Chris

Pride of Nottingham reflects on the upcoming games that Notts County have to the remainder of the season. On paper the ties could prove to be a difficult task of collecting points, which includes a trip to the current top of the league, Doncaster Rovers and 2nd place Brentford. The only exception is Colchester United, although nobody can rule this one to be an easy game as football isn't so predictable and neither are they. Notts County will be required to step up if they want to finish around the position we did the following year, come on you pies! Our first upcoming game at Swindon Town this coming Saturday on the 23rd, will see us play a team who could have very well been in the running for the first place, had they have beaten Brentford, Walsall which they draw 2-2 to the play-off chasing side and the shock loss to Bury. This could also include, like us, Preston North End where they ended up drawing 1-1 which is a shame we narrowly lost. Friday the 29th Notts County face Brentford away, this will probably be one of the games to watch right now. Brentford are making steady progress in securing one of the top two positions and if the worst, for them happens, they will most likely fall into the Play-offs in which they have good chances of winning in my opinion. Brentford have won their past two games (which includes a 2-1 win over Swindon Town). Prior to this they had lost two games. Notts County will then face Yeovil Town on Monday the 1st of April, this will be my chance to finally witness the growing star that is Paddy Madden! Yeovil have drawn their two previous games 2-2 and 0-0. They enjoyed a narrow win over Tranmere Rovers and lost to Colchester, proving they are no under dogs to be dismissed. On the 6th of April Notts County play Bournemouth away, a game which newly joined Fergio79 will be hoping to attend. We hope that any of the travelling readers warmly welcomes the return of this Juventus and Notts fan. Bournemouth previously had a five game losing streak! Turning it around at Stevenage 1-0 and then following up with a win against Oldham, another 1-0 win. Notts County will be at home against Colchester United on Saturday 13th of April, our 2nd from last home league tie and one I hope fans come flocking to attend. Colchester's form has been a little patchy, although it's improved in their last four games which has seen them beat Bury 2-1, draw, lose and draw to struggling Hartlepool United. On Saturday the 20th of April, Notts will travel to Doncaster Rovers. This is another game which Pride of Nottingham members will be looking to attend, as we look to take a small group. Doncaster who sit 1st currently are the side I most want Notts to beat (I can hope). Portsmouth drew to them 1-1, a game their manager openly questioned the second half performance which they put in. They previously beat Bournemouth 2-1, lost to MK Dons and beat Hartlepool United 3-0. Our very last game of the season will take place at Meadow Lane against Coventry, the game which falls on Saturday the 27th of April. Coventry fans will be hoping by this point that they are securely inside the play-offs and it will be down to us to make sure we end the season with a good performance and result. Coventry previously beat Hartlepool 1-0, they drew to Colchester and they beat Scunthrope United 2-1. Swindon Town were the last team to take all 3 points by beating them 2-1. A couple of good performances in any of the above games, a few wins and our season may end a little more positively. If we build now, next season might hopefully be very different but all the weight will ultimately fall down onto the players. For a season which started off so promisingly, the twist and turns haven't made life dull. We all hoped to make the play-offs, this sadly looks very unlikely but there's still a glimmer of hope. Pride of Nottingham is looking forward to sharing a full season with Notts fans and we hope to grow together, through the good and disappointing times, as fans we can voice our thoughts constructively. Come On You Pies!

My highlight prior to any home games is to buy a programme, I read these with my son and my grandfather used to collect them. Over the years we've seen so many different changes, for myself the thing I most look forward to his reading Mr Trews notes. There's many other interesting pieces within #themag but none more so than the 'Chairman's Notes'. It's a privilege for us at Pride of Nottingham to be able to carry the notes to the fans who may or not have read them, it makes interesting reading to recap or share to brand new readers. Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Meadow Lane for this npower League 1 game against Scunthorpe United. Let’s not shirk the main issue of the week, Tuesday night’s performance simply wasn’t good enough. I have seen a lot of the comments in the wake of that defeat to Preston and whilst I do not agree with them all obviously, I can empathise with the supporters. There is a general acceptance that our hopes of reaching the play-offs this season have all but been extinguished, but if there is anyone in the employment of this club who thinks that this is a reason to stop trying, to give anything less than 100% until the very last kick of the very last game, then they are very much mistaken. Anyone who is happy to take a wage from this football club, taking money out of the pockets of our supporters, should be prepared to go above and beyond expectations in everything that they do in the name of Notts County, it is the very minimum that I expect from my staff in all of my businesses. You can’t always perform to your best, for one reason or another, I accept that, but to not try, to not give your all, is quite simply unforgivable and I won’t stand for it, from anyone. Our supporters and our commercial partners deserve better. Our history deserves better. Our very existence as a professional football club deserves better. I have my own views on where the problems lie and I will look to put things right, but I would like to thank everyone who has turned out today for their continued support, it means a lot to me personally and to the club as a whole. That only leaves for me to welcome the players, officials and supporters of Scunthorpe United to Meadow Lane this afternoon, I hope that you enjoy the hospitality on offer but face a challenge worthy of the World’s Oldest Football League Club. Onwards and upwards Ray Trew Chairman

On Tuesday the 12th of March 2013, Notts County put in another less than desired performance as they lost 1-0 to Preston North End. The echo's of discontent from fans rained down from the kop stand, as cries for more passion were clearly being heard. Notts now have to prepare themselves for Scunthorpe United who sit in the 20th position, so many fans will again want to see the desire in our play and the players will have to show a level of passion themselves, pride and dedication, just a sign that we can do much better! Scunthorpe come into the game having lost two out of three, although they managed to hold off Stevenage to a 1-0 win prior to the two defeats. They narrowly lost to Coventry City 2-1 on the 9th of March 2013, so they can certainly show character. The return of Dean Leacock will no doubt see interesting changes to the back of the pack, although it would be a shame to cost young Haydn Hollis his place as he been pretty reliable. Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Alan Judge are doubtful to play a part in the game, so we can only speculate that a start is now on the cards for young Curtis Thompson. Brian Laws has confirmed that there are no fresh injury concerns. He is also set to start his recent loan signing Anthony Forde, who joins them on loan from Wolves. Also, this may come as a surprise to some of our fans, Scunthorpe leading goal scorer Karl Hawley is likely to make his return for the away side at Meadow Lane on Saturday. The form of both sides seems very much hit and miss If Notts County can keep their heads high and play free flowing, passing football and work on trying to get on the end of chances then we could very well walk away with the 3 points, I certainly hope the fans can help give them a boost and chant, as no doubt they will, but our support can be the light to the recent results, showing we are behind the club regardless of disappointment. A couple of good showings, improved work rates and possible victories right now would go along way to reward the fans and bring players own morale up, it could also raise interest for next season. Please help us share our work, we 'pride' ourselves on trying to represent the fans. Thank you for taking the time to read and support us! COYP!

The success to any football club isn't an exact science, although having the right balance of skill and desire is usually a good thing for any lower league team. The importance of the youth academy is one of the most desired areas, commonly over-looked and under appreciated. Many successful football clubs make use of this system, keeping the star youngsters and letting go the youth players who sadly do not make the cut. This is no more different at Notts County, where we have seen many good prospects emerge to almost starting 11. Under the dynamic and inspiring Michael Johnson, he first took the task of managing the reformation of the Notts County youth academy back in 2008. With his watchful eye, care, and passion for the game many prospects appeared to be coming through the ranks, which is a great achievement in such a short space of time and the volume would give any Notts County manager the task of deciding who deserves a professional contract. Liam Mitchell, Curtis Thompson, Fabian Speiss, Jake Wholey, Greg Tempest and Hayden Hollis are prime examples of the success of having a youth academy, with many more coming through the system. Hayden Hollis is a player who is currently the hot topic of discussion for Notts fans, his return to competitive football has seen some great performances from the young man. At the age of 20, he is showing great signs and rightly deserves his chance to cement a starting position. What's it like coming through the ranks in the academy at Notts County and how does it vary from being a professional? "Coming through the ranks at notts is a massive achievement as many young lads have failed. Its a massive honour for me to represent notts as a local lad." After completing a two-year scholarship with us, he signed a one-year professional contract. It wasn't long before he would experience life as a footballer, as he was loaned to Barrow in order to gain experience, where he scored on his début. You scored on your début at Barrow, how did this feel? "Scoring for Barrow on my début is also another achievment of mine that I am very proud of. I have massive respect for the club and the manager as they were the ones to take a chance on me and give me my first games in profesional football." He later returned to Notts County after making 3 appearances, where he then made his league début on the 2nd of January 2012, playing a full 90 minutes against Huddersfield Town. This meant young Hayden Hollis would become the first player to progress from the club's Centre of Excellence to a first-team start since its re-opening in 2008. In the same year as his league début he was loaned out again to Darlington, where he would make a further 9 appearances. What were your loan spells like and how did it feel to go straight into playing competitive football? "It was the best feeling ever. Thats all I wanted to do is play football. I enjoyed both loan spells at Barrow and Darlington. The experience I got from both loan spells was vital." With the absence of Dean Leacock due to suspension, Hollis has continued to make appearances at the club and for myself he has been very impressive. His reading and understanding of the game seems to show that he is exactly what we need at the back, having him able to pair with Manny or Deano is only going to enhance his experience and such a promising sign that the youth system is vital to our own development as a squad. It's a great pleasure for Pride of Nottingham to be able to speak to someone inspiring, we wish Haydn Hollis the best for the reminder of the season and beyond. Many thanks to him for agreeing to take time out to answer our questions! Thanks Haydn!! Could you tell us what club you support? "I always keep my eye out for local teams such as Mansfield and Notts but my main team is Portsmouth. I have followed them for years before playing. I traveled to Europe in 2008 when we got into the uefa cup. I never missed a game." What was it like working along side Michael Johnson who also started his career at Notts County whilst a young lad? "There's so much I could say about Michael Johnson. the amount of respect I have for him is out of this world. he made me the player I am today. he is still available now if I needed a chat or any advice. I couldn’t have learned the game off anybody else better in my opinion. he was different class to work with day in day out." Your recent performances have seen you claim Man of the Match on an impressive return to starting football, How important is this to you as a young player? "As a young player getting games is vital. Getting man of the match for me was a proud achievement. I still think there is more to come from me so hopefully I will pick up a few more man of the match awards for this football club. When you get the man of the match award as a young player it fills you with so much confidence."

Firstly, Pride of Nottingham would like to extend our own thoughts regarding the loss of Notts Fan Joy Sharpe, our thoughts are with her family. It's such a sad sorrow to learn about this, I personally will always remember Joy as a fun, smiling individual. The match report will follow a little later, in the meantime you can read Mr Trews notes below from yesterday edition of #themag. Thank you for taking the time to visit our site, please do re-visit us and take a moment to reflect on Joy. R.I.P a true Notts Fan who inspired! Good evening everyone and welcome to Meadow Lane for this npower League 1 game against Preston North End, our last scheduled evening game of the season. With just eight games left after tonight, it’s make or break time in terms of who will be involved in the end of season play-offs. We’ve got our work cut out to make it into the top six, but it’s still possible so has to remain our target. We have, of course, already started putting some plans in place ahead of next season, but we have to focus on the current campaign, so some decisions will have to wait for now. One thing remains in no doubt though, and that is my commitment to moving this club forwards, both on and off the pitch. I like to think that the club has come a long way in the past three years, but there is still a lot of hard work to be done and I am relishing the challenges that lie ahead. There is a real challenge facing our side this evening in the shape of a resurgent Preston North End team. I would like to welcome the players, officials and supporters of our guests to Meadow Lane this evening. I must end my notes this evening on a sad note, following the tragic passing last week of a lifelong supporter and one of the most ardent commercial sponsors that the club has been lucky enough to have over the years, Joy Sharpe. Although I only had the pleasure of knowing Joy for a short time, the impact that she has had on Notts County will never be forgotten. A true stalwart of the club, who was always ready to help in any way she could, Joy will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her and everyone associated with Notts County Football Club. RIP Joy. Ray Trew Chairman Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mr Trew and the Media Team for these notes.

Preston who sit 17th in League One, find themselves facing Notts County at Meadow Lane. The tie originally scheduled to fall in December, which was postponed, is a game against two sides who's fans will be saying 'What if?'. Notts County 10th, still have an outside bet of reaching the playoffs but it will be games like this which ultimately seal our fate. We've taken the time to speak with two Preston fans and we sincerely hope you enjoy this feature. We appreciate your time reading, sharing and inspiring us. Firstly, could you tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself, such as how long you've been a fan for? James: I'm James Shuttleworth, a 20 year-old Literature student at Bangor University. Born in Preston, live in the town of Leyland when not at University. I've been a North Ender since the age of 7 due to my Dad being a fan of many years before me. Ben: I am a 17 year old college student who is a season ticket holder, and has been since the age of 6, however my first game was at the age of 3, a 3-0 win over Ford United in the F.A Cup in 1998. Simon Grayson were on the lips of many Notts County fans to replace Keith Curle, How happy are you with the appointment and who did the majority of Preston fans want? James: I'm very pleased with the appointment of Simon Grayson. With the track record of 3 promotions with 3 clubs from this division, who wouldn't be happy? A few of the more deluded fans wanted Nigel Adkins, others touting Owen Coyle. Simon was the favourite pretty much from the off, though. Ben: Most fans are delighted with Simon as the new manager, he has a proven track record in this league, and most have seen through his past allegiances with 'that lot down the road' and welcomed him as manager. Most fans wanted Grayson as soon as the odds came out, some wanted Owen Coyle but would be way out of our price range, whilst some wanted the local lad, Gareth Ainsworth in. Who at the start of the season did you see getting promoted? James: For me, it was hard to look past the force that is always Sheffield United. I'm not a huge lover of them (to say the least), but they're always good. I'd also thought Doncaster and Bournemouth would be up there, so they'd probably have been my 3. Ben: For me, it would have to be Sheffield United and Doncaster automatically, and Bournemouth through the play-offs. Both the Yorkshire clubs had the players to succeed in this divison with lots of experience throughout both line-ups, whilst Bournemouth spent a lot in the summer to create their squad. Start of the season Preston were looking like strong contenders for promotion, where did the season go wrong? James: Westley's constant switching up of the team certainly did us no favours. A couple of injuries here and there and a drop in home form (resulting in a lack of confidence) added to the pressure. Ben: Graham Westley. That's where it went wrong. The season did start well, Carling Cup wins over Huddersfield and Crystal Palace, big wins in the league over Swindon, Doncaster and Hartlepool, however, and somewhat coincidentally, the slide started after the reverse of this upcoming fixture, at Deepdale. Both of our full-backs, Keith Keane, and more notoriously, Scott Laird, were ruled out for some time and we never looked the same after that. We went on a run of 8 league games after that before we could find a win, then another 5 games without a win in the league, and the collapse at Coventry in the Johnstones Paint Trophy was especially hard to take. It's an understatement to say that some of the players didn't get on with Westley and did not agree with his methods. In the end, he had to go, he had lost the dressing room. It's no surprise to see once he had gone, we haven't lost since. What's your hopes for the rest of the remaining season? James: My hopes for the rest of our season are to consolidate, pick up a few home wins and finish in the top 14. It would be good if Simon could continue what he's done in the first few games - keep a steady starting XI and let them work out any issues with their play. From experience, I like to think that consistency breeds success in a football club. Ben: Get a good run of results, steer away from the relegation zone and play attractive, winning football. On the basis of what I have seen so far of the post-Westley era, i'm convinced Grayson is the right man for the job. However, we will need to see in the summer what moves he makes in regards to transfers. Please share a memory from your earliar days of supporting Preston North End? James: The earliest memory I have is of a home game against Grimsby. 'Super' Jonny Macken scored after 17 seconds. We proceeded to lose 2-1. That season was brilliant - we were newly promoted, beat Birmingham in the play-off semi-final and went to the Millennium Stadium. We got thumped 3-0 by Bolton Wanderers, but we won't dwell on that too much. Ben: The 2000/2001 Championship play-off semi-final 2nd leg, which was at Deepdale, we hosted Birmingham City, trailing 1-0 from the first leg at St.Andrews, if I remember correctly, Nicky Eaden got the goal. We had a great start in the second leg, leveling the tie through David Healy, but Geoff Horsfield restored the Blues lead in the second half. The normally level-headed Graham Alexander crashed a penalty against the bar after this, which shocked the majority of the crowd, he was a penalty expert. We thought it was all over when Lazardis rounded David Lucas in the 89th minute, but somehow, his shot from a tight angle trickled all the way across the goal without going in, and the counter attack started, and was put in at the other end by Mark Rankine, who wasn't known for his attacking prowess. We survived several scares in extra time, and subsequently won the penalty shootout, despite Trevor Francis' protests at the penalty kicks not being taken at the empty end which was once the Town End, instead they were taken infront of the vocal North Ens fans in the Bill Shankly Kop. We did go on to lose the final in Cardiff to Bolton Wanderers, but it wasn't bad for a team who'd just come off a promotion from League One. How is Scott Laird's recovery going? James: Scott has tweeted recently about his recovery. He got back to running lightly a couple of weeks ago, so he's steadily coming back. The club has hopes to get him fit to take a decent part in pre-season and be ready for the start of next season. Ben: He's started running again in training, although won't be fully fit until pre-season. It was a shame to lose him as he was by far our best and most consistent player before the injury, and i'm still a bit bitter to this day as I feel it changed our season for the worse. We just hope he returns the same player he was before the injury. How much of a loss his Scott's absence to your starting line up? James: Losing Scotty was a huge blow. He was, at the time, easily our most influential player. Solid in defence, quick up and down the wing and a great attacking threat. Also, he was top of our assists charts at the time! We have David Buchanan who has deputised well, but he's not the same player. Ben: For the first few months he was a major loss. We missed his attacking presence down the left. We thought we had a very able replacement in David Buchanan, who was Tranmere's player of the season last year, but things weren't going right for him, and towards the end of Westley's tenure, Buchanan was replaced by youth team player Ben Davies. Since Westley has gone, Buchanan admitted that he and the ex-gaffer didn't see eye to eye, and his performances have sky-rocketed since. Which Notts County players do you consider to poise a threat to your defence and why? James: I see Francois Zoko as a threat, simply because he reputedly 'nearly' signed for us during the summer but opted for Notts instead. Also, I'd consider Alan Judge to be a tricky customer. Our defence has shored up reasonably well recently though, and the lads will arrive with a clean sheet under their belts. It should be a tight affair. Ben: We know all about Francois Zoko, he destroyed us at Deepdale in his Carlisle days on Boxing Day 2011, we also know Alan Judge is a very creative threat from midfield, he can do anything. Can you tell us which Preston players we should be aware of and who is your key player? James: The wingers. Lee Holmes and Will Hayhurst. Lee is a classy player for this level - if it weren't for injury then he'd be a Championship player. Sweet left foot on him. Young Will has scored 3 goals in 3 games from the left flank, so he's a massive threat too. The likes of Stuart Beavon and Nicky Wroe also can't be overlooked - Beavs has picked up a few goals and Nicky chipped in with a hat-trick at Scunthorpe earlier in the season. Ben: Stuart Beavon is an absolute workhorse upfront and runs himself into the ground for the team, whilst also scoring goals, 10 this season he's tallied so far, but he would have liked to have more. It's hard to look past our wing wizards at this stage, with Lee Holmes putting in some dazzling performances, but Will Hayhurst has been taking the plaudits as of late. The 19 year old who suffered two leg breaks in his youth team days, has grown in stature since some tame performances in the first few months of the season, and has netted 3 goals in his last 3 games, and if he carries on, clubs from the higher echelons will start to notice his talents. Even better that he's a local lad, supported PNE as a boy and will give it all for the club. Do you have a favourite away day and who were you not looking forward to visiting this season? James: Due to being away from home, I haven't made it to many games this season - but surprisingly, made it to a few away games! I enjoyed the trip to Hartlepool on New Years Day. Without meaning to offend Pools, it was a quaint trip to an older style ground. I also made it to the Ricoh Arena twice in a couple of weeks - including the JTP Northern semi-final on my birthday, where Steve Simonsen forgetting how to use his hands cost us dearly. So I'd have to say, Coventry holds the worst away day feeling for me at the moment! Ben: I'd have to say Bury was my favourite away day. We outnumbered the home support, taking close to 3,000 fans to Gigg Lane, and won 2-1 thanks to goals from Shane Cansdell-Sherriff and Akpo Sodje, who have both departed the club, SCS only on loan. I wasn't looking forward to visiting Colchester as we never seem to get a result in the deep heart of Essex, and we didn't, losing 1-0. I would like Blackpool to be relegated this season though, it'd be nice to have a closer game seeing as Bury is our local derby being 45 minutes away! Please tell us about your current favourite player and your all-time hero? James: My current favourite player has to be Scott Laird. Driving force, passionate about the game and very talented. Otherwise, I've a soft spot for our (currently) sub keeper Thorsten Stuckmann. Pulls off some blinders, full of passion and a generally nice lad. All-time hero - Graham Alexander. A real-life Roy of the Rovers. Ben: My current favourite player is Stuart Beavon, who like I said works his socks off for the benefit of the team. My all-time hero would be Sean Gregan. He lifted our last trophy when we won League One in 2000, and gave many good performances before being sold to West Bromwich Albion in 2002. We called him 'God' for a reason! Pride of Nottingham would like to Thank James (check out his band) and Ben (PrestonPlumber) for taking the time to answer our question. We would like to throw a special mention to our own WeymouthPie who helped locating James when we thought this feature would be lost.

Which club holds the dubious distinction of scoring the fewest goals and conceding the most goals in the Premier League – unfortunately in the same 38-game season? Dan: I think that was Derby. Dave: Thats easy (sorry super_ram) - Derby County Which three English players have each scored five goals in a Premier League game? Dan: Andy Cole did it for Man U v Ipswich I believe. Shearer must've done & a guess at Robbie Fowler. Dave: Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, D Burbatov (? not sure on spelling), though I think Defoe may have as well. Can you name two goalkeepers who moved from Mansfield Town to Notts County and further two who moved from Notts County to Mansfield Town (including loans) Dan: Liam Mitchell went this season to Stags. I think Darren Ward left us to go to Notts. We had David Grof on loan from Notts. Struggling with the other one. Must be Kevin Pilkington? Dave: Notts to Mansfield - David Grof and Liam Mitchell Mansfield to Notts - Darren Ward and, er, I cant remember Who were the 12 founder members of the football league? Dan: Blimey that's hard. Preston, Notts, Aston Villa, Sheff Wed, West Brom, Wolves, Old Etonians?, Bolton, Blackburn, Burnley, Sheff Utd, Stoke. Dave: Back to schoolboy days Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County (You Pies), Preston North End, Stoke FC, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers Can you name Notts County's current highest goal scorer and by how many goals? Dan: I think its Les Bradd as I've heard him on Radio Nottingham a few times. Dunno how many he got though, I'll say 250. Dave: Jamal Campbell-Ryce, 8 goals, leading by 1 Which football club does this stadium belong too? Dan: Nuneaton Dave: Tyrell Waite could answer this one, Nuneaton Town (Boro to a lot of fans) A very close response, question 5 clearly misunderstood poor Dan and I'll word things a little better next time. Dan: 3 Points Dave: 4 Points (I would have given Dave full marks had Pilks been mentioned) Pride of Nottingham would like to Thank Dan (who must be very busy) for taking part, we'd also like to Thank dave (our resident 2pies) for taking part also, adding Berbatov... honestly you astound me Dave!! Well Done.