Chris

BBC loves a good League Club vs Non-League Team, and they have previously picked up other teams from the first round onwards. So, I do think there's a good chance we will. It helps that we have been drawn to Guiseley AFC who beat Sutton United. A Northern Premier League team vs League One Notts County. Fingers crossed; it does, because it would appeal, IMHO. 🤞🏻

Mancunian Unity.... Bookmarked, though on a 14in laptop that header is huge. Makes the main container seem sandwiched in, but useful. Thanks, @Robbie.

Someone needs to write up about 'The Tale of the Fog and Penalty Shootout' now. 😁

Coding day, I forgot about Notts playing because I still don't acknowledge the competition. It was Super who reminded me, though he wasn't 100% sure, and, due to that, I started watching the game. I have one eye on my TV, and the other on my laptop coding. I still feel as though I am overcoming that illness I mentioned, and I think the cold is going to impact my disability as I seem to be getting tired again. Mum would say she'd put me in a bag and shake it up if she were here still. Eight years ago today, she was in hospital, and it reminded me of how I felt it could be serious about losing her then. We made every effort to encourage Granny. A very fond memory, even though she was in hospital. She did her usual and befriended everyone, looking after them from her bed and keeping their spirits up. Mum actually forced me to sit with one patient who was a lovely lady, and another had a go at me because she thought I was her son. 🫥 Oh, I forgot, this is what I look like when coding and watching football.

Mark Stallard and Adam Hassell? made a comment shortly after Jacob Bedeau did a brilliant piece of defending, but they played it down. I think it was Lucas Ness or Luke Browne who lost his position, perhaps due to how the ball bounced, but Bedeau did brilliantly to cover. While there was little danger, we only had two defenders back, and it could have proven to be a risky attack. If I am right about it being Hassell, it's one of my gripes about him, as he does have a negative undertone when something good happens (as is his tendency to ask negative questions). Notts have done well so far; Burton seem quite disconnected and poor. Though it feels like a soulless friendly, which is part of why I don't like the competition. It's good for fringe players, performances, and gaining confidence from wins.

Similar to the discussion about us being a quarter of the way through the season, as stated by @Sheffield Pie. I thought I would share some of my own points, rather than focusing on where we are now. I aim to reflect on areas of our game that I feel Notts must overcome. I might be wrong with my perspective, but I feel at times Notts have been "nervous" to play some of the teams we have, and naturally we do have many new signings who, early on, required time to settle. By nervousness, I don't necessarily mean that the players are intimidated by the opposition. It's more that I feel we sometimes hesitate when we should be playing our natural game. There have been moments where we seem less assured in possession, and I do wonder whether the pressure of adapting to League One has played a part. I thought against Leicester City back in August Notts should have won, but the draw was a very credible point. I think there were only some elements of nervousness being shown in the game, which at the time I felt I overlooked. It was a good time for us to play them, as their start wasn't the brightest, but they seem to have picked up since the opening game, which is to be expected. Against Luton Town, I felt Notts were the better side and that it could have been another three points. The home win against Burton Albion gave me further confidence that Notts would establish themselves at League One level. Doncaster, for me, either team could have won, but I think for the first time a draw was about right. I still think the mood after Jodi Jones's departure had dampened the mood around our camp, but the lads showed signs that we were fully capable without his brilliance. Optimistic in a positive sense is how I would sum up going to Huddersfield, but despite the game being slow in spells. I wasn't among the fans who felt Notts should have done better or that it was a glimpse of doom to come. I thought the goal we conceded was very sloppy, but this is where I feel signs of nervousness starting to show. I felt we were perhaps showing the opposition too much respect at times, rather than having the confidence to impose ourselves. That's not to take anything away from Huddersfield, because they were a very good side, but I wondered whether we were starting to become more conscious of avoiding mistakes than playing our usual football. Huddersfield were very good, especially in attack and on the counter. They pressed and caused us a nightmare, but defensively after their opening goal I don't feel we put a foot wrong and left happy with the point. It was at this stage that, if we wanted to stay up, we would need to start winning and turn these games into wins. That seemed fair to say, but at the same time I am of the mindset that being new to a league sometimes results in uncertainty and difficulty in winning. Bradford City: I felt disappointed by the defeat; I don't think Notts gave their best account, and although a draw was possible, there was a turn to win. Bradford were decent, and again I noticed some signs of nerves. I didn't see the Reading game, but I felt Notts responded brilliantly with the win against Grimsby. In the following game against Oxford, we had spells, but they showed their class and we sort of stumbled to create good chances. I felt we struggled against sides that play direct passing and persist with constant pressure. I do wonder whether some of what I see as nervousness is actually a result of the opposition forcing us into mistakes. When teams press us and don't allow us the time to settle, we can look uncomfortable. Perhaps it's something we are still learning to deal with at this level. This is an approach where I was away, so the games beyond aren't something I can really comment on. I didn't watch the Wycombe game as I was away with my family; I kept tabs on the scores and avoided scrolling through social media due to reading comments about Notts being back to being poor (polite terms). Fans always seem quite capable of falling out with each other when the results don't quite build confidence; I wasn't worried. I do think the squad has been hampered by injuries, a lack of playing to strengths, but it's nothing of major concern. Martin Paterson seems capable of change, learning, and lifting the spirits. Seeing some usual suspects declare at this stage that he should be sacked made me laugh. For me, the important thing is whether Paterson recognises what isn't working and looks to address it. I don't expect him to get everything right, especially when we're still finding our feet, but I do want to see signs that we're learning from difficult games rather than repeating the same mistakes. I felt the Sheffield Wednesday game gave our lads some confidence and was an unexpected win. I didn't see the game. I might dig up the matches on the official site and give a full watch of which complete games exist, but I do feel that at this level performances might be less than perfect. I will seek stability and establish ourselves as a League One team. At this stage, I would happily accept being an average team at this level. I think sometimes it's easy to forget how much work went into getting us out of the National League. We didn't become a promotion-winning side overnight, and I don't think we should expect to immediately become one of the strongest teams in League One either. Establishing ourselves, learning how to compete consistently and gradually improving the squad would be progress in my eyes. The ambition to play in the Championship, some perspective and patience would go a long way. We had a spell at the other end of the table, and some time nearer the footer. The prospect of the new signings is very promising; Notts look more than capable of playing good football. The question is to find consistency and slog out those draws and wins that come from those harder matches. I feel a level of match-day nerves has played a factor in some of the poorer form, but despite all this I feel we are in the right position to improve. As I write this, I have the Burton game on, and I feel we have played quite well. I might write off this competition; to me it means little, but the performance can build belief. The brilliant opening goal could have been followed up with a nice looping cross that met a header. The only final point I have is that, with a single striker, we need to play to their strengths, and I don't think this has always been the case for Daniel Kanu. I believe we had two against Mansfield, with one dropping into midfield at times, and if this is right. It does show Paterson's understanding of how to get those crucial wins. Ultimately, I think Notts are in a good position to improve, and I don't feel there's any reason to be overly concerned. We have shown that we can compete at this level, but finding consistency and learning how to approach different opponents will be important. I still feel confidence has played a part in some of our performances, although it could just be part of adjusting to League One. Do others feel we've looked nervous at times, or is it more a case of finding the right approach against stronger opposition? Join in and read the comments in the discussion below.

I could have said this many, many years ago. The majority of support is perfectly fine, but when they beat us in 2019 I witnessed a lot of unacceptable behaviour. I personally think Newport has known about this for much longer but decided to sit it out and see if their supporter base grows, as a lot of them are young. The first time we played them back in the Football League, I had messages sent to PON's Facebook page for the home and away match asking to reiterate that they wanted a scrap, etc. That said, Newport won't be the only group of supporters doing this, and it is down to the clubs to weed out the troublemakers before they cause further issues. If you want to fight, do it away from football. If you want to let off flares or fireworks, don't be selfish and put others at risk. We had this when someone let a flare off that almost caused a stampede against Mansfield some years ago. I know some fans who actually got injured, and I recall @magpiejue telling me she was worried about her mum. As I say, the club will know. They all have staff monitoring things, so it's nothing new.

Great result for our women's team! I really do need to try to figure them into the updates to the front end when I can.

The excitement of reaching the third round could help propel us, or it could be part of the factor that makes it such a banana-skin of a game on paper. It's a great chance for us to make a good cup run. I know there will be people wanting us to focus on the league, but we have a big enough squad, if injuries are avoided, to use the game as a means to encourage competition for the starting XI. I actually think it's a great draw, and I am not bothered about it being another away game. It will help Guiseley AFC quite a lot and even more so if it's picked up on TV. It's also not a boring draw against a team we have faced off against many times before, so it will be a nice trip for some who might not have been to Nethermoor Park. I hope they allow as many Notts fans to go, even though we should easily outnumber their fans, it's quite a small typical non-league ground but a good coffers day for them.

£87 million? AFC Wimbledon might have had a lucky escape, as I can't see Ryan Bertrand having deep pockets, and it may have been him with investors, which isn't always a good thing. Part of me thinks it's great that an ex-pro wants to get involved; the other questions it, but nobody will know now.

I popped round to see Super, I'd say it was a lazy day for him, but he wasn't looking bright today. He deserves to rest; I just hope he gets something to eat. We are one step closer to sorting his fire out, and hopefully making the house warmer will encourage him a bit more. He's doing okay; could be better. At least you didn't have to come back from being behind or need to finish things off with a shootout. 😂

Remember, when he joined, he was asked how he would fare with the cold weather of England, and he said that his previous time elsewhere would help. Clearly, the bitterness and cold of the United Kingdom are to blame here. 😂 Whereas Lucas Ness kept popping up, looking like a striker at times, just without the clinical finishing.

Tom Savage has never been more remembered than he is now, at any point in his life, with his legacy connecting two great clubs and forming the foundation of the friendship between us and Juventus. The work done by various people to further his legacy means he will be remembered for many, many more years. One simple act has helped preserve his name throughout history, that might otherwise have been forgotten to time.

I really don't know how Salford are getting away with spending so much; they sacked their manager after losing to us and claimed it was due to budgeting their finances, but then went on to sign Macalay Langstaff for a silly fee at League Two level, on wages rumoured to be the same as what Millwall paid him. Seeing them continue to throw money at League Two, as if they are a big club, makes me feel annoyed. I hope Barnet continue to do well, as they are the complete opposite of Salford.

I have seen Harry Isted a number of times, and from his performance yesterday I would say he could be a useful backup. I haven't seen him perform to that standard, though he looked unbeatable until the fog came in, and our opening goal was just an excellent set piece. There have been times when I felt he looked like a very poor keeper, but that was when he was younger. At 29, he should have more experience, but part of me wonders if we would be better off loaning out Harry Griffiths instead of giving up on him and signing someone similar to Isted. Griffiths may well be someone for the future, but we are failing to push him, and the experience a young keeper needs; he simply isn't getting it here.