Chris

Notts County bounced back from their 2017/18 League Two campaign opening-day 3-0 loss at Coventry City in impressive fashion, seeing off a dirty Chesterfield side 2-0 in Saturday's encounter at Meadow Lane. A heated encounter, Gozie Ugwu should have earned a red card for a number of clashes with home players, and was hauled off at half time by Gary Caldwell. Gibraltar international Scott Wiseman, meanwhile, did get his marching orders after hauling down Terry Hawkridge, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity. In the end, the encounter was settled by the man of the moment, Jorge Grant, whose looping header to break the deadlock was followed up by a spectacular free kick into the bottom corner of the Spireites net. Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for the game and took plenty of photos as part of its regular Faces of PON feature - here are our top 5 pictures! #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 -- Click to view the full gallery 'Faces of PON' on Pride of Nottingham's popular Facebook page here. -- Share your thoughts about this below and don't forget to join in with the Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Pride of Nottingham spoke to a number of Notts County fans before the club's first home game of the 2017/18 League Two season, a 2-0 win over Chesterfield.

Notts defeat Chesterfield 2-0 in their first home game of the season.

Notts County put their woeful 3-0 defeat at Coventry City last week firmly behind them as they claimed a solid 2-0 win against Chesterfield in their first home game of the 2017/18 League Two season. Jorge Grant proved to be the star once again with an impressive brace consisting of a looped header followed by a stunning free kick in injury time. Prior to the loanee's goals, it was a heated, controversial game, with Gary Caldwell's side playing dirty and going down to ten men, though it could so easily have been nine bearing in mind Gozie Ugwu's antics. The result gives Kevin Nolan's side their first win of the new campaign following the loss at the Ricoh Arena in League Two and also in the League Cup at Scunthorpe United. Pride of Nottingham spoke to a number of fans prior to the Spireites game, asking them a number of questions about the opening games of the campaign and their hopes for the game ahead. Share your thoughts about this week's Meet the Fans video 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.

Notts County got their first win of the 2017-18 League Two season on Saturday after beating a dirty Chesterfield side 2-0 at Meadow Lane. A controversial and heated encounter, Gozie Ugwu should have earned a red card for a number of clashes with home players, and was hauled off at half time by Gary Caldwell. Scott Wiseman, meanwhile, did get his marching orders after hauling down Terry Hawkridge, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity. Ultimately, Jorge Grant proved to be the star man for Notts once again, coming on as a second-half substitute and opening the scoring with a looping header before curling a wonderful free kick into the Spireites net in injury time. In this article, Pride of Nottingham looks at several aspects of the game, from the performance to whether the result was fair, and how to build on from a successful weekend. Was the result fair? It was difficult to see how Notts would score without the changes made within the second half, Jorge Grant instantly made an impact and his direct approach was greatly lacking prior to his arrival, whilst he also gave the squad some calm edge within the final third. It’s harder to suggest that Notts didn’t deserve the 2-0 win, a superb header and free kick greatly warranted. How did Notts play? There were signs of that jagged play we saw against Coventry City in the opening day, however there was little sign of nerves. From a defensive perspective, Notts did very well with Dan Jones frequently winning the ball back or breaking down the play. Going forward Notts passed nicely, though play was often forced or simply rushed. For a debut home performance of the campaign, it was a decent showing by Notts. How did Chesterfield play? Quite poor, they moved well but often wasted chances. They looked like a side which knew they would struggle and because of this resorted to being physical – which wasn’t pretty at times. They got the ball into the channels and linked well, yet no real tests were offered bar the odd chance and a one on one with Adam Collin. Did our tactics work out? To a degree yes, however the line-up worked from the perspective that Notts wouldn’t concede easily but going forward we had little firepower – not due to a lack of effort or performance. Simply down to the way that Chesterfield played and for the fact we desperately lack pace. The second half changes were very well thought out and changed what was lacking within the first period. How did the referee perform? I thought he actually did very well, he seemed to miss things but generally play to continue. He didn’t seem to be on either team's side which makes a change, and I know he made some poor decisions but within League Two I expect this. Who do we play next? Everton Under-21s in the EFL Trophy / Checkatrade Trophy; league-wise it’s Wycombe Wanderers who will be another stern test for the Magpies. How should we play them? We need Jorge Grant to start, it’s hard to see how we can maximise our creativity from midfield without him. Apart from that, I would keep the line-up very similar to the Chesterfield game – perhaps resting Jon Stead. Adam Collin deserves to retain his place despite opinions, the defence is hard to change after the 2-0 home win and the midfield just needs to think before rushing decisions. Going into the EFL Trophy Notts should use it to experiment with the strike options, along with one or two changes in midfield. Here's what Chesterfield fans thought of the game, courtesy of Thecfss.co.uk: Turrhall: We've been the better team, not by much, but better. Ref atrocious. Spireitefitzy: If he can get a win from here then Caldwell's stock will go up. Just a shame he has a ready made excuse if we lose. No natural wide players on the pitch and playing strikers wherever he feels like, it's poor and lessens our chances lf winning. Heart of a Niven: [Joe Anyon] looks tiny in goal. He has absolutely no presence and may as well be on the end of a Subbuteo stick for all the good he does. Spireitefitzy: Not a sending off, but shouldn't really be putting your arms up there to give the ref the opportunity. Ugwu should be off and serving a three game ban but it was missed, not sure if they can go retrospective if it's not reported so shouldnt be any repercussions. He doesn't look up to this level though. Westbars Spireite: 8-0 on corners suggests a 1-sided game. I know today is only the second league game (and likely defeat) but things could go very wrong, very quickly for Caldwell off the back of last season's farce. He earned no goodwill at all and has to change things quickly. Now would be a good start. Spire_78: Could sack Caldwell... probably should for his record alone if nothing else - except i'd have more confidence in Kim Jong-un choosing a replacement. The problems run far far deeper than just a poor manager and a collection of mediocre players. The club is being ruined gradually from the top seemingly without a care in the world - genuinely starting to fear for our League future, if this continues we could quite easily follow the likes of Stockport and York. gordon_brittas: Lowest ebb, and I can see it getting worse if changes aren't made. Two league defeats to bang average opponents. God knows what the score will be when we play the Luton's and Coventry's of this league. Exharboroughspireite: This has been coming ever since we didn't roll the dice and backed cook for the final push. Sadly I can't see this having a turnaround until either Allen puts some substantial cash into the club again or finds another buyer. The day to day running of the club Is a disgrace and Caldwell appears to be the third manager on the bounce who simply cannot hack it. 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.

Notts County got their first win of the 2017-18 League Two season on Saturday after beating a dirty Chesterfield side 2-0 at Meadow Lane. A controversial encounter, Gozie Ugwu should have earned a red card for a number of clashes with home players, and was hauled off at half time by Gary Caldwell. Scott Wiseman, meanwhile, did get his marching orders after hauling down Terry Hawkridge, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity. Ultimately, Jorge Grant proved to be the star man for Notts once again, coming on as a second-half substitute and opening the scoring with a looping header before curling a wonderful free kick into the Spireites net in injury time. Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for the first home game of the season and is delighted to have taken plenty of pictures, both of the game and of the Black and White faithful. See if you're in this week's Faces of PON! COME ON YOU PIES! Share your thoughts about this week's edition of 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.

Notts County are preparing for the first home game of the 2017/18 League Two season, hosting local rivals Chesterfield at Meadow Lane on Saturday. The Magpies did not get off to a particularly good start, losing 3-0 at Coventry City last week, but a much-changed team put in an impressive display at Scunthorpe United in the League Cup on Tuesday, taking the League One side all the way to penalties at Glanford Park. Now, the clock is ticking down to the opportunity to see Notts back on hallowed turf, and what better way to start than against a local enemy who was relegated last season? It's a pretty exciting fixture and it should hopefully be a good game - with Notts getting the spoils (hopefully!). Pride of Nottingham spoke to two Notts fans, Jürgen Halligan and Nigel Nattrass, about their thoughts on how the game against Chesterfield will pan out, as well as a couple of general questions about themselves and how they see the season going. Jürgen Halligan Jürgen has been a Notts fan since 1974 - he had previously never been to a football match so he wandered down to Meadow Lane to see Notts beat Oxford 4-1 and got bitten by the Black and White bug. His favourite Notts player of all time is Don Masson, while his favourite current Magpie is Shola Amoebi. Q1) What games between Notts and Chesterfield do you remember from years gone by? I can remember losing 2-1 at Saltergate and Jack Lester continously diving. Q2) Which of the East Midlands derbies this season are you looking forward to the most? Has to be Mansfield. Q3) Are you worried about our start to the season or should things be alright? Only played one league game, long way to go. Q4) Out of all the new signings, who do you think will have the most impact? Ryan Yates looks a very good loan signing. Q5) Where do you think Notts will finish this season? 10th in the table. Q6) Who do you think will finish in the top 3, in the playoffs, and in the bottom two? Top three: Luton, Coventry, Port Vale. Playoffs: Mansfield, Swindon, Exeter, Forest Green. Bottom two: Yeovil and Morecambe. Nigel Nattrass (aka Natty) Natty has supported Notts since 1970. He was born into a Notts supporting family and is athird, if not fourth, generation fan. His grandad saw the last game at Trent Bridge and the first game at Meadow Lane. His favourite all-time player is Don Masson, while his current pick is Jorge Grant. Q1) Have you ever been to Saltergate and/or the Proact Stadium? I went to Saltergate many times since the early 1970s. Been two or three times to the Proact because I follow the development / youth team when I can. Q2) Which of the East Midlands derbies this season are you looking forward to the most? All of them... but particularly Lincoln. Q3) What fixtures are you most looking forward this season and why? The playoff final!! And Forest Green Rovers away (new ground for me). Q4) Who should be playing in goal - Collin, Fitzsimons or Pindroch? Fitzsimons, based on his display on Tuesday night. Q5) Who do you think will be our key player this season? Jorge Grant. Q6) Promotion this season - yes or no? I think automatic promotion is asking too much, but I'll be disappointed if we aren't at least in with a shout of making the playoffs come Easter. I see no reason why we shouldn't make the playoffs and then anything can happen. Share your thoughts about this feature 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.

Ahead of Notts County's first home fixture of the 2017/18 League Two season, against local rivals Chesterfield, Pride of Nottingham spoke to Spireites fan Gary Hewitt (@Gooey1983) about his team to get a better insight on the opposition. About Gary: I've been a Spireite since I went to my first game in 1995 against Blackpool with my dad and grandad, and always found a pride at following my home town team, felt a sense of belonging. This is despite moving to Scunthorpe in 1993, I always felt 'home' was still Chesterfield. I'm second cousin of Chesterfield legend Jamie Hewitt, who scored at Old Trafford against Middlesbrough in 1997! I try to get to about half of the games a season, work depending. What went wrong last season and what has the club done to address relegation so far? I believe the biggest mistake we made last year was our shocking recruitment in January. We brought in a group of young, naive youngsters who quite simply weren't up for a relegation scrap, and one in particular was sent home in disgrace. Our inability to defend set pieces and weakness down the spine of the team also cost us plenty of goals. There are quite a few East Midlands clubs in League Two this season. Which fixture are you most looking forward to and why? Naturally Mansfield due to the history between the 2 towns and clubs, I love the atmosphere! I'm also looking forward to Lincoln away as it's a nice city which has plenty of good pubs to choose from. I know Nottingham quite well too so County is another I look out for, again because we'll make it a full day out. If I had to choose... got to be Mansfield! What's your favourite memory as a Chesterfield fan and why? The moment Jamie Hewitt slammed a last minute equalising header in against Middlesbrough in FA cup semi in 1997! I was only 14 and just remember losing control of where I was for quite a while and ending up far away from my family! How do you reckon you'll do this season? Tough one... I'm going to say top 10. Play-offs will be a surprise to me. Which players are likely to be the biggest threat? Ian Evatt is a stalwart at the back and reads the game so well and marshals the back line like nobody else. I've got high hopes of Chris O'Grady too due to the level he's recently played at and he holds the ball up well and brings others into the game. Can we get your score and scorer predictions for Saturday? We need a clean sheet but I don't think we'll get one! I'm going for 2-2 with O'Grady and Reed our scorers. Share your thoughts about this Opposition View 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. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

Young Notts County supporter Elliott Peacock made a mammoth journey to watch his very first away game last weekend.