Chris

1. Bristol City 2. Peterborough United ------------------------------------ 3. Sheffield United 4. Notts County 5. Brentford 6. Wolves ------------------------------------ 7. Preston North End 8. Walsall 9. MK Dons 10. Coventry City 11. Swindon Town 12. Crawley Town 13. Bradford City 14. Colchester United 15. Gillingham 16. Tranmere Rovers 17. Crewe Alexandra 18. Port Vale 19. Shrewsbury Town 20. Leyton Orient ------------------------------------ 21. Carlisle United 22. Rotherham United 23. Oldham Athletic 24. Stevenage Pride of Nottingham is very excited about this series of features, please keep tuned for other writers which include a special guest. Compare | WeymouthPIE - ncfcdrapes - Joe Jones - Super Ram - TonyHateley - Special Guest

I started promoting Pride of Nottingham around December, it wasn't a good time for a site with our title. It received some eyebrow raising comments early on but even then I felt that we could come good. If I think back, for myself the point it became concerning was when speculation started spreading around with regards to Lee Hughes future. The passion from this point just seemed to be draining, the players seemed to have lost hope and when this happens any prospect for promotion must really be questioned but even then I still had hope right up to the very end. For me the pitch is a poor excuse especially if other teams manage to play okay on it. I would point the downward spiral to mental awareness and perhaps Keith Curle's tactical decisions in which we saw countless times a striker replaced for a midfielder in games we was narrowly winning or drawing. Also noticeably the players lacked to take a chance and some seemed to be scared to have a go at goal, such as Hamza Bencherif at Swindon (although to be fair other players too). It got to the point it looked like the players just wanted to have the season over, the fans cried out for entertainment and it just became a depressing atmosphere. Into 2013/2014 things look better, as Chris Kiwomya is assembling a pretty good squad. The only release I questioned – Julian Kelly, a player who I felt could have been worth the gamble on fitness but what do I know about football? Signings such as Danny Haynes, Mustapha Dumbuya, Mark Fotheringham and David Bell tick boxes for expectant fans. With Andy Haworth showing promise after being written off by some of our own fans and fans of former clubs. Friendlies – It's been exciting on this front, after a fairly quiet period. Galatasaray was a very impressive performance by all involved, Mark Fotheringham earned his contract in this game, no question! He was flawless and shows the spirit of a team midfielder who wants to win games. Our previous friendly against Rayo Vallecano much the same, free flowing football and quick paced attacks. We didn't seem afraid to try something, which in games is all you need – along with luck of course. The tour in Finland regardless of the structure of the teams we played or the quality of the sides for me is important, the fact Chris Kiwomya wanted to get the players bonding and to have fun, it can't be faulted and it seems to have paid dividends with morale being high. Before the signings, I must admit I was getting concerned – much like I was when Chris Kiwomya took over but he's earned the word 'faith' and I put my trust in any future decisions. This leaves me to discuss the upcoming season which isn't far away now at all, I'm very excited about this as I stuck to my promise and purchased a season ticket. I also plan to attend as many away games as I can but not everybody can and I feel very fortunate that I can. Whilst a section of fans were thinking relegation ahead, I was thinking mid table, around the 12th position. Having had time to reflect on the friendlies, see the players and take into consideration that the teams we've played are of a better standard of football it's looking more rosy for us. I definitely feel that we can achieve a play-off place, if we can pick up big results I do not see why we can't push more but ultimately this will fall down to the character of the players and the hope that we the fans can encourage them or pick 'em up when they're dropping their heads. I would love to see a repeat of the Galatasaray game, the support was second to none. If we can bulk our squad a little more, with strengthening to the midfield and centre backs for rotation/cover, we will have a squad capable of challenging anywhere from around 4th up. The pitch looks good, the fans are optimistic which leads to a really good go this season.

Question asked by weymouthPIE; Overall how pleased have you been with the progress Notts County FC has made on and off the field since you've been at the helm? I am one of these guys who is never satisfied. I always want better and I want better for Notts. So to answer your question - no I am not. Yes we have come a long way I believe but we still have some way to go Question asked by MuddyPatchPie; Do you have any plans to sell the naming rights to the stadium to generate income and if so would you stipulate that "Meadow Lane" is part of the name? Yes we would sell naming rights to Meadow Lane providing it generated a sum which I considered suitable. We would endeavour to keep Meadow Lane as part of this Question asked by MuddyPatchPie; When you first purchased Notts County you must have had a long term plan. Are you still on track with that? Yes overall we are on the course to the targets I set. Question asked by MuddyPatchPie; Can you reveal one from the past and one for the future Notts related secret to wet our appetites for next season? There are none really that come to mind from the past. We do have 2 more targets in our sights – 1 being a midfielder who is an International and the other is a striker Question asked by TonyHateley; I understand if you can't answer this Mr. Trew but my question is when Keith Curle was sacked did you consider approaching Steve Cotterill or Neil Warnock to return to the club in any capacity. No to both. Firstly, Steve left my employment and whilst I cannot deny he did a good job during his time with us I felt he let me down and for that reason I wouldn’t give him another chance. We could never satisfy Neil demands on salary and for that reason I did not want to insult him and therefore no approach was made. Question asked by TonyHateley; What has been your happiest moment since taking over and what was the worst moment. Without a shadow of doubt the best moment was gaining promotion from League 2. The worst was the equaliser Man City scored in the FA Cup to force a replay. I really thought we would hang on for the win Question asked by TonyHateley; I am sure there have been lots of players that the club have tried to sign in your time and have failed for whatever reason, which player do you most regret slipping through your fingers. I have saying in that should not not regret the ones you didn’t sign only some of the ones you did Question asked by Super Ram; Since The Rams were relegated from the Premier League, after one disastrous season, us Derby fans have had to be very patient, with the spending constraints imposed by our owners. We at last seem to have a team capable of making a serious promotion challenge. You have also 'tightened your belt' with Notts. My questions are - How are Notts progressing financially after all the steps you have taken and how long before Notts fans can look forward to their own serious promotion push. I also realise some fans may not like your answers. I did say on record at the end of the last campaign that I was reducing the playing budget by 30%. However I have not done this and my reason really was I felt I had to give Chris Kiwomya every chance to succeed. I think we are 1 or 2 players away from making a serious bid for promotion. Question asked by Joe Jones; What plans do you have in place to attract "sleeper" fans, ie those who have an affinity towards Notts but don't attend games, or haven't attended any for a while? I wish I knew the magic answer to this question. We are always trying to think outside the box to not only attract stay away fans but to seduce new fans both young and old. I think the easiest way would be to give them a team capable of promotion and one that plays attacking attractive football. Question asked by Joe Jones; How can we ensure that the club has enough home shirts in stock all season for every fan to purchase one if they so wish? Many fans were left empty-handed last season after the home shirts ran out by the end of 2012. For a football club not to have any current season home shirts on sale either in the club shop or official website is frankly unheard of, and this needs to be addressed. I would rather be in the position of having no stock to sell than a shop full of shirts we have to sell off at huge discounts. Unfortunately with our current provider there is a minimum order of 1000 shirts and one has to take a view if we can sell this quantity or not. Our current agreement expires at the end of this season and we have started negotiations now with our current supplier and 3 other well known brands. It will be a stipulation of ours that we can order in batches of 100. Hopefully this will rectify the situation to everyone's satisfaction Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Mr Trew for kindly agreeing to do this Q/A and to take the time to answer, it's very much appreciated by our community. I would also like to say a big thank you to the members who put questions forward for this feature, I enjoyed reading the questions as this progressed.

2013/2014 Sky Bet League One Summer Transfers: Bradford City Manager: Phil Parkinson Ins: Niall Heaton (Liverpool; second-year apprentice), Jason Kennedy (Rochdale; free), Mark Yeates (Watford; free) Outs: Dean Overson, Adam Baker, Steve Williams, Zavon Hines, Matt Duke (Northampton Town; free), Will Atkinson (Southend United; free) Brentford Manager: Uwe Rösler Ins: Martin Fillo (FC Viktoria Plzen; loan), Javi Venta (Villarreal; free), Jack Bonham (Watford; free), George Savile (Chelsea; loan), Alan McCormack (Swindon Town; free), Will Grigg (Walsall; fee yet TBC), Jake Bidwell (Everton; Undisclosed fee) Outs: Antonio German (Gillingham; free), Harry Forrester (Doncaster Rovers; fee yet TBC) Bristol City Manager: Sean O'Driscoll Ins: Frank Fielding (Derby County; Undisclosed fee), Aden Flint (Swindon Town; around £300k), Derrick Williams (Aston Villa; free), Jordan Wynter (Arsenal; free), Scott Wagstaff (Charlton Athletic; free), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich Town; Player Swap Deal) Outs: Cole Skuse (Ipswich Town), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jon Stead (Huddersfield Town), Lewin Nyatanga (Barnsley), Richard Foster (Glasgow Rangers + a friendly match), Paul Anderson (Ipswich Town; Player Swap Deal), Matthew Bates, Brian Howard, Dean Gerken (Ipswich Town), Mark Wilson, Lewis Carey Carlisle United Manager: Greg Abbott Ins: Reece James (Manchester United; loan), Josh Gillies (Gateshead; tribunal fee TBC), David Amoo (Tranmere Rovers; free), Alex Salmon (professional contract), Jack Lynch (professional contract) Outs: Adam Collin (Rotherham United; free), Mathieu Manset, Peter Murphy, Frank Simek, Rory Loy, Jon-Paul McGovern, Tony Caig (retired), Andy Welsh (Scunthorpe United; free) Colchester United Manager: Joe Dunne Ins: Craig Eastmond (Arsenal; free), Sanchez Watt (Arsenal; free), Mason Spence (Milton Keynes Dons; free), Danny Pappoe (Chelsea; loan), Sam Walker (Chelsea; loan) Outs: Matt Heath, Jackson Ramm, Bradley Hamilton (Concord Rangers; free), John White (Southend United; free), Jack Compton (Hartlepool United; free) Coventry City Manager: Steven Pressley Ins: Leon Lobjoit, Louis Garner, Lewis Rankin, Ben Maund (all professional contracts), Outs: Richard Wood, Jordan Stewart (San Jose Earthquakes; free), Danny Philliskirk, Stephen Elliott, Nathan Cameron (Bury; free), Cody McDonald (Gillingham; free), Will Roberts, Joe Henderson, Shaun Jeffers, Josh Ruffels Crawley Town Manager: Richie Barker Ins: Andy Drury (Ipswich Town; free), James Hurst (Valur; free) Outs: Richard Brodie (Gateshead, free), David Hunt (Oxford United; free), Shaun Cooper, Matt Sparrow (Scunthorpe United; free), Mustapha Dumbuya (Notts County; free), Lateef Elford-Aliyu Crewe Alexandra Manager: Steve Davis Ins: Vadaine Oliver (Lincoln City, Undisclosed fee), Thierry Audel (Macclesfield Town; free), Lee Molyneux (Accrington Stanley; free), Anthony Grant (Stevenage; free) Outs: Joe Gorman (Inverness Caledonian Thistle; free), Luke Murphy (Leeds United; Undisclosed fee), Andy White, Harry Clayton, Brendon Daniels, Paris Bateman, Brandon Moores, Liam Wilson, Toby Appleton Gillingham Manager: Martin Allen Ins: Joe Gritt (Hayes & Yeading United; free), Amine Linganzi (Accrington Stanley; free), Antonio German (Brentford; free), Adebayo Akinfenwa (Northampton Town; free), Cody McDonald (Coventry City; free), Tommy Forecast (Southampton; free) Outs: Jack Evans (Tamworth; free), Andy Frampton (AFC Wimbledon; free), Lewis Montrose (York City; free), Jack Payne (Peterborough United; Undisclosed fee), Deon Burton Leyton Orient Manager: Russell Slade Ins: Jake Larkins (West Ham United; free), Shaun Batt (Millwall; free), Yohann Lasimant (Unattached) Outs: Jimmy Smith (Stevenage; free), Michael Symes (Burton Albion; free), Charlie MacDonald (Oldham Athletic; free), Anthony Griffith (Port Vale; free), Lee Cook, Leon McSweeney, Martin Rowlands, Lee Butcher Milton Keynes Dons Manager: Karl Robinson Ins: Patrick Bamford (Chelsea; loan), Ben Reeves (Southampton; free), Jason Banton (Crystal Palace; loan) Outs: Mason Spence (Colchester United; free), Ryan Lowe (Tranmere Rovers; free), Gary MacKenzie (Blackpool; Undisclosed fee), Adam Chicksen (Brighton & Hove Albion; Undisclosed fee), Mathias Doumbe, Charlie Burns Notts County Manager: Chris Kiwomya Ins: Malcolm Melvin (Aston Villa; free), Andy Haworth (Rochdale; free), Mustapha Dumbuya (Crawley Town; free), Danny Haynes (Charlton Athletic; free), Kyle Dixon, Romello Nangle, Malachi Lavelle-Moore (all professional contracts), David Bell (Coventry City; free) Outs: Jeff Hughes (Fleetwood Town; free), Alan Judge (Blackburn Rovers; free), Neal Bishop, Julian Kelly, Hamza Bencherif, Liam Mitchell, Jake Wholey Oldham Athletic Manager: Lee Johnson Ins: Jonson Clarke-Harris (Peterborough United; Undisclosed fee), James Dayton (Kilmarnock; free), Sidney Schmeltz (SC Veendam; free), Korey Smith (Norwich City; free), Mark Oxley (Hull City; loan), Charlie MacDonald (Leyton Orient; free), Anton Rodgers (Brighton & Hove Albion; free), Edijs Joksts (Unattached; free) Outs: Connor Hughes (Hyde; free), Matt Smith (Leeds United; free), Alex Cisak (Burnley; free), Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers; free), Jean-Yves M'voto (Doncaster Rovers; free), Robbie Simpson, Dean Bouzanis, Liam Jacob, Daniel Taylor Peterborough United Manager: Darren Ferguson Ins: Jack Payne (Gillingham, Undisclosed fee) Outs: Jonson Clarke-Harris (Oldham Athletic; Undisclosed fee), George Boyd (Hull City; free), Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace; Undisclosed fee) Port Vale Manager: Micky Adams Ins: Kaid Mohammed (Cheltenham Town; free), Chris Robertson (Preston North End; free), Gavin Tomlin (Southend United; free), Chris Lines (Sheffield Wednesday; free), Anthony Griffith (Leyton Orient; free) Outs: John McCombe (Mansfield Town; free), Sam Morsy (Chesterfield; Undisclosed fee), Darren Purse, Kingsley James, Calvin Andrew, Clayton McDonald, Ashley Vincent Preston North End Manager: Simon Grayson Ins: Tom Clarke (Huddersfield Town; free), Chris Humphrey (Motherwell; free), Declan Rudd (Norwich City; loan), Kevin Davies (Bolton Wanderers; free) Outs: Chris Robertson (Port Vale; free), Andy Proctor (Bury; free), Luke Foster Rotherham United Manager: Steve Evans Ins: Joe Skarz (Bury; free), Richard Brindley (Chesterfield; free), Adam Collin (Carlisle United; free), Danny Hylton (Aldershot Town; free), David Worrall (Bury; Undisclosed fee), Robert Milsom (Aberdeen; free), Michael Tidser (Greenock Morton; £50k) Outs: Nicky Hunt (Accrington Stanley; free), Ian Sharps (Burton Albion; free), Dale Tonge (Torquay United; free), Andy Warrington, Alec Denton Sheffield United Manager: David Weir Ins: Jasper Johns (Everton; free), Sean McGinty (Manchester United; free), Stephen McGinn (Watford; free), Febian Brandy (Walsall; free), Lyle Taylor (Falkirk; Undisclosed fee), Conor Coady (Liverpool; loan) Outs: Barry Robson (Aberdeen; free), Dave Kitson (Oxford United; free), Jordan Chapell (Torquay United; free), Richard Cresswell (York City; free), Matt Harriott, Lescinel Jean-Francois, Danny Coyne Shrewsbury Town Manager: Graham Turner Ins: Alex McQuade (Bolton Wanderers; free), Dave Winfield (Wycombe Wanderers; free), Tamika Mkandawire (Millwall; free), Akwasi Asante (Birmingham City; loan), John Marsden (Stoke City; free) Outs: Marvin Morgan (Plymouth Argyle; free), Mark Wright, Rob Purdie (Hereford United; free), Matt Richards (Cheltenham Town; free), Ryan Doble, Asa Hall (Oxford United; loan), Jermaine Grandison Stevenage Manager: Graham Westley Ins: Luke Jones (Mansfield Town; free), Oumare Tounkara (Bristol Rovers; free), Simon Heslop (Oxford United; free), Sam Wedgbury (Macclesfield Town; free), Jordan Burrow (Morecambe; free), Jimmy Smith (Leyton Orient; free) Outs: Patrick Agyemang (Portsmouth; free), Michael Thalassitis (Ebbsfleet United; loan), Mark Roberts (Fleetwood Town; free), Anthony Grant (Crewe Alexandra; free), Andy Iro, Miguel Comminges, Bondz N'Gala Swindon Town Manager: TBA Ins: Jack Barthram (Tottenham Hotspur; free), Alex Smith (Fulham; free), Grant Hall (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Massimo Luongo (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Tijane Reis (Unattached), Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Nathan Byrne (Tottenham Hotspur; Undisclosed fee), Adam Rooney (Birmingham City; free) Outs: Joe Devera (Portsmouth; free), Aden Flint (Bristol City; £300k), Gary Roberts (Chesterfield; free), Alan McCormack (Brentford; free), Chris Smith, Simon Ferry, Raffaele De Vita, Tommy Miller Tranmere Rovers Manager: Ronnie Moore Ins: Stephen Foster (Barnsley; free), Evan Horwood (Hartlepool United; free), Ryan Lowe (Milton Keynes Dons; free), Akpo Sodje (Scunthorpe United; free), Chris Atkinson (Huddersfield Town; loan), James Rowe (Forest Green Rovers; free) Outs: Paul Black (Mansfield Town; free), Danny Harrison (Chester; free), David Amoo (Carlisle United; free), Michael Kay (Chester; free), Adam McGurk Walsall Manager: Dean Smith Ins: Milan Lalkovic (Chelsea; loan), Troy Hewitt (Queens Park Rangers; free), Richard O'Donnell (Chesterfield; free) Outs: Jake Jones (Tamworth; free), Febian Brandy (Sheffield United; free), Will Grigg (Brentford; fee yet TBC), Jamie Paterson (Nottingham Forest; Undisclosed fee), George Bowerman, Richard Taundry, Aaron Williams, Connor Taylor Wolverhampton Wanderers Manager: Kenny Jackett Ins: Sam Ricketts (Bolton Wanderers; free) Outs: Adam Hammill (Huddersfield Town; Undisclosed fee), Dorus De Vries (Nottingham Forest; free), Eggert Jonsson, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Stephen Hunt, Christophe Berra, Johnny Gorman, Sam Winnall, Jody Craddock (retired) Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Dan Phillips for providing us with the latest transfer news and we wish Port Vale the best of luck! Let's all do the Hughesy!! (Just not against us please)

49 took part out of 51 cyclists, how much money was raised by the event? The bike ride hopes to raise in excess of £5,000. Riders are collecting in the sponsorship in the coming weeks and we hope to have the final total available in August. On the 25th May 2010 a meeting was held in the boardroom to announce the launch of the Jimmy & Jack Memorial Fund , organised by Notts County fanzine - The Pie. Could you please tell us a little about the Statue Fund - Such as how it came about and if you have any further event(s) planned etc? The meeting, which was very well attended, saw the formation of the committee for the fund, whose primary aim was to raise the funds for a statue in honour of Notts County legends Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler. A committee was formed to help establish a fund raising campaign and design the statue, which will cost £75,000 The Jimmy and Jack statue fund raising committee was formed in 2011 by several fans who wanted to see the legends recognised and a statue made and funds now stand at £40, 387 (as at 19th June 2013). We do have other ideas about how to continue to raise funds and presently, we still have 116 plinth names (£25.00 each for a name) for sale, a limited number of the miniature statues for sale in the club shop, a rolling raffle to win a miniature statue. We also have a real asset in Jimmy Willan as a committee member and he has worked very hard to secure donations of football memorabilia from clubs across the country that we hope to have available through various events in the future. Our aim now is to have the funds raised by the end of the 13/14 season. How did the committee manage to gain interest and help from the ex players? Les Bradd plays a key role as part of the committee and it was his work, along with Paul Lowe (who sponsored the ride) that were able to secure the ride happening. Les through his obvious connection with the club and former players was able to encourage player participation and as you saw, they all entered into it with commitment and enjoyment. As a organizer of the event, how did you feel taking part in and how much did it mean to you? Taking part in the event was very important to me. I wasn't fortunate to see Notts under the leadership of Jimmy Sirrel, but I love the club I am passionate, along with many others to make sure we get this statue. This was my way as a committee member and a supporter to do my bit towards making it happen. It was great fun and surprisingly I would do it again for Jimmy and Jack . I will continue to do anything and everything that I am able to along with all other committee members but it must be said that it is the generosity of the fans that has got us to this point. If anyone wants to know more they can visit our website and of course they will always find a committee member in MLSB on matchdays. Pride of Nottingham would like to wish the Statue Fund all the best with raising the required amount and we would also like to thank Lisa Black for answering our questions, along with putting time aside to do so. Jimmy & Jack website; Visit Here

David cut his teeth in the world of football with Rusden & Diamonds, where he spent 6 years playing with the non league outfit. He made a total of 109 appearances with a further 13 being made as a substitute, he scored 10 goals for them. Luton Town then came in for the player, where he made a break through into their team as key player under Mike Newell the former Everton and Blackburn Rovers player and Kevin Blackwell. In January 2007 he signed a 3 year deal to stay at Luton until 2010 but was eventually loaned out to Leicester City. He made a total of 62 appearances for Luton Town with again 13 being made as a substitute, he scored 7 goals. His short loan deal with the Foxes saw him notch up a further 6 league starts, no goals scored. In 2008 David Bell signed for Norwich City for an undisclosed fee. He made a total of 12 appearances for Norwich City, with a further 7 being made as a substitute and no goals scored. On 29 January 2009, Coventry City then snapped up the player for an undisclosed fee reported to be around the region of £500,000. The 29 year old played his last game for Coventry City against us at Meadow Lane, which resulted in an entertaining 2-2 draw. He made 69 appearances for Coventry City with a further 25 being made as a substitute. He scored 5 goals during his time with the Sky Blues. Pride of Nottingham now welcomes the creative midfielder to the Meadow Lane and we eagerly await seeing him in action. You Pies! Discuss This Transfer - Inside our Community.

Mobile Users please visit | Gallery Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Kirk Ward for providing us with these excellent action shot, we wish him all the best with his budding photography. You can see more of Kirks work by visiting his Photography's Facebook Page.

Pride of Nottingham hopes you enjoy the photos, many thanks to Andy and Jimmy for use of their photos. To Derby and Back for Jimmy and Jack - Article | Photos for Mobile

For myself I had been disappointed that something I knew I could have helped with would be passing me by, I had quite seriously dislocated my knee and although I am now on the mend. I was advised that this would be too much and likely cause me further complications, I had taken to Facebook to filter my disappointment. I wasn't aware that help was required, so I was really chuffed when I was asked to consider being a Marshall. On the 14/07/2013 I arrived to see scenes which looked quite spectacular, a large amount of people lining up outside various places. From the main gate/conker tree, club shop all the way to the ticket office. Immediately I was alerted to the ex players who were forming to the side of the conker tree. It took me a little time to realize who some where, regardless of being told who was already there. I could only recognise players who I had grown up watching, the likes of Tommy Johnson, Steve Cherry, Mark Draper, Lawrie Dudfield and later “Charlie McParland”. After obtaining my high-visibility vest, it was soon time for myself and Andy Black to set off to our locations but before we could reach our points, Andy needed to pass on some more details, along with their vests to some of the other Marshall's and make sure they understood their location points. Andy also needed to place some ribbon to a bench, as concerns of turning right at a point was raised which could send the cyclists in the wrong direction. As we approached the area, the first team was already zipping by us but it was fairly large in numbers and it appeared that some had separated away from their team leaders. The ribbon was placed on the bench, as the third team was approaching and it was now our time to get into position. If we didn't reach our points fairly quickly, the first team would pass us by and we'd have no way of knowing if they were on course. Thankfully by the time I had reached my point nobody had passed the Marshall before my point, which was Jimmy Willan a name most if not all county fans will know. I set my point up, sat in my chair and took to taking some photos of my point, Nooning Lane. Quite a nice and peaceful area, I really like surroundings like this and I felt quite lucky to be stationed there. Not long after I had gotten comfortable, a car passed and some easily recognizable faces who seemed to be chanting county songs (possibly my name also but I couldn't quite tell). Then after that, the players approached who had broken off course and came flying passed me. Mark Draper was talking to the other three about Jimmy Willan and I heard one say 'Who's he?' and amusingly the other three piped up 'The guy who writes and sings those county songs' followed by a quick 'Oh right, yeah'. The first team passed me not long after and before I knew it, I was being kept company by Jimmy himself. A lovely man, my feeling of privilege and luck was almost sky high by this point. My grandfather had a lot of respect for Jimmy Willan, I often heard his songs as a child and when we went on trips we always sang 'County's the team for me'. I have to admit, which I hope is not taken the wrong way, I was a little nervous of seeming ignorant, as I was concerned that I would struggle to pick up his Scottish accent but unlike my next door neighbour (who's Irish) I could easily follow. Jimmy shared some really nice stories, I was surprised to learn that he had spent time living in and supporting Liverpool but the part I feel most came home was when he told me why he liked supporting Notts. Very similar to what made me connect, as when my Grandfather first took me I wasn't all that interested. I wanted to go watching Derby with my father, although this has been touched upon before by me. It was the fact that you can feel 'close' to the club and that players like Michael Johnson would speak to fans, a player my Grandfather often chatted too. During our conversation we had missed a phone call each from Andy, neither of us had heard our phones but the first team had set back off to Meadow Lane. I was a little saddened I didn't have longer to speak with Jimmy, although I hope there will be a next time. I stupidly sat back down forgetting I need to change locations, as I tend to forget things. I thought I noticed a part of our group which reminded me, so I folded my chair and collected my things. Before making a dash across to the other side and thankfully it wasn't any of our group. I took to trying to share the event via our Facebook Page and Twitter, although Twitter doesn't seem to like me sharing images via 3g and so I missed an opportunity there. All of a sudden a group of four emerged and I was on the phone to my wife, who notified me of a change at home. As the cyclists got closer and I'm not joking, I responded 'Oooh It's Tommy Johnson and Mark Draper'. Followed by Dudfield, Cherry and then Bartlett. They briefly stopped and chatted to me, Mark had noticed who I was and he asked me how I was (followed by a why aren't you doing this?'. Despite having spoken to Mark and Tommy quite a few times, I still felt like a child seeing their icon. Luckily, I didn't stutter and I spoke pretty clearly. By the time the second group had passed me, Andy had joined me and we was waiting for the other groups to pass. Andy took to taking some photos of the teams/cyclists who passed. I pointed them in the right direction and as soon as it started, we were on our way back. Quite amazing how events like this can bring a sense of pride, a word I'm rather fond of for obvious reasons. After sweeping and running some safety checks, I had found my way back to the starting point and the scenes again very impressive. I liked how the players mingled and everyone had huge smiles on their faces, it was nice to see younger fans turn up along with their parents. Time for the celebrations to start and several group photos, which I quite happily hide from but I did think it would have been nice to have a group photo of all the helping hands and organizers. The celebrations continued at the nearby Navi pub, where I was surprised to receive a certificate and photo with 3 three of our ex players. Also, noticeably the atmosphere increased after England had won their first test match. I'd like to take time to Thank Lisa and Andy Black, also Jimmy Willan and I'd like to give a special mention to one of our other Marshall's Shaun. Well Done to everyone involved and thank you, Photo's will eventually follow.

Born on 19th of January 1988, he started his career at youth level for Charlton Athletic before moving onto Ipswich Town. He made his senior debut in 2005, which saw him go on to make 115 appearances and scoring 17 goals, noticeably gaining popularity after scoring a last minute winning goal against arch-rivals Norwich City in the following year. Haynes was later loaned out to Millwall where he only made 5 appearances, scoring 2 goals. He's spent time with Bristol City and Barnsley making a combined 83 appearances and scoring 14 goals. Charlton Athletic signed Haynes on the 13th of January 2012 for an undisclosed fee, making a return to them after starting out as a youngster. Chris Kiwomya told the official site “I think everyone was aware that one of our top priorities this summer was adding extra firepower to the squad and I knew very early on that Danny was the man that I wanted to bring in.” “It was far from straightforward, but then it never is when you’re going after good players, they always have other clubs interested in them and that is reassuring in some ways,” he added. “I know Danny well, having seen him play at the very start of his career and I think he’s the perfect fit for Notts County, he's a player that has the ability to excite the fans and we're looking forward to seeing him in action.” Although his goal scoring record perhaps would leave room for some concern, the fashion he tends to score would not. The move to our club at League One level is exciting, he's a very natural player, with both pace and movement. A contributing factor that might well see him finding the net more for us, especially with the talk of strengthening our midfield. Pride of Nottingham would like to welcome Danny Haynes to Meadow Lane, we hope he enjoys his time with us and becomes a fan favourite. You Pies!