Joe Jones

Just when it looked like Notts had got themselves back on track after beating Portsmouth in midweek, a second away defeat in three games, against the bottom team in the league, takes us back to square one. The unbeaten run now a distant memory, Hartley and Poole did it for Hartlepool, the appropriately named players scoring to beat the Magpies 2-1 at Victoria Park. The defeat proved to be Keith Curle's last match in charge, as the Notts board relieved him of his duties on Sunday. Neal Bishop’s three-game suspension meant Joss Labadie was handed his first start since September, as part of a 3-1-4-2 formation. Gary Liddle, a former Poolie, was handed the skipper's armband, and received a warm welcome from the home supporters after six years with the club. As has happened much too frequently this season, Notts were sliced open within minutes and conceded early. Jamal Campbell-Ryce did well to win a corner in the 4th minute, but it was cleared and Hartlepool broke, a Jonathan Franks ball connecting with James Poole, who lifted it over the back-pedalling JCR and struck a great volley to silence the travelling Notts fans. First blood Hartlepool. Notts came back all guns blazing, JCR's cross very nearly finding Judge while Labadie attempted a shot from distance, but Hartlepool followed with more chances of their own, Liddle having to be at his best to deny Charlie Wyke inside the six-yard box. It wasn't until the half hour mark that Notts threatened again, Judge firing wide and Hughes fluffing a close-range shot, Francois Zoko the architect of both those chances. Notts pressed on, however, and JCR very nearly equalised, but for a great block from Hartley, before the resulting corner connected with Arquin and, but for Neil Austin's block, would have been 1-1, the goalkeeper Scott Flinders beaten. JCR, having a fantastic game on the wing, crossed for Zoko but was headed into the keeper's arms, while at the other end, Fabian Speiss bravely kept out Poole, saving at his feet. Half-time saw Keith Curle replace Labadie with Julian Kelly, shifting Liddle into midfield, and only two minutes into the second half, Sheehan's high cross drew Flinders off his line, but Zoko once again headed straight at the keeper, a golden opportunity wasted. Speiss, proving himself to be a fantastic deputy for the injured Bialkowski, superbly saved Franks's powerful effort, and Notts' efforts came to fruition when, on 52 minutes, JCR beat two players and curled a brilliant shot into the far corner, sending the 271 travelling Magpies into raptures. 1-1. Invigorated, Notts pressed on, with Judge, Arquin and Sheehan all having chances, but sadly, their failure to convert this was punished, as that other weak spot in the team resurfaced - set-pieces. Evan Horwood's free kick wasn't properly defended and Peter Hartley met it with his head and trickled into the net. A poor goal to concede, 2-1 Hartlepool. It could have been 3-1 from exactly the same situation but for the excellent Speiss, who is sure to give Bialkowski a hard job forcing his way back into the first team once fully fit, denying Horwood and Poole from another free-kick. Notts kept attacking the Pools goal, but lacked the killer touch. Arquin fired a volley but was just off target, while Judge's header on 75 minutes was charged down by Sam Collins and smothered by Flinders. In a bizarre substitution, the losing side saw Arquin, a forward, replaced by the midfielder Hamza Bencherif, much to the chagrin of the Notts fans. The young Romello Nangle also came on for Zoko, but the Hartlepool defence would no longer be breached, and so it ended 2-1 to the County Durham side. They stay bottom, eight points from safety, while Notts remain tenth on goal difference, level on points with MK Dons, Crewe and Leyton Orient, and looking for a new manager after parting company with Keith Curle.

Over the years, many football clubs with a proud history and tradition have found themselves staring into the abyss. Manchester City, Portsmouth FC, Luton Town, Leeds United, Southampton FC, Sheffield United, and in recent times Swindon Town. Many more have come close to extinction because of problems, financial or otherwise. Notts County in the mid-2000s were one such club, administration and near-liquidation on the verge of condemning the club to a long spell outside the football league and possibly out of existence. Inspirational, hard-working, talismanic signings are needed to drag the club "kicking and screaming" out of the mire. Andy Morrison famously did so for Manchester City in 98/99, and for Notts, none were more determined and dogged, not to mention more "talismanic" (in a literal sense) than Richard "Ricky" Ravenhill. Brought in by Ian McParland in May 2009, with Notts County having finished a second consecutive year in the bottom six of the Football League, Ravenhill, part of the Doncaster Rovers team that scaled from the Conference to League 1 in just two years, knew what it took to get out of the bottom division of English league football. Born in 1981, the Doncastrian was part of the Leeds United academy, joining the club as a ten-year old. He then became part of Barnsley's youth team in 2000, and was a promising youth and reserve team player, before hometown club Doncaster Rovers snapped up the combative midfielder in early 2002. His arrival at the then-Conference side was a precursor to the club's rapid rise up the league pyramid, as the South Yorkshire club ended up being the first club to go up into the Football League by virtue of the play-offs in 2003. Previously, the Conference only admitted the winner into what was then known as Division Three. The following year, Ravenhill helped his team achieve back-to-back promotions, as Doncaster defied all expectations to win the title and propel his team to fixtures against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford, regional giants which were playing in the Premiership not long before. He also partook in Doncaster’s incredible 2005-06 League Cup run, beating Manchester City and Aston Villa before taking Arsenal all the way to penalties in the quarter-finals. In total, the midfielder clocked up 137 appearances for Donny. By 2006, however, Ravenhill found first-team opportunities scarce and, after a brief loan at Chester City, was released, signing a one-year contract with Grimsby Town. In January 2007 he went on loan to Darlington, where he finally found his stride and, once the Shakers made the deal permanent in the summer, became a fan favourite. In total, he made 88 appearances for Darlington, before financial issues meant the club had to allow him to leave on a free transfer. Notts County, rebuilding the team following two disastrous seasons in the bottom tier of the Football League, signed the midfielder, "Charlie" McParland describing the deal as a "massive bonus for (Notts)". He made his debut in the first game of the 09/10 season, playing part in a 5-0 drubbing of Bradford City at Meadow Lane. Throughout the course of the season, he became a fan favourite for his combative, full-blooded style of play, snapping away at opposition players, breaking up play and linking the defence and attack, while off the pitch, he would keep a calm, collective head in the face of the whirlwind events taking place at the Lane, often sharing his honest, erudite views with the local media. Despite all the uncertainty regarding his position in the team - marquee signings were often rumoured to be in discussions with Notts - and, later in the season, the future of the club itself, Ravenhill's professionalism, heart-on-sleeve approach and determination led to him starting 40 of 46 league games as the team conquered League Two, winning 14 of their last 18 games to clinch the title. Though he excelled in his role of midfield enforcer, not afraid to put his body and disciplinary record on the line for the good of the team, he also managed to get himself on the scoresheet several times in spectacular fashion. He scored the opener against Macclesfield away in August 2009, an outstanding volley against Burton Albion four months later, in a performance described by then-caretaker boss Dave Kevan as worthy of "man-of-the-match" (despite Lee Hughes scoring a hat-trick in the same game) and another stunning strike in the home game against Morecambe in mid-April, during which he admits he was tired and "heavy-legged" following the birth of his second child two days prior. A season fraught with uncertainty and drama, 2009/10 ended joyously for Notts, with Ravenhill overseeing a third career promotion and getting his hands on a second championship crown. The talisman had made it happen again. The 2010/11 season, with Notts back in the third tier after a six-year absence, saw more of the same from Ravenhill, playing 24 league games and taking part in two classic FA Cup matches against eventual winners Manchester City, nearly beating the Premiership giants at Meadow Lane. In September 2011, he was in the starting eleven against Italian giants Juventus for the first ever game at their new stadium, an unforgettable evening for both clubs. Sadly, things took a turn for the worse for Ravenhill, as a collision with a Tranmere Rovers player left him sidelined with concussion, and in his absence, Gavin Mahon cemented his position in central midfield alongside Neal Bishop. Ravenhill made only two more league starts for Notts, against Colchester United, two months after he was injured against Tranmere, and against Wycombe at Meadow Lane, but with his contract running out at the end of the season and manager Martin Allen not being able to guarantee him first-team football, the decision was made to let Ricky go on loan to Bradford City, where he impressed the Bantams so much they offered him a two-and-a-half-year contract. The player enjoyed a bright spell at the Yorkshire club as they battled to the final of the 2013 League Cup against all odds, beating three Premier League sides among the way, and earning promotion to League One at the end of the season. The twilight years of Ravenhill's career would subsequently take him to Northampton Town, Mansfield Town and Buxton FC, where he continues to play today. Share your thoughts about Ricky Ravenhill on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Notts County's amazing unbeaten away run came to an end at the Matchroom Stadium as the Pies were beaten 2-1 by Leyton Orient, in a frustrating afternoon which saw goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski carried off on a stretcher. The defeat deprived Notts of a 23rd consecutive unbeaten away game, and handed Keith Curle his first ever away loss. Unchanged from the impressive 1-0 win against Oldham, the Pies looked to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since November, and found themselves under pressure from the start, Lee Cook firing wide from a David Mooney cross. The first Notts chance fell to Neal Bishop, who, after great work from Jeff Hughes, found his attempt blocked by O's midfielder Lloyd James, JCR not being able to follow it up, while at the other end, the unmarked Mooney sliced it wide after a good Gary Liddle invervention. Then came the main talking point of the match: as MacDonald came towards the Notts goal, Bialkowski rushed out to make a save, but the Orient forward caught the keeper on the head as he tried to take the ball around him. Six minutes of treatment and a yellow card for MacDonald later, Bart was taken off on a stretcher, and the highly rated but untested Fabian Speiss came on in his place. Not long after the restart, some great work by Bish tested the O's defence, first with a low cross which couldn't quite find Showunmi and Arquin, then by winning a corner which saw Hughes' shot blocked and Sheehan fire wide. Shortly afterwards, Speiss was tested for the first time in the game, a fine reaction save denying Cook, before former Orient player Dean Leacock made a last-ditch tackle to thwart Mooney. The additional eight minutes of injury time saw the game spring back to life, Andre Boucaud playing a fantastic cross to Yoann Arquin, whose header smashed against the crossbar, before Alan Judge's half volley, again after some inspirational play, went just over. Speiss made another fine save to deny MacDonald, before the in-form Sheehan delivered another cross at the other end which connected with Showunmi and very nearly made it in. After the break, Showunmi, oozing confidence after his first league goal against Oldham on Tuesday, headed inches over, connecting with a JCR cross, while Judge's long-range hit forced the Orient keeper into a save. At the other end, Speiss showed just why he is so highly rated by the Notts hierachy, his full-stretch save denying Martin Rowland's deflected free kick, and blocking Mooney's placed shot with his leg. Eventually, Orient took the lead, as the Notts defence allowed Cook too much time and space on the ball. His shot was well saved by Speiss but the keeper could do nothing to stop Mooney scoring from the rebound. It wasn't long before Orient were in the Notts area again after the restart, Mooney's shot being deflected behind for a corner, and more lax defending saw Mathieu Baudry double the lead with a volley. Two goals conceded in the space of three minutes, the County players and fans shell-shocked. As Romello Nangle came on for Arquin, a lull followed where the match officials swapped positions as a result of the referee's injury, before Notts pulled one back, Showunmi's hard work allowing Jeff Hughes to finish from eight yards. 2-1, twelve minutes to go. Orient were dominant thereafter and could have scored several but for excellent defensive work by Sheehan and Bishop, and of course, the outstanding Speiss. But for a chance by Hughes, a glancing header, Notts struggled to pierce the O's defence again, and the match ended 2-1, the home team claiming all three points, Notts' sublime away record in tatters, the team eight points adrift of the play-offs and sweating over Bialkowski's fitness. At least Fabian Speiss proved to be a very capable deputy in between the sticks.

After snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat against Sheffield United the previous Saturday, Notts put in a dominant, lively display to outplay and defeat Oldham Athletic for their first win at Meadow Lane since November, courtesy of Enoch Showunmi's first league goal for the club. Just like the previous weekend, the snow and frosty weather meant the hard work had to begin well before the game, as club staff and supporters helped to clear the snow off the pitch to ensure Notts didn't suffer another postponement. Once the game was officially on, Notts lined up in the 3-4-1-2 formation used against the Blades, making only one change - Showunmi replacing Francois Zoko, suspended after the weekend's fixture. The home team dominated from the off, an Alan Sheehan free kick causing problems early on with Showunmi unable to convert with his back to goal, while a Bialkowski kick was helped on by the frontman and saw Jeff Hughes fire straight at Oldham keeper Dean Bouzaris. Then came the first real chance of the game - an Alan Judge free kick which whistled past the top-left corner, Bouzaris stranded. More chances were to come, Andre Boucaud playing a Xavi-esque pass to the Irish Messi, who rounded the keeper but only fired into the side netting, before Yoann Arquin headed wide and shortly afterwards saw a powerful shot also just miss. Before long, the pendulum swung Oldham's way, with forward Jose Baxter firing straight at Bialkowski. The away team then saw Matt Smith fire a volley which was denied by skipper Neal Bishop's outstanding block. Boucaud, now a permanent Notts County player, repaid the faith put in him by the club with another wonderful through-ball straight to JCR, who cut inside and took a shot. The ensuing deflection fell nicely into the path of Showunmi and was tapped in for the opening goal. Invigorated by taking the lead, the half finished with Notts playing some classy football, stringing passes together and showing moves off to the delight of the home fans, Jeff Hughes nearly making it 2-0 late on in the half. Oldham, lucky only to be 1-0 down at half time, pressed on, and nearly made Notts pay for their missed chances, Jonathan Grounds missing with his powerful header, before midfielder Chris Sutherland headed towards an empty net, having beaten Bialkowski, only for Gary Liddle to majestically clear it off the goal-line. The Latics, frustrated by their inability to breach the Notts defence, found themselves getting increasingly physical, and got several late tackles in before the ref decided he'd seen enough and got his card out, booking Grounds and James Welosowski in quick succession. Notts' chances kept on coming, Showunmi nearly connecting with a JCR cross, before Hughes flashed a header across goal after a Sheehan free kick, Matt Smith preventing the chance from falling to Bishop for what would have been a certain goal. The Irish Messi then saw his attempt just miss the right-hand upright after a mistake by Wesolowski seventy-eight minutes in, before Showunmi fired just over a minute later. In the dying stages, Oldham kept pressing, but never really bothered Bialkowski, substitute Robbie Simpson attempting a couple of long-range shots and Jose Baxter not doing much better, before Notts saw out the final five minutes and confirmed the 3 points, much to the delight of the 3,229 home supporters who were finally able to celebrate a win at Meadow Lane since November.

Young people often follow in their parents' footsteps. A person's behaviour, opinions and actions will doubtlessly filter through to their children, and the same can be said about a person's career - as they have inside knowledge of their chosen field, this will influence the son or daughter, and the likelihood of them entering the same field is high. This is also the case in football, with professional players' kids often getting into the sport, where they can benefit from the parent's knowledge, experience and connections. However, when your father is one of the greatest footballers of all time, sometimes it can place a burden on those young shoulders, especially when you're playing the same position as them. And when that position is goalkeeper, the most scrutinised of all, then there is a lot to live up to. Kasper Schmeichel, however, is doing just that. The son of Man Utd and Denmark legend Peter, Kasper was born in Copenhagen in 1986, and in 2002, signed terms with Man City, where Schmeichel Sr enjoyed a fantastic season helping the newly promoted team consolidate their place in the Premier League after years in the wilderness. As he learnt his trade, he was loaned out to Darlington, Bury and Falkirk, gaining valuable first team experience, before making his debut for City in August 2007, against West Ham. Against Arsenal, he kept a clean sheet and saved a Robin Van Persie penalty, further endearing him to the fans and earning him plaudits, but with the Thaksin Shinawatra takeover, all of a sudden City were expected to challenge for honours, a big ask for the fledgling keeper. Another loan period at Cardiff followed before Schmeichel decided to leave the City of Manchester stadium, and with Sven Goran Eriksson, with whom he worked at City, coming to Meadow Lane, he signed up for Notts County. An eye opening signing for the then League 2 team, the transfer fee was undisclosed but believed to have broken the club record, but straight from the off, it was clear Schmeichel was a cut above the rest. Keeping a clean sheet in his debut against Dagenham and Redbridge, he made the first-team goalkeeping position his, and by October the then 23-yr old had won the Player of the Month award. Tall and imposing, the young keeper played with grit and determination beyond his years, and any defensive slip-ups led to him angrily reprimanding and gesticulating to the other Notts players, in a manner reminiscent of his father. His goalkeeping style was also like Schmeichel Sr - he'd throw himself at any loose ball, and use every which part of his body to stop it going anywhere near the goal. He was also fond of going up into the opposition box if Notts were behind, and nearly scored a prodigious overhead kick against Morecambe away. Schmeichel's statistics speak for themselves - During his year with the Pies, the club conceded 0.67 goals per match - 29 goals conceded in 43 league appearances - and kept 24 clean sheets. A whirlwind season ended with the League 2 Championship and most importantly, promotion into League 1. If that wasn't enough, the keeper showed himself to be a true gentleman and agreed to be released, forfeiting his contract and all future wages, rumoured to be around £15,000 a week, plus bonuses, with the club facing an uncertain future after the boardroom and takeover issues which beset the club. Director Ray Trew agreed this to be "a huge concession by such a young man" and helped the club survive after a very turbulent period. After such a scintillating season, it wasn't long before bigger clubs showed their interest, and despite reported interest from Bayern Munich and Chelsea, Schmeichel opted for Leeds where first-team football was a certainty. More individual plaudits and nominations came his way as he was nominated for Player of the Month in August and won the Sky Sports POTM gong the same month. Injuries restricted his appearances but he still played 40 games, including a draw against Arsenal at the Emirates which earned an FA Cup replay. His time at Elland Road, however, ended acrimoniously, as Leeds accepted an offer from Leicester for the young goalkeeper, reuniting him with Sven Goran Eriksson. Manager Simon Grayson claimed it was "going to be difficult" for a new deal to be agreed at Leeds, whilst Schmeichel refuted these claims publicly, expressing his shock at being transfer listed. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Leicester and Schmeichel proved a match made in heaven. To this day the Dane remains with the Foxes and has proved instrumental in their ascent to the Premier League in 2014 and, despite suffering a broken metatarsal in training midway through the season that kept him out for a month, he was part of their amazing great escape in the latter stages of the campaign that kept them in the top flight. Now 28 years old, his career has been one of fulfilment and stability since settling in Leicester, and to make things even better, he's become the Denmark national team's first-choice stopper. Quite frankly, it's nothing less than he deserves from the graft he's put in. One thing is certain and its that he will always be remembered at Notts - it was an absolute honour to have Kasper Schmeichel at the Lane, and he will always be a fans' favourite for his style, performances, achievements and putting the club before himself. A true gentleman of the game and a Notts County legend.