Joe Jones

Notts County and Hartlepool United have met 32 times over the years. The first meeting was on 21 September 1959 at Victoria Park, and the Magpies won 4-2. We've played them twice this season so far - the League Two meeting on 20 August and a FL Trophy tie 11 days later, which we both won 2-1. The head-to-head record stands at 15 wins for Notts, 12 defeats, and 5 draws, and we have won each of the last four meetings. In 1905, the amateur team West Hartlepool won the FA Amateur Cup which at the time was considered second only to the FA Cup. Partly as a result of this the opportunity for a professional team arose in 1908, when West Hartlepool Rugby Club went bust leaving their stadium Victoria Ground vacant. The stadium was bought and the current club was founded under the name ‘Hartlepools United Football Athletic Company’, representing both the town of West Hartlepool and the original settlement of Old Hartlepool. The new team joined the professional North-Eastern league and West Hartlepool F.C. lost some of their players to the new professional side. West Hartlepool managed to continue for a few seasons, but it was not long before they broke up leaving Hartlepools United as the only team in town. In 1968 the "s" and the "United" were dropped from the team name of "Hartlepools United". This was in connection with West Hartlepool being absorbed along with the old smaller town of Hartlepool and the village of Hart into one new borough named "Hartlepool". The appendage of "United" was finally restored in 1977. Brian Clough was invited to manage Hartlepools in 1965. His reaction was: "I don't fancy the place," but he took the job anyway and stayed for two seasons alongside Peter Taylor. Under Cyril Knowles' management the club won promotion to the Third Division in 1990, but Hartlepool's greatest moment occurred in 2005 when they narrowly missed promotion to The Championship. According to local folklore, the term “Monkey Hangers”, which Hartlepudlians are sometimes called, originates from an incident in which a monkey was hanged in the town. During the Napoleonic Wars, a French ship of the type chasse marée was wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool. The only survivor was a monkey, allegedly wearing a French uniform to provide amusement for the crew. On finding the monkey, some locals decided to hold an impromptu trial on the beach; since the monkey was unable to answer their questions and because they had seen neither a monkey nor a Frenchman before, they concluded that the monkey was in fact a French spy. Being found guilty the animal was duly sentenced to death and hanged on the beach. An alternative theory is put forward alongside the above on the "This Is Hartlepool" town guide, stating: "Then there are some who point to a much darker interpretation of the yarn. They say that the creature that was hanged might not have been a monkey at all; it could have been a young boy. After all, the term powder-monkey was commonly used in those times for the children employed on warships to prime the cannon with gunpowder." In the 2002 council election, the team's mascot "H'Angus the Monkey", aka Stuart Drummond, was elected mayor of Hartlepool as an independent, under the slogan "free bananas for schoolchildren". In recent years the most visible fan of the club has been Jeff Stelling, presenter of Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. The rock star Meat Loaf, Janick Gers of the metal band Iron Maiden, MP Peter Mandelson, and film director Ridley Scott are also fans of the club. Team news Notts County boss Kevin Nolan is considering handing himself a debut against fellow Hartlepool United on Saturday. The former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham midfielder has yet to play since taking over at Meadow Lane in January but is weighing up the possibility after the 3-0 defeat at Stevenage. With captain Michael O'Connor still suspended, Nolan could come into the middle of the park while another change might see Richard Duffy restored in defence after he was left on the bench on his return from a ban last weekend. Matt Tootle, Carl Dickinson, Alan Smith and Jonathan Forte are also options for Nolan. Hartlepool boss Dave Jones is set to recall midfielder Nicky Deverdics from his loan spell at Dover amid an injury crisis. Jones has a series of players suffering from niggles and knocks with full-back Sean Kavanagh having returned to parent club Fulham this week for an assessment of the hamstring problem he sustained in the 3-1 victory over Exeter last Saturday. Striker Billy Paynter remains on the sidelines as he undergoes a course of injections he hopes will mean he does not have to have surgery to address a persistent Achilles problem. Full-back Carl Magnay is edging his way back from a serious knee injury, but keeper Trevor Carson and central defender Rob Jones are still out. Share your thoughts about this match preview on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

It's safe to say that few Notts County fans have looked back since Alan Hardy took over the club and hired Kevin Nolan as first-team manager. Since mid-January, the Magpies have halted their freefall towards the bottom of League Two, with the now much more confident players putting in much-improved displays and rediscovering how to get points. The atmosphere in the stands is much better too, with offers and incentives combined with the improved performances making Notts fans smile again and restoring hope that next season the club will still be in the Football League. On Thursday night, the fabled Meadow Lane trinity of Hardy, Nolan and Sir Colin Slater were on stage at the Lifeline Quiz and spoke to the audience. Nolan talked about how he came about getting the Notts job, his good relationship with Hardy, and how the skills and experience learned in his playing career is now filtering through to the Magpies players. To see him discuss these things, here is the video. Share your thoughts about this video on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Kevin Nolan has urged his Notts County charges to put last week's 3-0 defeat at Stevenage behind them, think about how far the team has come in the last 10 games, and focus on "another big game" this Saturday. The Magpies saw their five-match unbeaten run come to a halt at the Lamex Stadium last week with the heavy loss in Hertfordshire, cutting the gap between them and the bottom two to five points. However, the manager is hopeful that Notts can bounce straight back when they host Hartlepool tomorrow. "We had a fantastic run previous to the result last weekend, and it just shows how far we've come," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "Go back 10 games to when I first walked in we'd just gained a point after the first weekend and gone into the bottom two, and we were looking up at a lot of teams who weren't around us. "It looked like a three or four-way scrap, but what we've managed to do in that time is bring a lot of teams around us into the scrap. "We've got a cushion at the minute, but we knew we weren't safe. I kept telling you, and you didn't believe me. "It's going to be a battle and every game is going to be tough, because every game in this league is tough. "One bad result last week has not changed my mind. The positives out of it all was that we went five games unbeaten and that's what we've got to try and achieve again. "The lads are working hard, they are buying into it. It was unfortunate we didn't reach our standards last week, but it wasn't all bad. "At 3-0 it looks as if it's terrible, but we had a spell in the first half when we could've clawed a goal back and that would have changed the whole sense of the game. "But it wasn't to be and we've got to take it on the chin, and we go again. "It's another big game now because it's a home game. We've been fantastic at home since I've come through the door. "I'm sure Hartlepool are going to come here and show us respect and we'll show them respect, but hopefully we're going to do enough to claim all three points." Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up for FREE to the website, visiting the forum and joining the chat.

Thursday, just another day at Pride of Nottingham HQ, keeping tabs on the latest Notts County news from my super-plush office (dingy bedroom) and espresso machine (ASDA brand kettle and Nescafe), when I stumble upon this gem of an article. "Could Nottingham Forest and Notts County merge?" I spit my coffee out upon seeing these seven words. Great, that's another screen to be budgeted for. That's next week's sesh at the Beechdale out the window. Just what is this article on about? This better be good. Turns out it's not actual news, but an opinion piece on a football blog with probably the most unwieldy - and open to interpretation - name out there. "It's Round and It's White". Which features the logo of a black and white football. Righto, let's have a gander at what this "Warren Smith" has to say about my beloved Notts merging with the neighbours on the other side of the Trent. Again, it better be good, because this is football sacrilege we're talking about. "Clubs are often built on their strong individual identity, it’s their colours, crest and supporters which make the club what it is." So far so good. A case of stating the obvious, mind, but he is not wrong. "But, what about if you combine two clubs?" Aaaaand no. Just no. This completely negates the "strong individual identity" he mentioned literally moments ago. "An almost unthinkable prospect for most supporters – but in times of peril, could these two Nottinghamshire teams come together and go forward?" It's not "almost unthinkable". It's "completely unthinkable". And neither club is "in peril". Sure, Forest are having some issues off the pitch, but they're - and oh god does it pain me to say this - a fairly big club with a decent history... (cough, splutter, heave) ...so they are not in peril. And even if end up going the way of a Portsmouth or Leeds United, they are big enough to bounce back. They'll hardly go extinct - there will be buyers out there in the big wide world who will like the look of them. And as for Notts, we may have been "in peril" several months ago, but with Alan Hardy having just taken over the club, things have stabilised a great deal. So, nothing to see here. "Whilst club mergers are rarely heard of these days in the higher tiers of English football, we must not forget the successes that mergers have had. Newcastle United, Stoke City and Watford were all born out of multiple clubs putting aside their differences and coming together for the good of the local area." You're talking decades ago, potentially the as far back 19th century, when football was a fledgling sport. And though mergers may happen in the lower leagues (Hayes and Yeading is one I can think of), football is a lot more unstable there. Doing this anywhere in the professional game will be met with the same opposition as when Wimbledon became MK Dons. Then there's a load of tosh in the article, which isn't worth commenting on, but here is the climax, which needs addressing: "It’s often said in football cliché law, that nobody is bigger than the club. Well here’s a new one. No club is bigger than the city. The cities were here long before football; and the clubs have to pay the cities taxes, wages; just like any other business. Nottingham needs a good football club, now – before the rest of the country (and potentially world) forget the debt of gratitude owed to Nottingham. It’s that why the two clubs should put differences aside and come together, for the good of the city." A football club brings a hell of a lot of revenue and attention to a city. When you think of Blackburn, what's the first thing that comes to mind? It ain't the textile sector, I'll tell you that. And when Leicester City won the title last year, how much exposure did that give the city? Global, I'm telling you. The whole world was talking about this modest city in the East Midlands. Nottingham does not "need" a "good football club". No city is entitled to a "good football club" because of its history or stature, and certainly does not warrant ripping up two clubs and gluing them together cut-and-shut style because of this petty sense of entitlement. Neither Bristol nor Birmingham have top-flight clubs at the moment - should they just "merge together for the good of the city?" And then what? Do they get a bye to the Premier League? I'll tell you what would happen - fans of both clubs would stay the hell away. And without fans, the clubs would go nowhere. Franchising might work in the United States, where a club can be uprooted and moved elsewhere, or two clubs merged together, for the sake of "business". But this isn't America. This is England. A football club is ingrained in a fan's very being. It's part of them. Uprooting that is like taking out a vital organ. Most fans would rather their club reborn in the 10th tier of the league pyramid as a phoenix club (witness AFC Wimbledon) than lose it for good. So in conclusion, no. Forest and Notts will never merge. If this article was part of some college assignment, then I hope it's not read by a tutor who likes football. And if you wrote it to bait fans, well then, shame on you. Oh, and one more thing. "Nottinghamshire City FC"? Really? I could eat a bowl of alphabet pasta, leave it a couple of hours, and come up with a better name looking at the contents of my toilet bowl. Share your thoughts about this article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Notts County owner Alan Hardy has admitted that he still has to pinch himself to check he isn't dreaming. Hardy, a Nottinghamshire businessman and staunch Magpies fan, took over at Meadow Lane in January from the previous owners, and has led the club upwards in a short space of time. Successfully overcoming a transfer embargo, bringing in reinforcements in the squad at short notice, increased gates thanks to offers and improved optimism, and arresting a freefall towards the bottom of League Two are just some of the things he has achieved in the last two months. Writing a column for the Nottingham Post, he says the last eight weeks have been a "whirlwind", but he has learned a lot in a short space of time and continues to do so. He wrote: "In all honesty, my time at the club so far has felt like a complete whirlwind. "I knew I was taking on a big job but I've had to learn a huge amount in a very short space of time – and I fear I haven't yet scratched the surface. "Thankfully I have inherited a brilliant behind-the-scenes team, led by our vastly experienced chief executive Jason Turner. "I am delighted with the way the staff have bought into my vision and we are already seeing positive progress. "There are still times when I have to pinch myself to check this isn't all a dream. "Take transfer deadline day for example.Having exited our transfer embargo at the last minute - a different story altogether - we wanted to take advice on potential signings from those respected in the game. "That's exactly how we managed to sign players like Marc Bola and Josh Clackstone, who have been integral to our recent upturn in form. "Coming from a corporate background where it's all about minimising risk and thinking strategically, I have to say I was completely out of my comfort zone on deadline day. "Thankfully the knowledge of people like Kev and Jason saw us through – although I expect our summer business to be carried out in a far more measured fashion." To read the full article on the Nottingham Post, just click here. Share your thoughts about Alan Hardy's column by signing up to Pride of Nottingham, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Kevin Nolan's sensational impact since taking over at Notts County has been rewarded with a nomination for the League Two Manager of the Month award for February. The Magpies manager claimed 11 points over the month as he led his side to a five-match unbeaten run, stopping their freefall towards relegation and putting them eight points clear of the bottom two prior to March's first fixture. This included an impressive 2-2 draw at home to Exeter City after coming from two goals down in injury time, as well as a 1-0 win at promotion-chasing Plymouth Argyle. Nolan told the official club website: "It's always nice to receive recognition for your hard work but I have to stress this is a nomination for my entire backroom team, not only me. "Everyone has put in a huge effort behind the scenes to help the team turn their form around and, while we all have a huge amount of work left to do, this is another positive sign that we are moving in the right direction." Other candidates for the gong include Stevenage boss Darren Sarll, Jim Bentley of Morecambe and Luton Town boss Nathan Jones, with the winner revealed on Friday morning. 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.

When Robert Jackson's second son, Oliver, was born in 2015 and was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome, his father was unsure what services were available out there to help Oliver get the best possible start in life. A fellow parent then suggested the Rutland House School for Parents, and since then Oliver and his family have never looked back. The SFP began life in 1978 as the Rutland House School. Originally based in Mapperley, it was part of the Scope charity network and it aimed to care for older children and young adults with cerebral palsy. Since then the SFP has grown exponentially as it hit several milestones and added more duties and responsibilities to its mission. In 1981, it began helping parents of young children with varying forms of motor disorder. In 1986 its new nursery opened and saw 60 families attending its various sessions. The 1990s saw the SFP become international as professionals began training at the original premises and school were established as far afield as South Africa and Pakistan, while a network of SFPs also began forming in the UK. By 2000 there were 40 SFP schools for parents helping hundreds of children and their families across the nation, and in 2001, it became an independent charity as it continued to grow over the years. In 2011 SFP moved to its new premises at the Iona School on Sneinton Dale, and on 17 July 2012, its celebrated its 10th anniversary of being an independently registered charity and increased the services they offer to include supporting older children with communication difficulties; supporting transition to school; and offering outreach for families. Since starting his journey at SFP, Oliver's development has come on significantly. They have supported him in learning a range of skills from learning to pull himself to standing, self feeding and using a cup with a straw. SFP also gave Robert and his partner Stacey the confidence to practice the techniques used at their sessions at home. On a daily basis they sing the songs with signs they have been taught and as a result, Oliver has engaged and begun signing back. Oliver's development has not only been noticed by his family, but also by other educational and health agencies that are involved in Oliver's care. Due to the help, support and advice Oliver's family has been given through SFP, Robert has decided to pay the goodwill forward by fundraising for the school. He will be running four half-marathons over the next few months, starting with Coventry on Sunday 19 March followed by Lichfield on Sunday 7 May, Ashbourne in July (date to be confirmed) and finishing with Nottingham's very own Robin Hood half-marathon on Sunday 24 September. SFP's work has proven a godsend not only for little Oliver, but also for his family, who get the incomparable pleasure of watching their son grow, learn, prosper and have fun under the tutelage and supervision of the best possible teachers and carers. And you can't put a price on that. And this amazing work extends to hundreds of other families across the UK, whose lives have been changed for the better thanks to the SFP. To donate to this worthy cause, simply visit Robert's JustGiving page by clicking here. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has admitted that Michael O'Connor was missed at Stevenage, where the Magpies fell to a 3-0 defeat on Saturday. The Lamex Stadium saw Notts' five-match unbeaten run come to a halt as Matty Godden and Jack King scored three unanswered goals between them for the hosts. Magpies captain O'Connor did not feature as he is suspended following an accumulation of ten yellow cards, and Nolan said the absence of "one of the top players" for the club was notable. "He was always going to be a massive miss for us especially when you are coming to teams like these (Stevenage)," he told the Nottingham Post. "Occy (O'Connor) has been one of the top players since I came in. He's been brilliant. "But we have got good players and we just didn't turn up. It will be a learning experience for them and some of them have got to take it on the chin a bit quicker and get out of the rut they put themselves in so early in the game. "There were a lot of players who started sloppily and it took them 10 to 15 minutes to get out of it. When you make that first mistake, it's important you don't make the second, the third and the fourth. It just seemed that we weren't at the races." 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.

Notts County have fallen to a 3-0 defeat at Stevenage on Saturday which puts them just five points above the bottom two in League Two. Matty Godden's double sandwiched Jack King's strike as the hosts earned a seventh win in eight games. The result also sees the Magpies' unbeaten run come to an abrupt end after a renaissance of sorts under Kevin Nolan. Notts County's official site has published the video of the highlights from the game at the Lamex Stadium, so you can see for yourself if you haven't already. Share your thoughts about the match and the highlights on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Kevin Nolan has bemoaned the "terrible start" Notts County made in their trip to Stevenage on Saturday, which resulted in a 3-0 defeat. The Magpies were a goal down after just three minutes when Matty Godden pounced from close range to head in Steven Schumacher's centre. Stevenage were nearly pegged back on several occasions but they went on to seal the win with two quickfire second-half goals at the Lamex Stadium. Nolan told the Nottingham Post: "The lads knew what to expect. Stevenage have been on a fantastic run and you can see why. "It was a terrible start. No matter what level you play at, the way you start a game is massively important. It was not good enough. "We didn't deserve to win the game and I think the result is a fair reflection of that. "It is a disappointing day all round but we go again – we cannot get too low when we lose in the same way we did not get too high when we were winning games. "We were unbeaten in five games before today and the lads have been fantastic during that time so now we need to go on another run like that. "We will go through this game again and I have told the players it will be a long day in the video room but once we put it to bed we will focus on Hartlepool, which is a huge game at home for us." 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.

Notts County have seen their unbeaten run come to an abrupt end as they travelled to Stevenage FC on Saturday and left on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat. It had been exactly a month ago that the Magpies lost in League Two as Accrington Stanley claimed a 2-0 win on their own turf, after which Notts three wins and two draws to ease their relegation fears. However, the gap between Kevin Nolan's side and the bottom two has now been narrowed to just five points as Boro got off to the perfect start at the Lamex Stadium, Steve Schumacher finding Matty Godden lurking inside the box just two minutes in and nodding home from eight yards out. The hosts then doubled their advantage on the hour as Godden flicked on a long ball into the path of captain Jack King, who finished calmly into the bottom corner, and in the 62nd minute, Ben Kennedy played Godden through to kill the game off as a contest. Nolan subbed on Tahvon Campbell and Jonathan Forte in a bid to salvage something from the game and the former forced a brave save from Chris Day with a stinging drive, but ultimately Stevenage held out for a clean sheet and all three points. Share your thoughts about the match on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Notts County and Stevenage FC have only ever met 10 times, the first meeting coming on 17 September 2011 at Broadhall Way (known as the Lamex Stadium) - the result on that day was 2-0 to the Magpies. The last meeting, meanwhile, was at the start of this season, with the spoils shared out in a 1-1 draw - the first ever between the two sides - as Ben Kennedy opened the scoring for Stevenage at Meadow Lane nine minutes in and Jon Stead pulled level in the 18th minute. Our head-to-head record is five wins for Notts, four for Stevenage, one draw. Stevenage in their current form have only been in existence since 1976, but there have been numerous incarnations of the club that stretch back over a century. A club called Stevenage FC was formed in 1894, but they soon adopted the name Stevenage Town. In 1951 the club were founder members of the Delphian League. In 1956 they merged with Stevenage Rangers to form Stevenage FC, before reverting to Stevenage Town four years later. They had some success in the Southern League but folded in 1967, after which Stevenage Athletic were created in their place a year later. This incarnation again knocked about in the Southern League but went bankrupt in 1976. This brings us to Stevenage Borough, formed shortly after Athletic's demise, and this time they managed to prosper and work their way up the leagues until finally reaching the Football League in 2010, at which point they took the whole thing full circle by dropping the Borough from their name and becoming Stevenage FC. Despite their relatively short history, Stevenage have won a number of trophies and competitions, including two FA Trophy cups in 2007 and 2009. The Lamex Stadium holds 6,722 people, 3,142 of which can be seated. To put it into perspective, three full houses at Stevenage could fit into the Meadow Lane stands with 45 seats to spare. The highest attendance recorded at the stadium was 8,040 for a match against Newcastle United in the FA Cup fourth round on 25 January 1998. On that day a temporary stand was erected behind the away end to increase the stadium capacity to 8,100, enough to satisfy FA requirements. Two films were set in and around Stevenage: "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" and "Boston Kickout". "Spy Game" was partly filmed in Stevenage but set in Washington DC. A number of famous sporting figures were born in Stevenage, the most notable of which are Lewis Hamilton, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young, Ian Poulter, Kevin Phillips and Jason Shackell. Team news To follow. Share your thoughts about the upcoming League Two fixture between Stevenage and Notts County, as well as your thoughts on this match preview, on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Notts County defender Elliott Hewitt has spoken favourably his centre-back partnership with Haydn Hollis, saying the trust between the two has been key to the team's recent clean sheets. The Magpies shut out Yeovil Town in last week's goalless draw before claiming an impressive 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle in midweek, two results which have helped the club edge further away from the League Two bottom two. Richard Duffy is back from a two-match suspension this Saturday for the Stevenage trip but it is likely that Hewitt and Hollis will retain their starting XI berth following their fruitful partnership. Speaking of Hollis, Hewitt told the Nottingham Post: "Haydn heads everything, he heads anything he can. "We played together twice last season which was Crawley away and Luton away. We kept two clean sheets then too. It seems to be a good partnership we have together. "He loves heading so I just know if he goes up for one, I can just tuck round. You've got to trust each other." 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.

Kevin Nolan has called for Notts County to give another "complete performance" when they visit Stevenage on Saturday. The Magpies claimed an impressive 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle in midweek to edge further away from the League Two relegation zone. While the gaffer is aware of the threat posed by the weekend's in-form opponents, he is confident of a positive result if Notts replicate Tuesday's display. He told the official site: "Stevenage are on a great run, aren't they? They've won six out of seven so it's going to be a tough one. "We're going to study the DVDs and give the lads the best opportunity to see their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully we can combat them on Saturday and put in a complete performance like we did on Tuesday. If we do that, we'll give ourselves a fantastic chance of getting three points again. "They're going for the play-off places and we're trying to get ourselves away from the relegation zone as quickly as possible. All the signs are there that it's going to be a great Saturday afternoon. Hopefully it'll be a fantastic game that goes our way." Share your thoughts and opinions on this news story by signing up to the Pride of Nottingham website, visiting the forum and join the chat.

Notts County climbed eight points clear of the League Two relegation zone thanks to a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle in Tuesday's fixture at Home Park. Jorge Grant made the most of a defensive calamity in the Pilgrims back line to put the Magpies into a 21st-minute lead in Devon, and impressed for the remainder of the game. The result sees Notts climb to 19th in the table on 37 points, and with second-from-bottom Leyton Orient struggling to get out of trouble on 29 points from 34 games - the same as Kevin Nolan's team - it means that March's fixtures could see us finally secure safety once and for all. Notts County's official site has published the video of the highlights from the game, so you can see for yourself just how good the Magpies were at Plymouth. What did you make of the highlights from the game between Plymouth and Notts? Reckon you might get tickets for the upcoming trip to Stevenage? Which of the remaining fixtures strike you as the most important? How crucial is Jorge Grant to Kevin Nolan's plans? We want to hear your thoughts on all of these and more so don't hesitate to sign up to the Pride of Nottingham forum and join in the conversation with all our fellow PON members.

Kevin Nolan has praised Notts County following their impressive 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night, describing their showing as "a perfect performance". Loanee Jorge Grant grabbed his third goal in four games in the first half at Home Park as the Magpies more than matched their opponents, who are looking to secure promotion from League Two. The result puts Notts eight points clear of the bottom two and a step closer to safety, when a month ago it looked like they were standing on the brink of oblivion. "It was a perfect performance," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "It could have been three, four or even five as we created plenty of chances. We also handled them well when they were going forward and we kept another clean sheet. "They (the players) were fantastic because we haven't been able to get out on the pitch much with the travelling and so on. "It was all about being in the classroom and everything we said to them they took it all on board. I was delighted with their output." 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.

Notts County have taken another massive step in the battle against relegation after coming away from a tricky midweek fixture at Plymouth Argyle with all three points. On-loan Nottingham Forest midfielder Jorge Grant bagged his third goal in four games to seal a 1-0 win for Kevin Nolan's side, who now sit eight points clear of the League Two drop zone following their heroics at Home Park. Grant scored the winner in the 21st minute after a defensive mix-up caused by Yann Songo'o's underhit backpass saw goalkeeper Luke McCormick try to scramble clear under pressure from Jonathan Forte. The ball broke to Sonny Bradley, who should have cleared his lines, but he dithered and Grant nipped in front of him, striding forward before placing his shot into the bottom corner of the net. In first half stoppage-time, Grant should have claimed his second of the game but fired wide from 10 yards after his initial strike was bravely blocked by right-back Oscar Threlkeld. The Pilgrims nearly pulled one back at the start of the second half, but Ryan Taylor's spectacular volley was tipped over by Notts stopper Adam Collin. In the 65th minute, Jon Stead headed wide from Marc Bola's deep cross into the six-yard box, while 10 minutes from time, Plymouth substitute Jordan Slew volleyed over Collin's poor punch landed at his feet. Share your thoughts about the match on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Kevin Nolan says Notts County will respect Plymouth Argyle in tonight's League Two match at Home Park, but cannot fear them. The Magpies are looking to make it five games unbeaten against a side sitting second in the table and appearing to be well on their way to promotion. Although the Pilgrims are being touted as favourites to win the game due to their superior league position, Nolan says his side will not be fazed by the task ahead. "We can't fear anyone, but we will respect them because they are a good side," he told the Nottingham Post. "We knew it was going to be a tough week which started off on Saturday against Yeovil. "Teams are not going to come here and roll over. They are respecting us after our results in the last few games. "I expect a really tough game against Plymouth and we will have to match them if we are to get something out of it. "They do all the right things the majority of the time which is why they are up at the top of the league." 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.

Notts County and Plymouth Argyle have met a total of 45 times over the years, with the Magpies winning 23 times; the Pilgrims have triumphed 13 times, and nine draws have taken place. The first meeting took place on 13 Jan 1923, a FA Cup clash in Plymouth which ended as a goalless draw. The last meeting was at the start of the season, on 16 August last year, and the Pilgrims won 2-1 at Meadow Lane. Argyle takes its nickname from an English religious group that left Plymouth for the New World in 1620. The club crest features the Mayflower, the ship that carried the pilgrims to Massachusetts. The city of Plymouth is the largest in England never to have hosted top-flight football. They are also the most southerly and westerly League club in England. The club was founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, the first match taking place on 16 October 1886 against Caxton, a team from Cornwall, and saw the Pilgrims lose 2–0. Poor performances on the pitch led to the club going out of existence in 1894 before being resurrected in 1897 as one part of a general sports club, the Argyle Athletic Club. Much speculation surrounds the origin of the name Argyle. One explanation is that they were named after the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, an army regiment with a strong football side of its own. Another theory is given the respective geographical placements–suggests the name comes either from the nearby public house, The Argyle Tavern, where the founder members may have met, or the local street named Argyle Terrace. An alternative suggestion is that their initial kit was decorated in the famous Argyle diamond pattern. The club adopted its current name when it became fully professional in 1903 joining the Southern League, under the management of Bob Jack. Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles (one Division Two and two Division Three), five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The team set the record for most championships won in the third tier, having finished first in the Third Division South twice, the Third Division once and the Second Division once. In March 1973, Plymouth played a friendly against Brazilian giants Santos - who had a player by the name of Pele in their ranks. You may have heard of him. The Devon club shocked the crowd of over 37,000 people at Home Park by cruising to a 3-0 lead and going on to win the game 3-2. Team news Plymouth will check on David Fox ahead of their League Two game with Notts County at Home Park on Tuesday after limping off before half-time in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Luton Town. Fox was the victim of a heavy challenge which angered Pilgrims boss Derek Adams and Jakub Sokolik could deputise. Graham Carey should be fine after taking a knock in the same game, and Antoni Sarcevic is also available after coming through the Luton draw unscathed after ankle trouble. Notts are nursing a few bumps and bruises following their goalless home draw against Yeovil Town on Saturday. Kevin Nolan will give those players affected as long as possible to prove their fitness as they prepare to face the League Two title chasers. Defender Richard Duffy remains unavailable as he completes a two-match ban while midfielder Michael O'Connor is still on nine yellow cards and one more away from an enforced two-game absence of his own. Thierry Audel is fit again after a groin problem but had to settle for a place on the bench at the weekend. Share your thoughts about this match preview on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat.

Josh Clackstone says he is happy to be getting first-team football at Notts County and hopes that the experience, as well as the help from older players, will benefit him when he returns to parent club Hull City. The 20-year-old full-back has impressed since his January loan move to Meadow Lane, putting in a good performance in Saturday's goalless draw with Yeovil Town. "They [Hull] wanted me to get games in the league and get used to first team football because I wasn't getting that back at Hull," Clackstone told the Nottingham Post. "You want to play regardless of where it is and the fact that it's at a club like Notts County makes it even better. I think there is a massive difference from playing in academy teams and first teams. "It means something. You are playing against more experienced players so you learn a lot more. There's a lot of experienced players here too and they are helping the young lads develop. "This can only help me when I go back to Hull. They can see I've played in the league and hopefully I will get a shot there. "I have got used to the way (Notts) play and the game plan, Saturday was my best game so far. "It's really good, we have a great bunch of lads and we know what we need to do. We want to stay up and all the lads are heading in the right direction if we keep clean sheets and put points on the board. "We are getting more consistent in how we play. We just need to keep going, keep getting more points and get to safety sooner rather than later." Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and having a chat with our community.

Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has admitted that his players "were all disappointed in the dressing room" following their goalless draw with Yeovil Town on Saturday. The League Two fixture at Meadow Lane saw the visitors defend stoutly, with the Magpies failing to break them down, and almost struck a late winner when Alex Lawless was denied by Adam Collin. Despite the disappointment of failing to get all three points, Nolan admits that his charges seeing a stalemate as a bad result shows how far they've come from when he took over amid a 10-match losing run. Nolan told the Nottingham Post: "We have to look at this result in the right way in the fact they have respected us. They have come to Meadow Lane and put 10 men behind the ball and made it difficult for us. "When we did get into the final third, we found it hard to break them down and our quality wasn't what it was of previous weeks. "But it felt like one of those days when the ball just wouldn't drop for us in the box and when it did it probably fell to the wrong person. "The lads were all disappointed in the dressing room and I was delighted with that because it shows how far we have come in such a short space of time. "The fans were fantastic again and while there were lots of positives to take out of the game, the disappointment was we didn't get the win." Share your thoughts about this story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Notts County maintained their unbeaten home record under new boss Kevin Nolan, as well as extending their unbeaten run to four matches, with a goalless draw against fellow strugglers Yeovil Town at Meadow Lane. In a game of very few chances, Jorge Grant had a chance in the first minute when he latched on to a clever pass by Mark Yeates, but Artur Krysiak parried the shot away and then gathered the loose ball before the onrushing Shola Ameobi could get to it. The Glovers failed to make any headway towards the Magpies goal until around 20 minutes in when Matty Dolan saw a speculative 25-yard half-volley fly wide before Akpa Akpro failed to direct a Kevin Dawson cross towards goal. Notts ended the first half with their most threatening moment of the game as Mark Yeates cut in from the right flank and forced Krysiak into a save with a tricky low shot. Nolan's side carried a greater sense of urgency early in the second half as Jon Stead played in Yeates, whose shot from a tight angle was parried to safety by the Glovers stopper. The Glovers then had Ryan Dickson to thank for keeping them on level terms a short while later when his crucial block diverted Grant's goalward effort into the side netting, while Stead nearly bagged an assist when he cut back towards Michael O'Connor, who blazed his shot over. As the game entered its final ten minutes, the hosts pushed forward once more and thought they were going to break the deadlock when Ameobi found Stead with a well timed cross, but he was unable to find the target with his header. Yeovil nearly claimed a late goal when Alex Lawless burst into the Notts box and fired towards goal, but Adam Collin denied him with an outstanding save as the final whistle confirmed a share of the spoils. Share your thoughts about the game on Pride of Nottingham by signing up for FREE to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Michael O'Connor has said he cannot guarantee avoiding a suspension for reaching 10 yellow cards because of his combative nature on the pitch. The Notts County captain is currently on nine bookings and, should he earn another before March 12, he will be slapped with a two-match ban. Richard Duffy will be sitting out the next two fixtures due to this and, despite O'Connor admitting he needs to be careful, he does not want let the ban put him off his style of play. "I need to be careful for the next three or four games because I am on nine bookings," the Northern Irishman, expected to line up against Yeovil Town, told the Nottingham Post. "I spoke to the gaffer about it. He's just said, 'try to be smart about it'. I will try to, but when you see the ball, I'll go for it. "I'll try to see it through to the cut-off point, but I can't guarantee anything. "When you are on the pitch you don't think of being on nine bookings when the ball is there to be won. It's just natural instinct." Share your thoughts about this story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Notts County and Yeovil Town have met 14 times over the years. The first game took place at Meadow Lane on 4 November 1961, with the Magpies beating their opponents 4-2 in the FA Cup. That was the only meeting of the two pre-21st century - the 13 meetings following that game all took place between 2004 and 2016. Yeovil have the upper edge in the head-to-head with seven wins, five defeats and two draws against Notts. Yeovil Football Club was founded in 1890, and shared their ground with the local rugby club for many years. Five years later they were renamed Yeovil Casuals and started playing home games at the Pen Mill Athletic Ground. In 1907 the name Yeovil Town was adopted, which on amalgamation with Petters United became Yeovil and Petters United. The name reverted to Yeovil Town prior to the 1946–47 season. The Somerset outfit have spent most of their existence in the lower leagues, though they briefly made a name for themselves in the 1948-49 season when they beat Sunderland 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round. In the 1980s, Yeovil were founder members of the Football Conference, where they remained for the next two decades, save for a few relegations to the Isthmian League which usually resulted in an instant return to the above tier. Yeovil Town earned promotion to the Football League in the 2002-03 season, by winning the Football Conference by a record 17 points margin, accumulating 95 points and scoring 100 goals, remaining unbeaten at Huish Park. In their second ever season in the Football League, the Glovers went one better by achieving promotion to the third tier as champions of League Two. Then, in the following years even reached the League One playoffs, beating Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals in 2006-07 before losing to Blackpool in the final at Wembley. Six years later, however, Yeovil achieved what had been deemed unthinkable a decade earlier - they reached the second tier of English football after beating Brentford in the 2013 League One play-off final. Their stay in the Championship was brief, however, and they went on to suffer back-to-back relegations, leaving them in the bottom tier of the Football League where they still ply their trade. Team news Notts County are preparing to host Yeovil without suspended defender Richard Duffy. Richard Duffy will be absent as he was booked for the 10th time this season during the win against Leyton Orient and must serve a two-match ban. With Thierry Audel still struggling with a groin problem, it leaves Haydn Hollis and on-loan Josh Clackstone as the only recognised centre-backs available to Kevin Nolan. Midfielder Michael O'Connor is just one yellow card away from a two-match ban after he was also booked at Brisbane Road. The likes of Curtis Thompson, Alan Smith and Jonathan Forte will be hoping for recalls as Notts aim to extend their unbeaten league run to a season-best four games without defeat. Yeovil are expected to have a trio of defenders back for the trip to Meadow Lane as they look to end a torrid run of form. Darren Way's side have won only one of their last 13 league matches but will welcome back Ryan Dickson, Bevis Mugabi and Nathan Smith on Saturday. Dickson suffered a knock during the 2-0 defeat at Cheltenham last weekend but has recovered quicker than expected to keep his place in the side while full-back Smith returns after missing the last two matches. Mugabi is also fit after being absent for the match at Whaddon Road but winger Otis Khan misses out with an ankle injury that has ruled him out for the last six weeks. Share your thoughts about the game on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Michael O'Connor has praised Notts County boss Kevin Nolan for having faith in the Northern Irishman's leadership qualities. The midfielder was made captain this season under former boss John Sheridan and has continued in that role under Nolan. O'Connor is also delighted to be able to take advice from a man who has captained each of his former clubs, wearing the armband at Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham United. The 29-year-old told the official club site: "On his first day he spoke to me and said 'I want you to be my captain'. It was a big help for him to have that belief in me and since then I have kicked on. "I'm probably on my best run of form since I signed. I know what the manager wants from me. I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fit and hopefully it can continue. "Obviously the gaffer was captain wherever he went in his career - Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham - and it is my first season as a captain so he has spoken to be about what he wants from me and I think I'm taking it on board. "You have teammates looking at you to lead and I try to do that in every game I play." Up next for Notts, who are battling to survive in League Two, is Saturday's game with Yeovil Town at Meadow Lane. Share your thoughts about this story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.