Joe Jones

With Notts County having such a rich history, there are dozens of illustrious former players for every generation over the last 150 years, with some individuals having excelled for the club so far back that nobody currently alive will have seen them play. This is the case of James "Jimmy" Logan, who was born in a time when Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Queen Victoria were still alive. Born on 24 June 1870 in the Scottish town of Troon, Logan began his career at Ayr United, just down the coast from his hometown. National scouts soon spotted his potential and, in March 1891, he played in the Scotland side that beat Wales 4-3 in Wrexham, scoring on his debut. However, the Scottish game was amateur at the time, while south of the border, clubs were turning professional, so many footballers were drawn to England. On the day of the win over Wales, Logan was spotted by Sunderland scouts, and soon enough he signed for the Wearside club, though he only made two appearances as they won the 1891-92 Football League. In October 1892 he returned to Ayr briefly before signing for Aston Villa for a transfer fee of £30. He played ten times for them in the 1892-93 season, scoring on seven occasions, and followed that up with one goal in four games before Notts County signed him. The Magpies were a Second Division club at this point, but Logan did not let this deter him, scoring 21 goals in 21 games and guiding the club to their first FA Cup Final. To get there, Notts eliminated three clubs from the First Division, including Nottingham Forest, who they beat 4-1 in a replay, and so they lined up to face Bolton at Goodison Park. In front of 37,000 people, Notts were done and dusted by the 70th minute as Arthur Watson opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Logan struck in the 29th, 67th and 70th minutes of the match - a feat managed by just one player before. Another record broken was that Notts became the first team from outside the top flight to win the FA Cup and, appropriately enough, they received a hero's welcome when they returned to Nottingham. “One would have to seek far back into the annals of demonstrations of a public nature to find a parallel to the proceedings on Saturday night,” enthused the Nottingham Evening Post. The loudest cheers were for the man of the match. “Logan was the hero of the day,” wrote the Sheffield Independent, “and played in a brilliant fashion”. Another writer was moved to state: “He was like a clipper in full sail all through.” Logan then moved on to play for Dundee and later Newcastle United in short but successful stints, scoring eight goals in the nine games, before transferring to Loughborough. It was here that his career, and sadly his life, ended, in very unfortunate circumstances. On Friday, April 3, the Luffs travelled to Sandbach to play Crewe Alexandra, and won 2-1. The next day, they travelled by train to Manchester to take on Newton Heath, the club which later became Manchester United - but had forgotten the kits in Sandbach. “Loughborough turned out in borrowed plumes,” reported The Monitor and News. “The search for clothing delayed the start for half an hour.” In driving rain, 4,000 witnessed Loughborough lose 2-0 and the team, wearing the same drenched clothes as they wore in the game, returned to the Midlands. Logan – who had a history of ill health – caught a chill and missed the next three games. He recovered to return to action and scored in the final game of the season, a 4-1 win over Crewe, and looked to be recovering over the next month, but sadly it wasn't to be. “No serious consequences were anticipated ’til Saturday,” reported the Monitor, “when the internal complaint of which he suffered led to complications and in the end brought on pneumonia.” From then on, Logan went rapidly downhill. By Monday, James Logan was dead. He was 25. As a mark of respect, the next day the Midland League championship flag was lowered to half mast at the club’s Athletic Ground. At 3.30pm on May 29, Logan's body was lowered into the grave at plot 34 of compartment 114 at Loughborough Cemetery. A nameless hole in the ground. A pauper's grave. This is seemingly where the story ends, but fast forward 120 years, Andy Black and Jimmy Willan launched a campaign to give Logan the recognition he deserved. Until August 2016, the only reminder of him had been a sign on a dirt road leading to the town's Derby Road playing fields, bearing the name James Logan Way. Andy and Jimmy's campaign culminated in the unveiling of the headstone at Loughborough Cemetery, in Leicester Road, on August 23, 2016. A proper tribute to a legendary football player - just how it should be. Share your thoughts about this Notts Alumni piece on James "Jimmy" Logan 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.

Notts County owner Alan Hardy has expressed his desire to forge closer links with Nottingham Forest and praised the attitude of their young players. Jorge Grant, who Forest are looking to sign up on a three-year deal, had a successful loan spell at Meadow Lane, and Hardy believes all their academy prospects are being brought up the right way. In his weekly Nottingham Post column, he wrote: "We want to continue to strengthen links with our neighbours. "I do know that our manager, Kevin Nolan, has a good relationship with Frank McParland, their director of football. "Forest do have an abundance of excellent young players who are on our doorstep and it would be remiss of us not to explore those avenues. "There's something I greatly admire about the character of those Forest boys. They are really nice people to have around your football club and in the changing room. "They have a great work ethic, they are the last off the training pitch, they always have a smile on their face and it's just the type of people that Kevin and I like as players. "Whatever Forest do over there, they are certainly teaching them the right way." To read the rest of Alan Hardy's weekly Nottingham Post column, click 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.

Alan Hardy has reiterated that he wants Jorge Grant back in a Notts County shirt but is unsure of Nottingham Forest's plans for the 22-year-old. The Magpies chairman is willing to fund a move for the in-demand playmaker, who scored six goals in 23 games for the Magpies after arriving on loan from the City Ground in January. However, Forest - who had the option of extending Grant's contract by another 12 months - have opted to put a three-year deal on the table, while there is also interest from Wigan Athletic. "I would love to buy Jorge because he is a quality player and a really good lad," said Hardy. "While it's great taking players on loan nothing can beat having a player on your books who lays down roots and becomes part of your long-term journey. "He was instrumental for us last season and produced some wonderful goals and football along the way. "But at this moment in time we don't know what Mark Warburton's view is. "He may well fancy him for next year and make him a part of his plans. That's something we are waiting to find out. "We would love to see him back here on loan if we cannot take him on a permanent deal. "The fans absolutely love him here, he played regularly and the way he conducted himself was fantastic. "He has that sparkle and the ability to turn a game on its head. "Jorge is obviously settled in Nottingham and that's important for a player as it allows them to concentrate on their football. "He doesn't have to worry about travelling, what hotel he is staying in and so on. "We are really pleased that Jorge is wanting to put roots down in Nottingham and hopefully we will see him back at Meadow Lane next 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.

The threat of liquidation hanging over Notts County has been formally lifted. A petition to wind up the club was dismissed on Wednesday at the High Court in London after a "dramatic compromise" was signed at the door of the court. Notts were being pursued for debts said to be more than £600,000 owed to Pinnacle Advantage Ltd, a company of which former Notts owner Ray Trew was director. The League Two club had been trying to agree a settlement with the administrators for Pinnacle, which was liquidated last July. When the matter returned to court, Simon Johnson, appearing for Pinnacle, told Miss Registrar Derrett: "A dramatic compromise has just been signed outside court". James Pickering, representing Notts County, confirmed the compromise, and there were no other creditors the registrar declared: "The petition is dismissed with no order as to costs." Originally, the club had faced a winding-up application brought by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs over reported debts of £500,000 - when the tax man's bill was settled, Pinnacle stepped in as a "substitute creditor". 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.

Haydn Hollis has become the latest player to commit his future to Notts County after signing a new deal at Meadow Lane. The 24-year-old central defender, a Magpies academy product, has made 133 appearances for the club since making his debut in January 2012, and has scored seven goals. Hollis told the official Notts site: "Since the manager told me he wanted to offer me a new deal I’ve been desperate to sign it. "The gaffer’s someone I love working for and Richard Thomas and Mark Crossley also deserve a lot of credit, along with everyone else the manager has with him. "The club’s going into a new time now - we're even getting a new kit brand. It's completely changing and I’m glad I’m going to be a part of it." Notts boss Kevin Nolan added: "I am absolutely delighted that Haydn has decided to stay with us. "I have spoken a number of times about his attitude and the way he carries himself about the club - he has been first class since I walked through the door. "Even when he found himself out of the squad he never let his professionalism or commitment slip. He kept working hard and thoroughly deserves his new deal." 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.

Alan Hardy has praised Matt Tootle after the defender opened up about his mental health struggles and pledged to do more to ensure players are supported at Notts County. The 26-year-old spoke about his battles with anxiety and depression earlier on in his career, admitting he "thought about ending it" and receiving treatment at the Priory Clinic. "It takes a lot of guts and it was very brave of him to speak about it," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "To a degree, I've got a lot of affinity with what he was saying. People who know me, know that I'm not necessarily a level person; I'm up one day and down the next. "I'm not comparing myself to Matt Tootle, but I've experienced a little bit of living in highs and lows. And when that low becomes even lower, then I can certainly identify with how low he must have got. "It's very sad. The problem with mental illness and depression is that when you're at that point, hardly anybody can help you. It has to come from within and you have to dig really deep. "I haven't seen (Tootle) since he did that interview, so next time I see him I will certainly be shaking him by the hand and saying, 'well done for digging deep and getting yourself out of that'." Asked if clubs are more aware now about mental health issues among players, Hardy said: "No, I don't think they are. I don't think we are here. "It's something which I'll be taking with John Wilson, our chief medic, about in the summer; about how we can identify what's going on with the players and whether we should be having some sort of psychological coaching to make sure the guys are in a good place. "If you're not in a good place mentally, you've got no chance of performing well out on the pitch. I don't think as a society we do enough. It's something that we need to look at. We need to make sure we do more to really help those players. But Matt has done fantastic to come out and say what he's said, and to get himself back on top." 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.

Alan Hardy has revealed that Notts County had already smashed the previous year's season ticket sales before the 2016-17 campaign was even over. Season tickets for the 2017-18 campaign went up on sale on March 24, with the Notts owner attributing the increased take-up to optimism about the Magpies' future on and off the pitch. "We have smashed last season's sales," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "We had exceeded last year's season ticket sales before the season had finished. "Sales have slowed down a little bit now because there's no football, but hopefully once the new Puma kit gets released that can give them another boost. That should land with us in the middle of July. "Once the players report back for training at the end of June and the new kit comes out, then those sales will accelerate again. "I just want to say a massive thank you to those fans who have bought their tickets early and really supported us. "To exceed last year's season ticket sales before the season had even finished was remarkable. "It shows how much enthusiasm and confidence the fans have got for next year. "We exceeded it by about 10 percent up on last season's sales before the season had expired, it's tremendous." Comment on this news story below or discuss it on the Pride of Nottingham forum alongside hundreds of fellow Notts County fans by signing up for free to the website by clicking here.

Alan Hardy has set a target for Notts County to finish either in the playoffs or very close to them next season. In addition, he revealed that he has given manager Kevin Nolan a 10 percent increase on last year's playing budget in a bid to hit that target. Hardy has already overseen the signing of Lincoln City winger Terry Hawkridge and is expecting seven or eight further additions in the transfer window. "Our playing budget last year was about the seventh or eighth highest in the division," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "I've given Kevin an extra 10 percent on last year. That will probably take us to top four, in terms of budget in League Two. "But I'm expecting a call from Kevin in the last week before the season starts, saying, 'could I just borrow….!' On a serious note, I'm sure Kevin will be able to get the players he needs within that budget. "I'd like to be very close to the play-offs. I think it's fair to say there would be a tinge of disappointment if we don't make the play-offs, because I think we are plenty good enough. Once you're in the play-offs it is a bit of a lottery. "Making the play-offs or being very close to the play-offs I think is the target. If we come below halfway, it would probably be a disappointing 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.

Alan Hardy has outlined his plans to set up a girls' academy at Notts County with a view to forming a sustainable Lady Pies outfit which will work its way up to the Women's Super League. The Magpies owner and chairman took the decision to fold the original Notts County Ladies side last month due to it being unsustainable and "financial suicide" to keep afloat. He was roundly criticised for the decision, but he insists that, as a business model, it simply did not work out, and this week he has pledged to bring women's football back to Meadow Lane the right way. My ambition has always been to have a girls' academy sitting alongside the boys' academy," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "The boys' academy is super successful. We have a target and an ambition that 25 percent of the first-team will be made up of guys who have come through our academy in the next three years. That's the pathway we want, from academy through to first-team. "Unfortunately, the ladies' team I inherited was an entity on its own. There was just the first-team; there was nothing that was attaching it to the club in any way – probably because it was brought over from Lincoln and it had no structure or foundations. "As of next season, we will have an under-nines, under-10s and under-11s girls' academy, which will be playing in the boys' Young Elizabethan League (YEL). "That will be starting in the next few weeks and we will be holding trials to pick out the best elite girls across the county, in order to take them on a wonderful coaching pathway from where they are now through to, ultimately, a ladies' first-team in six, eight years' time – and hopefully be the next England internationals. "It's the start of something which has structure and foundations, and which is affordable and sustainable. It's always been my ambition. "In the previous guise, Notts County Ladies was not a sustainable business model. And who knows where the Women's Super League will be in six years' time. It won't be in its current guise now, I'm sure of that. It will have morphed and developed. "I would like Notts County to be a part of that. We'll have to work our way through the leagues and through the divisions, but that's how it should be. "We will start at the bottom and we will work our way through. But the ultimate ambition is to have a ladies' team that is playing in the top-flight, whatever that is called and whatever it looks like. "But what is absolutely critical is it is underpinned by an academy pathway, so girls who are joining that academy at age eight can see a very clear route through to the first-team." 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.

Former Millwall, Wimbledon and Republic of Ireland forward Jon Goodman has been appointed as Notts County's new academy manager. The 45-year-old joins the Magpies from the Nike Academy, where he spent three years coaching and developing talented unsigned players. Goodman previously worked as head of sports science at Leeds United and Reading, and also ran a consultancy business which included Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton among its clients. He told the official Notts website: “I am really excited to begin working at Notts County as academy manager. “While working with Nike I took a keen interest in the club as I have known a number of the staff over the years. It’s also been brilliant to see the impact made by one of our former players, Jorge Grant, this season. “I have been impressed by the vision, ambition and passion of the chairman, both for the club and the academy, and I look forward to delivering a successful programme that represents our core values of integrity, hard work, competition, positivity and responsibility." Simon Clark, who was previously reported as having joined Notts as academy manager from Charlton Athletic, is now also on the books at Meadow Lane, as lead professional development phase coach. 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.

The EFL regular season is now over, so for the clubs that aren't contesting the playoffs, it's full swing ahead in planning for next season. Notts County owner Alan Hardy has this week written two columns on the Nottingham Post about his experiences of the transfer window so far, and what the club hopes to achieve and obtain in the upcoming one. On his baptism of fire in the transfer window Within two weeks of me taking on this role at Meadow Lane we were straight into the January transfer window. That was a real baptism of fire. I was unable to sleep at night following intense negotiations over as little as £10 or £20 a week, and you wouldn't believe all the incentives that get built in along the way – appearance money, goal bonuses, all sorts. I had been thrown in right at the deep end but I think it set me up really well for this transfer window. I feel far more prepared after picking up that invaluable experience. What team he and Kevin Nolan would like to build After the season finished, myself and the manager, Kevin Nolan, spent quite a lot of time talking about the team we'd like to build and what success looks like for us. That's success not only in terms of league position, but also in terms of how we're going to play and which formations we're going to use. We both share a passion for attacking football, a strong defence, wide players who create lots of chances and big strikers in the area. We are absolutely on the same page in terms of what we'd like from a football perspective. And, unlike in January, we now have almost a blank canvas to work from when it comes to forming a squad. It's quite exciting to be able to say, 'okay, what does the future look like?'. The pitfalls of lower-league transfer window life I found it quite surreal in a way, that you can get to the end of a season and find you've got five players signed on for next year. With Michael O'Connor out injured we are down to four players under contract for next season, which includes a goalkeeper – so, in essence, we've got three. It was also quite daunting to think we've got the best part of 18 new contracts to negotiate, to agree and sign – quite a few of those will be for existing players, but you've still got to get everything agreed. While there is some uncertainty over which players are yet to come and go, we do have a robust, carefully thought-out budget in place. Kevin and our chief executive, Jason Turner, will be working very closely together this summer, the former identifying his targets and the latter negotiating deals with agents and clubs. In total I hope we'll be able to bring in around eight new players in a range of positions. Some we'll have to pay for, others will be out of contract and a few will come in on loan. Kevin Nolan's reputation What will be a huge help to us in the transfer market is Kevin's reputation. He's very, very well respected in the game and we're starting to receive calls from agents whose players are saying, 'I've heard such great things about Notts County and I want to play for Kevin Nolan'. There are two players in particular who have been offered deals with League One clubs, but they would prefer to come to us. They are at the beginning of their footballing journey and feel they would learn so much more from Kevin because of his experience and knowledge, which is really refreshing to hear. Having to let players down This is a hugely exciting time of year in the world of football but it's incredibly ruthless at times, particularly when it comes to making decisions that affect the business. You only have to ask Kevin how he felt after having to tell a number of players recently that their time at Meadow Lane was up. I share his compassion and find it tough talking about players as if they are just numbers, taking away the human side and doing your best not to be influenced by the fact they've got families to feed and mortgages to pay. Unfortunately, there's no room for sentiment in this industry. What I found particularly difficult was saying goodbye to the academy players who we didn't offer professional contracts to. Letting them go was probably more heartbreaking than the professionals because those boys haven't yet had their chance. It took me back to my early football days when I was released by Doncaster Rovers. It brought all those emotions back, from when I was 18 or 19 and thrown on the scrapheap. It's a ruthless sport and I really feel for those academy players. They have given their all for the last couple of years to try to make it in the game and hopefully they will find other clubs and come back stronger. To read Alan Hardy's Nottingham Post columns from this week, follow this link and this link. 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.

Notts County have made their first signing of the 2016-17 post-season by recruiting Lincoln City winger Terry Hawkridge on a two-year deal. The Nottingham-born 27-year-old was part of the Imps side which cruised to National League glory this year, helping Danny Cowley's boys into League Two as well as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Speaking to the official Notts website, Hawkridge - who played for Carlton Town and Hucknall Town early on in his career - said: “It was a tough decision to leave Lincoln. "However, I feel I have unfinished business here having been released as a kid. It’s my home city – I’m originally from Top Valley – so I am buzzing to be here. “I’m looking forward to getting started and learning a lot from the experienced players in the squad, as well as the manager. “I didn’t know what was happening after the National League season finished but now I have signed here I can go away, enjoy a short break and come back ready for the first day of pre-season training. “I’m a winger who can play on either side but I like to cut in from the left. I’ve got a bit of pace, I can cross with either foot and I have some tricks up my sleeve. I know I can bring goals and hopefully create some special memories 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.

Alan Hardy has admitted that Nottingham Forest are likely to extend Jorge Grant's current deal at the City Ground. The midfielder enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at Notts County this season and the club owner is eager to sign him up permanently. However, Hardy is also aware that his progress at Meadow Lane will not have gone unnoticed by both his parent club - who have an option to extend his deal by another year, and any other suitors, with Bristol City and Wigan Athletic rumoured to be after him. "Jorge enjoyed his time here. He did fantastically well," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "I think Jorge is the first to admit that he's grown as a player since being here. "That's no detriment to Forest, it's purely because he's been given the opportunity to play first-team football. "The ball is in Forest's court. They have got an option on him and it looks like they are likely to exercise that option. "Whether we then buy him from Forest or we have him on loan, or Forest may well decide to keep him, we'll have to see. Unfortunately, we aren't holding any of the cards. "Discussion at the moment is between Forest and Jorge. We've registered our interest, Jorge knows how we feel, Jorge knows how much we would pay him, the ball is very much in Forest's court." 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.

The Football Association has agreed to a rebalancing of the number of teams in FA WSL 1 and FA WSL 2 for the 2017-18 season in the wake of Notts County Ladies folding. The decision has been made to continue with 10 FA WSL 1 teams for the forthcoming 2017-18 season, which begins in September, ensuring there is even numbers in both divisions. FA WSL 2 clubs are now able to apply for the remaining place in FA WSL 1. The application process will require clubs to demonstrate how they will meet the additional licence criteria, financial and staffing requirements of FA WSL 1. The decision, which will be made in June, will be based on the applicant clubs' skills in business management, youth development and marketing, as well as the quality of their facilities and their performances on the pitch in the past 12 months. Before the Lady Pies' liquidation, there would have been 10 teams in WSL 1 for 2017-18, and 11 in WSL 2. Everton can win the WSL 2 Spring Series title on Saturday, but there is no promotion and relegation between the top two tiers at the end of the one-off competition. One of either Blackburn Rovers or Tottenham Hotspur, who face each other in a promotion play-off at the end of May, will join WSL 2 for the 2017-18 campaign. 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.

As the oldest Football League club in existence, Notts County have not only created history of their own, but they've also played a part in the history of other clubs. By now all Notts fans will be well aware of the connection between the Magpies and Juventus, thanks to Nottingham man Tom Gordon Savage's procurement of shirts with black and white vertical stripes when he lived in Turin back in 1903. But with Tottenham Hotspur saying goodbye to White Hart Lane this season as they prepare to move - via Wembley - to a brand new stadium, the focus has very much been on the now-dismantled ground's history. And sure enough, Notts crop up there too, as they were the very first team to play against Spurs at White Hart Lane in the final year of the 19th century. Logan Holmes of Spurs fansite Hotspur HQ writes: "On 4 September 1899, Tottenham played a friendly game against Notts County to mark the opening of their new ground. They have continued to play there ever since. "The First Division club were the first visitors and 5,000 spectators were present. Notts took the lead through an own goal. Spurs inside right, Tom Pratt, brought them level by half-time and after the interval centre forward David Copeland completed a hat-trick, although for the last two goals County had been reduced to ten men as their goalkeeper was injured. County’s centre half, Walter Bull, who went in to goal, was to join Tottenham five years later. "At that time the ground wasn’t known as White Hart Lane. It was only after the 1st World War that it took on that name. Before then it had been called ‘The High Road Ground’, although the club had favoured ‘Percy Park’ after Sir Henry Percy – Harry Hotspur. "Prior to 1899 Tottenham had played at their Northumberland Park ground, having moved there in 1888 after originally playing their matches on Tottenham Marshes." 118 years later, White Hart Lane would host its final game as Spurs clinched a 2-1 win over the mighty Manchester United on 14 May 2017, dominating from start to finish. And with the history of the ground the main focus of the day, Spurs had created special corner flags which boasted information of the first and last game at the Lane - one saying "14th May 2017" and featuring the Spurs and Man United badges, and the other saying "4th September 1899" and featuring the Spurs and Notts badges, with "To Dare Is To Do" written at the bottom of both. Another historic White Hart Lane clash between the two teams took place on 10 March 1991, when Spurs hosted Notts in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The Magpies put their opponents to the sword, Don O'Riordan putting the visitors ahead with a sensational rocket from outside the box and Mark Draper bossing the midfield to the point that he was upstaging a certain England international by the name of Paul Gascoigne - you may have heard of him. However, Spurs came out invigorated in the second half as Craig Short deflected Nayim's effort into his own net, before Gascoigne - who should have been sent off after elbowing Paul Harding in the face, leaving him with a black eye - struck a clinical shot into the far corner with just seven minutes left in the game. O'Riordan, scorer of County's superb first goal in that tie, paid a visit to White Hart Lane on the Monday to reminisce about his memories of the stadium. He wrote: "Wonderful memories visiting White Hart Lane. Sadly couldn't get on the pitch to take a photo of the goal I scored in during the quarter final in 1991. "Met two Spurs fans who supported the club for 35+ years and they remembered the goal which was amazing and agreed Gazza should have been red carded lol. "Has to be one of the biggest highlights of my career. Funny the lads even knew the first Tottenham game in their history (at White Hart Lane) was against Notts." He then talked about what happened the day after the match: "After we lost at Spurs, Neil (Warnock) had us in next day that was normally a rest day but he told the YTS lads to tell us to make sure we had our kit and trainers on. "This normally would mean a running session but we ended up in the sponsors lounge and Neil and Mick Jones brought 2 cases of beer for us to consume and he said we can make Wembley again win promotion and sample the Spurs atmosphere every week in the 1st Division. "We looked at each other and had another drink and wondered what he was on about but how could we doubt this guy. Sure enough we beat Brighton (in the playoffs) and the rest as we all know is history." As Spurs wave goodbye to their home for 118 years and prepare to create new history, it's nice to know that Notts have played a part in some of it - and that clubs continue to pay tribute to us. Share your thoughts about this feature 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.

New Worcester City joint-manager Lee Hughes has claimed that Notts County owner Alan Hardy has agreed to a pre-season friendly encounter between the two clubs. Hughes remains a fan favourite at Meadow Lane, having netted 65 goals in 144 games in three-and-a-half seasons between 2009 and 2013. The 40-year-old was appointed at the Victoria Ground earlier this month to work alongside John Snape at the seventh-tier club. He told Worcester News: “I was on a question and answer at Notts County with supporters. “The new owner was there and I asked him for a friendly game. He said yes, so he is going to bring a team down to play us in pre-season.” The former West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City striker insists he is keen to boost cash-strapped Worcester financially. “If the clubs want me to do questions and answers and forums I will do that,” Hughes added. “I will try to generate a bit of money as I just want to help the club get into a better situation.” 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.

Tommy Johnson, born in Gateshead on 15 January 1971, knew he wanted to play for Notts County from his first trial at the club as a teenager. In a 2013 interview at the annual Notts County Former Players' Association dinner, where he was presented with an Achievement award, he spoke of how he fell in love with the Magpies. “I was 13 and I came down for trials and the first training session was with Jimmy Sirrel and that was the sort of club it was,” he said. “All the players made you feel so welcome and, although my family wanted me to stay at home and play for Newcastle, I knew I wanted to play here and I’ve been here ever since. “My time here was great and I couldn’t have had a better start to my career.” Johnson joined Notts in 1987 as an apprentice after leaving school and such was his talent that he was a first-team regular by the end of the decade. His prolific goalscoring helped Notts climb from the third tier to the First Division between 1989 and 1991, and in total he scored 57 goals in 149 appearances. In 1992, Johnson left Meadow Lane and moved down a division to Derby County in a £1.3m deal. His time at the Rams was fruitful as he claimed 30 goals in 58 appearances, but two playoff defeats in three seasons later, he decided to up sticks again, joining Aston Villa in 1995 and making his debut in the Premier League. Johnson's future at the highest level looked promising as he scored four goals in 14 league games to help Villa stay in the Premier League. However, he found his first-team opportunities limited as manager Brian Little signed Serbian striker Savo Milosevic, and Dwight Yorke was converted from a winger to a striker. In 1996–97, Johnson was still unable to displace Yorke or Milosevic, managing just 20 league games and four goals, before he joined Scottish giants Celtic for £2.4mi on 27 March 1997 – transfer deadline day. Despite seeing his career at Parkhead plagued by injury, he enjoyed some success at the club, including scoring the goal that won the 2000–01 Scottish Premier League title, and scoring in the 2000 Scottish League Cup final win over Aberdeen. He had also collected a title medal in 1997–98. At Celtic, he played under managers Wim Jansen, Jozef Venglos, John Barnes, Kenny Dalglish and finally Martin O'Neill, but managed just 35 league games and scored 18 goals. During his time at Celtic, Johnson was briefly loaned out to Everton in the autumn of 1999, where he played three times in the Premier League but failed to score. A brief spell at Sheffield Wednesday followed before Johnson joined Kilmarnock and then Gillingham in December 2001. After two seasons at Gillingham, Johnson joined Sheffield United but only made one appearance there before moving on to Scunthorpe United. During his time at the Iron he was loaned out to Tamworth, finally joining them on a permanent contract and staying there until the summer of 2006, when he joined Midland Football Alliance club Rocester. After hanging up his boots, Johnson went into coaching and ended up rejoining Notts as part of the coaching staff under the management of Ian McParland on 1 November 2007, where he stayed until 2011. Following on from his coaching spell at Meadow Lane, he worked at the Irish Football Association as a scout between January 2012 and August 2013, before a spell as Senior Overseas Scout at Cardiff City. Johnson then became a coach educator for UEFA A and B licences at the IFA before taking a job as the head of player recruitment at Blackburn Rovers, where he continues to work today. Share your thoughts about this Notts Alumni feature on Tommy Johnson 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.

Matt Tootle has claimed that Notts County are more than capable of challenging for promotion from League Two next season. The former Crewe Alexandra man had suggested last summer that the Magpies could have been up in the playoffs, but the season ended up being a slog for safety in the end. Tootle told the Nottingham Post: "When I signed here last summer I probably looked a bit of an idiot to some people because I said we would get promoted. "We were third at the start of the season even though we weren't playing very well. "But the class we had in the team, and the players we had, we knew we weren't playing to our ability. "But we were winning games because we had that experience and that bit of quality was coming out now and then. "Then something went wrong over Christmas and I don't know what it was. "I believe if we still had something to play for then we wouldn't have lost two out of the last three. "The Pompey game would have been different too if we had been closer to the play-offs. "So looking at next season with the right additions I think we will be up there. "I won't look stupid this time by saying it. Every team we played, the opposition would say that our team on paper was ridiculously good. "If we can continue what we were doing and keep sticking to how the gaffer wants us to play, we will challenge I am sure of 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.

Notts County defender Matt Tootle has opened up on his battles with anxiety and depression, saying nobody is immune from mental health struggles and urging people to seek help. The 26-year-old revealed how he had enjoyed a superb season at Crewe Alexandra going into the summer of 2014, but "something then just triggered" in his mind while he was on holiday in the off-season. Speaking during Mental Awareness Week, Tootle told Leigh Curtis of the Nottingham Post: "I was on top of the world. There was talk of a move to Blackburn, Burnley and Nottingham Forest and as any player who has been at Crewe will tell you, and given the club's history, it's all about 'that' move. "I went on holiday and something then just triggered in my mind. I was reading the newspapers and there was so much bad news happening to good people. Then I just started thinking deeply about life and how you can be happy at one moment but knowing it can all change in an instant. "It hit me a bit and I just started panicking, thinking I hope that doesn't happen to me. Those thoughts then become obsessive and they snowball. Anxiety took hold and in the end you keep on recycling those thoughts over and over and over again. It was the worst week of my life. "After that I returned back to Crewe for the following season and I played 16 or 17 games and just wasn't at it. What was going on in my mind was just too important. I was sweating, hiding in my own house and it just got ridiculous. It got to the stage where it was affecting my reputation. Crewe fans were probably thinking 'why is he rubbish all of a sudden?'. "I eventually told my mum and she said I just needed to give myself a break. I told Steve Davis, who was the manager, and the physio about what I was going through. "The fans had no idea what was going on and they probably thought I was trying to force a move because it was the end of November and I just stopped playing. "But I went to the Priory Clinic and they then sent me for cognitive therapy. If you have any kind of anxiety or anything like that, if you can begin to understand it then you can deal with it." "We should be talking about this every day let alone one week of year. The problems with mental health is that you can't see it. "If you see some guy with a broken leg in casualty and there's another just sat there with his head in his hands, you think the guy with the leg is worse because you can see he's in pain. But people suffer in silence and this is what we've got to address." Read the entire Matt Tootle interview on the Nottingham Post by clicking 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.

Scott Loach has confirmed that he is leaving Notts County. The 28-year-old goalkeeper will see his deal at Meadow Lane expire in the summer, and he will not be offered a new contract by the club. Loach spent the latter part of the season on loan at York City in the National League, with the Minstermen suffering relegation on the final day of the season. He is quoted by the Nottingham Post as saying: "I have loved every minute of my time at the club and it's been a pleasure to play for them. "The fans have been different class with me and I wish the gaffer and the lads all the best for next season. "Given the way they ended the season, I expect them to really kick on. It's a great club. "But it's going to be a new challenge for me somewhere else. I am 28 and I do need to be playing." 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.

Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has admitted that he wants a word with the EFL over the standard of refereeing in League Two. The Magpies boss claims the Magpies were denied clear penalties against Crewe Alexandra and Portsmouth, and feels Newport County's spot-kick on the final day of the season shouldn't have been given. "I am not really happy about it," he told the Nottingham Post. "If we keep moaning about it, will anything get done? It's something I am going to have to think about. "I will see if I can speak to somebody at the league to get some clarity because I just feel there have been a lot of major decisions that have gone against us. "Had those decisions gone in our favour who knows where we could have finished in the league? "I can accept human error, but there's been too many. I am not one to keep harping on about referees because I know it's a difficult job. "But I just think over the last month we've come unstuck over some bad decisions and it's affected us." Share your thoughts on this news story by signing up to the Pride of Nottingham website - it's free - and joining in the chat on the forum.

The second and final part of Andy Black's account sees him make contact with Tom Gordon Savage's descendants, informs them of his plans to get his name changed at the Juventus Stadium museum, and culminates with a trip to Turin for a Bianconeri game and a ceremony to honour the man himself on the anniversary of his passing. That evening I found Anna's daughter, plus Alasdair and his three children. I sent a message to all of them one by one and it was one of Alasdair's daughters that replied confirming that they were indeed the descendants of Tom Savage. She sent me a message requesting my email so that Alasdair could email me. Alasdair emailed me the following evening and copied in his sister thanking me for making contact. He informed me that his mother Athalie was alive and living near Anna and her daughter. I spoke to Anna first on the phone and then Alasdair and explained that I wanted to change the name that was next to the photo in the museum from John to Tom. Alasdair said that their mother had requested to them a few years ago that he and his sister get in contact with Juventus and change the name. I explained that I was taking a Notts County football shirt printed SAVAGE 1903 on the back with a request that they amend his name next to the photo. I requested that if the family sent me a letter addressed to the manager of the museum it would increase the chances of the name correction taking place. Alasdair sent a letter to me which arrived on 31st March. So with the research done on Tom's life as a lace maker and designer, football player for Juventus and amateur cricket player for Notts Waverley, I sent an email to the manager of the Juventus museum requesting the name to be changed. I got a reply that morning asking for my phone number and by lunchtime it was agreed that the name would be changed in time for my visit on the 23rd April. Marco, the manager, asked who was coming with me and if there would there be any family members attending. I replied that at that stage there was only a contingent of Notts County Supporters who would be seated in Curva Nord (North Stand) for the game against Genoa. Marco said it would be good if a family member could attend the unveiling of the new photo in the museum; I said it was a bit short notice but I would ask. I phoned Alasdair in Cape Town but he said he was committed to a meeting but to call Anna as it would be easier for her from the UK. I phoned Anna who said she was available to attend so I emailed Marco back and agreed to make some plans on Monday morning. The weekend passed and Alasdair had rearranged his meeting so now was able to attend so I gave Marco the good news. Marco's reply was to offer two tickets to sit with Andrea Agnelli in the most prestigious part of the stadium for the game on the 23rd. I informed Alasdair and Anna what was being offered and they insisted that I have one of the tickets and Alasdair the other. On the 20th April my wife and I drove down to Oxfordshire to meet Athalie, Anna, Alasdair and Anna's daughter at Athalie's home. I felt it important to visit Athalie to show her the football shirt and letter that will be presented to Juventus and to listen to her talk about her grandfather Tom and father Richard. We spent just over four hours talking to her before, during and after dinner. I explained to her that all the Juventus friends that I had made was down to her grandfather's inspiration in requesting Notts County shirts in 1903. On the 22nd April the group of Notts fans flew out to Turin where in the evening we met up with Alasdair and Anna for a pizza. My friend Luigi, a member of the Italian Magpies, was also present and was overwhelmed with emotion when I informed him he was the first Juventus fan to meet the family of Tom Savage. The next day we all headed to the Juventus museum to meet Marco in reception at 3pm to take part in a stadium tour, followed by the unveiling of the picture which was filmed by Juventus TV and uploaded onto Juventus.com, Twitter and Facebook. Marco informed the family that the shirt with the letter will be put on display in a glass cabinet for all to see. Alasdair and I proceeded to club Gianni e Umberto to take our seats for a pre match meal with Marco and then to our seats in the stadium for the game. At half time we were introduced to the mother of the president of Juventus FC, Allegra Agnelli. She was genuinely pleased to see us and accepted one of the postcards we were handing out before the game explaining the significance of the date and name change. Marco then introduced us to the director of the museum who also accepted a postcard and it was reassuring when he made sure that the museum had my details to keep up to date with any more information found on Tom. We returned to the stadium for the second half where the game finished Juventus 4-0 Genoa. In the same way that Roger and Helen Stirland became friends while working on the Herbert Kilpin plaque, Alasdair and Anna have become friends and I look forward to learning of Athalie's reaction to achieving what we all wanted. The importance is that a Nottingham man who created a link between the world's oldest football league club, Notts County and the most successful club in Italy, Juventus now has the correct recognition and as a consequence football friendships and a unique piece of football history for Nottingham is recorded forever. As we say, "Two hearts, one soul". Forza Juve and Forza Notts County! To go back to the first part of the story, click here. Share your thoughts about this feature on Pride of Nottingham by signing up for FREE to the website, visiting the forum and joining the chat with fellow Notts County and Juventus fans.

Alan Hardy has revealed how Notts County are in talks with non-league players, free transfers from the Football League and Premier League youngsters as he looks to forge a winning team for next season. Only five players are contracted to the club past the summer and, although he says contract negotiations are under way with some of them, he suggests a need to rebuild. With League Two boasting quite a few teams from the Midlands or otherwise not too far away from Nottingham, Hardy is also hoping to come out on top of the "Midlands mini-league". He wrote in the Nottingham Post: "As a football fan and as the chairman and owner of this wonderful football club, I cannot wait for next season. "It will be a fantastic division next year with a lot of local games and we will strive to ensure we come out on top of the Midlands mini-league! "Mansfield, Lincoln, Chesterfield, Grimsby and Port Vale are not big journeys to undertake so I am expecting big crowds with big atmospheres. "We have a lot of work to do moving forward but it is tremendously exciting as we look to put our squad together. "We only have five players contracted to the club, one of those is the captain Michael O'Connor who will be out for most of the season, so in essence we only have four. "We have new contracts to negotiate with members of the existing team and have already started discussing transfer targets. Some are non-league players and others have been released by clubs further up the pyramid. "We also have our eyes on two to three seriously talented young Premier League players and we are discussing moves for them with their parent clubs. "They do say a loan player only ever comes into his own when he is on his second or third loan spell away from their club. "The players we are talking to have already been out on loan before and wouldn't it be great to have them here next season." To read the rest of Alan Hardy's weekly Nottingham Post column, click 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.

Notts County owner and chairman Alan Hardy insists he has not ignored the fans' opinions after the club voted to retain the current EFL Trophy format. The competition has found itself boycotted over the last year after a shake-up which saw academy teams included, and with lower-league teams sanctioned if they played weaker teams. Despite the uproar from fans, the Magpies nonetheless voted for its continuation, which seemingly flew in the face of nearly 95 percent of Notts supporters not being in favour of retaining the under-23s teams next term. "We have by no means ignored our supporters – nor has that ever been our intention," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "Their views on this matter were taken seriously, reviewed in detail and passed on to the EFL at club meetings. "As chairman, however, I have to take every factor into consideration when making these decisions. Unfortunately, as much as I would like it to be, it isn't always as simple as giving every supporter what they want. "My greatest concern is that some people are being misled by the idea that our chosen format of the Checkatrade Trophy is providing a pathway for 'B-teams' to be inducted into the EFL. "This, quite simply, will never happen. We would certainly never vote in favour of it. "Perhaps once this scaremongering ceases we will all be able to see that the competition provides an opportunity to generate significant revenue for the football club through prize money, while offering our supporters, players and staff the chance to enjoy a trip to Wembley. "I understand fans' frustrations and respect their passion. This subject has always divided opinion and has been a point of controversy. "But the responsibility falls on me to do what I believe is best for the club and I would ask all our supporters to stick by us as we move into what I'm sure will be a very exciting summer." 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.

Over the next few days, Pride of Nottingham will be publishing Andy Black's account of his journey to discover more about the identity of Tom Gordon Savage, the Nottingham-born man who famously requested for a number of Notts County shirts to be sent to a fledging Italian football club by the name of Juventus over a century ago. Here is part one, where Andy first notices the discrepancy between the established records identifying the man as John Savage and a handwritten note penned by one Tom Savage, and how research into another Nottingham football pioneer, AC Milan founder Herbert Kilpin, led to the first lead about the man responsible for Juve's black-and-white stripes, and soon developed into establishing his family tree and tracing his descendants. When it comes to football clubs, few are bigger or more famous worldwide than Italian outfit Juventus. The vertical black and white stripes on their shirts are emblematic of the club itself, and those with a bit more in-depth knowledge of the history of football know that a man from Nottingham, an expatriate living in the Northern Italian city of Turin, was responsible for this design being imported, given to and duly adopted by the Bianconeri (white-and-blacks). According to the history books, "John Savage" had requested that the shirts be sent over from Nottingham to Turin in 1903; he was approached by the Italian club, whose name is Latin for "youth", to source properly-made football shirts from Britain after the pink shirts they wore faded in colour as the season went on. He got in touch with some people from his home city, and a shipment of Notts County shirts was duly sent across Europe to Juve. In the Juventus museum, there is a photo of a postcard which also shows the handwritten message on the reverse sent to a friend. The message reads: Dear Varetti, Please accept many greetings from me and my family, your devoted Tom Savage. P.S. Have you seen the next football game that will be played in Saluzzo next Sunday for a silver cup? This message is signed Tom Savage, not John. So why is he known as John? It also left me wondering many other questions - what happened to him and his family? What were their names? Were there any more children? Did they stay in Italy? I started to search the internet in May 2016 for any information on "John Savage". After two nights of research, a different name kept popping up: "Herbert Kilpin", who became a distraction as Kilpin played football with Savage in Turin from 1891 and went on to co-found a football club in the nearby city of Milan which eventually became AC Milan in 1899. I approached Nottingham City of Football to ask who I should approach about having a plaque placed on Kilpin's birthplace - 191 Mansfield Road, Nottingham. They put me in contact with Robert Nieri, who was finalising a book on Kilpin's life, so it made perfect sense to team up with Robert to achieve this long overdue memorial to this Nottingham man. On the 22nd October 2016 a Nottingham City transport bus was named "Herbert Kilpin" in presence of his great-great-niece Helen Stirland. The plaque is due to be mounted later this year. I intended to start my research into the life of Savage once Kilpin's plaque was mounted but about nine weeks ago I received an email from Roger Stirland, the husband of Herbert Kilpin's great-niece, Helen, which included many documents on Savage. I met Roger at the bus unveiling outside Kilpin's birthplace. His research had revealed that John Savage was actually Tom Gordon Savage - born in Lenton, Nottingham on 18th February 1867, and died at the Nottingham City Hospital on 23rd April 1951. Roger had discovered that Tom married his wife Sarah Mallet in Turin and they had two sons both born in Turin - Ettore Savage, on 16th February 1891, and Richard Savage, on 20th December 1892. My wife, Lisa, searched the two sons' names on the internet and found them both listed on a family tree named Mallet with their parents. I messaged the owner of the tree and within a few hours I received a reply from one Bob Mallett in Canada - he copied in Mary Cassidy, another member of the Mallet family, living near Turin. Mary proved to be another very useful contact and by her own admission loves a challenge after I explained that I was wanting to find a living relative of Tom Savage. By now another week had passed and with now Roger and Mary working on the case they quickly found many descendants from the marriage of Tom and Sarah. Roger continued to research Tom's siblings' tree just in case there was not a direct relative to contact. Mary is connected to Tom's wife Sarah in her family tree and was able to locate a relative that knew Tom's granddaughter, Athalie Savage. Athalie is the only child of Richard Savage, Tom's youngest son. Ettore married but had no children so the only hope was that Richard's line continued to the present day. The research shown that Athalie married and had two children, Anna and Alasdair. Mary's cousin wrote an email to Anna who said that they knew each other as young children from school. The research confirmed that both Anna and Alasdair married and, between them, another four direct descendants were born - Anna with her daughter in Oxfordshire and Alasdair in Cape Town, South Africa. I had agreed that it would be best to wait for a reply to the email sent to Anna to see if contact could be made with the family. In December 2016 I had chosen to watch Juventus play at home in Turin on 23rd April 2017 with some other Notts County fans. Once a year I arrange for a group of Notts fans to travel to Turin to see Juve play and in return the Italian Magpies come to Nottingham to see Notts play. This has happened since the friendly match to open the new Juventus Stadium between the two clubs in September 2011. It wasn't until the 24th March that I realised that the date of the game was the 66th anniversary of Tom Gordon Savage passing away. With this in mind I decided to search for Anna, Alasdair and their children on social media. To see how the story ends, read part two of the feature by clicking here. Share your thoughts about this feature by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County and Juventus fans.