Chris

So Notts County have taken their place at the top of the pile in League Two following their marvellous 4-1 win over Lincoln City at the weekend. They now face their biggest mission, taking on second-placed Exeter City away at St James' Park on Tuesday night. Here is Chris's scouting report for our midweek game this week. History Notts County and Exeter City have met a total of 44 times over their history. The first meeting came at St James’ Park in Division Three (South) on 1 November 1930, and it which finished as a 3-3 draw. The Magpies have an excellent record against the Grecians; out of those 43 games, Notts claimed a result in 36, with 17 wins and 19 draws. Our recent form (last five) is not too bad, with two wins, two draws and one defeat. Run-down of their last six fixtures Saturday 26th August – Cheltenham Town 3 Exeter City 4 Saturday 2nd September – Exeter City 1 Newport County 0 Saturday 9th September – Forest Green Rovers 1 Exeter City 3 Tuesday 12th September – Barnet 1 Exeter City 2 Saturday 16th September – Exeter City 3 Crewe Alexandra 0 Saturday 23rd September – Coventry City 2 Exeter City 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Reuben Reid 7, Lee Holmes 2, Jake Palmer 2 and Jayden Stockley 2. Persistent Foulers; Lloyd James 4 yellow cards, Jordan Tillson 3 yellow cards, Hiram Boateng 2 yellow cards and Reuben Reid 1 yellow card. The Key Players The standout player for Exeter City is Reuben Reid who is a versatile player able to drift onto the wing, whilst remaining a lethal finisher upfront – his experience within League Two is one of their main focus points. In midfield the duo of Lloyd James and Jake Taylor offer them a lot of creativity, with the pair easily being the driving force behind the team. Jordan Tillson also likes to get forward from defence and is a very robust player at the back – who is tactically aware at most times. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Exeter City use a mix of passing on the ground and using the air to confuse their opposition, they appear very comfortable attacking in both fashions – yet they look more dangerous when they attack through the centre of the park. Going forward they are very confident, and can force play by passing in awkward positions which makes it harder to defend from an oppositions point of view. They move strategically going forward which invites play for their strikers, and look to draw their counter-parts out as a way to get on goal sight. Defensively they look awkward when teams assert pressure, and against taller opposition teams they can tend to leak goals – however they generally avoid relapses in their concentration and organise themselves very effectively. Notts will have to stand tall upfront, walking hard to make use of whatever chances may fall their way. Space will be given outside their area which Notts could use to their advantage, yet space within the penalty area should be limited due to the tightness that Exeter leave. Corners would be best to use a second player to drill in the pass – rather than going direct and any chance on goal sight must be taken. Share your thoughts about this scouting report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Pride of Nottingham spoke to a number of Notts County fans and asked them a few questions ahead of the Magpies' League Two derby against Lincoln City at Meadow Lane, which ended in a resounding 4-1 win over the Imps. If you would like to feature, get in touch! Feel free to submit potential questions below and we will look into asking them. Be sure to subscribe, share, like and comment - Your support is greatly appreciated. Visit us on: Website: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/ Community: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/community/ Don't forget to register on our site, look out for us on social media and at live games. COYP!

Highlights from the Magpies' convincing win against the Imps at Meadow Lane.

One of the main talking points between Notts County v Lincoln City was the 28th minute incident, where Billy Knott dangerously went in studs showing on Ryan Yates – which earned The Imps player a red card. However, despite the media and Lincoln manager Danny Cowley labelling it as the ‘changing moment’ – I would honestly disagree. The first half wasn’t productive for either sides, the way Lincoln set themselves up cancelled out both teams and the game ended largely even despite them going down to 10 men – which for me was the correct decision. Danny Cowley believes his players have ‘personal space’ on the pitch, but as an ex-footballer he should know there is no such thing. He said: “It’s quite clear that Billy Knott is about to hook the ball on and Ryan Yates, ridiculously bravely, throws his head into Billy’s personal space and there’s a bit of contact.” – yet what you see is a player going for a ball before any movement is made by any Lincoln player. What is ridiculous is the fact this bad challenge is being used as a very weak excuse as to why his side lost a football match. Knott dangerously kicks high, his studs are raised and it’s clear that with such a tight amount of space that any sort of high movement would be dangerous – I find it ludicrous that a manager wouldn’t acknowledge this, let alone believe he stands a chance at having the decision rescinded. Let’s face it, the red card wasn’t remotely the defining moment in the game but of course bitter people will suggest this. Despite going down to 10 men Lincoln still enjoyed spells of the first half, where I actually felt that they didn't appear to be without a player at all – they seemed to cope fine and even after Jon Stead scored they looked decent in control. I was taking pictures when they scored, however I spoke to several fans and they all praised Lincoln for getting back into the game. The defining moment was after they scored, Notts County simply got on with it and took control of the game by pulling themselves 2-1. This for me is the ‘defining moment’, as it appeared Notts had broken the chains which restrained them within the first half. You could argue that it created space, yet I encourage people who read this – go back and look at how Lincoln organised themselves. And the Pride of Nottingham Man of the Match Jon Stead deserves a lot of praise with how he dealt with being heavily marked – perhaps if Lincoln hadn’t decided to stick multiple players on him they would have handled the space better. Seriously, I believe there was a positive reaction to Lincoln scoring and I know Kevin Nolan has mentioned that he sees we have 6-7 leaders on the pitch but it was almost like the opposition side didn’t exist, regardless if they was one man down. After Matt Tootle scored, Lincoln seemed to be broken. Perhaps it was frustration or simply that Notts did truly shown their class within the squad half – yet whatever we threw at them they simply didn’t defend well. There’s little excuses beyond how Lincoln defended, hence why I feel that the red card is their way of clutching onto defeat. After the match, I walked back to the train station with a group of 100+ Lincoln fans due to the Nottinghamshire police pushing into their path and I didn’t hear any complaints about the red card or the referee. The only comment I heard was about how it would have been nice for them to end the game with 11 players on the pitch, yet notably accepted that they Notts ‘were one of the better teams’ The Imps had played. I actually felt they gave us a decent game, and played some good stuff attacking wise but from a defensive point of view they panicked, simple as that. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County have climbed to the top of League Two after a resounding 4-1 victory against 10-man Lincoln City. The Magpies rode out a tricky start at Meadow Lane to edge into a numerical advantage when Billy Knott was sent off for a high boot into the face of Ryan Yates. Notts then took the lead through Jon Stead and, despite being pegged back by Harry Anderson's equaliser, went on to strike thrice more, through Matt Tootle, Jorge Grant and ex-Imp Terry Hawkridge. Here is an in-depth analysis of the game from Chris. Was the result fair? Notts asserted domination after Lincoln pulled level, and despite all the whining about the red card and refereeing decisions, it was the correct decision. Ultimately Notts responded well after losing the lead. And I have explained further why the result was fair in my feature, "Billy Knott red card cannot be blamed for Lincoln City loss". How did Notts play? First half was disappointing, the players refused to keep the ball on the ground and this better suited Lincoln. I feel we were cancelled out, largely by negative game play but in the second half Notts managed to assert control of the game and from there it was one of the best second half performances I have seen at Meadow Lane for a long time. How did Lincoln City play? Firstly, I felt they played well. Attacking wise they reminded me of Notts with how we tend to force play but they worked the ball very nicely and created chances. It was obvious that they wanted the play to be primarily thought-out in the air, however several rash challenges and blatant cheating ultimately saw their performance spiral to a very low point. Why the Lincoln goalkeeper decided to go down at two periods to allow his team to have a ‘team talk’ is beyond me. Did our tactics work out? First half no, second half play was adjusted and the wider positions gave Notts what they needed. The players also focused on passing rather than hoofing and it was like watching a different game. Line-up wise it was spot on but Notts just need to remember to keep the ball down in the future. How did the referee perform? He was alright, I think some of the decisions he made was swayed by both teams players and Lincoln fans might moan about Matt Tootle but there were times several of their players did the exact same thing. I don’t think the official controlled the game very well, especially for since it was a local derby. Who do we play next? Next up, Exeter City – a game which they have been hyping quite a lot. It’s one of those games which will easily define the 2017-18 season for Notts. How should we play them? I don’t want to see Kevin Nolan opt for a defensive line-up, as I feel this would play into the hands of Exeter who will be heavily focused on attacking. To control the game, we should build slowly, pass the ball around into positions whereby we can guarantee more time to pick out the right pass. It’s important that we make a lot of movement as we move forward, as this will create better chances. Again the midfield will have to do a lot of running and hard-work, as this will help the defence handle Exeter. We just have to build careful and be prepared for them to throw everything at us, I think they start a lot like Swindon Town did – using a mix of pace and creativity to form good chances, so we must be alert at the back. Lincoln fan reaction (from the Lincoln Vital page) Scotimp: Danny said he wants to be around the top ten at the halfway stage. We are 12th, having played some very difficult games - we have played the top 2 away, for example, and the teams who are 3rd and 5th at home. We have also played the teams in 9th and 10th away. We are 4 points off the play-offs. We are in the Football League. We are not Tranmere. I'm pretty pleased with all of that. Croozey: I don't think we need a squad of 25. Two more would be enough. But I think in January we could see some of the current squad moved on and replaced. Hulloutpost: We dominated the game until the outrageous sending off against a team second in the league, high in confidence and with some very experienced/decent players. We are not far away from giving somebody a spanking and the sooner it comes the better. We have had a similar start (bit patchy and inconsistent but some good stuff also) to what we had last season and whilst this is undoubtedly a tougher league I have seen enough to know that we have better players than last year. Given a better rub of the green and a bit more sharpness on our part and we will be fine going into the January transfer window. I expect us to kick on at that point. 85 Horace Green: I was sat quite high up and admittedly saw the last three County goals from a distance, but it didn't look to me as if Farman was at fault for any of them. He does flatter to deceive sometimes but I'm not sure today was his fault at all. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County have recorded a fifth win on the spin and climbed to the top of League Two thanks to a 4-1 hammering of local rivals Lincoln City at Meadow Lane. The Magpies were under pressure early on but Billy Knott's red card for a wild challenge on Ryan Yates gave Kevin Nolan's team a man advantage. Jon Stead volleyed in the opening goal but the Imps hit back in the early stages of the second period as Harry Anderson's header pulled them level. Notts were soon back in front, with Matt Tootle rifling the hosts into the lead once again and celebrating in sluggish style, before Jorge Grant's stunning free kick made it 3-1. Terry Hawkridge then got one over his old employers by rounding off the scoring with a late goal. Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane to see County's amazing win over Lincoln - have a look through our fan photo gallery and see if you've made it in this week's Faces of PON! COME ON YOU PIES! Share your thoughts about this week's Faces of PON on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County have climbed to the top of League Two thanks to an emphatic 4-1 win against 10-man Lincoln City. The Magpies enjoyed a numerical advantage for a large chunk of the game after the Imps had Billy Knott sent off for a high boot on Ryan Yates in the 28th minute. Notts then went ahead before the break when a Jon Stead volley took a deflection and spun into the corner of the net. Lincoln hauled themselves level early in the second half through Harry Anderson’s looping header, but Matt Tootle rifled in a stunning second to restore the Magpies’ advantage after 55 minutes. Jorge Grant’s superb free-kick put County firmly in control and Terry Hawkridge wrapped up the points two minutes from time. Pride of Nottingham spoke to a number of Notts County fans at Meadow Lane before the game. We asked them a few questions, including who their unsung hero is so far this season, how crucial Kevin Nolan's contract extension is, and whether an early closure to the summer transfer window is good or bad. Share your thoughts about this week's Meet the Fans on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County are enjoying a purple patch at present, sitting second in League Two thanks to a four-game winning run, and eight unbeaten in all competitions. Up next for the Magpies is a local derby with Lincoln City coming to Meadow Lane to try their luck against Kevin Nolan's well-drilled side. Here is Chris's Scouting Report for this week. History Notts County and Lincoln City have met a total of 65 times in competitive matches over the years. The first fixture took the place all the way back in November 1893, a Division Two game in Nottingham which resulted in an away win for the Imps. The record currently stands at 34 wins for Notts, 15 defeats, and 16 draws. The last game between the two took place on 13 April 2010, a 3-1 win at Meadow Lane with goals from Lee Hughes, Graeme Lee and Delroy Facey and a strike from Steven Lennon for the opposition. Notts have won the last two meetings, with a draw prior to those and three defeats preceding that. Run-down of their last six features Saturday 19th August – Exeter City 1 Lincoln City 0 Saturday 26th August – Lincoln City 4 Carlisle 1 Saturday 2nd September – Lincoln City 0 Luton Town 0 Saturday 9th September – Stevenage 1 Lincoln City 2 Tuesday 12th September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Lincoln City 1 Saturday 16th September – Lincoln City 0 Mansfield Town 1 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Matt Green 3, Alex Woodyard 2, Oliver Palmer 2 and Billy Knott 2. Persistent Foulers; Matt Green 1 red card and 1 yellow card, Neal Eardley 3 yellow cards, Sean Raggett 3 yellow cards and Michael Bostwick 2 yellow cards. The Key Players Matt Green is the most well-known threat that Lincoln City bolster within their squad, he’s a mobile striker and useful on the ball – some may consider him past his former best but he is a player that is able to cause concern within any League Two defence. Despite the name Alex Woodyard is a very practical midfielder, he’s attacking minded but does have a bit of a temper. He’s pretty direct, likes to try to influence the tempo and adds a creative flair to The Imps midfield. They also have the experienced Michael Bostwick who plays to a similar fashion as Alex Woodyard, however he offers a defence mind-set even when going forward – his ability to pass and carve open teams is something Notts should be mindful of at all times. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Lincoln City like to play the passing game, usually it starts from the back and builds going forward. The majority of play tends to come from the flanks, and The Imps move the ball around very nicely even in limited space – they also deal very well with scrappy play often making the most of any opportunities that presents itself. Like the majority of League Two teams, Lincoln prefer to play defensively but within an attacking mind-set. They tend to commit plenty of players at the back, yet can break extremely well through a single player at any given moment. Their height offers them good options on goal, and is useful at the back when defending. However, from a defensive point of view – they do not like pace or direct runs into areas whereby there’s plenty of space. Whilst struggling to defend on break, and even from set pieces or crosses. This can force them to rush their own play, and has seen them give the ball away quite cheaply but they prefer to get the play back on the ground and ball to feet. Positional wise they organise themselves very well when given time, yet in the moment or under heavy threat it can become a free-for-all. If allowed to play, Lincoln impress – they have the ability to deliver long throw ins and often shoot from distance if space isn’t available to them. For Notts it will be about controlling the play, whilst building themselves from the back – the midfield will have to be grouped and prepared to make direct runs when chances occur. As opportunities will arise where the Magpies’ will be able to make chances pay from the open play. Share your thoughts about this scouting report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

This week, we have a surprise for you on Pride of Nottingham - we have not one but two Opposition Views for this weekend's League Two clash between Notts County and Lincoln City. Alongside our chat with Luke Kempson, we have also spoken to 20-year-old Andrew Bruce (@andrewbruce97), who has given PON another great insight into life as an Imps supporter. About Andrew: Truth be told, I’ve only been watching City since 2015, and I’d describe myself as being a fan since late 2016. I got into the club after moving to Lincoln in September 2015 to study at the university and have regularly watched games ever since. As I have only supported City for a short time I don’t have a huge array of players to pick from, but it is a tough pick between Sean Raggett and Alex Woodyard. As Raggs has actually moved on now (but is back on loan from Norwich) I’ll have to say Woodyard – a proper fans’ favourite. Q1- You guys were in non-league for a number of years. What went wrong and how has it been put right? Well, as just stated I wasn’t around the club at that time, and I can’t imagine how awful it must have been. I have read a lot about that period though and what I can gather is that Chris Sutton quitting as manager was a blow. Yes, he was a contentious figure, and made some awful loan signings, but he wasn’t helped by board disagreements over budget and FA Cup funds not being made available to him. However, the general consensus is had he stayed longer into his second season we would have stayed up in 2010-11. After he left relegation was almost inevitable. I think what changed was partly the fan group, the 617 Squadron, forming in late 2011 – and Bob Dorrian, the chairman, really stepping up and putting everything on the line to keep City afloat. Although it was 6 years in non-league, it was 6 years of a sort of stability that made people really appreciate the club – how it could have been taken away with that relegation and that this was a chance to build the club back up to where it belonged. Q2- Danny Cowley has been a revelation - just what makes him so special? Oh, Danny. What a man. Don’t forget about Nicky though too! The brothers are special in that this is their first professional job, and first time in the Football League, so they are giving it absolutely everything they’ve got. Their man-management is exceptional – they are people who players want to play under, and the way they keep the team going is unbelievable. This team never stop – we scored a lot of late goals last season and it was certainly no fluke, so the energy Danny and Nicky have instilled into the team is crucial. Also, his inherent belief in statistics and sports science played a huge part in the success of last year, and it is an approach not seen often in this level of football. Q3- You enjoyed a good cup run last season - can you give us an assessment of it? The cup run caught a lot of people off-guard I imagine, especially as it started so inauspiciously in the qualifying round against Guiseley. My first game of the competition was the 1st round against Altrincham, and from what I remember we were fairly poor that game – edged out the side in a division below us and definitely didn’t look like a cup-run sort of side. The next round against Oldham was the turning point not just in the Cup, but the season. There were over 7,000 fans inside Sincil Bank, which was unheard of at that stage, and it was the perfect game. Up 3-0 by half-time against a team 2 leagues above you, then concede 2 quickfire goals midway through the 2nd half, so you’re left so on edge for the last 15 minutes you’re in the row below! And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we could barely see the action in the last 5-10 minutes as heavy fog came down and made visibility almost non-existent. It all just added to the game though and made it that bit more special. The Ipswich games were when Lincoln first really caught the attention of the nation, and we were unlucky not to win at Portman Road – over 5,000 Imps made the journey, and the ‘Impvasion’ hashtag was born. But a draw meant that a replay at the Bank, under floodlights and on BBC 1 was required, and the feeling when Nathan Arnold rounded the helpless Ipswich keeper was indescribable. I’d said to my mate minutes earlier “we’ve scored a lot of late goals this season, we could do it again” and then it happened. Yes! Brighton was when most people expected it to end I think, especially when they went 1-0 up – what was I thinking when I thought we could win – they were leading the Championship for goodness sake, what did you expect?! But that penalty from Alan Power and Theo popping up again meant we were in dreamland – we’re going through, and surely we’ll get one of the big boys this time?! No disrespect to Burnley, but the draw was a bit of an anti-climax – we’d earnt a huge tie – a Chelsea, Man United etc, but got Burnley. Now we were definitely going out – Burnley had just drawn against Premier League champions-elect Chelsea the previous week, we had no chance. Their team was fairly strong, but I was determined to enjoy the day, particularly since it was the first Cup away game I’d been to. What. A. Day. No words could give an assessment of that Burnley game – the split second when the David Fishwick stand had our hearts in our mouths, eyes glued to the referee as he looked at his goal decision watch…had Sean Raggett’s header crossed the line? He pointed back to the halfway line and blew, and then it was all a blur. Mental. The Arsenal game really was just a day out, no more than that! Obviously, we all wanted to win, and had hopes of Arsene playing a weak team, but when we saw Koscielny, Ramsey and Sanchez we knew it was over. If only Nathan Arnold had scored that chance in the first half... What a cup run that was though, something that will never be repeated in Lincoln’s history I’m sure, and will take some beating from any non-league side in the future. Not only was it enjoyable on the pitch, but the revenue gained from it was a massive financial boost and has left the club in the black for the first time in years. Q4- With Notts, Lincoln, Chesterfield and Mansfield all in League Two this season, which game are you looking forward to the most? A lot of good derbies in there, and that’s without mentioning Grimsby! But I think after the recent Mansfield match, and how much of a controversial figure Steve Evans is, the away match at Field Mill in January is one I’m particularly looking forward to. Seeing Terry Hawkridge back at the Bank for Notts County at home will be nice as well, providing he doesn’t score at the weekend! Q5- Terry Hawkridge has done well for Notts so far. How will you greet him on Saturday? I’m sure Terry will get a great reception from Imps fans – he left for all the right reasons. He didn’t force his way out or anything like that, he was offered a 1-year deal from City, but a 2-year deal from his hometown club, and arguably a ‘bigger’ side in Notts County. We can all see why he left – plus, towards the last part of the season he was in and out of the team a lot and when he did start he was often the first substituted player, so from his point of view it made sense. It was sad to see one of the heroes of last season go, but we’ll always have those 2 goals against Macclesfield – unforgettable. Q6- Who are your key players this season, and what do you think the score/scorers will be? Although Sean Raggett is only back with us on loan until January he will be vital, as he was last season and so far, this season – he won back-to-back MoTM awards recently. Alex Woodyard does everything all over the pitch, and as the chant goes, he “never gives the ball away!” And finally, Matt Green is our key forward, with electric pace and a poacher’s instinct we’ll be relying on his goals this season. With the way Notts County have started the season this will of course be a tough game, but we’ve been great away from home of late. I’ll go for a 1-1, with Matt Green scoring for City. Share your thoughts about this Opposition View piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.