Joshua Barnes

As Notts County fans, anticipation for the new football season is always high, and this year is no exception. Fans eagerly await the release of the fixtures, planning their weekends and away trips to support their beloved team. The Magpies will kick off their campaign with an away game against Sutton United, followed by a local derby at home against Grimsby Town. The next three games will see Notts County face Morecambe, Doncaster Rovers, and Tranmere Rovers. Each game presents its own challenges and opportunities for the team to start the season on a strong footing. In this article, we will take a closer look at each of these opening fixtures, analysing the opposition and discussing the potential outcomes. Will Notts County come out on top, or will they face an uphill battle in the opening weeks of the season? Let’s dive in and find out. With the fixtures now out for the season, let's take a dive into the first five league games of the season. Sutton United The U’s, who finished last season in 14th place without a win in their last five games, are our first match back in the EFL since 4th May 2019. In my opinion, this is the perfect opening match for the Magpies. A team that has lost a few of its starlets from last season, including Will Randell, who signed for Notts on a two-year deal. Another reason I think this is perfect is because we will face a team that didn't struggle in the relegation fight last season but also didn't fight in the promotion push either. Some would say “a proper league two club.” With their top goalscorer only being at six goals throughout the whole of last season and the team as a whole only scoring 48 all season, it remains to be seen if Matt Grey can get his players hitting the back of the net next season. With some work in pre-season and maybe with an additional new striker, they could become an issue for Notts. Grimsby Town Our first home game back in the EFL, and it’s a local derby - how good is that? With Grimsby beating us twice at home in the 21/22 season - once in the league and then scoring in the 119th minute to make it 1:2 in the play-off quarter-final - that brought our season to an end. I am sure the players will be looking for revenge. Grimsby finished in a respectable 11th place last season but have since been active in the transfer window, signing players like Rekeil Pyke, Harvey Rodgers and Charles Vernam. All of which were playing at a higher level last season. It would be fair to say Grimsby are going to be a few people's favourites to make the playoffs as a minimum. This would be an important three points early on in the season and could set the pace for the rest of the season. I think it would be a great three points, but I feel it could be a struggle; however, with over a month until the game and a full transfer window in place, who knows? With the right transfer window, I sadly expect Grimsby to be right up there fighting to get out of the division. Grimsby finished last season with a -3 goal difference. I believe this will be one of the things Paul Hurst wants to dramatically improve. Morecambe Morecambe, which is more famous for its bay and Tyson Fury, are one of the smaller teams in the division with an average attendance of just 4000 last season. Maybe this was because they were in a relegation fight, which they ultimately lost by crashing out of league one last season and now will have to fight in league two again. However, it seems like the shrimpers are in for another tough season with most bookies putting them second favourite to get another relegation. In my opinion, this is a game where Notts should pick up three points. On the flip side, Morecambe did find a bit of form at the end of the season, winning three of their final five games and drawing one as well. It seems odd that a team that only got relegated by two points is one of the favourites to get relegated. Will Morecambe be a surprise package this season? Doncaster Rovers Back-to-back away games at the start of the season were always going to be hard, but when you're coming up against another potential promotion rival it becomes that little bit harder; do not let the fact that they finished 18th be a factor in the result. Not only have they been proactive in the transfer window by acquiring players like George Broadbent who had an excellent season with Boreham Wood, they also got Joe Ironside’s signature - a striker who has proven himself at this level with Cambridge and Hartlepool. Joe Ironside was also playing at a higher level last season by playing with league one outfit Cambridge scoring six goals. This is another game where I feel Notts County could make a statement with a big win away from home. A point should be a minimum for Luke Williams' men in my opinion. With both teams having their eyes set on playoffs as a minimum this season I think this will be a fantastic game for neutrals; however, it will be nail-biting for both sets of fans. Tranmere Rovers I can't help but feel Tranmere away will be our toughest game inside the opening five games due to their transfer window. Despite only finishing in twelfth place and three points below Grimsby last season I feel they will be underdogs this season. As I mentioned earlier, Tranmere has had an impressive transfer window signing ex-Notts player Kristian Dennis, who yet again last season has proven himself within this league, scoring 20 goals last season for the now league one outfit Carlisle, but also getting the signature of Luke Norris. Luke, who has hit double figures in two consecutive seasons, signed for them on a one-year contract after helping his ex-club Stevenage get promoted and has previously won Stevenage’s player of the season. I think this season will be a good season for Tranmere with signing a very prolific pair of strikers and keeping a good core of their team. I would put my house on it that Notts will find Tranmere Rovers a tough team to visit Meadow Lane. Many thanks for reading. If you want to see more, be sure to follow me on Twitter: @JVB0502 Get involved with the Pride of Nottingham by using our dashboard page and join the conversation with fellow Notts County fans.

Notts County have had an excellent start to the season with an unbeaten start from the opening seven matches, with four wins and three draws. From a perfect performance against Barnet, where the Magpies came out on top by putting five past the bees who didn’t manage to find the back of the net. Semi-new Magpie boss Ian Burchnall has become a massive fan favourite by taking ‘County’ to the semi-finals of the national League play-offs last season and leading Notts County to a near - perfect start so far! The flying high Magpies didn’t have it entirely their way in the first home match of the season after falling behind early in the game due to miscommunication between Sam Slocombe and Connell Rawlinson. Later on, in the match, the big man’ Kyle Wootton scored a brilliant diving header to find the back of the net. With the match ending one a piece, the Magpie fans felt they should have taken all three points. 5 in 7 In nearly all matches for Notts County this season, the six - foot one forward has found the back of the net. Kyle Wootton originally joined Notts County on loan from Scunthorpe United back in 2019 before making It a permanent move in 2020 for a small fee of £60,000. Every season playing in the famous black and white jersey, Kyle Wootton has finished as the top goal scorer for the club. What does the future hold for Notts County? With the Notts County owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz being so honest, smart and incredibly responsible, the future does look good for the famous Notts County. Since the arrival of the new owners, the club has been well run and has had a massive turn around since the last owner, Alan Hardy, who put the Nottingham side up for sale after posting a picture of his genitalia on Twitter. The Reedtz brothers have set a 5-year plan out and the Magpies have one goal this year, promotion. Join the Pride of Nottingham in discuss what role you see Lewis Knight fulfilling in the upcoming season. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

After a long season, and crashing out of the play-offs in dramatic style, the magpies now look to rebuild for the upcoming 2021/22 Season. It was made official by Notts County earlier this week that they would keep popular midfielder Michael Doyle. However, he would now be the head coach to assist Ian Burchnall for the important season ahead. The Irishman, who is also registered as a player, landed the role at the back end of last season after the dismissal of Maurice Ross. He finds himself in a positive place to take Notts County forward alongside Burchnall. The Magpies then confirmed a new two-year deal for shot-stopper Sam Slocombe. This is really good news for Notts as their number 1 had offers coming from higher up the footballing pyramid, with strong sources linking him to former assistant manager Neil Cox's strong Scunthorpe side. The shot-stopper faced 120 shots last year in the National League, saving 85 of them and with a kicking accuracy of 90 percent. You can tell he will be a massive backbone for the Magpies as they push for promotion back into the Football League. Sam Slocombe is well known for his honesty towards Notts County. In his interview, after the news was broken towards the chuffed Notts fans, he said “When I came to Notts County, the project was to get us back to the Football League. "This hasn’t happened yet so I’m grateful to the fans and to the owner, alongside the management team, for letting me carry on this project.” These comments were music to the Notts fans' ears as many thought he had played his final game in a black and white shirt. And then came another huge boost as fan favourite and hugely important Connell Rawlinson also put pen to paper on a new two-year deal for the Magpies. A real warrior who puts his head in front of anything that comes his way, Rawlinson extended his stay at Meadow Lane as he wants to take the mighty Magpies back to League Two. “To play for Notts County, for what will hopefully be four years of my career, will be an honour for me," he said. Rawlinson, who is well known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, plays on the right in a three at the back under Ian Burchnall. The Notts boss has revealed that Rawlinson will more than likely play in the centre of a back three and be part of the spine of the team. It is with huge significance that Notts got his signature as he is the sort of player that is needed in the National League. The fact that the Magpies have kept hold of such a top player has reignited hope in the Notts fans. Indeed, over a thousand season tickets have been sold within the first 24 hours of being on sale. Head over to the Pride of Nottingham forum to discuss the pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2021/2022 National League Season. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.