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There's been many things unusual about 2020, both from a footballing and non-footballing perspective. One of the many unusual things from a Notts County point of view is that for the first time in any Notts fan's lifetime, Notts have not participated in the FA Cup this year due to an outbreak of COVID cases causing Notts to withdraw from the competition. As it is FA Cup 1st round weekend, an exciting weekend for any lower league football fan, I thought it would be a good time to look back on Notts's best and FA Cup moments. The most recent successful FA Cup run for Notts took place in the 17-18 season, when Notts got as far as the 4th round before crashing out after an 8-1 defeat at Premier League Swansea in a game shown live on BBC. That FA Cup run started almost 3 years ago exactly, with a Friday night under the lights at Meadow Lane against League One Bristol Rovers. Against higher league opposition, Notts came back from 2-0 down to comfortably win 4-2 and prove that we could compete against teams at a higher level. However, the 2nd round would provide a very different challenge against National League South side Oxford City. This was not the easy win most Notts fans expected, as Oxford City came back from behind twice and looked like taking us to a replay. However, in the dying seconds of the game Jorge Grant would score a winner which took Notts into the 3rd round for the first time in 6 years. On a personal level, I remember rewatching that game with my dad on BT later (who hadn’t been there) and at 2-2 he asked if I was going to the replay, not knowing what happened next! There was a lot of anticipation about who Notts would get in the 3rd round, and the draw did not disappoint, sending Notts to Brentford’s Griffin Park one more time before they moved grounds. Notts fans packed out the away terrace that day, and it was a memorable away day as a Jon Stead screamer caused a cup upset and sent Notts into the 4th round. However, despite bravely taking Swansea to a replay in the 4th round, that would prove to be the end of Notts’s FA Cup journey after losing 8-1 in the replay as previously discussed. On the subject of Premier League clubs, the last time prior to 2018 that Notts would face a Premier League club in the FA Cup was way back in 2011. With Notts going well in the league under Paul Ince, Notts fans had the additional excitement of a trip to Sunderland in the FA Cup 3rd round. It turned out to be a memorable away day for Notts, as goals from Lee Hughes and Craig Westcarr sent us into the next round. The next round brought an even more exciting tie, as Notts welcomed Man City to Meadow Lane. Man City were not the force that they are today, but were improving and spending big money under Roberto Mancini. With the ITV cameras in town, Notts held Man City to a memorable 1-1 draw, with a Neal Bishop header being cancelled out by a late Edin Dzeko equaliser. Thousands of Notts fans would flock to the Etihad for the replay, but much like Swansea 7 years later our cup run would end in a heavy defeat, losing 5-0 this time. I hope this article has brought back fond memories of Notts cup runs of recent years. Hopefully the 21-22 season when things are back to normal will bring many more memories for Notts fans, with Notts back in the EFL! Share your thoughts about this 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

For any football fan who's seen their team get relegated, one positive once you've got over the initial shock is to think about all the new grounds you can visit. And with Notts having previously never dropped down to non-league in their 157-year history, all these non-league grounds seemed like an exotic novelty to a Notts fan who travels home and away each week. So having completed half a season in the non-league wilderness, let's take a look back on the highs and lows of a non league away day. Best away days: Without question, I would have to list my favourite away ground that I've visited this season as Aldershot. Why did I like Aldershot's ground? Because it was the right mix of being an old school terrace, as well as a ground with a good atmosphere between home and away fans, which hasn't always been the case at the majority of non league grounds. Another terrace which I thoroughly enjoyed was Halifax, a large, retro terrace for away fans and an experience helped by the fact that Notts actually won! However, in terms of both the result and away day experience, then the best away trip this season would have to be the 4-0 win at Woking. From the slightly surreal yet friendly experience of drinking in the snooker club that was the only pub anywhere near the ground, to the cracking on the field performance from Notts, it was definitely the most memorable away trip of the season. Chants about "Our Danish chairmen" rang out throughout the game, as Notts put in a performance that established their challenge for immediate promotion back to the football league. Whether Notts genuinely have a chance of that promotion is a question for another blog! Worst away days: My least favourite ground I've visited this season would have to be Sutton. The whole vibe of the place was quite weird; on the one hand the stewards and other staff at the ground were very posh and overly formal. On the other hand, I recall facilities at this ground being particularly poor and not up to standard. The fact that the game was poor didn't help, but there was no real atmosphere at this ground which made for a pretty unmemorable experience. Another away ground I didn't particularly enjoy was Eastleigh; a ground which while facilities were modern and up to standard, was just pretty bland and the result also contributed to a relatively unmemorable day. While I can't moan too much about Chesterfield away as an experience as we've been there before in the football league and the facilities are pretty good for this level, I must give a special mention to Chesterfield advertising that they were selling out of date beer at the ground. Thanks for telling all away fans that they should give that a swerve, I guess! Thankfully no matter how bad things have got at Notts, we've never stooped to that low. So are the grounds in the National League significantly worse than those in League Two? I suppose it depends what you look for in a ground. In terms of character, there are some pretty bland grounds wherever you go in the football league. Therefore, an old fashioned ground like Aldershot, Halifax, or Maidenhead is definitely more charming than a football league out of town ground like Colchester or MK Dons. However, if you're talking about facilities then the overall standard is definitely slightly lower. The facilities at most non league clubs who have never been in the football league are definitely not quite up to football league standards in the whole ground, never quite as clean or well maintained as facilities in a football league ground. But even at the worst of times at any tinpot non-league ground, it's important to remember that this roller-coaster ride will all be worth it when Notts are a football league club! Share your thoughts about this 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.