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Noor Husin has claimed that Notts County's playoff heartache last season will prove a superb incentive for the Magpies to get the promotion job done this time round. Notts were in and around the League Two's top three for much of the 2017-18 campaign but stuttered in the final few months to finish in the playoffs, which they subsequently lost to eventual winners Coventry City. “Last season will only make us stronger and the boys know what it takes now,” Husin told the Nottingham Post. “Hopefully we can go a step further and get that promotion everybody is after. “Everyone was bitterly disappointed with how last season ended after doing so well. But it’s only going to spur us on to go up and I am sure that will give us that extra bit of motivation we need.” Husin has also spoken of his international call-up with Afghanistan, expressing pride at being convoked by his nation, but he says he will put club before country this month. “I have been called up by Afghanistan, but they have a friendly in a couple of weeks’ time [against Palestine on August 19] which I am not going to,” he said. “But when there is an international break I think I will be going. “I was called up a couple of years ago, but I put it on hold at the time. I am delighted to be called up and my family are proud. I am really looking forward to it. The games are going to be in Qatar, China and places like that. "They keep track of me and I speak to the manager who has just been appointed. He used to coach in the Dutch league. He’s been watching my games and they keep an eye on me to see how I am getting on." Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Kevin Nolan has spoken about Notts County duo Lewis Alessandra and Will Patching, praising the former and providing an update on the latter. The 29-year-old attacker scored against Basford and Leicester City and is pushing for a start in the League Two opener against Colchester United. Manchester City academy product Patching, meanwhile, made his debut for the Magpies at the weekend when he came on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat at Luton Town. “Lewi is just a quality player, a quality lad and a good kid,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post. “He is lovely to be around and is great on the training ground. “The lads we have brought in have taken him to new levels which is good.” As for Patching, he said: “It’s going to take him a while to get up to speed. He is way behind the lads, but he is training fully now with the boys. “He got 15 to 20 minutes on Saturday and he will now be playing in a game on Tuesday to get his minutes up. “But I think we will be seeing him in the League Cup game when we can get him extra minutes and get him in a proper competitive game.” Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Richard Duffy has admitted that he would relish being handed the Notts County captain's armband permanently but says he will back whoever is given it. “I’ve spoken to the manager but nothing about the captaincy,” he told the Nottingham Post. “Whoever it will be will be and if it is me then great. If it’s not then I will be back whoever gets it. “Obviously I wore it for the majority of last season until Occy (Michael O’Connor) came back and that was because he was club captain. But if the manager gives it to me, then I will relish it.” Duffy also thinks Notts must not be afraid to have moments of playing hoofball if they are to change their philosophy and become a passing team. “Being easy on the eye isn’t easy,” he added. “You’ve got to do the dirty things and you’ve still got to put the ball in behind and play it long whatever people say. “If you look at Man City and Arsenal they will do it and then teams will start to drop off then they start to play. “Luton did it. They are a passing team and get the ball down but have a look at how many times Bris (Shaun Brisley) and I were chasing back to our own goal. “It was quite a few times and however good you are, they will put it in behind and make you drop off, then all of a sudden the holes appear and that’s when they start playing their stuff. “You’ve got to work yourselves into games and we did that in the first half.” Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Kevin Nolan has admitted that Notts County were punished for making “strange and sloppy” decisions in their 2-0 loss at Luton Town on Saturday. The Hatters secured a 2-0 win at Kenilworth Road through former Magpies loanee Jorge Grant and Elliott Lee. The latter scored from close range after Ross Fitzsimons failed to collect a header on the goal line following a corner. “I was a bit disappointed really in what we’ve been trying to do and what we’ve been about in pre-season,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post. “I thought we were second best certainly in the second half. “In the first we contained them and I think they only had one shot on target. But in the second half we made some strange and sloppy decisions and we were punished for it.” Share your thoughts about this news story 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 manager Kevin Nolan has stressed that each of his players will have a chance this weekend to earn a starting XI spot in their League Two opener against Colchester United. The first team travel to Luton Town on Saturday, while some senior players are also expected to feature at Carlton Town on Saturday in their final pre-season matches. The Magpies will open their campaign against the U's at Meadow Lane on August 4 and Nolan wants all of his charges to be "selfish" in their pursuit of a first-team berth. “There’s still plenty to play for,” Nolan told the official club website. “I don’t know what’s going to happen between now and next week. “Football changes minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour. This will be a massive 90 minutes for them. “I’ve told everyone to be selfish to make sure they’re ready come Saturday week because they never know, they could get that call.” Share your thoughts about this news story 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 defender Ben Hall has tipped Kane Hemmings to have a good season as he admits he is the most difficult striker to deal with in training. Following last season's playoff near-miss, the Magpies set about bolstering their ranks with big money signings, Hemmings recruited from Oxford United for a six-figure sum. "I'd probably say Kane Hemmings is the toughest to mark at the moment with his movement. His hold up play is good too," Brighton loanee Hall told the Nottingham Post. "He was holding defenders off against Leicester so I think he'll be good for us." Hall also commented on Kevin Nolan's training regime, adding: "It's been difficult, especially last week. It's not nice, but it's what you've got to do to be ready for the start of the season. "There's one or two things still to come together yet. We've got another two weeks to get ready. We'll get that right and be ready for the start of the season." Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Sam Allardyce has admitted that he knew he would be criticised for leaving Notts County in 1999 for Bolton Wanderers but stated that it was an opportunity he couldn't miss and so had to be "selfish". In an interview published in "Record Breakers - The Inside Story of Notts County’s Momentous 1997/98 Title Win", the former Magpies boss was asked why he decided to up sticks. "I think I had to be selfish for myself," he replied. "There was a great affinity with the club and a great relationship that I had built. This opportunity came along where I had to be selfish for myself, and not feel anything other than the fact I have got to do it for me. "I knew I would be criticised for leaving, but there were other circumstances I don’t really want to go into that actually helped that decision to be made. "The real decision was that this was a football club that gave me my career in football, gave me my dream, and gave me everything I wanted to achieve. "Even though I’m not north-west or Bolton-born and bred, I am an adopted Boltonian. I arrived there at 15 and married a Bolton girl. "The new stadium at Bolton – the Reebok Stadium – to walk in the middle of that and say, “I’m back where I always wanted to be,” to try and take that club forward, that became the next challenge. "All that I did at Limerick, Blackpool and Notts County, all that I’d learned down there in terms of finding the right solutions to problems when we were financially strapped – I think Bolton at that stage were £45m in the red, which doesn’t actually seem a lot now but then that was a bankrupt football club really. "I had the tools to manage all of that because of what I’d done at Limerick, Blackpool and Notts County. That apprenticeship stood me in good stead to move on, but I’ll never forget, never forget that particular season. Ever." Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Kevin Nolan has spoken highly of Notts County academy product Dongda He and is confident of the club bringing through youngsters of high pedigree in the coming years. The Magpies have experienced a drought in talented academy players coming through the ranks to establish themselves in the senior team, with only Curtis Thompson and Haydn Hollis having made the breakthrough recently. However, with He looking like a real talent and the likes of Remaye Campbell, Pierce Bird, Alex Howes and new recruits Tom Crawford and Will Patching, the future is looking bright for those in black and white. "It's fantastic. It's been a while coming,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "With Dongda, we only just got his visa a few weeks ago, but we've got high hopes for him. "There's a number of young lads in our system who we feel can make an impact. Tom Crawford, who we got from Chester, you can see he's got a brilliant attitude. Alex Howes, young Spike, has been great. "We've got high hopes for a few of them. We'll see them in and around the first team more this season because the squad is a lot younger than last season. They'll get chances during the season.” Focusing on He, Nolan added: "Dongda did really well. It took him a little bit of time to get used to the game, but we expected that as he's only been training with us for a week or two,” he said. "He's got real ability and we'd like to release that at some point. He's under no pressure though. None at all. We want to create an environment where he can thrive here." Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Another weekend, another pre-season friendly, another seven notches on the calendar, another week closer to the start of the 2018-19 season. On Saturday, Notts County had the privilege of facing none other than the team that defied odds of 5,000-1 to win the Premier League title in undoubtedly the biggest fairy tale in sporting history, ever. Although Leicester City have not been able to mount another title challenge since the magical 2015-16, they nonetheless enjoyed a superb Champions League run in 2016-17 and finished in the top half of the table last time out. But obviously none of that compares to the opportunity of facing the oldest professional Football League club in the world at the magical Meadow Lane, does it? And the Magpies got off to a great start through Lewis Alessandra, though goals from Wes Morgan, Hamza Choudhury, Demarai Gray and Islam Slimani saw the Foxes eventually run out 4-1 winners. Pride of Nottingham was at the San Sirrel for the game and took plenty of photos of the Black and White Army. See if you're among the Faces of PON! Share your thoughts about the game or the gallery 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 manager Kevin Nolan has thanked club owner Alan Hardy for his backing in the transfer market although he has not shut the door on another recruit should the opportunity arise. The Magpies have enjoyed a superb summer in terms of transfers, bringing in several high profile signings including Kane Hemmings, Kristian Dennis, Enzio Boldewijn, David Vaughan and Andy Kellett. Speaking after the loss to Leicester City, Nolan said he is delighted with the business made so far but, echoing prior comments made by Hardy, added that he will keep his eyes open for particularly exceptional additions. "You never say never. There's life left in us, but if this is the squad in August I'll be very pleased," he told the Nottingham Post. "I'm looking forward to working with them. If there's someone who whets the appetite then I'll speak the boss and we'll see what we can do. "He's done great business for me though, getting the lads we've got and getting the lads in early so we can work with them. "I won't be banging his door down. He's done great for us, but if that one special one pops up then we'd have a discussion." Share your thoughts about this news story 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 boss Kevin Nolan has claimed that his players will learn a lot from their second 4-1 loss in a row in Saturday's pre-season friendly loss to Leicester City. Lewis Alessandra gave the Magpies the lead but, despite putting in a much improved performance to the game against Derby County last week, the Foxes struck back through Wes Morgan, Hamza Choudhury, Demarai Gray and Islam Slimani. "There was lots of good stuff to come out of it," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "We played some really good stuff at times. "We expected the quality they brought. I've just said to the lads, that's what happens when you play top opposition. "They're Premier League players and they'll do what they've done today. They've capitalised on mistakes. "They've scored from a corner and then two minutes later we've given the ball away (and Leicester scored). They'll punish you. "That's what it's all about. They've shown some lovely finishes, but we'll learn from that." Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

Kevin Nolan has admitted that Notts County were like "rabbits in the headlights" when they had possession against Derby County and wants more confidence from them ahead of the Leicester City friendly. The Magpies lost 4-1 against the Rams last week and Nolan gave a scathing assessment of his players, and although he admitted that they've been put through their paces this week, he wants a better performance on Saturday. “I am looking for them to be tighter and that they don’t switch off as much,” he told the Nottingham Post. “But they’ve had a tough week and they will be playing with tired minds. “I want us to relax when we get the ball back and try to keep it in certain areas. “I thought we turned the ball over quite cheaply at times on Saturday. “But when we did keep it, we actually did some good stuff with it. “I want them to believe in themselves because it looked like they were rabbits in the headlights when they got possession back. “We have tried a few things to drill into them so they can learn from it and hopefully it bodes well for Saturday.” Share your thoughts about this news story 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 manager Kevin Nolan has revealed that Kristian Dennis is in line for his first pre-season appearance this weekend. The forward, who scored 21 goals for Chesterfield last season, missed the Magpies' opening three friendlies due to injury. However, Dennis is now back to fitness and Nolan says he will be involved against Leicester City on Saturday at Meadow Lane. "He's back," Nolan told the official club website. "We were gutted when we realised he wasn't going to be with us for the last week or two but he's come back and really had a good go. "He's settled in well with the lads and I'm really looking forward to seeing him play at the weekend. "He comes alive in the box. What we've got to do is make sure we're ready to supply him with lots of touches in that area. I'm sure he'll get his rewards. "But it's the same with the others. Jon Stead is at the front in all the running at the minute. You wouldn't have thought he's 35 - it's unbelievable. He's come back absolutely flying. "Kane Hemmings looked really sharp when he came on last week, too. It's competition for places - it's what we want." Share your thoughts about this news story 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.

What a summer it's been so far. Not only are England in the quarter-finals of the World Cup after actually winning a penalty shootout, but Notts County have followed up their playoff finish last season with one of the best and most promising transfer windows since the Munto era. With the Alan Hardy era having delivered steady progress since January 2017 and going from strength to strength, it looks as though the Magpies are forging a team of winners as opposed to the perennial losers of yesteryear. And given that Notts are going up in the world, it’s only appropriate that the team’s dedicated fan site is of an equally impressive standing. With this in mind, Pride of Nottingham is proud to unveil the new Notts County Community! PON has undergone a substantial refurbishment to ensure it can be the best online community dedicated to a Notts side which, under the ownership of Hardy, the management of Kevin Nolan and boasting one of its most impressive line-ups in years, is set to impress in 2018-19 and beyond. So what has changed? Well, let’s take a closer look: - PON is no longer a fan site but a community dedicated to Notts County - Our own logo and branding, reflecting our stature as a top-class online community - Redesigns in key areas such as blogs and gallery - Improvements with user engagements (spam prevention, easier login handling, easier way to share content) - Better site moderation - Improved site speed - Better content discovery modes - Improved search functioning (Elasticsearch) - More media embed types (Twitch etc) - A dedicated online magazine, Our Pride - And much more! With so many improvements and changes, Pride of Nottingham is now fully up to speed as an online community worthy of a Notts County side which, now more than ever, is poised for glory! So what are you waiting for? Sign up to the website, register as a member and get involved with the Pride of Nottingham community!

In January and February, Juventus consolidated second place in Serie A and reached the Italian Cup semi-finals. After beating Genoa 2-0 in the last 16, the Bianconeri went on to face city rivals Torino in the quarter-finals. On December 23rd, a big Serie A match took place between Juve and Roma, where we won 1-0 - winner scored by former Roma player Medhi Benatia - then we won 3-1 over Verona. In the quarterfinals Juve beat Torino 2-0 and progressed to the semi-final against Atalanta. Continuing the way in the league, the Bianconeri won 1-0 against Cagliari in a hard-fought match, 1-0 with Genoa and 2-0 with Chievo Verona. In the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, Juventus has the best in Atalanta's home: 1-0 for us with the return game to be played on February 28th. Then a record-breaking match: in the league Juventus beat Sassuolo 7-0, with goals from Alex Sandro, Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira's double and Gonzalo Higuaín's hat-trick. Then on February 9th we obtained three very important points, winning 2-0 against Fiorentina. Finally, on February 13th the Champions League returned, playing against Tottenham at the Allianz Stadium: after an initial Juventus lead of 2 goals (double by Pipita Higuaìn), we were pegged back by Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen in a match that finished 2-2. It was a pity to draw in a game that we were on our way to winning, but now our guys are going to put it all in the challenge back to Wembley, which will be played on March 7th. Last week we played the Derby della Mole in the league, at Torino's football stadium, where we won 1-0 thanks to a precious goal from Alex Sandro. Juventus continue to be second in the Serie A standings just a point behind Napoli, who continue to win and are making this an exciting title race. January and February were somewhat unlucky months - we lost a lot of players due to injury, starting with Paulo Dybala, injured against Cagliari, but now the Argentine is back on the pitch. Even our captain, Gianluigi Buffon, who recently turned 40, is back on the pitch. Juan Cuadrado, however, has been injured for more than a month with a groin problem and is still out but is about to return, as are Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi. Against Torino, there were two injured players: Higuain and Federico Bernardeschi. The former, a less serious ankle problem with a week's layoff. The latter a slightly more serious problem: he will be out for a few weeks and is at risk for the Champions League return challenge. Marko Pjaca, fully recovered at the end of December, was loaned to German team Schalke 04 until the end of the season, for 1.5 million euro. Juve are believed to still be monitoring Emre Can - at the beginning of January it was almost certain that the German midfielder should have arrived in June for about 4.5 million, but other clubs have been linked to the player, even if our club will not give up. It seems set for Dennis Praet of Sampdoria to join Juve 25 million, but the player will remain in Genoa until June and then could pass to the black and whites. Juve continue the Juventus Women project: our girls are very strong, so far they have played 14 games (between Championship and Italian Cup) and have won them all! Our Under 21 guys have left the Italian Cup and the Champions League, but they are in the running for the Championship. Meanwhile, a few days ago, the documentary about Juventus and the life of our players outside the field came out on Netflix. Juventus must now take care against Tottenham and put it all to pass the Champions League quarters, and stay competitive for the championship and Italian Cup! Now the hard part of the season is starting! Thank you to Leo from Daje Juve for this article. Follow them on Instagram by clicking here. Share your thoughts about this Juventus 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. 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!