The Heff

Derby County 1-2 Southampton Swansea City 2-2 Leicester City Huddersfield Town 3-1 Stockport County Port Vale 1-2 Northampton Town Joker Bromley 0-0 Tranmere Rovers Salford City 3-1 Grimsby Town Braintree Town 1-2 Sutton United Wealdstone 2-0 Altrincham

This is the sort of action that makes me feel the club is in good hands. Many owners talk about long-term commitment but very few back it up in such a clear way. Writing off such a large loan isn’t just a gesture; it shows they are serious about building a secure future for the club. It also takes away some of the worry fans often have about hidden debts catching up with us later. While it doesn’t mean we are suddenly rolling in money, it does mean the books are cleaner and the outlook is stronger.

Ipswich Town 3-1 Portsmouth Watford 2-0 Hull City Burton Albion 1-0 Plymouth Argyle Mansfield Town 2-1 Rotherham United Bristol Rovers 2-1 Salford City Crawley Town 2-2 Barrow Halifax Town 2-0 Aldershot Truro City 0-2 Morecambe Joker

It could be seen as a reminder that joining a club like that might not be the best choice for a young player’s career. Sometimes the move doesn’t lead to the chances they hoped for. Still, with how Notts struggles to give its young pros a proper chance, I would have taken it. Spending years training at Liverpool would have been a brilliant experience either way.

I don’t agree with the idea that a League Two team can’t play good football. It’s not impossible. There have been teams who’ve done it well. Playing on the floor and working as a team is tough, but it can be done. The quality of the squad and the head coach go together. A good coach will get the best out of the players and know how to win, even when the usual style isn’t working. That’s what makes the difference. Once you concede a goal, it becomes harder to get back into the game. That’s another reason why having quality in the team matters. You need players who can handle pressure and turn things around. I think Martin Paterson shows promise. He seems to read games well and knows when to make changes. That will only get better with time. Still, I feel he sometimes needs to let go of strict passing rules and just focus on finding ways to create chances.

I wonder how many people rushed to apply for the fans forum. I usually wait for the club to share the video afterwards, but I’m thinking about applying this time. These events feel like a lottery, where you need luck just to get in. That’s one of the main reasons I don’t often try, especially since I know fans who’ve never had the chance to go. It always seems to be the same faces attending. So I’m not sure how fair or random the selection really is.

Jayden Luker made a real difference when he came on. You have to wonder how the score might have looked without him. He played with real team spirit, setting up Tyreese Hall twice with perfect passes. Hall finished both chances well, but Luker deserves credit for making them happen. He used his time on the pitch brilliantly. It was also great to see Alassana Jatta get a goal. The 4-0 win was a fair result for a game we controlled from start to finish. Crawley didn’t offer much threat and we looked confident throughout. I agree that Kelle Roos had his best game for us. His passing from the back helped us push forward quickly and gave us a strong base to build attacks. It was good to see that kind of movement and intent.

Rod McDonald has done a great job helping to steady the defence and has shown he deserves to start. He filled in at DCR when needed and did well, but he looks much more at ease playing in the middle. With the way he’s performing, it’s hard to imagine him being left out, and there’s no reason to change things while he’s in such good form. One of the positives is that Matty Platt’s injury doesn’t feel like such a big worry now. We can give him all the time he needs to recover properly without rushing him back. That’s important, because the last thing we’d want is to bring him in too soon and risk making things worse. McDonald’s strong form means we’re not under pressure to make changes, and that’s a big help. It also gives Martin Paterson a chance to look closely at how Platt might fit into the defence when he’s ready. There’s time now to make sure it’s the right move, rather than a quick fix.

Scott Robertson really deserved Man of the Match. He was brilliant all game and never stopped working hard. His goal came at the perfect time, just before the second half, and gave Notts a big boost when we needed it most. It helped the team stay confident and push on. He did more than just score. He kept things tidy in midfield and made smart passes. You could tell he was leading by example. Loads of fans noticed how calm and focused he was and that’s why he stood out.

Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Ipswich Town Sheffield United 3-0 Charlton Athletic Cardiff City 2-0 Bradford City Joker Wycombe Wanderers 3-1 Northampton Town Bromley 2-0 Chesterfield Salford City 1-2 Swindon Town Altrincham 0-0 Carlisle United Tamworth 2-2 Yeovil Town

Stoke City 1-1 Birmingham City Wrexham 1-2 QPR AFC Wimbledon 1-3 Rotherham United Leyton Orient 0-2 Bolton Wanderers Bristol Rovers 2-1 Barrow Fleetwood Town 0-1 Walsall Joker Hartlepool United 2-0 Brackley Town Wealdstone 1-1 Gateshead

Dennis has settled in quicker than I thought he would. You can see how well he fits our style and he looks confident in front of goal. What I like most is that he talks about the team rather than just himself, which shows he’s grounded. Gillingham will be a challenge, but if he keeps working like this, we’ll always have a chance of scoring.

If it took the club four weeks to replace Stuart Maynard, we might be waiting even longer to see who replaces Roberto Gagliardi. I don't think the club will be focused on transfers right now. That time might come around early November. This gives the Reedtz brothers plenty of time to find the right person to step in. There's no need to worry or feel stressed about the decision. It was likely a mix of performance and the Reedtz being happy enough with how things were going. They tend to take a calm and measured approach, so I trust they'll make the right call.

I think most Notts fans can see the good work the Reedtz brothers have done. Some weren’t happy with Stuart Maynard coming in, and now Martin Paterson, but the club has given both a fair chance to succeed. The owners seem willing to learn and improve. They don’t rip things up each season, they stick to their plan and make small changes to help it along. We haven’t seen wild swings in approach. The club isn’t signing ex-Premier League players one minute, then throwing in youngsters before they’re ready the next. There’s been no risky push for promotion at the cost of the club’s future. Unlike before, the money is being used properly to keep things steady and build for the long term.

Looking back, it’s easy to see where things could have gone better. I agree that the German games left us looking a bit unprepared and not as sharp as we’d hoped. It didn’t help with match fitness either. We weren’t close to the level of the first two teams we faced, so it only really tested the defence. The midfield didn’t get much out of it, and it’s hard to build confidence that way. Playing attacking football is important, especially in pre-season. The Cardiff friendly was much more useful. It gave us a proper challenge and helped the team get into a better rhythm. That’s the kind of game we need more of.

The first half was tricky with Fleetwood creating more direct chances, but once Dennis scored, we looked far more settled. I thought Iorpenda was excellent in winning the ball back and pushing us forward. Lynch in their goal made a few good saves, but we still could have had a second with better decision-making in the box. Overall, it was encouraging to see us grind out a result and manage the closing stages without too many scares.

Bolton Wanderers 1-0 AFC Wimbledon Doncaster Rovers 1-0 Bradford City Cambridge United 1-0 Oldham Athletic Joker Salford City 1-0 Tranmere Rovers Walsall 2-1 Chesterfield Forest Green Rovers 1-0 Hartlepool United Tamworth 1-1 Eastleigh Yeovil Town 2-1 York City

I heard a few people shouting for Matt Palmer to be subbed during the first half and even into the second. One fan said Jodi Jones was the best player and Palmer should be the one to go off. I don’t know if that fan was just being awkward or saw something different, but I thought Palmer was brilliant. He played really well and stayed steady all game. Tranmere tried to push our players around, but Palmer didn’t back down. He gave a bit back to their fans too, which made me smile. That’s what you want from your captain.

This felt like the kind of away performance we’ve been missing lately. Going behind made things look a bit shaky, but the team came out strong after half-time and turned it around quickly. Kellan Gordon gave us a real boost down the right when he came on, adding pace and energy. Jatta’s clever flick helped set up the chance for Dennis, and it was good to see players linking up well in key moments. At the back, we were stretched now and then, but Kelle Roos stepped up with some vital saves. The way the team stuck together in stoppage time was brilliant, especially with Tranmere piling forward and trying everything. It wasn’t the tidiest win, but sometimes you’ve got to grind it out away from home and this was one of those times.

This was the kind of performance that has been missing in some of our away games. We looked shaky after going behind, but the response was quick after the break. Kellan Gordon’s introduction made a clear difference as he gave us extra energy down the right. Alassana Jatta also deserves credit for the flick that helped create the chance for Dennis. The defence did look stretched at times, but Kelle Roos made the saves when it mattered most. I liked how the team dug in together during added time, because Tranmere were really throwing bodies forward. It wasn’t pretty, but sometimes away wins need to be like that.

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Norwich City Joker Watford 1-1 Southampton Barnsley 2-1 Huddersfield Town Wigan Athletic 2-0 Stockport County Barnet 1-1 Colchester United Bromley 2-1 Harrogate Town Hartlepool United 2-1 Boreham Wood Morecambe 2-2 Woking

I liked what he said about needing to put together proper 90-minute performances. It’s something most of us have noticed too. We’ve had spells where we’ve looked excellent, dominating games, but not always for the full match. He clearly sees that as a player on the pitch, which is encouraging. If the squad can build towards maintaining that consistency across the whole game, then results will start going our way. It’s reassuring when experienced players are saying the same things that fans are thinking, because it shows they’re aware of the areas to improve. Hopefully against Tranmere we’ll see longer periods of that level of football.

Norwich City 2-2 Middlesbrough Sheffield United 1-0 Millwall Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Lincoln City Mansfield Town 1-1 Leyton Orient Fleetwood Town 0-0 Oldham Athletic Gillingham 0-0 Crewe Alexandra Halifax Town 2-2 Forest Green Rovers Sutton United 2-0 Scunthorpe United Joker

Huddersfield Town 1-0 Doncaster Rovers Luton Town 2-0 Wigan Athletic Stockport County 1-1 Bradford City Colchester United 1-0 Cambridge United Gillingham 1-1 Chesterfield Harrogate Town 2-1 Barrow Joker Altrincham 0-1 Hartlepool United Woking 1-0 Wealdstone

Preston North End 2-2 Leicester City Swansea City 1-0 Sheffield United Leyton Orient 1-0 Stockport County Reading 1-1 AFC Wimbledon Barnet 0-1 Walsall Joker Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Gillingham Aldershot 3-1 Boston United Hartlepool United 2-2 Braintree Town