Chris

After the popular demand of our last upcoming games article, Pride of Nottingham returns with a view of Walsall FC, Preston North End, Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town. On 21st of January 2014 Notts County played against Peterborough United, it was a game fans perhaps didn't foresee quite en-frilling but in fact Notts secure two very early goals. The game ended 4-3 in Peterborough's favour, however the passion installed by Shaun Derry surely as captured a significant change. Thing's don't get easier for the Magpies, these next few games will be tricky. In our last edition I mentioned how we needed to prepare ourselves for the great escape, never did I think we would collect a huge 9 points from the 5 games played. However, I did feel Notts could gain 6, although realistically I felt 4 would be quite rewarding. This doesn't mean it's all over, however it bides us some time and a chance to gain additional points to push us adrift of the relegation zone. Walsall FC are a side which play free flowing football, although this isn't always the case and the perfect example would our scrappy away encounter at Bescot Stadium. Craig Westcarr is their highest goal scorer notching up 11 so far this season. Adam Chambers is their most persistent fouler with 6 yellow cards, although Andy Taylor isn't far behind with 5. Andy Butler is their only player to be sent off, although he has been yellow carded twice. In their last four games, they've picked up an impressive 8 points after drawing to Brentford 1-1 on the 18th January 2014. Sam Mantom clinched three points for saddler's as they beat Oldham Athletic 1-0, whilst at Tranmere Rovers they drew 1-1. Walsall also beat Sheffield United 2-1, which seen the club secure all 3 points after a 17 minute goal from Chris Porter. Preston North End have finally settled within League One, they're a much better side under Simon Greyson and they're a side which should not be under estimated. Former Nottingham Forest front man Joe Garner is their highest goal scorer with 13 goals, however they also have former Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies who's scored 5. John Welsh and Bailey Wright share 6 yellow cards each. Kevin Davies, Stuart Beavon, Neil Kilkenny and Paul Gallagher have all be sent off once. In their last four games, they've picked up 7 points in the league but notably defeated Ipswich Town 3-2 in the F.A Cup 3rd round replay. A late equaliser for Coventry meant the score finished 1-1, they lost 2-0 to Wolves. Beat Port Vale 3-2 after leading 3 nil for 69 minutes and they beat Shrewsbury Town 1-0. Coventry City despite struggling with financial hardship and starting this 2013/2014 campaign with -10 points, are a very capable side but they are not the same side without leading striker Leon Clarke. Naturally Leon Clarke is their highest goal scorer with 18 goals, however Callum Wilson notched up 15 and Franck Moussa with 13. A lot depends on if they can keep Leon Clarke who surprised the Sky Blues fans by handing in a transfer request, although they process a very talented attacking squad. John Fleck and Conor Thomas both share 6 yellow cards each, whilst Carl Barker is the only Coventry City player to be sent off. In their last four games, they've picked up 6 points. Two draws, 1-1 to Preston North End and 2-2 to Crawley. They beat Rotherham United 3-1 away from home in a game they were originally losing and draw to Oldham ending 1-1. On the 4th of January 2014 they also beat Barnsley 2-1, after also going down by 1 goal in the 3rd round of the F.A Cup. They now await Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the 4th round which will take place on the 24th of January 2014. Wolverhampton Wanderers are a side doesn't require an introduction, although we have some good results against them this season – they are a Championship side still featuring quite a few of their Premier League squad back from 2012. Leigh Griffiths is their highest goal scorer with 13 goal, whilst Bakary Sako is on 7. David Davis is the most persistent fouler in the Wolves side with 7 yellow cards and Richard Stearman is their only player to be sent off once – Surprised by this? I am. In their last four games, they've picked up 4 points which as seen them drop from league leaders to 3rd place and they're now 5 points behind Leyton Orient who sit back on top. Wolves beat Preston 2-0, they lost 1-0 Gillingham FC, draw 1-1 to Tranmere Rovers and drawing 1-1 to Leyton Orient. Shrewsbury Town are one of the weaker teams in League One, although they cannot be written off. They're a side that can surprise teams who fail to mark their offensive players. Tom Bradshaw is their highest goal scorer on 5, Joe Jacobson and Dave Winfield have 4 yellow cards each and Jon Taylor's their only player to be sent off once. In their last four games, they've picked up 3 points. They lost heavily to Rotherham United by 3 goals to nil, they narrowly lost 3-2 to MK Dons and again to Leyton Orient, the final score 2-0. However, they beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 – the Shrews first win since the 30th of November 2013. I see Notts picking up 7 points, realistically who knows after our recent form but 5 would seem about spot on. My key game is against Coventry City – they're a side I see entertaining us at Meadow Lane, with a reasonable chance of achieving something from the game. Walsall and Shrewsbury are games which strike me as 'winnable', Shrewsbury Town being the side we must defeat for sure. COYP!!

Stevenage FC come into the game having impressively defeated play-off chasing Swindon Town at home 2-0. The struggling League One team who currently sit bottom of the table, find themselves in a similar situation as ourselves. On Saturday the 4th of January 2014, Stevenage FC managed to beat Doncaster Rovers in the 4th round of the F.A cup by 3 goals to 2. Prior to their win against Swindon Town in the league, Stevenage have struggled to pick up points having lost 3 games and drawing 2. Pride of Nottingham returns with our opposition view which gives you an insight of a Stevenage FC fan. Firstly, could you please tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself such as how long you've been a Stevenage fan? I moved to Stevenage in September 2005. I started going to watch Boro as a football loving neutral who felt he should support his local club, but quickly became a fan due to the great team ethic on show at Broadhall Way. I got my first season in the conference winning season and we haven't looked back since! At the start of the season what was your expectations and how does this compare to where Stevenage currently find themselves? We're bottom, so obviously I was hoping/expecting better than that. Realistically I was hoping for mid-table this season finishing 10-15th (which could still happen). We have a lot of squad re-balancing to do since Smith left and I don't expect that to be a quick process. Staying up would be a massive achievement from here, if we do that I can see a promotion challenge in 2015-16. How do you think opposition fans view Stevenage FC? The stereotypical view is "big, strong and physical" and you often get a tag of cynical thrown in for good measure. I'm happy for fans and teams to think that because that mean they underestimate the quality of the team to their detriment. I do think we have a problem with some match officials who come with those tags in the back of their mind and give all the 50:50s against us, but that's probably just my red and white tinted spectacles. Given we have one of the smallest budget in the league we have to make up for that with organisation and work-rate which is what the manager insists on from his players. Can you tell us what your thoughts are Graham Westley, do you rate or like him as a manager? Graham is an interesting character, you love him at your club and everyone else hates him (a bit like Neil Warnock). I wasn't a supporter of bringing Graham back last season because I didn't see how a man who left the club to take a 'bigger' role and then failed in that role could come back and still have respect in the dressing room. He clearly does though, and I love the team ethic he insists on from his footballer. Team before self. We know players will have to have the right mentality to sign for us, which is a major plus. After picking up François Zoko on a free transfer, as Notts deemed him to be surplus to requirements. He seems to have found form for Stevenage, what is your view on this? Zoko has been excellent, just what we needed and much better than he expected given we signed him on a free having been released from you guys. We lacked a clinical goal scorer and front man, particularly when Darius Charles was injured against Everton in the league cup (he's just now back after a lengthy break which is great for us!) I was delighted to see we'd signed him til the end of the season because without him I struggled to see where our goals were coming from to keep us up. Zoko himself has said he's enjoying playing a consistent position as the lead striker, which he hasn't had at previous club which might explain his change in performances. Which League One team have you most looked forward to seeing play so far this season? Peterborough, and in truth they were pretty disappointing. I enjoyed seeing Bozzie (Michael Bostwick) who was a massive player for us back in the day, but he's wasted at centre back. Far more potent in the Steven Gerrard type midfield role he played for us! What have been your best and worst experiences as a Stevenage fan? It's been mostly good. My best and worst experiences were both against Sheffield United, beating them at the Lamex in Novermber of the 2011/12 season, but then losing to them in the play-off semi final of the same season. Growing up a Wednesday fan it's always good to see United losing, but don't ask me about Stevenage 5 Sheffield Wednesday 1, I nearly exploded that day. How important is Saturday for you and what do you think the outcome will be? I don't think it's helpful to over-egg the importance of a single game. I wouldn't call it a must win. Every game is important though due to the hole our pre Christmas form has left us in. We particularly need better results against the teams around us in the league, so clearly we desperately need to get one over on you tomorrow! What formation and starting 11 do you see Graham Westley choosing? Westley will go 4,4,2. I expect to be unchanged from Swindon on Tuesday with Day in goal, Smith at right back, Hartley at left back, Jones and Ashton center backs. Doughty and Heslop in central midfield, Freeman left mid, Morais right mid, Akins and Zoko up front. Morais, Freeman and Akins will rotate positions throughout the game. We have had a couple of loan signings recently but I wouldn't expect to see them in the starting line up, maybe from the bench. Which Stevenage players do you feel pose Notts County their main threat? Zoko is obviously our most potent goal threat but Freeman is our man most likely to take someone on, beat them and create space for the rest of the team. He has great pace and technical ability and is deceptively strong for his size, if he can get his decision making and end product right he will follow in George Boyd's footsteps and play at the highest level. How would you handle the main threats to Stevenage and which opposition players do you think will be key to have mark out of the game? Enoch Showumni has goals in him, and Danny Haynes's pace will be a threat since our back 4 is short of pace. If If we can keep you playing in front of us and stop you threading through balls behind the back-line that will make the afternoon a lot more comfortable. What is Stevenage like for travelling supporters? Can you tell us where opposition fans might find parking or things to do before kick off? Stevenage is a friendly town and club. The East Terrace fans do like some banter with the away fans, but it is all good natured and comedy away fans get great respect. Parking near the ground is limited. Fairlands Valley Park has match day car-parking and is easily reached. If coming from the A1(M), follow the A602 as it should lead you to the car park, which will be on the left. If coming from the A10 along the A602, you will have to double back on yourself at the roundabout outside the ground to reach the car park. (Pinched from http://www.boroguide.co.uk/clubs/stevenage.php#.UtlASvvLcts a great resource for away fans). The station is 15 minutes walk from the ground and is well sign-posted. If you are at Stevenage early your best bet is to head up to the Old Town where the best restuarants and pubs are. In the New Town you will find a high street full of generic shops and a Wetherspoons like every other town center you've ever been to. Nearer to the ground Our Mutual Friend is a CAMRA pub with great real ales and ciders, and there is also a bar behind the away stand called The Broadhall Suite in which home and away fans can watch the lunchtime kick-off amicably. If you fancy a pre match stroll head north from the ground through Fairlands Valley Park which has woodland and lakes. It will be very muddy at this time of year though! Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Patrick for stepping in and recovering this feature as all seemed lost. We wish Stevenage FC all the best with regards to the rest of their season and hopefully the best team will win on Saturday.

On the 21st December 2013, a Meadow Lane fixture against Bristol City took place. On the half hour mark, a crunching challenge from City player Greg Cunningham on Gary Liddle saw the Notts player crumble to the ground. The referee, amazingly, didn't see fit to punish the Bristol player, as Liddle was forced to make way for Mark Fotheringham. The final outcome was a draw, but frustratingly the Magpies lost a key part of their team. The injury is on the minds of many Notts fans & the PoN community, for whom Liddle's return to fitness is a key concern in the battle against relegation. Fans have received limited news since his injury, except for the fact that Liddle may be out for the remainder of the season. However, a recent video interview published by Notts County on the Magpie Player saw Gary speaking about the injury and what he has been up to. He began by saying: “It's different obviously, I've played a lot of games over a number of years and I haven't been injured in any of that.” He went on to add: “I've been spending a lot time in the gym at the moment with the physios but yeah, I've got my head around it now, it's frustrating sitting in the stands and watching but I am working very hard to come back as quickly as possible”. The fact he’s returned quickly to conditioning gym work and is working alongside the physios is clearly a good thing. Gary continued: “Well, from the time after the injury, you know the first thing that we’ve done was to get it scanned and the results that came back (showed) that there was a little bit of ligament damage – a couple of ligaments. An operation wasn't needed, that was the first positive news that we got. I was more or less straight back into the gym after the swelling had come down to get fit again. You know I must say I'm feeling great, it's not going to be any time soon I don't think but yeah things are working well, I am doing a lot of time on bikes and swimming pools, cross trainers, but I feel like I am training for a triathlon more than coming back for football - I am keeping my fitness up which is the important thing.” So it's now confirmed that there was no breakage, it's ligament/muscle related and that there isn't any need for him to have an operation. Promising news so far. To find out more visit the Magpie Player; Link Here

Pride of Nottingham reflections on our upcoming games against Crawley Town, Bradford City, Sheffield United, Peterborough United and Stevenage FC. Notts County’s Boxing Day defeat against Port Vale saw the Magpies’ three-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt end. As 2013 comes to a close, they need to prepare themselves wisely for some pretty big encounters to follow if they are to drag themselves out of the bottom four. After these five games, two of which see Notts face two promotion contenders, things don’t get any easier - Walsall, Preston, Coventry and Wolves. It's now we should prepare for the great escape and try to gain advantages over the lesser teams in League One. Crawley Town have the ability to get back into games where they've gone behind; they are a fairly average side, but could potentially threaten. Their season started quite brightly, even though a recent dip in form has seen them fall to 13th place. Billy Clarke is their highest goal scorer with 7 strikes to his name. They’ve had three players yellow carded four times, but nobody in the squad has been red carded more than once. In their last four games, they've picked up 4 points. The game against Preston saw them scoring twice to come back from losing positions – 2-2 was the final score. Their game against Bristol Rover (F.A Cup 2nd Round) was postponed due to weather. They then beat current league leaders Leyton Orient 3-2 away from home and lost 2-0 against the MK Dons on Boxing Day. Bradford City, a team that Notts took the lead against back in late November, is a side with some very young talented footballers. They also started their season quite brightly, although they have now in mid-table; their form of late has seen them slip since occupying the promotion places back in October. Nahki Wells is their highest goal scorer with 15 to his name, a great start to the season for the 23-year-old. They also contain threats from James Hanson and Kyel Reid who have scored 10 goals between them. Impressively, they haven't picked up any red cards, although Rory McArdle has picked up 5 yellows. In their last four games they've drawn twice; 1-1 against Oldham Athletic and 1-1 against league leaders Leyton Orient. They narrowly lost against Peterborough 2-1 and to Rotherham United 1-0 on Boxing Day. Sheffield United, a side nobody needs reminding about, has seen a disappointing 2013/2014 campaign. They’ve spent the season so far flirting with relegation, but continue to show signs that manager Nigel Clough can turn things around. The former Derby boss seems to have introduced a bit of determination to the squad after a disappointing defeat against Gillingham FC. Their highest goal scorer, Harry Maguire, has a meagre five goals to his name this season, followed closely by Jose Baxter on four. Maguire also joins us with a joint six yellow cards, along with teammate Tony McMahon. Meanwhile, former Notts striker Fabien Brandy is their only player to be sent off. In their last four games, Sheffield United have picked up five points. They beat Cambridge United 2-0 in the F.A Cup 2nd round, followed by winning Swindon Town 1-0 and then drawing in a goalless game against Stevenage FC. In their last game they drew 1-1 with Oldham Athletic after an early second half equaliser. Peterborough United, who a fan deemed 'one of the best teams in Europe' earlier in the season with us, modestly contains many key players who could be playing Championship football. They haven't fallen outside of the play-offs all season and have been league leaders a number of times, until a string of four defeats in a row – a reminder it happens to the best of us. Britt Assombalonga has scored a sensational 17 goals so far, and is Peterborough's highest goal scorer by far - Lee Tomlin, the second-highest, is on seven. Assombalonga, Michael Bostwick and Danny Swanson all have five yellow cards each, while three have each been sent off once. In their past four games, Peterborough have picked up a total of 4 points. They beat League Two Newport County in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy Southern Semi Final 3-0. They then drew 2-2 against struggling Gillingham FC, with a late 97th minute goal coming from Assombalonga. They then beat Bradford City 2-1 and lost against Coventry City having taken the lead twice, 4-2 the final score. Stevenage FC are a side whose misfortunes have seen them move clear of the relegation drop after beating Crawley, only to free fall back into the relegation zone. They are a below-average League One team with some very capable players, one of which Notts fans may remember. Francois Zoko is their highest goal scorer with 10 goals, who signed on a free transfer after we decided he wasn’t up to scratch for the Magpies. Filipe Morais is a close second with 7. Michael Doughty, a player I'm going to punt will be sent off against us, currently has a total of 9 yellow cards to his name this season but surprisingly he hasn't been sent off! However, Lucas Akins and Roarie Deacon have a red card each. In their past four games, Stevenage FC have picked up 2 points. They lost to Swindon Town in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy Southern Semi Final after an 82 minute equaliser in normal time led to a penalty shoot-out, which they lost 3-1. They then drew to Port Vale 2-2, Sheffield United 0-0 and surprisingly got thrashed by Colchester United 4-0. Perhaps a good sign? Don't get your hopes up, Zoko is no doubt going to score against us; how many times have we seen ex-players turn up to their old hunting ground and have the game of their life? I see Notts getting six points from these five games. Realistically you could say four, but in football you never know – we might come away with much more. My key game is against Sheffield United – they're a side I hope we can get something out of and perhaps surprise ourselves. The games against Crawley Town and Stevenage FC are the winnable ones; we cannot slip up. Let's hope Shaun Derry can inspire our lads to start the near year off brightly, we can do this! COYP!