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Game number 20 for the Magpies and what a roller coaster ride for the Notts faithful. Two goals down in 10 minutes, level just before half time, in front on 71 minutes, concede an equaliser in the 83rd minute but grab a 96th-minute winner thanks to Liam Noble. Notts move up to 14th, 5 points off a play-off place, with a game in hand over most teams, and with a 16 point safety margin from relegation. Saturday’s results in League Two: Accrington P – P Wycombe Wimbledon 1 – 2 Stevenage Bristol Rovers 2 – 1 York Crawley 3 – 2 Dagenham & Redbridge Luton 3 – 4 Northampton Mansfield 1 – 1 Leyton Orient Morecambe P– P Exeter Notts 4 – 3 Newport Oxford United 1 – 1 Carlisle United Plymouth Argyle 1 – 2 Cambridge United Portsmouth 4 – 0 Hartlepol Yeovil 2 – 2 Barnet Today there were 4 home wins, 3 away wins, 3 draws and 2 postponements. League Two update: Northampton's 4 – 3 away victory at Luton means they are 2 points clear at the top of League Two with 43 points. Carlisle remain 6th thanks to a 1 - 1 away draw at the expense of Oxford who now sit 2nd with 41 points. Portsmouth move up to 4th after thrashing Hartlepool 4 – 0,while Shaun Derry's Cambridge United continue their climb up the table to 12th , on 29 points ,after winning away at Plymouth who are 3rd with 40 points. Accrington fall to 5th after their home game against Notts' next opponents ,Wycombe Wanderers,was postponed. Mansfield occupy the last play off place at 7th, after drawing with 9th placed Leyton Orient, with Bristol Rover's 2 -1 home win over York moving them up to 8th on the same number of points, 33, as Mansfield and consigning York to bottom placed 24th. Yeovil's 2 – 2 draw with 19th placed Barnet lifted them off the bottom to 23rd but with the same points total, 12, as York. Hartlepool,Newport,Dagenham & Redbridge remain 20th,21st and22nd respectively Upcoming fixtures: Tuesday 15th December 2015 Only one League Two midweek fixture this week: Wycombe Wanderers v Notts County Tuesday night's game gives both teams a chance to climb closer to a play off place.Whatever the outcome Wycombe will still have another game in hand and would move up to 8th, level with Mansfield with a win but remain 10th with a draw. A Draw would only see Notts climb by one place but a Notts win would see them go above Wycombe to 10th on 31 points and within touching distance of a play off place. A very good time for Notts to get their away form sorted.

Ricardo Moniz still doesn't know how long it will be before Stanley Aborah will be available for selection, The midfielder limped off and was replaced during Notts 4-2 victory against Barnet. The summer signing has made 20 appearances for the Magpies, scoring one goal, and has been one of Notts more consistent players. Stanley had another scan last week and, speaking to local media, Moniz said he was constantly being monitored and assessed. “It's day to day with Stanley at the moment,” he said “Obviously it was a very bad challenge which put him out of the game, but I cannot say how long he will be out for.” “He is constantly being monitored because obviously he is an important player for us”. “We want to make sure he is right.” Jon Stead, who missed Notts defeat by Cambridge, is also in the treatment room recovering from a muscle tear. Although Stead is making progress, Moniz couldn't say when the striker would be fit to return to League Two action. “He has a good chance and that is all I can say,” he said. “He has been working with John (Wilson) the physio.” “We will have to wait and see how he is.” “At the moment though a date can't be put on his return. We will have to wait and see how he is.” To discuss Stanley Aborah's injury visit here or alternatively join our 'Match Discussion'.

Jordan Richards has returned to Notts as his successful three month loan spell with Boston United has come to an end. Loan rules prevented an extension to the original loan deal but he will be eligible to resume in January, which is what he would like if Ricardo Moniz has no plans for him at Notts. Jordan believes his own interests would be best served by returning to Boston in the new year. Referring to Boston United Jordan said "I'd love to come back, particularly if I'm not going to get a look in at Notts." "In that case, I would be better off enjoying my football out on loan." Boston manager Dennis Greene has turned to former Derby County youngster Mo Adams to fill the gap left by Richards departure as he fulfils a similar holding midfield role. However Greene would still like to bring Richards back after Christmas. "I really hope so and we're working on it," said Greene. "I don't think he can come back until January, but we're certainly working on it."

Once again PoN looks to the weekend fixtures in another League Two preview. There are several stand out fixtures this week, with table toppers Oxford playing host to 6th placed Carlisle and 4th placed Accrington at home to 9th placed Wycombe. At the other end of the table, bottom club Yeovil are at home to 19th placed Barnet. Another interesting fixture is 5th placed Portsmouth playing 20th placed Hartlepool. *Important game **Key Games Saturday 12th December 2015 **Accrington Stanley v Wycombe Wanderers – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0) Wimbledon v Stevenage – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0) Bristol Rovers v York City – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-1) Crawley v Dagenham & Redbridge – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1) Luton v Northampton – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2) Mansfield v Leyton Orient – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0) Morecambe v Exeter – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-2) Notts County v Newport – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-1) *Oxford v Carlisle – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0) Plymouth v Cambridge – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-0) **Portsmouth v Hartlepool – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0) **Yeovil v Barnet – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0) My Stand-out Games Oxford v Carlisle Accrington v Wycombe Portsmouth v Hartlepool Yeovil v Barnet We are now approaching the busy festive season and halfway stage of the fixture list with the league table clearly showing the favourites for promotion and relegation. Oxford, Plymouth and Northampton head the table, each with 40 points, while Yeovil are bottom with 11 points, below York at 23rd with 12 points and Dagenham at 22nd on 13 points. Oxford will be hoping to consolidate their position at number one, while denting Carlisle's play-off hopes. Plymouth and Northampton will hope to win against their mid table opposition. Barnet will be aiming to put another nail in Yeovil's relegation coffin and at the same time distance themselves from the bottom places. Halfway and 12th placed, Wimbledon have 28 points and are only 4 points off a play off place. 21st placed Newport have a 7 point cushion over 2nd bottom York and are on 19 points, which shows that there is still plenty of time for teams to make a significant move in any direction, up or down the table. Thoughts on Notts County v Newport This weeks matches sees Notts County at home to Newport, a match that should be an easy win for Notts and I've predicted a 3 -1 score (I hope I haven't jinxed the result). The last time they played was 3/3/1987 and Notts won 5-2 at Meadow Lane. The overall record between Notts and Newport is: Notts won 23, Newport won 12 and 9 Draws. Discuss the Notts v Newport game within our community - Here.

Adam Campbell was dropped after the game against Exeter City in October and believes that this motivated him to prove a point to Ricardo Moniz. Since returning to the Notts 1st team, he has scored in the game against Cambridge United last Saturday and provided 2 assists in the game prior to that against Barnet. Adam says "My job is to score goals and create them and I wasn't doing that, so he had every right to make that decision" adding "I wasn't going to argue about it because he was justified and I cannot speak highly enough of the manager. What it did do was give me a point to prove. Since I've come back into the team I've created 2 goals and scored one, even though that was a bittersweet experience because we lost". "I've just got to keep that form going in the coming weeks and make sure I keep my place in the team." After being told he was second with 5 assists, behind Liam Noble's 6, Adam remarked "I didn't know that about the stats, but I will take it. I was very happy to create the 2 goals, hopefully by the Newport game I'll have overtaken Liam, but in all seriousness as long as the team wins, that's all that is important". Join in with Pride of Nottingham's discussions via our 'Activity Centre'.

Blair Adams made his first Notts County appearance this season, returning from injury in Friday nights 2-0 defeat by Mansfield and says Notts players must put their bodies on the line when defending in dead ball situations. Notts have conceded from set ball deliveries in the opening games this season and also at the end of last season. He says "It's something we have to work on. You've got to want to head the ball away for the team, put your face in where it hurts. It's something we need more of."Commenting on his return injury Blair added that although being a bit rusty he will improve and feels he can form a successful defensive partnership with half time substitute Graham Burke. He added "I'm pleased to get 90 minutes. I've had a couple of setbacks. I'm looking to get my fitness back now". "I'll be up and down the wing and hopefully chipping in with a few assists". "When Graham came on I thought we linked up quite well. It's promising. The quality of his crosses are a huge asset." "You saw when he came on he put three or four unbelievable balls in." "It was a shame we started lethargically. They got out the traps quicker and that should have woken us up a bit". "We weren't at our best but we've got a good chance to put it right this week".

The Lady Pies beat Bristol Academy 1-0 in FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup competition last Sunday. Notts Ladies had previously lost to Chelsea in the Womens FA cup final at Wembley and again to them, rather surprisingly as they are currently bottom of the league, in FA WSL 1 league the following week. Rachel Williams first half goal was enough to win the match. Ellen White also had a couple of chances go wide and Jess Clarke had a goal disallowed for being offside. Lady Pies manager Rick Passmoor said "this win will have helped restore confidence". “We’ve had a bit of a tough time, but we had ten days to recharge the batteries” he said. “We then sat down and had a real big heart-to-heart about what can we do and where we can get better and a lot of it is just about confidence and hopefully today will go towards that." “We needed to get the belief back. We can’t turn into bad players and a bad team overnight." “We have to look at the mentality of the lead up to the FA Cup and how much it took out of them, and then reassuring them and showing them lots of evidence about how they played in the first half of the season." “Today was about getting that win, getting the confidence back. We had the chances and hopefully there is a bag full of goals coming.” Bristol didn't create many chances and substitute, Frankie Fantom-Brown was stretchered off with 20 minutes remaining leaving them to play with 10 players but their manager, Willie Kirk, accepted that the better team on the day had won. Attendance - 490.

After a great start to the season Notts County came back down to earth with a resounding bang following Friday nights dismal performance in the 2-0 defeat at home to local rivals Mansfield Town. Saturday's fixture also took place with 8 teams claiming victories out of 11, 5 of which have managed to retain a perfect start, as Wycombe, Leyton Orient, Portsmouth, Northampton and Hartlepool United claim back to back league wins. Here are Friday's and Saturday's results. League Two Results Friday 14th August Notts County 0-2 Mansfield Town Saturday 15th August Barnet 0–2 Wycombe Wanderers Carlisle 4–4 Cambridge Crawley 1– 2 AFC Wimbledon Dagenham and Redbridge 1–3 Leyton Orient Luton 2–2 Oxford Morecambe 1–0 Accrington Newport 2–2 Stevenage Northampton 3–0 Exeter Plymouth 1–2 Portsmouth Yeovil 0–1 Bristol Rovers York 1–2 Hartlepool There were 2 home wins, 6 away wins and 3 draws. Upcoming Fixtures Tuesday 18th August 2015 Accrington v Mansfield AFC Wimbledon v Cambridge Barnsley v Northampton Crawley v Portsmouth Dagenham and Redbridge v Exeter Hartlepool v Newport Leyton Orient v Stevenage Luton v Bristol Rovers Morecambe v Wycombe Wanderers Oxford v Notts County Plymouth v Carlisle York v Yeovil League Two Update Game number two of the 2015/16 season and Portsmouth continued their promotion hopes by winning at Plymouth. Leyton Orient ,Northampton and Hartlepool all won and share top spot with Portsmouth on 6 points, behind Wycombe wanderers on goal difference. Mansfield drop to 7th after temporarily occupying top spot, with 4 points the same tally as 6th placed Cambridge. Notts now lie 9th with 3 points. Yeovil, York, Barnet and Dagenham and Redbridge are in the bottom places all losing their first two games. - Notts next game is away at Oxford on Tuesday. Oxford are placed 16th with 2 points, having drawn their 2 opening games. Still very early days but a Notts win will put them right back in the promotion mix, a defeat will add to Friday nights despondency.

After scoring both goals away at Huddersfield in the League Cup. Liam Noble has acknowledged the help that Alan Smith has given him. He has been doing one on one training with the ex England midfielder. He said "For the first goal, it was a great ball back from Kyle De Silva. I had to finish it off but it was all about the timing of the run." "In the past few years I might not have made that run. I might have been lazy or stayed back in the middle." "When you have one up front you've got to get someone on the edge of the box. I think you've got to credit Alan Smith to be fair. He works with me a lot in training about timing my runs to the edge of the box. He's been at the top level so I'm working with the best. He's improved my game a lot." "The second goal I saw the keeper on the edge of the box. I've been working a lot on shooting in training. Alan says to me 'if you don't shoot you don't score'. I saw the keeper out of the corner of my eye and thought why not give it a go." "I don't know if it's the best I've ever scored but it has to be up there. It's one of the best I've ever scored, yeah." "I didn't realise their fans were clapping so I appreciate that. The goals are a bonus but the most important thing was getting through." Premier league teams not involved in Europe come into the next round of the League cup and Liam would like to play his home town club Newcastle United and cited Bradford City's exploits last season as an example why Notts could also do well. Looking forward to Friday nights game against Mansfield, he reflected on Tuesday nights game saying "We knew we needed to play better. Stevenage was good but it wasn't good enough. It lifts confidence. We wanted the season to start well with a big game coming up Friday. I hope we get a big turnout."

Notts County play hosts to Mansfield Town at Meadow Lane on Friday night. Stags boss, Adam Murray says his team has enough to win at Notts. He said "It will be a great test for us going into that environment against a good team but make no bones about it, we are a very good team ourselves and we are not going there to make the numbers up.. I am not going there to sit back and watch Notts County. We are going into a thunderous environment and I want us to play at tempo. They are going to know they are in a game." He also referred to the number of players Notts had signed with some being from outside of England and commented on their quality having played at a higher level. He added "But we've got no fear. We are going there for a local derby and we want to show them what we are about. We've got enough in our changing room to go there and beat them on Friday, so that's what we will set out to do." After nearly being relegated last season Mansfield aim to be in the top half this season. Murray said "We have some tough games coming up in which I think we will do well." Notts have won both their games so far, both away, while Mansfield drew their League 2 opener 1-1 at home to Carlisle and lost 4-1 away at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.

Notts County's Northern Ireland international goalkeeper, Roy Carroll, has been handed the captain's armband by manager Ricardo Moniz. Roy said "It was a couple of hours before the game when the gaffer named the team and said I would be captain. I am very proud and it was a great moment for me." "It is the first time I have ever captained a football team and it's a great honour, but we are all captains really and we have to work hard, especially after what happened when we got relegated last season." "We have to give more on the pitch. We have to battle and that's what we did in the second half. The boys came out with a clean sheet too, from the strikers to the defence it was a great performance." Notts opened the scoring, courtesy of Curtis Thompson on 35 minutes with a great counter attack. Moving the ball quickly from defence to attack starting with a brilliant pass from Liam Noble to John Stead, who raced on before crossing to the back post for Thompson to put in the back of the net. Describing the goal Roy said "It was a great goal. That's the way the manager wants us to break away and it was something like 5 seconds and it was a goal. We did that and we proved how quick we can go from defence." Mauwana Amevor added a second goal in the 88th minute, giving Notts a great opening day away result. You can read the full PON match report - Here.