Elite_pie

We managed a couple weeks in Lanzarote with the family in August, and are flying to The Algarve on 3rd October (the day after we play Woking) returning on 22nd (the day before we play Stockport). That's 19 days away without missing a game at Meadow Lane unless we are drawn at home in the cup. The return flights cost £39.96, and that's the total for both of us, not each!!! The apartments we are staying in directly overlook the training ground of the Portuguese Primeira Liga team I have become a fan of, Portimonense FC. I first became interested in them when I saw fans walking around in black and white striped shirts, and they were a second division club then. I have been to watch them play a couple of times, and was hoping to go again but they don't have any home games due to the international break.

I'd even be tempted by the current Neal Bishop. The one thing we really lack is a dynamic box-to-box midfielder like Bishop or Ryan Yates.

Slocombe 6.5 - not tested enough to merit a high mark, but didn't do a lot wrong. Brindley 7 - much better than Tuesday, defended well. Taylor 6 - a bit hit and miss, looks for the safe pass a bit too often when he should be crossing it. Lacey 7 - more like the Lacey we know. Held us together when Cameron went off. Cameron 6.5 - brought the ball out of defence well, hope his injury is a minor one. Francis 7.5* - impressed me today. Some really good forward balls and imposed himself more. Palmer 7 - not a good first half, but made up for it in the second. Roberts 5.5 - nothing seemed to go his way. Flashes of what he is capable of, but a poor penalty and a petulant booking limits his mark. Ruben 5.5 - again below par. The slightly deeper role doesn't suit what he is best at, he struggled to get into scoring positions. Wootton 6 - can't fault his effort, but he didn't get a lot of service. Mitchell 5.5 - I think there's a good player there, but he didn't show it today. Subs- O’Brien 6 - typical JOB, some things worked and some didn't, but I love his passion. Chicksen 7 - a really good replacement for Cameron. Solid, and a very useful squad member who is a bit unlucky not to start. Brilliant that we got another 3 points, but this game once again provided more questions than answers. We did the job against limited opposition, we need to show that we can do the same against the better teams.

I like the one of Meadow Lane and Trent Bridge cricket ground. Just a pity about the eyesore in between.

Slocombe 7 - one dodgy punch apart, he looked a bit more confident. One superb save low down probably earned us two points. Brindley 5 - a torrid night, constantly exposed and most of their dangerous attacks were down our right. Lacey 5 - never got to grips with their strikers, had a difficult time. Cameron 6 - same as Lacey, but gets an extra point for scoring the winner. He needs to show similar dominance and desire in our box as well though. Taylor 6 - did ok, best of the back line and got forward at times. Roberts 7.5 - the end product didn't match the approach work, but he was a real danger all game. Francis 6 - moderate first half, but improved as the game progressed. Needs a bit of shooting practice! Palmer 7.5* - covered a lot of ground, always available for a pass and hardly wasted a ball all night. Rodrigues 5 - a shadow of the player he can be. Overhit passes, poor first touch, struggled to get involved. Wootton 7.5 - led the line well, another goal, showed how viital he is to the team. Mitchell 6.5 - his pace was always a threat, I think he needs a goal to really show what he can do. O'Brien 6 - worked hard. Kelly-Evans 6 - helped to shore up the right side late on. Sam n/a - not enough time to rate, but the more I see of Eli Sam the more I wonder what he offers. We started slowly and were poor until Roberts equalised, and we were very lucky to go in ahead at half time. The 15 minutes after half time was our best spell, we created a lot and should have put the game to bed. Once they got back to 3-2 though it was a nervy last half hour, and a relief when the final whistle blew. A very entertaining game where 5-5 would probably have been a fair score. Well done to Wealdstone and their fans, they certainly played their part.

An entertaining game, but one we were a bit lucky to win. My main concerns about a dodgy defence and a midfield that gives it little protection were only reinforced. Delighted with a 3-2 win, but it could easily have been 5-5. A special mention for Wealdstone, I thought both their team and support were very good. They were comfortable on the ball, and most of their passes whether long or short found a team mate. Their fans were still making plenty of noise even when they were 3-1 down, and they must be gutted to be going home with nothing.

My 'benefit of a replay' view of the key moments: DKE non-goal - their keeper saves it, then with one hand tries to get hold of it with two. Before he does DKE slides in and puts it into the net. Did the keeper have control of the ball? It looks 50/50, which means refs will always side with the goalkeeper. Our first - great first touch and layoff from Ruben, Wootton's shot wasn't cleanly hit but it went where he aimed it. Their first - good from their point of view, but disappointing from ours. We need to defend balls like that much better. Their second - bad error from Cameron. No foul for me, just a very poorly directed header. Our second - Cameron makes amends by being determined to be first to the ball. Our winner - the sort of quality we have that most other teams don't. A very classy goal. JOB non-goal - what can you say, apart from that the lino will be very embarrassed when he watches the replay.

Sorry, but I don't think we played well. We played well in little bursts, but we allowed a (good) team from a division below to match us. We were poor defensively and the midfield never looked like a cohesive unit. I know it was only a friendly, but we have a lot of work to do to look like a promotion team.

Yes, Ebosele was the one who rolled around like he'd been shot at the faintest touch. He didn't need to, because he looks a very promising player. If Jóźwiak was their blond number 7, he was the one who blatantly dived to try and win a penalty. Also the one who appeared to elbow Kyle Cameron in the face off the ball.

It's hard to know how strong the opposition were, but I would take more positives than negatives from the game. The scoreline flattered Derby, there was no obvious gulf between the teams. Disappointing to concede in the way we did from the corner for their first because we were just starting to get on top in the 10 minutes before it. Matty Palmer looked good, and JOB played well. A lot more there than I expected, it was quite a good atmosphere for a pre-season friendly.

Slocombe 7 - I thought he should have saved their first, but he redeemed himself with the one-on-one Tyson save and was pretty good with his handling, kicking and distribution. Rawlinson 6 - Was often forced backwards and sideways, probably better as a centre back. Ellis 8.5* - Just the sort of player you want on your side. Maybe a dodgy defensive moment or two, but puts his body on the line and his effort can't be faulted. An assist, and a memorable winner earns him MOM. Chicksen 8 - In the two games I've watched him live, he's gone from 'Adam who?' to being one of the first names on the teamsheet. He is ideally suited to a left side of a back three role, intelligent positioning, gets stuck in defensively and offers a forward threat. Brindley 7 - Better in the second half than the first, looks a good player on the right side of a back three. Doyle 7 - Typical Doyle, always available for a pass and mostly used the ball well. Reeves 6 - Took a while to get involved, and didn't make the best of his shooting opportunities, but stuck at it well. Boldewijn 7 - A few quiet spells, but had the beating of his full back and caused them problems. Miller 6.5 - Not quite his recent level of performance, but looks dangerous every time he runs at opposing defences. Rodrigues 6.5 - A few wrong decisions and didn't influence the game as much as he can, but great delivery for the winner. Wootton 7.5 - Led the line to good effect and was in the right place to bag a couple of goals. Knowles 5 - Looked off the pace and didn't contribute much. DKE 5.5 - No time to impress. Memorable game, brilliant atmosphere, well done to all concerned.

I just find it really, really good to finally be able to do these ratings from what I actually saw from my seat rather than what the cameraman decided to show me on a live stream. Here is my offering: Slocombe 7 - only routine saves to make, but he did everything well. Brindley 8 - excellent throughout, always composed and some great forward surges. Ellis 7 - did what he does best and won most of his challenges, one dodgy back header. Chicksen 8.5* - looks the perfect fit on the left side of a back 3. Sound defensively, but still managed to be a creative force. He barely put a foot wrong, where has he been all season? Kelly-Evans 7 - gave us what we have come to expect, 100% commitment all over the pitch. Doyle 7.5 - another who did what he's good at. Always composed on the ball and rarely wasted it. Reeves 7 - energetic and offered something in defence and attack. O'Brien 7 - looks rejuvenated lately, did his bit all over the pitch. Miller 8 - our main attacking threat for much of the game, I love his pace and forward desire. Rodrigues 7 - sometimes overplayed it a bit and maybe should have made a bit more of his opportunities, but the sort of player defenders are scared of. Wootton 7.5 - more of the Wootton of old, led the line well and proved a real handful for their defenders. Boldewijn 7.5 - instant impact, great finish for his goal, and must have loved the reception he got from the crowd. Enzio seems a bit of a confidence player, and today will have done him nothing but good. Sam 6 - again what we have come to expect, a bit mixed. Griffiths 6.5 - not much time to make an impact, but showed a flash of skill that suggests he might still have a part to play. What an occasion! As a Notts fan I have learned to fear the worst when expectations are high, but not today. It delivered from all angles, and it was a privilege to be part of that crowd. We often pretend to play 3-5-2, but today we really did play 3-5-2. Brindley and Chicksen defended well, but also offered an attacking threat, and the 'Dad's Army' midfield trio all did what they are best at. The wing backs were more offensive than defensive, and it meant we created loads of chances. I wondered early on what Burchnall had to offer, but if this is the answer I can't wait to see more.

Fantastic afternoon, well worth the wait. I was a bit concerned that with the fans being so spread out it wouldn't feel like a proper game, but that concern evaporated in the first minute. This was what I had missed so badly, it was every bit the real thing. We need to go all out for 5th place, because I can't wait to go back to Meadow Lane again. We played some really good stuff, and 6-0 would have been a more accurate scoreline. Well done to everyone in the ground, the atmosphere was brilliant.

I'm going. Not overly keen on my randomly allocated seat (my season ticket is row R, this one is row DD) right near the top of the Pavis stand, but can't wait to get back to Meadow Lane. I'd willingly sit on the roof of the stand rather than watch a live stream. Hopefully this will be the first of two visits this season, because if we finish in 5th place it means a home playoff quarter final.

I thought even before the game that this was a sensible appointment. Doyle is obviously a big character in the dressing room, and it could be an ideal bridge between the management and players, especially after the events of yesterday. A good decision in my opinion.