Chris

Is it true that Mark Draper's brother played for Long Eaton United? Several fans over the years have told me this, I can't say, but those who have said that his brother was the better player, which is hard to imagine. Great to see them reaching the playoffs, I wish them well in them.

I left after the players came across, as Stuart Maynard was the left to acknowledge those who remained, and I didn't see Matt Palmer reacting to any fans. I might have missed it, but I don't believe I did and it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't happen.

The referee really did make the game much harder than it needed to be. He wasn't remotely interested in any calls or decisions for us, but I do think we need to be better, especially when it comes to finishing chances. Had Notts stuck to the first half performance, Cheltenham would never have scored. I thought we really should have put the game to bed by the time Jatta actually scored, the assist from the Cheltenham player being something special, but we were undone by our own poor defending. I want to be fair, I don't actually think Notts played all that badly, and I most certainly feel we deserved the win. Cheltenham scoring twice, it feels like robbery, but there were a number of chances which should have been taken. As for the penalty appeals, I thought the push on Jodi Jones in the area was very dubious and whilst it might have been somewhat soft to be given. I do think it looked like a foul, which should have resulted in a penalty. I felt very annoyed when Jacob Bedeau made the poor decision to head the ball. It felt like a balloon deflating, and such a poor decision, by someone who could have easily coped better. Mistakes happen, but I do think recently he hasn't quite been to the level I know he can perform. He could have easily brought the ball down, but heading the ball straight to an opposition player just sums the game up for me. It's another one of those games where we have undone the hard work which was put in, but I don't get all this crazy talk about how bad Notts played just because we ended up losing a game 1-2. Additionally, I don't think sacking Stuart Maynard makes sense, but he doesn't seem to be learning. The changes he made, I felt were, again, too late, but some of them were very valid and could have paid off. Will Jarvis and Jodi Jones should have come on sooner, Charlie Whitaker, if he had more time, I think he would have helped to salvage the game in our favour. I think Kellan Gordon at times just needed to be a bit more direct and aware of the players around him. He disappointed me, because there's quality there, and whilst he did okay - he could have been more influential. David McGoldrick put in a classic performance, he tried to steer us and keep the team together. Jatta's celebration being something I absolutely loved seeing. Even if we moved the very poor referee from the game, we simply let ourselves down today. Do not use this language, especially directed towards me. You took my reaction the wrong way. I wasn't laughing at you, but at how terrible the referee was and how frustrating Cheltenham were. You could have simply asked, which is what I would remind you to do in the future. Had your post ended with asking, I wouldn't have had a problem with it.

I am not a religious person, but I find it very sad that he sounds to have suffered a stroke and then heart failure. 88 years old, is a good innings. I hope he rests in peace.

I don't think Jacob Bedeau had all that of a good game, likewise Kellan Gordon was quite disappointing. There were times when both players could have given us something a bit more, but never seemed switched on like I know they can be. I thought Mai Traore had a very good first half and played very well up to the point he was taken off. The decision of late changes just seems off and again, I don't think the right players parted. David McGoldrick put in a timeless and classy performance, trying to involve himself in getting the team moving forward and working very hard in the process. Rod McDonald, for me, was perhaps the better defender, though sometimes you just wished he wouldn't just lump the ball forward. There were times when the idea was right, but the application of the ball wasn't. Matty Platt was also decent enough, he seemed quite involved throughout the game. I would like to highlight George Abbott as my standout player of the match. He was exceptional at breaking up the play, getting us moving forward and just making a menace of himself. Conor Grant did well, I would have kept him on instead of Gordon, but I don't quite think he reached the level of the three players I openly praise.

I wasn't aware he was in management or coaching to the level he could be appointed as one, so it's pleasing to see. Rotherham United have had a disappointing campaign, and I don't know the ins and outs, but at one point I thought all their good work in recent years might be undone. Am I the only one who wouldn't recognise him now, though? He looks very different.

I would feel happier if Salford City missed out completely with the playoffs. I think they would be a real threat to us - even if they do waste time. They have us sussed to the point we look useless against them. A draw is about the right result, although despite my nerves about Salford, I think even if they had won it would be a stretch to compete with Colchester United, Chesterfield, plus us and those in the playoffs already. Winning Bradford City would be a big boost for us, but looking at the form of all 24 teams this season has been very hit and miss for all involved with promotion hopes.

How embarrassing is the MK Don's social media post, that's not what you write when you have had two managers already this season and sacked the replacement. Yes, Carlisle United wanted Mike Williamson, but even that was an embarrassing appointment (even though I hoped it would work out for Carlisle). Paul Warne, I think will start to turn things around, and I can see MK Dons being better, but I do wonder if "better" will be good enough for a plastic club like Franchise FC? Imagine if their media team used "We've got our man" every time they hire a new manager, or sign a player from a club more successful than them. I can't express how silly it is in words.

I am sure it will be a big boost when Jodi is back to full fitness, and whilst I love his drive, Notts does need to be careful (as does Jodi). He's a great player, and I would hope any frustration from not playing or feeling like he could have changed our season, doesn't push him too far or too quickly. It's not that I want to see him doing the talking on the pitch, I think Jodi's drive can be infectious, but I do feel there's a risk since he's suffered setbacks twice this season. The emphasis on pursuing automatic promotions reveals an underlying push within our ranks, which I do wonder if some players have doubts or feel they could have done better at times. The pressure needs to be forgotten at the end of the day, as does the frustration. If the players focus and work as a team, they will be just fine regardless.

It would be interesting to be able to compare clubs finances more equally, as this doesn't really factor in if owners/clubs are overspending or are making smart decisions not to overspend on the payroll. I also assume this only takes into consideration the players wages rather than staff. What is interesting is seeing how much each team is spending on the player positions. Notts seem to have focused on attack and midfield, with the defence not all that far behind. If I could access the previous seasons, it would probably paint a picture of why we weren't as strong defensively as we are now. As for Notts being placed where they are, I don't think it means much in the grand scheme of things. It does highlight and reflect well on our recruitment because on paper I believe we do have a squad very capable of winning promotion. Also, some teams have purchased players and thrown wages on them in a bid to succeed. It really goes to show just how important the right balance is, having a squad that's together and a club focus on moving forward. We are making good progress; we need to remember this.

I started today by updating the league table; I was busy at the weekend, but I did update it after Notts had played. It's Saturday's fixtures I missed, but that's all correct now. I have been looking at ways I might be able to include the home and away form. Along with some other coding jobs, such as finally managing to grant permissions to edit the news ticker outside of the admin team. Once I had sorted the updates, I messaged a couple of the team members and I do hope @Piethagoram is okay. Also, since my main device is my laptop and it's a gaming one, I have to frequently clean it. I have mentioned this in the past, it collects dust etc. very easily and then starts to sound like it's trying to launch itself into space. I didn't clean the inside, but the outside is now fine and I am hopeful to find the screw size for the underneath as I am missing one and a few of the others really could do with being replaced. --- It's quite a lovely afternoon. I am downstairs in the living room, and my youngest daughter is to the right of me listening to music through her headphones whilst playing games. The sun isn't blinding me, but providing a nice burst of light. It's a bit quiet, as Jake isn't home right now. It's days like this, I wished I could go to visit my dad and hang out, but I am mindful of my body and overdoing things. I hope every member and visitor who reads this is having a lovely day.

I am made nervous by the amount of times this game should have been played, but has been changed for various reasons outside of our control. These events usually come at a cost to Notts, and with Bradford now being in much better form than they were at the start of the season, I do think the game will be harder. I believe the tickets for our end sold out very quickly the first time they went on sale, as my friend was disappointed to miss out. Again, another thing which makes me nervous, as does the amount of remaining games and closeness to us Colchester United and Grimsby Town are. Usually, I feel confident or at least quietly optimistic, but I think Notts will struggle. Colchester's pitch was awful, but Bradford's is almost a beach. I am also not convinced that Bradford missing a few players would mean all that much, as the pressure is on us to maintain our playoff spot. Whilst I think Bradford do have pressure and their form has dipped, I just feel they will be naturally more up for the game. We need a good team performance, which is focused and robust at persisting with creating chances. If we haven't had many shots on goal before half time, then I would worry more. I guess we have to hope Bradford aren't able to counter our tactics and that we can hold onto the ball in a useful way. As I say, we need a team performance with the likes of Jacob Bedeau, Matty Platt, Matt Palmer, Alassana Jatta but especially David McGoldrick who tends to always be the biggest difference. I'm unsure if George Abbott is back, but he would also be a key player if included. Also, I am dreaming of Nick Tsaroulla and Jodi Jones starting the game together.

Ah, I haven't really kept in the loop recently, and I remember him missing the last game I attended. My mind, for some reason, jumped ahead of itself, and I thought this was going to be about him being injured and ultimately recalled by Spurs. Thank God, it's not this. He does deserve to be nominated as one of the runners for the award, he's been brilliant.

Please, don't bring that up. JJ managed to fool people twice, involving Jake Bugg. One where some fans actually bought into our story about him having signed a pro deal with the club. Talk Sport also picked the story up, but they had a sense of humour about it. We'll need to discuss things a week or so before the next April Fool's as this could have been a very funny one to have shared onto social media.

Just to mention: I have followed every article section, every forum, and every active blogger. I will make sure to follow key topics, which makes me feel when we upgrade to v5 that there could be room for improvements on managing the follow function. Such as the ability to set a duration for keeping it active, which would be useful for topics like Match Discussions, Man of the Match, Prediction League rounds etc.