of the Notts County players which would you be concerned about and who would you set to mark them? Apart from the well known players such as Smith, Carroll, Mullins etc I admit Notts County are a club I'm not so well clued up on for their best players. However I remember Stephen McLaughlin from his time on loan with us and that he can cause problems, also given that we operate using wing backs, he could get some free runs at them. Which two games this season stand out for you for good and bad reasons, please tell us why? Sheffield United away first game of the season, pre season Sheffield Utd had been tipped as the favourites by many to run away with the league, so for us to win away there on the opening game sent a clear message of our intentions for this season. Peterborough away, despite their league position p'boro is never an easy place to travel to, so given we won 3-0 and dominated while on TV it again sent out the message of what we were capable of having come off the back of successive defeats the previous two games. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Robins fan Hodge for taking the time to answer our questions, we wish him all the very best with his masters degree and we wish Bristol City all the best with the rest their season. Match Thread - League One Preview - Scouting Report - View New Content

Bristol City find themselves in second place within League One with a game in hand of Swindon Town. The Robins will be hoping that Coventry City will win, whilst pushing on with their own campaign. Their games have been coming thick and fast due to them being in several cups. The Robins have won four of their last six league games, whilst losing to both Crewe and Preston. Their recent games come in as a draw in the F.A Cup and a win in the JPT. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 13th December – Bristol City 1 Crawley Town 0 Saturday 20th December – Crewe Alexandra 1 Bristol City 0 Friday 26th December – Bristol City 2 Yeovil 1 Sunday 28th December – Gillingham 1 Bristol City 3 Saturday 3rd January – Doncaster Rovers 1 Bristol City 1 (F.A Cup) Tuesday 6th January – Gillingham 2 Bristol City 4 (JPT) The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Aaron Wilbraham 13, Kieran Agard 8, Matt Smith 7 and Adent Flint 5. Persistent Foulers; Derrick Williams 1 Red Card and 4 Yellow Cards, Wade Elliot 1 Red Card and 1 Yellow Cards, Antony Kay 6 Yellow Card, Aaron Wilbraham 4 Yellow Cards and Korey Smith 2 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. Kieran Agard is a lively threat, the former Rotherham United player scored 32 goals in 91 appearances for the millers and he joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee. He has the ability to pull in behind players and strike lethal finishes to seal games. Emmanuel Jay-Thomas, JET as the fans call him is the player Bristol City often look to change games. He's a quality player on his day and he can mix passes, create play and generally lead the line weather this is from Midfield or as a Striker. Aaron Wilbraham is another striker who can be menacing when presented chances. Korey Smith, Wade Elliot and Joe Bryan are Swindon Town's key players within midfield. Wade Elliot is the creator within their play, whilst Korey Smith and Joe Bryan bombard their opposition and are very skilful at breaking down their counterparts. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Bristol City play very fluidly, switching the ball around from out wide positions back into the centre of the park. Overlapping play allows them to keep the ball moving forward, which enables them to quickly find themselves in good positions within the field to take a chance or create the perfect opportunity for one of their talented centre forwards. Their main strengths are their talented players, however Steve Cotterill has them well organized within the 2014/2015 season which enables their key players to truly thrive on. Weaknesses are direct play, with balls which go through the middle. Bristol City's defence appears to allow opposition players too much time on the ball, so if players are able to get in-front of them the Robins typically fail to defend adequately. They're far from the perfect side, however their ability to create play and score will always counter their own mistakes. Match Thread - League One Preview - Youth Team Season Review

Bristol City, Swindon Town and even perhaps Preston North End fans will be hoping Notts can 'surprise' MK Dons today, as Notts prepare to host them at Meadow Lane. This is a very tough game for us Magpies, MK Dons are in fine form and may put on a performance to suppress that of what we seen by Swindon. Notts will have to be tactically prepared, whilst the defence and midfield will be key to over coming any danger. Key Fixtures Boxing Day | 26th December 2014. Chesterfield v Peterborough United Fleetwood Town v Bradford City Port Vale v Sheffield United Preston North End v Barnsley Scunthorpe United v Rochdale Prediction MK Don's might be seeing this as a 'easy' game, however installing organization and a plan to handle the Don's threats could allow for hard work could pay off. This said, I feel it will be a close game and if the lads do their jobs I see this resulting in a narrow loss, I predict 1-2 win to MK Dons. Match Odds Notts to win 3/1 – Draw 13/5 – MK Don's to win 17/20 Head to Head Notts County – A Notts win would most likely see a return to a play-off position, a draw would keep Notts just outside, anywhere from 8th to 10th is realistic. A defeat could see us drop as far as 11th provided the other clubs all win their games and of course if goal difference ended up favouring Chesterfield. MK Dons – A win for the visitors could see them move to the very top of the league. Despite having a game in hand, a draw could see them move from 2nd to 4th and that is also the worst case scenario if Notts were to beat them. Key Man Notts County; Alan Smith - His knowledge and understanding of the philosophy in which the Dons play will be of avast importance but a physical player who can be of a calm influence in midfield would actually benefit Notts. MK Dons; Danny Green – The wide man’s ability to take on opposition defenders allows him to pull the strings from midfield. He can be a constant threat from his passing, crossing, to his eye for the goal but it's his ability of turning something out of nothing into the perfect opportunity which makes him their key man for PoN. League Table As you can see Notts are still in a very healthy position, whilst the league table looks incredibly tight. If we can remain above Peterborough United that would please me, as a side of their stature should be up much higher. Whilst Bradford City, Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield are all decent counterparts in this division. I do expect to see Oldham and Chesterfield fade a little more, with Walsall and Barnsley coming into the mix. No matter what the outcome Notts will end 2014 in a very respectable position even if we drop around 9th to 11th within League One. We will remain with games in hand, with Sheffield United being postponed and also, within the new year Notts start a refresh test against Bristol City, Crewe Alexandra, Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United. Match Thread - The Match Officials - Scouting Report - Stat Attack

MK Don's have been very impressive so far within the 2014/2015 campaign. The only recent blip comes by the hands of Chesterfield who knocked the Don's out of the F.A Cup at the Stadium MK, the final score 1-0. Big wins came at Oldham Athletic 7-0 and Colchester United 6-0. The Buckinghamshire side have won four of their last six games and have secured points in the other two remaining games. Preston and Rochdale being those sides. Run down of their last six games. Tuesday 25th November – MK Dons 2 AFC Rochdale 0 Saturday 29th November – MK Dons 6 Colchester 0 Tuesday 2nd December – Sheffield United 0 MK Dons 1 Saturday 6th December – MK Dons 0 Chesterfield 1 (F.A Cup) Saturday 13th December – Preston North End 1 MK Dons 1 Saturday 20th December – MK Dons 7 Oldham Athletic 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Benik Afobe 19, Dele Alli 10, Will Grigg 9 and Carl Baker 4. Persistent Foulers; Kyle McFadzean 1 Red Card and 8 Yellow Cards, Danny Green 1 Red Card and 2 Yellow Cards, Antony Kay 6 Yellow Cards, Darren Potter 5 Yellow Cards and Samir Carruthers 5 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. The England U21 and Arsenal forward Benik Afobe has really found form within the 2014/2015 campaign. The popular youngster has been sent out on loan with several teams in his early career, however it's at MK Don's the strikers found a lethal eye for goal having scored 10 goals in the league, 6 in the League Cup, 2 in the F.A Cup and 1 in the JPT. He's a real threat with his natural finishing and his physical strength is enough to see off the majority of challenges. Will Grigg is a player who within League One has scored his share of goals, combining the tricky partnership with Benik Afobe the Northern Irish striker is a menace to any side within this division. Matt Green, Dele Alli and Carl Baker are a midfield to bolster any strong League One promotion chaser, with Matt Green having the ability to change the outcome of games with his creativity. Dele Alli offers true pace and an eye for goal. Carl Baker is also a player who can deceive opposition counter parters and naturally push them either with carefully created assists or a goal to boot. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. MK Dons are a creative, physical and powerful League One outlet. They possess the ability to play smooth, quick flowing and dangerous attacking football. They're a well prepared side which can quickly suss out their opposition, allowing them to create many clean cut chances. Their strengths are found within the physical presence, whilst creativity and ideas are not something which MK Dons seem to be short of having. Like many good sides they use natural pace and skill to burst towards opposition, which allows their key players to get into space for the perfect pass or goal scoring opportunity. The Don's are very good at set pieces which you can tell the training ground is the source of the majority of their well driven efforts, their ability to mix play via the centre of the park and the flanks leave them with no limitations to their attacking power. Weaknesses are actually quite easy to spot within the MK Dons play, however the talent of their defenders and keeper are often enough to stop chances being a major concern. Bouncing and high balls often lead to chances against the Don's with their defenders struggling to get hold of the ball, they like it to be played along the ground. When hit with direction and pace, they often leave enough space for creative players to find time to take or set-up decent opportunities. If sides are able to retain possession the Don's struggle to keep calm which often results in disciplinary action as they make cynical and unnecessary challenges. Match Thread - The Match Officials - View New Content

Saturday 26th of December, MK Dons make their way to Meadow Lane on Boxing Day to take on the Magpies. Notts have a tough fixture here, MK Dons are a very capable League One team and Alan Smith may be a key feature for Notts County. MK Don's come into the game having moved into 2nd place within League One after destroying Oldham Athletic at home, an impressive 7-0 victory for the Dons. The Match Officials for Saturdays game against MK Dons will be Andrew Madley, with his two assistants Michael Hanley and James Wilson. The fourth official will be Jason Tyas. Match Officials Referee; Andrew Madley From – West Yorkshire His matches involving Notts County and MK Dons in the last four seasons. League One – Saturday 8th September 2012 – Notts County 3 Shrewsbury Town 2 – 2 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 12th October 2012 – MK Dons 0 Stevenage 1 – 3 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 8th December 2012 – Yeovil Town 0 Notts County 0 – 7 Yellow Cards League One – Friday 18th April – Port Vale 1 MK Dons 0 – 1 Yellow Card JPT – Tuesday 16th December – Notts County 0 Preston North End 1 – (Fourth Official) Run down of his last four games. Championship – Saturday 8th November 2014 – Nottingham Forest 2 Norwich City 1 – 5 Yellow Cards League Two – Saturday 29th November 2014 – Bury 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2 – 4 Yellow Cards F.A Cup – Friday 5th December – Hartlepool 1 Blyth Spartans 1 – 1 Yellow Card Championship – Saturday 20th December – Blackpool 1 AFC Bournemouth 3 – 3 Yellow Cards In his last four games 13 yellow cards have been shown and currently no red cards. So far this season in a total of 18 games he has shown 52 yellow cards and 1 red card. That's roughly 2.8 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Michael Hanley From – Liverpool Last 3 officiated games. Saturday 25th November – Port Vale 3 Leyton Orient 0 Saturday 8th November – Bury 3 Hemel Hempstead 0 Sunday 7th December – Bradford City 4 Dartford 1 Assistant Referee; James Wilson From – Cheshire Last 3 officiated games. Saturday 11th October 2014 – Port Vale 4 Yeovil 1 Saturday 25th October 2014 – Bolton 3 Brentford 1 Saturday 13th December 2014 – Scunthorpe United 2 Crewe Alexandra 1 Fourth Official; Jason Tyas 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.