Joe Jones

Despite a dream start on the south coast, courtesy of Jeff Hughes' early goal, Notts County were undone by three goals as Bournemouth kept their pressure on table-topping Doncaster with a home win. Chris Kiwomya began the game in a 4-5-1 formation, the returning Joss Labadie replacing the suspended Alan Judge in midfield and shifting Hughes to the left, while Enoch Showunmi was the lone frontman. Bartosz Bialkowski was back in goal, having recovered from the illness which kept him out of the Easter Monday defeat against Yeovil. Notts took the lead within two minutes, as good work from Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Julian Kelly allowed Labadie to get a cross to Hughes, and the Northern Irishman converted with a strong header which beat the keeper Ryan Allsop's save. The Cherries, shocked by this development, set about trying to claw back the deficit, and just a couple of minutes later, Simon Francis fired a low shot which Bart saved easily, while Brett Pitman's shot on eight minutes went wide. Pitman and Matt Ritchie would each get another attempt on goal before, on 16 minutes, the latter got on the scoresheet with a goal from the edge of the area, beating several defenders and Bart as it went into the bottom left corner. 1-1, and the Cherries were in the mood for more. The versatile Marc Pugh was a threat, pinging in several crosses into the Notts area, while Steve Cook and Matt Tubbs got efforts in, and their pressure was rewarded on 26 minutes as the dangerous Pitman found the net with a powerful goal from just outside the box. The Notts players protested, feeling that Tubbs had handled in the build-up to the goal, but his effort stood, and the Magpies, 1-0 up within two minutes, were now 2-1 down courtesy of the 16-goal hitman. It was so nearly 17 for the prolific striker, but his 20-yard effort on 37 minutes was wide. Worse was to come for Notts as Andre Boucaud, booked on 28 for unsporting behaviour, received a second yellow on the stroke of half-time for a challenge, a very harsh decision as it wasn't a caution-meriting tackle. The travelling Notts fans made their feelings well known as the first-half whistle blew. Cherries defender Simon Francis was booked after committing two rash tackles in two minutes, the first on Hughes - prompting the fans to sarcastically celebrate a decision finally going their way - then on JCR. Labadie's ensuing free kick was dangerous and seemed to be heading for the top-right corner, but was well saved by Allsop and out for a corner kick. Bournemouth's Harry Arter produced a fine effort which forced Bart into a full-stretch save to his left, while at the other end, the referee once again incurred the wrath of the travelling Magpies as Showunmi was felled in the Bournemouth box, but no penalty was given. Neal Bishop's in-play attempt was well over. On 73 minutes, JCR delivered a great ball into the area, but Showunmi wasn't able to get his head to it. It was to be his final effort, as he was replaced by young Tyrell Waite just after. As the game went into its final ten minutes, Sheehan's floated free-kick wasn't properly cleared by the home defenders, but Hughes couldn't make anything of it, miscontrolling the ball as it fell to him. The game was finally put to bed on the 85th minute as Matt Ritchie, voted League One Player of the Year the week before, put Notts out of their misery with a clinical finish from the edge of the penalty box into the bottom right-hand corner. 3-1, game over. Interestingly, the last time Notts were beaten by a two-goal margin in the league before today was against Stevenage on the 5th February, and before that on the 27th October. It's not something that's happened often this season. Sadly, a combination of a demotivated team with nothing to play for, the same old problems up front, a determined and dangerous Bournemouth containing some of the strongest players in the league with all to play for, and bad refereeing, Notts staff and fans faced a long trip back North with a bitter taste in their mouth. Is the season over yet?

Another matchday, another poor performance, another 90 minutes in which no Notts forward has found the net, another defeat. Notts County lost 2-1 at home to a Yeovil side gunning for the play-offs, courtesy of a first half rebound goal from the highly rated Paddy Madden and a free-kick by Matthew Dolan. Chris Kiwomya, looking to build on the strong finish his side had against Brentford at Griffin Park three days earlier, chose to play 4-4-2, dropping Jeff Hughes and picking Enoch Showunmi alongside Yoann Arquin. Within 10 seconds, Angelo Balanta attempted a long range drive, but Fabian Speiss, in for the ill Bartosz Bialkowski, caught easily. Notts' first shot came from Showunmi, whose volley was well over. A lively first ten minutes saw several chances traded by both sides, Yoann Arquin threatening with a header on ten minutes. After this lively period, a bit of a stalemate ensued with both sides struggling to control the ball or even string more than two passes together, which made for tedious viewing, it has to be said. On 42 minutes, the Notts crowd enjoyed their team's first serious attempt on goal, as Showunmi's header looked to be in, but Glovers keeper Marek Stech pulled off a sensational save to parry the ball to his right and away from danger. In first half injury time, just as the fans began leaving the stands in a vain attempt to miss the queue for the bar (there's always at least a dozen people in that queue well before the half-time whistle goes!), Dolan's shot at goal was saved superbly by young Speiss, but unfortunately the talented Madden was at hand to fire the rebound into the net. The second half saw Notts try and apply pressure on Yeovil in a bid to come back on level terms, and were rewarded on 49 when Alan Judge was fouled in the area by Dan Burn and was given a penalty. The pint-sized Irishman stepped up and converted from 12 yards to make it 1-1. Now, disappointment in football comes in many forms. Conceding again shortly after equalising is on that list, and Notts fans, veterans of practically every type of footballing disappointment on the big long list, got to experience that when Yeovil were gifted a free-kick just outside the Notts box, and, with Speiss distracted by two Glovers players haranguing him on the goal-line, the Somerset team scored from their free-kick. 2-1 down just three minutes after equalising. The rest of the game would see some of the flaws in Notts' gameplan made evidently clear. Just before the hour, an assault on the Yeovil goal saw the ball trickle to substitute Jeff Hughes, who, from two yards out, saw his shot sensationally miss the goal. On 65, the ineffective Arquin was replaced by young Academy player Tyrell Waite, who made a difference straight away with his dynamic, confident runs. Judge, who tormented the Yeovil defence all afternoon long, was unjustly deemed to have dived in the opposition box and given a yellow card on 72 minutes. The rest of the game would see Notts struggle to break down the Yeovil defence and get any more meaningful shots on target to trouble the keeper, none more so that late on when Showunmi was clear in front of the Yeovil goal and who delivered a header which was saved so easily by Stech, it looked more like he was on the same side as him and was passing the ball back to the keeper. As the whistle finally went, the only cheers in the stadium belonged to the travelling Yeovil fans, who scraped back into the play-offs, while for the Notts faithful, a season which promised so much in the early stages has delivered so little, and frankly, it cannot be over soon enough.

A very similar story to other games this season saw Notts County start well, struggle midway through, then get back into the game just a bit too late to leave Griffin Park with no points. The manner in which the losing goal was conceded, however, was a first, as an error from Bartosz Bialkowski gifted the Bees the lead, before being replaced by Notts legend Kevin Pilkington at half time because of injury. Chris Kiwomya, in his first match as permanent first team manager, picked a 4-5-1 tactical formation. Yoann Arquin replaced Enoch Showunmi up front to play the Bees, who began the game in fourth place and enjoying a 8-game unbeaten run at home, including against Chelsea. Notts started the game brightly, a chance by Andre Boucaud going over as a Brentford defensive header fell to him. On six minutes, Bradley Wright-Phillips fired a dangerous shot which ricocheted against the post and was cleared by the Notts backline. A good chance, it proved just the spark to kick start the Bees fans' singing and chanting. On eight minutes, A cross by Jake Bidwell fell towards Tom Adeyemi, who headed over. Two minutes later, Clayton Donaldson, the Brentford striker, saw his ball whizz towards goal. Shortly afterwards, Toumani Diagouraga and Jonathan Douglas got shots from the edge of the box, Notts players throwing themselves at those balls to thwart the players. On twenty minutes, disaster struck as Bialkowski, one of Notts' best and most consistent performers, made a howler to gift Brentford the lead, as Diagouraga fired a weak sidefoot shot which trickled past the keeper. It proved to be all Brentford once they withstood the early Notts barrage, and after a wayward Alan Judge shot from distance, Brentford threatened again, Shaleum Logan and Sam Saunders causing havoc in the Notts half. Sheehan then fired wide around the 30 min mark. By the 35th minute, Brentford had taken their fourth corner, a high ball into the box, but that came to nothing. Donaldson, BWP and Douglas kept pushing forward and harassing the County back line, getting speculative shots and headers in. Notts managed to break into the Brentford half every so often, Jamal Campbell-Ryce getting a decent cross in which the keeper parried away. In an amazing twist, Bart was subbed off at half-time because of injury, and with Fabian Speiss not in the team for the same reason, Kevin Pilkington came on for his 150th Notts appearance. Notts began the second half much in the same way as in the first half, with zest and vigour, and got some early chances in. Judge, one of our outstanding players in the first half, sent a great ball to Arquin, but his shot was flaccid and didn't trouble the keeper. The Magpies came into the game more, and played some good possession football - save by a slip by Judge which Boucaud helped clear - but the pendulum would swing both ways, and before long, Brentford were bombing forward. In the 55th minute, the threatening Logan was superbly tackled by Jeff Hughes. By the sixty minute mark, Brentford had settled into their groove again, and the likes of Douglas and Wright-Phillips had several more chances. In the 62nd minute, the formation was changed to 4-4-2 as Showunmi came on for Hughes, in a bid to provide more firepower. Pilkington, on 63, thwarted 17-goal dangerman Donaldson, his legs keeping the score to 1-0. Even Colin Slater couldn't hide his nostalgic pride at commentating on that piece of action. In rapid succession, Brentford got three more corners to add to their tally, cranking the pressure up on the beleaguered Magpies. In contrast, Notts were on zero at that stage. BWP put the apparent final nail in the Notts coffin as his shot beat Pilkington and bounced off the woodwork. Nothing less than they deserved after withstanding the initial Notts pressure, in both halves, to maintain their stranglehold over Notts. However, Notts got a chance to pull one back, as Judge was fouled in the box to win a penalty just a few minutes later. In the 73rd minute, JCR's penalty was saved, but Judge struck on the rebound to make it 2-1. Two goals in just a few minutes took the temperature of the game to higher levels, with both teams upping their tempo. The penalty taker for Notts was then substituted on 75 minutes in a bizarre exchange, as he made way for Zoko when it looked like Arquin was coming off. A brave substitution for Kiwomya saw three strikers up front, in a bid to push for an equaliser. A spat between BWP and Gary Liddle on 77 was testament to the increased efforts by both teams, desperate in their respective attempts to restore the two-goal cushion and to equalise. Donaldson had another chance shortly after. Finally, on 81 minutes, Notts finally got their first corner of the game, which very nearly went in from Showunmi's header, but was cleared off the line. Sadly the subsequent pinballing into the box came to nothing, as the big forward missed his second attempt. Buoyed by their goal, Notts pushed forward, Judge firing an effort from thirty yards on 82 minutes. Sadly, Brentford managed to hold on to their lead, Notts' spirited fightback proving too little too late. The game finished 2-1, Notts' faint glimmer of play-off hope surely extinguished for good this season, leaving them eight points away from the play-offs with five games to play.

Notts County have confirmed the appointment of Chris Kiwomya as permanent first-team manager. The 43-year old, whose career progression has been impressive since joining the Magpies as development squad manager only last year, has signed a three-year deal at Meadow Lane. Ray Trew's decision to appoint Chris Kiwomya is explained on the official website: Link What are everyone's opinions on the Notts board's decision? Is it a good, shrewd move by Ray Trew, putting faith in an internal appointment, or should he have opted for a more experienced, proven man? Is it motivated by footballing reasons or financial reasons? Should he have waited until the end of the season to make his decision or was it good to confirm his signature now? Pride Of Nottingham is supportive of Ray Trew's decision and eager to see how he handles the final few games of the season, and crucially, what kind of transfer activity he will preside over in the transfer window; hopefully we can strengthen our team in the right places while keeping the spine of what is a very talented squad. Come On You Pies!

The youth academy is many a football club's pride and joy. There is nothing quite like seeing local youngsters working their way through the ranks, from the youth team up into the first team. Notts County's academy has seen some good local players in the starting eleven in recent years, most recently Haydn Hollis, Fabian Speiss and Greg Tempest. One thing that Notts County cannot offer at the moment, however, is top flight or European football, and sometimes, an exceptionally talented player may feel the need to progress in his career by playing in a higher league. Players of this calibre leave with the club and the fans' blessing, and seeing home-grown talent playing at the highest level is something that fills Notts fans with pride. One such player is Kelvin Wilson. Born in Nottingham in 1985, the youngster made his debut for the Magpies on April 17th 2004 away at Hartlepool United which the team, reeling from financial troubles and with relegation imminent, lost 4-0. The eighteen-year old made a further two appearances as Notts' disastrous season came to a close, scoring an unfortunate own goal to seal Brighton's play-off place on May the 1st. The following season in League 2 saw Wilson sign a two-year professional contract and break into the first-team squad, playing 41 times as Notts consolidated their place in the division. He also played and scored in the League Cup clash against West Ham. Such was the youngster's talent that boss Ian Richardson had to play down reports that Premier League clubs were keeping tabs on him after an impressive performance against Swindon in the FA Cup in December. The following season, Wilson was again praised by new manager Gudjon Thordarson, saying he would have liked him "to see with us for some time" and confirmed he had been offered a contract extension after the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United were reported to be after him. Forming a good partnership with Julian Baudet, Wilson was again singled out for praise in September after the Magpies' brilliant start to the season, but he couldn't prevent Notts from freefalling down the table in the following months. In March 2006, Wilson decided to join Preston North End on loan with a view to signing permanently. The Lilywhites ended the season well, qualifying for the play-offs, but were beaten in the semis by Leeds United. Nevertheless, the youngster signed a three-year deal after his Notts contract ran out. In total, Wilson played 78 times for Magpies, while for Preston, he played a total of 27 games before Nottingham Forest came calling. The lure of returning to his hometown, and playing for the club he supported as a kid, proved too much for Wilson, who signed a four-year deal with the Reds. Preston received £300,000 for the player. His debut season in 2007/08 proved to be very successful, as Forest were promoted from League One in second place and kept 24 clean sheets, a testament to his great defensive abilities. Things turned sour for Wilson, however, as he became the subject of a transfer battle between Forest and SPL giants Celtic in 2011. He signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Bhoys in January 2011, but he insisted he wanted to hook up with the Glasgow team straight away rather than wait until the end of the season. Forest were reportedly unhappy with this statement, and through falling out of favour with the hierarchy and picking up injuries, he didn't play for the club again. His last game for the Reds was against Ipswich in January. Wilson had to wait until hooking up with Celtic for his successive game, a friendly against the Central Coast Mariners in July, while his competitive debut came against Hibernian in the opening match of the SPL. He played a very good first competitive game and helped the Bhoys to a 2-0 win, making two crucial interventions to deny Hibs. He played a total of 21 appearances for Celtic in his first season, including his first European game, against Atletico Madrid, and his first Old Firm game, where he struggled against Rangers and was on the receiving end of a 4-2 beating. In the close season, there were talks that Wilson was unsettled, having lost his first-team place amid some mediocre performances, and that he was heading to Ipswich, but he remained at Celtic, where things were to turn around for him rather quickly. The departure of Glenn Loovens to Real Zaragoza and Thomas Rogne's persistent injury problems gave Wilson the opportunity to earn his place back into the first team, and he seized his chance with much improved performances, namely the Champions League play-off match against Helsingsborg. Better was to come from the defender, though, as the Bhoys were up against Barcelona, arguably the greatest club team in the world, in the group stages. On October 23rd, he had one of the finest games of his career, proving a thorn in Lionel Messi's side as the Spanish side registered a narrow 2-1 win. Two weeks later, the SPL team went one better and stunned the Blaugrana at Celtic Park, beating them 2-1, Wilson playing a crucial part in the historic victory, and better was to come as Celtic made it into the second round of the Champions' League, drawing none other than the team whose history is intertwined with Notts County, Italian giants Juventus. Sadly, Celtic couldn't conquer the Turin titans and went out, but all those linked with the club could hold their heads high, none more so than Kelvin Wilson, who completed the amazing journey from the Notts County academy and the Magpies' first team in the bottom rung of the Football League to shutting out the best team in the world, containing arguably the finest player of all time. Not that this journey is over by any means. Wilson continues to excel for Celtic, who look set to retain the SPL title this season, and was touted for a possible England call up in March 2013 after impressing national team manager Roy Hodgson. Though the defender didn't make the Three Lions squad, at 27 he still has quite a few years ahead of him, and he is in the form of his life and always improving, so who's to say he won't make the cut in future? Whatever happens, as a Notts County fan I am proud to see a home-grown local player proving himself at the highest level, and here's hoping he goes to achieve much more in the game!

Notts County once again had Bartosz Bialkowski to thank for earning his side a point at freezing Swindon, the Polish keeper proving he is a cut above with several outstanding saves as the Magpies battled their way to a 0-0 draw against the promotion-chasing Robins. Chris Kiwomya lined up his team in a 4-5-1 formation, handing the young Greg Tempest his full league debut on the left wing. Enoch Showunmi was the lone striker. At the back, Haydn Hollis was swapped for Julian Kelly, while Gary Liddle lined up alongside Dean Leacock. Liddle took a knock in the second minute as he went up for an aerial challenge, which caused the game to be halted for a few minutes as he received treatment, but luckily he was able to continue. The home team, in good form, threatened early on, and in the tenth minute got their first chance in after Notts failed to clear, Gary Roberts volleying his shot into the stands. Liddle proved he was definitely still with it as he denied Andy Williams with a great block. The rebound, by Simon Ferry, was wide. It was all Swindon in the opening stages, as Williams got a head on Alan McCormack's cross which was desperately scrambled clear. The first semblance of a chance for the Magpies came from a set piece, as Neal Bishop was fouled. Alan Sheehan blasted well wide, however. Not long after, a cross from Sheehan caused panic in the Robins box, but Bishop couldn't finish, and received a hit to the chest for his troubles. On 34 minutes, Nathan Thompson had a shot on goal, but Bart responded greatly. Just three minutes later, Tommy Miller's free kick was also stopped by the Pole. The half-time whistle finally blew, much to Notts' relief, as they were being over-run by the Robins. In the second half, Liddle was lucky not to concede a penalty after he clashed with Williams, while Bart saved from Ferry's header on 50 minutes. Swindon showed why they were near the top of the league with some great football, and kept getting shots in. Alan Navarro and substitute Louis Thompson were next to try their luck. Just before the hour, Tempest was replaced by Yoann Arquin, Kiwomya switching to 4-4-2 as the Frenchman lined up in attack alongside Showunmi. The switch proved beneficial, as Notts started to push forward and threaten the Robins. First a Sheehan free kick was helped on by Showunmi and hit by Bishop, a chance thwarted by Darren Ward's block, then Alan Judge tried a twenty-yard howitzer which was only just parried over by Wes Foderingham. The resulting corner saw more chances come Notts' way, as Showunmi was very unlucky not to score with a powerful header, but this was deflected, and Arquin couldn't finish from the rebounds. The final quarter of an hour of the game saw the balance of play shift to the home side, as Adam Rooney, McCormack and Collins all tried their luck. Bialkowski, however, delighted the Notts fans and frustrated the Robins faithful with some more world-class saves. As the full-time whistle loomed, Notts had the chance to sucker-punch Swindon and steal all three points, but incredibly Hamza Bencherif, on for Showunmi, didn't go for goal, choosing instead to pass back to provider Arquin. And so the opportunity was lost. The whistle finally went on an exciting and tense game which saw Notts ride their luck for most of the game then not make the most of a crucial chance in the dying stages. Notts remain in 11th place, seven points off the play-offs.

Notts scraped a crucial, morale-boosting win against struggling Scunthorpe United at Meadow Lane today. Dean Leacock's first goal for the club, following good work from Jeff Hughes and Neal Bishop, saw Notts earn their second win in five. Reeling from their poor performance against Preston in midweek, the Magpies were boosted by the return of Leacock and Alan Judge. Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Manny Smith were dropped, while Yoann Arquin was preferred to Francois Zoko up front alongside Enoch Showunmi. The game started with Scunthorpe on the attack, and within the first minute, Iron skipper Paul Reid's effort was blocked by Haydn Hollis and resulted in a corner, which came to nothing. Two minutes later, Hughes found Judge, but the ensuing shot was skied well over, and not long after, another Notts break was halted for offside. Notts kept pushing forward in these initial stages, and a cross by Arquin from the left wing flew towards the Iron goal, but was easily caught by keeper Eirik Johansen. On nine minutes, Scunthorpe split the Notts defence open, courtesy of Mark Duffy's ball, but Akpo Sodje was denied by Bartosz Bialkowski. Scunthorpe pushed forward in the ensuing period, but the Notts defence was in good shape and form, in particularly the reinstated Leacock whose powerful headers kept the ball away from causing too much trouble. As a whole, the team seemed very composed in the opening twenty minutes, with a lot more cohesion than on Tuesday, but up front there were still issues. On 21 minutes, a Scunthorpe backpass wasn't penalised, to the chagrin of the Notts crowd, and from the ensuing counter-attack the Iron nearly scored, but Hollis' good clearance ensured it came to nothing. Two minutes late, a seemingly speculative long ball from Alan Sheehan found Hughes, who held the ball up against the Scunthorpe defenders and got a shot in, but stifled as he was, he got no real power on it and was dealt with easily by Johansen. On the half hour mark, Showunmi held up the ball well and passed to Hughes, the Northern Irishman's through-ball just a tad too heavy for Arquin. For the other side, the former Notts player Karl Hawley broke clean through, but was given offside on 32 minutes. As the trumpet entertained the Kop supporters with a rendition of Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Notts were finally given a free-kick, which Judge took but came to nothing. Notts kept soaking up the Scunthorpe pressure, as attacks kept coming their way, but the defence was up to the challenge. On 38 minutes, a crunching Reid challenge saw a cacophony of boos ring throughout the stands and the Iron skipper booked. As the half wound down to a close, Notts had some brilliant chances, as a Sheehan free kick was headed on by Johansen. Not long after, Arquin headed just wide, gasps and applause the reaction of the Meadow Lane faithful. On 40 minutes, Arquin once again tried his luck, but his volley went high above the goal. Hawley, for Scunthorpe, then had another chance but was once again well wide, while for Notts, Hughes curled his shot wide after a good ball by Andre Boucaud. After the half-time break, Notts were first on the attack, but Arquin didn't connect well with Hughes' cross, his header flashing well wide. For Scunthorpe, Michael Collins played Sodje through on 48 minutes, but his shot was skied. Judge, reinstated to the team after his injury, raised the roof with his crunching tackle, but got booked for his troubles. On 53, Arquin beat his marker, but his cross was incredibly wayward and was greeted by howls of disbelief by the Notts crowd, while a minute later, the same reaction greeted Showunmi as he tried (and failed) to batter through the Iron defence when he could have played a long ball to Bish. Karl Hawley then missed several more chances for Scunthorpe, as a very risky and miscued interaction between Bart and defence led to the former Notts player firing wide from about five yards, while just two minutes later, the keeper rushed out of his goal too soon to thwart an Iron chance, but once again Hawley miscued his lob and there was no danger. On 70 minutes, the ineffective Arquin was replaced by Zoko, and a Sheehan corner was headed over by Leacock. Better from Notts, and a sign of things to come. Finally, Notts managed to breach the Scunthorpe defence and went a goal up, courtesy of Zoko's fiery run and hold-up play on the left wing, which was deflected for a corner. Judge's set piece was very deep, but it was nodded back towards goal, Bishop got a touch and it fell to Leacock, who blasted from six yards. The last ten minutes saw two Academy players come on. Greg Tempest made his debut, coming on in the place of Andre Boucaud, and the wild-haired youngster made an immediate contribution, his cross on 84 being deflected for a corner. Meanwhile, Showunmi, who played a very good game, was given a standing ovation as he came off for Tyrell Waite. Scunthorpe desperately tried to push forward in a bid to try and get something from the game, but Notts remained disciplined and never looked like conceding in the final few minutes. In fact, the Magpies nearly grabbed a second, as a beautifully rudimental "route one" saw Waite connect on Bart's long goal kick, but Johansen was first to it. The final whistle was greeted with relief and cheers, as Notts fans felt redeemed after the dire display on Tuesday. Truth be told, the play-offs seem a tad out of reach at the moment, given that we're six points behind the top six, and the fifth and sixth-ranked teams, Swindon and Yeovil, and the teams immediately below us, MK Dons and Crawley, each have two games in hand, but you never know what might happen. Notts sit in 11th place with 57 points.

Arguably Notts County's worst game this season, the Magpies lost this crucial game against Preston 1-0, the Lilywhites bad-tempered and the home team just bad, in a performance which disheartened, frustrated and enraged fans. Chris Kiwomya began the game in a 4-5-1 formation. The team was again somewhat depleted, given the absence of Dean Leacock and Alan Judge. Notts threatened first, as Francois Zoko won the team a corner in the second minute, which however didn't come to much. A decent signal of intent, however. Just two minutes later, Chris Beavon was denied by Manny Smith as Preston won their first corner of the game, and six minutes later, Beavon broke through and took a shot which deflected out for another corner. The action in the first quarter of an hour, save for the corners, was largely scrappy and dour, until the fourteenth minute when Joe Garner fed through the lively Beavon, whose powerful shot was again blocked by Smith. Four minutes later, Notts were once again under the cosh, as a headed clearance by Haydn Hollis was met on the volley by Lee Holmes, which flew just wide of the post. Jamal Campbell-Ryce was then subbed off as an early injury called time to his game, the winger being replaced by youngster Curtis Thompson. Notts' display was uninspiring and two-dimensional, and the fans in the Kop were genuinely heartened when Notts won a free kick midway through the first half, but before anything could happen after Sheehan's delivery, the whistle blew and the free kick was then given the other way. Cue groans from the Magpies faithful. To make matters worse, Preston then took the lead through an own goal from the young Hollis. William Hayhurst was given room, too much room, to cross the ball into the Notts six yard box, and the young defender saw the ball ricochet off his thigh into the net. A farcical own goal befitting a farcical display. More sloppy play from Notts very nearly saw the Lilywhites make it two, as Nicky Wroe's free kick met Holmes, who got two chances to cross, but first Gary Liddle cleared, then for the latter attempt, Bailey Wright couldn't get his header on target. As the half drew to a close, Holmes and Beavon continued to harass and torment the Notts defence, and the home team, amazingly, nearly found themselves drawing level as sub Thompson was played through by Jeff Hughes, but Declan Rudd saved. Hughes followed the save up with a volley which bounced off the crossbar, before Zoko brought the whole affair to an anticlimactic end by firing the effort high into the Kop. There was still time for Preston to nearly score one final time before the half-time whistle, as Beavon latched onto a clearance and, were it not for imperfect control and Bartosz Bialkowski's skill, would have made it 2-0. As it is, Notts were extremely fortunate to go in only a goal down. The second half began with intent, the young Thompson proving a handful on the wing with some dangerous crosses. Bishop and Showunmi caused havoc courtesy of his assists and very nearly pulled a goal back. More tedium followed before a classic route one hoof out of the Preston defence saw Beavon beat Smith before smashing the ball towards goal. Bialkowski proved once again the difference between a bad scoreline and a terrible one. Chris Kiwomya shifted his formation to 4-4-2 as Arquin replaced the lukewarm Zoko. The Frenchman got an early contribution in as he tested Rudd with a powerful volley. The rest of the game proved testing viewing for the Notts fans to say the least, as the home side couldn't penetrate the Preston defence and ended up playing what some have dubbed the "crab", that is playing the ball side to side. There was one final chance for Preston to rub salt into the Notts wound as Bialkowski joined the melee that was an injury time corner. Wroe claimed back the ball and attempted a long-range chip, but missed. The whistle blew to the sounds of boos and the atmosphere of displeasure and bemusement. This abject display of football, combined with the scoreline, means that the play-offs are all but gone. The season can't end soon enough now for the Magpies, given we have eight games left and nine points to make up. The sole positives to be taken from the game, aside from Bialkowski once again proving to be far too good for this division, is Curtis Thompson's promising, committed debut.

In the lower reaches of the Football League, the turnaround of players at football clubs is generally quite high. Contracts tend to be one or two year deals, and players who fail to make the grade are shipped out or let go before long, while better players are more inclined to make the step up to bigger clubs in higher divisions who can offer better wages and challenge for honours. Mike Edwards, however, bucks that trend. Over two spells, the combative defender has been on the books of Notts County for a combined total of over ten years, becoming club captain and playing over 300 games for the Magpies in the process. Born in Hessle, a town near Hull, on 25 April 1980, the Yorkshireman began his career at Hull City, joining the club as a trainee. He made his debut in December 1997 away at Rotherham United and turned professional at the end of the season. Edwards is loved by the Hull fans because, aside from making over 200 appearances for the club, he was the last East Riding protege to be raised and discovered locally and to work through the schoolboy and apprentice ranks to become a fully-fledged first team player. He was part of the famous Great Escape team of 1998/9, which survived relegation from the Football League after being rooted at the bottom of the table for much of the season, and continued to thrive under managers Brian Little and Jan Molby before suffering a cruciate injury. Peter Taylor arrived and, sadly for Edwards, decided to release him just as he was restoring his fitness. A short spell at Colchester United in 2003 was followed by a season at Grimsby Town, and in the 03/04 close season, he was signed by then Notts manager Gary Mills on a free transfer. He quickly established himself in the heart of defence for the Magpies, relegated from the Second Division the season before, but just ten games into the season, a cruciate ligament injury suffered against West Ham in the League Cup ruled him out for six months. As Mills was replaced by Gudjon Thordarson, the defender recovered and was back in the first team by the time the 2005/06 campaign began. A versatile and committed player, Edwards played all 50 league and cup games during the troubled season, both in central defence and central midfield, and did enough to earn a new two-year deal. The following season, his consistency, talent and commitment to the cause saw Notts finish the season comfortably in mid-table, a massive improvement on the year before, as well as embarking on a great League Cup run which saw them defeat Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Southampton (against whom he scored). His reward was the Player of the Season award and the club captaincy. In a cruel turn of events, Edwards then suffered another long-term injury in the 07/08 pre-season. A dislocated right ankle, fractures to both bones in his lower leg and ligament damage meant he was ruled out until the end of January. Notts missed him terribly, only surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth in the last two games of the season, and the club recognised his importance by offering him a new deal, the player more than happy to repay the faith showed to him by the club in the face of his injury problems. "Steady Eddy" was ever-present in 08/09, playing 43 league games as Notts, aided by points deductions to several teams in the league, survived another season in the Football League. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01992/eljero-elia-mike-e_1992927i.jpg Then came the oddity that was the 09/10 season and everything that came with it, as Notts were taken over by the enigmatic entity that was Munto. A season that began on a high, with promises of investment and marquee players and staff coming to Meadow Lane, soon became a confusing and anxious mess as the takeover turned out to be fraudulent, but luckily there was a happy ending as the club finished top of the league and the ownership and financial issues were resolved. Despite all the uncertainty, Edwards played 40 league games and scored 5 goals as Notts were promoted with 93 points, and for his efforts was awarded another new two-year deal. Back in League One, Edwards initially lost his first-team place to the pairing of Graeme Lee and Krystian Pearce, but soon, unsurprisingly perhaps, won his place back, and played a total of 39 league games as Notts consolidated their position in the third tier. He also captained his side, and played his 500th professional game, in the fixtures against eventual FA Cup winners and future champions of England, Manchester City. The 2011/12 season saw Steady Eddy become one of a select few to play 300 games for the Magpies, reaching the milestone against Scunthorpe United in March, and also played against Juventus in the historic first game at the Juventus Stadium. When Edwards was only offered a one-year deal at the end of the season, he decided to up sticks for a more secure contract, joining Carlisle United, and it looked like the love affair between Notts and him would be consigned to history. Like all good love stories, however, this also came with a happy ending because, two years later, he returned to Meadow Lane as a coach, and also registered as a player to help the team out in times of need. As it turned out, Edwards played a total of 21 games in his first season back in black and white, scoring three goals in the process, and in 2015/16 he upped his game considerably, bagging FIVE goals in just 17 games - the kind of rate you could expect from an attacking midfielder - including TWO braces. In 2016/17 he was used much more sparingly, but still appeared twice from the bench against Cambridge United and Barnet in November, and this season, with the club under a new lease of life under Alan Hardy, he has been able to get on properly with his coaching role at last, although he is also registered as a player and can be called upon if need be. Mike Edwards' statistics speak for themselves. He has played or otherwise worked under TWENTY-FOUR different managers or caretakers at Notts - Gary Mills, Ian Richardson, Gudjon Thordarson, Steve Thompson, Ian McParland, Michael Johnson, Hans Backe, Dave Kevan, Steve Cotterill, Craig Short, Paul Ince, Carl Heggs, Martin Allen, Keith Curle, Shaun Derry, Paul Hart, Mick Halsall, Ricardo Moniz, Richard Dryden, Jamie Fullarton, Mark Cooper, John Sheridan, Alan Smith and now Kevin Nolan (hopefully the list stops there for at least a couple of years). He was a figure of stability, professionalism and consistency over one of the most turbulent eras at the club and is still giving his all for Notts now that stability is back. For all this and more, Steady Eddy will forever be remembered as one of Notts County Football Club's all-time greats. Share your thoughts and stories on Mike Edwards by signing up, visiting the Pride of Nottingham forum and joining the conversation. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County were lucky today against Crawley. Very very lucky. The amount of times they got out of jail today, you could write another series of Prison Break. Both teams were very attack-minded and got plenty of shots in, but some instances of slack defending by Notts would have surely seen Crawley pick up maximum points as they edged the Magpies on the attacking front. The referee, however, was very lenient, and you cannot blame the Crawley players and fans for feeling aggrieved when no penalty was given for Manny Smith handling the ball in the Notts box in injury time. The Notts team sheet was surprising to say the least. With Dean Leacock suspended and Alan Judge picking up a knock against Orient, the replacements came in the form of Smith and Hamza Bencherif. However, Francois Zoko, Yoann Arquin and John Cofie were all benched, with the untested Jacob Blyth the lone frontman in a 4-5-1 formation. The game began in a lively manner, Haydn Hollis facing up against Jamie Proctor early on and coming off best. Within five minutes, Neal Bishop released Jamal Campbell-Ryce early on and the winger won a corner, taken by Sheehan but easily cleared. Although Blyth was officially the lone forward, he was supported up front by JCR and Bencherif, the youngster serving a kind of support role for the others by knocking on headers thanks to his strong aerial presence. First proper chance of the game came to Proctor, whose strong effort from outside the box was tipped round the post by Bartosz Bialkowski. JCR, criticised in recent weeks for below-par displays, was on great form again today, the winger threatening down the wing with his swerving runs and decent crosses, and on ten minutes, even attemped to chip the keeper like Judge did against Carlisle, but Paul Jones wasn't beaten. Unlike the grittier displays of the last few games, Notts were very cohesive and played a strong passing possession game, to the point that the travelling fans began chanting "Ole!". However, Crawley also threatened, Matt Sparrow coming very close several times, but Bialkowski was in top form again. Half an hour in, a good run by JCR saw him find Boucaud, who then set up Hughes for a good effort which was tipped wide. The first half soon became very physical, as Hughes found himself both giving and receiving fouls, before Gary Liddle upended Nicky Adams for a yellow card. He also received a retaliatory foul later on for his troubles. The first half finished 0-0, both sides putting in a strong display and having several good chances on goal. After the food/drink/toilet/cigarette break, the 458 travelling Notts fans saw their team shoot towards their end, and the Magpies came at Crawley straight away, Bishop getting a shot in on goal, but the ref had already blown as Bencherif, ineffective in the first half, had fouled Jones. Ten minutes into the second half, Blyth's ball penetrated the Crawley defence on the counter-attack, but JCR couldn't connect. Just a few minutes later, Bishop went for a very ambitious effort from over 30 years out. The attack-minded Magpies were at times exposed in defence, and Adams was given way too much space outside the Notts box on 62 minutes, though he couldn't convert. Five minutes later, Adams was just a tap-in away from giving Crawley the lead, but Liddle did just enough to knock it out of play. Predictably, the first substitution of the day for Notts saw Bencherif replaced by Zoko. More get-out-of-jail antics ensued on 70 minutes as Hollis hit the ball against his own bar, Notts fans' hearts in mouths. Blyth was the next to go, Showunmi replacing the on-loan Leicester player, and his impact was immediate, testing Jones with two good attempts on goal. The final quarter of an hour was frantic, with both sides going all out for the win. Hollis made up for his earlier mistake with some sturdy defending, bailing out Boucaud and making some great tackles in the box to deny Crawley. JCR was the last player to make way for a benched team-mate, coming off for John Cofie. The loanee made a mistake soon after coming on, losing the ball and allowing Crawley to break, but luckily that came to nothing. The home team kept threatening, but they seemed to be suffering from the same problems as Notts up front, ie plenty of chances but nobody to convert into goals. Proctor flashed a header past the Notts goal but Liddle cleared. The last few minutes saw both teams huff and puff, but the whistle finally blew on a 0-0 draw which, in all fairness, seemed about right, but not before the controversial penalty appeal. In the grand scheme of things, another draw isn't the ideal result if we're to push for the play-offs, but the travelling Notts fans can be pleased with the boys' performance as a whole, especially Hollis, who surely seems to have made a first-team place his, and really, we were very lucky to survive the waves of Crawley attacks and escape with a point.

We're in the final lap now for the promotion places, and the sprint is on. The reward for those who finish in the podium positions is the opportunity to win a place in the Championship. Notts are one of those teams that are lagging behind the leading pack, but just as it seemed like they were building momentum and maybe, just maybe, would be able to edge into contention, they stumbled against Leyton Orient and the gap may now prove too wide to finish into the play-offs. Chris Kiwomya once against tinkered with his formation and began the game in 4-4-2, as Haydn Hollis partnered Dean Leacock in centre-back, Gary Liddle moved to right-back and Jeff Hughes was dropped to the bench. The O's started the game as the brighter side, and within ten minutes had the ball in the back of the net, but Charlie MacDonald was ruled offside. They continued pressuring Notts, who were barely able to even venture out of their own half and were guilty of losing and giving away possession a number of times. However, Orient weren't able to muster anything more meaningful than long range shots. A good break from Notts saw Francois Zoko find Jamal Campbell-Ryce, but O's keeper Jamie Jones claimed the ball from the cross. On 32 minutes, Notts took the lead in impressive fashion. Boucaud, Bishop, Zoko and Judge combined to split open the Orient defence before the skipper curled a great finish past Jones. 1-0 to the Magpies. Rattled, the O's came back all guns blazing, Jimmy Smith smashing the crossbar shortly after the restart. John Cofie, the Man Utd loanee, had to be withdrawn on 40 minutes as he suffered a facial injury, suspected to be a fractured cheekbone. Yoann Arquin came on for the youngster. Dean Leacock came close to doubling the Notts lead, while winger Moses Odubajo fired wide in injury time for Orient. Zoko was replaced by Jeff Hughes at half time, and the Northern Irishman's pace was instrumental in setting up Arquin early on in the second half, but the forward fired straight at Jones. After a few half-decent attempts by the home side, Notts then proceeded to undo all their good work so far as Leacock cynically fouled MacDonald in the box. Kevin Lisbie kept his composure in front of the loudly booing Notts fans and fired a cool, calm shot past Bartosz Bialkowski to draw the game level. The game opened up as both teams desperately chased a winner. Sadly for Notts, some of the issues of old resurfaced, as the forwards struggled to really test the away keeper, either firing wide or directly at him. Andre Boucaud attempted a powerful long-range shot but it whistled past the right-hand post, while in the final minute, JCR was denied after connecting with a defence-splitting chip by Alan Judge. At the other end, Hollis, having been superb all game, denied Romain Vincelot with a last-ditch block to keep the scoreline at 1-1. The final whistle finally blew on a frustrating performance which promised so much but delivered only a draw, which leaves Notts in tenth place. There are ten more games to go and Notts are seven points adrift of the play-offs, so you never know what could happen, but there is no more room for slip-ups now if Notts are to better last season's finish and squeeze into the coveted top six.

The sun was shining, the weather was mild, the sky was cloudless today at Meadow Lane. By contrast, the display on the pitch, save for a few bright spells, was overcast and grey, but crucially, Notts County finished the game with three very important points which ensured beaming smiles on the supporters' faces and left the club with a much better outlook for the rest of the season. Chris Kiwomya, forced to take Julian Kelly's absence into consideration - the full-back is recovering from a calf injury - switched the Notts formation to 3-5-2, slotting Jeff Hughes into the left wing position and shifting Alan Judge to central attacking midfield. The game began slowly, with a couple of half-chances by Carlisle in the opening exchanges, before Notts threatened in the eleventh minute, but John Cofie lost possession when close to goal. Francois Zoko, the former Carlisle player involved in the previous move, then set up Judge after beating Frank Simek on the left wing, but the Irishman's chip was caught by keeper Mark Gillespie. Carlisle had a good chance afterwards, when Gary Liddle blocked Liam Noble's goalbound effort, but afterwards, for a good twenty minutes, both teams were bogged down in midfield and not much happened. This changed all of a sudden when Cofie picked out Judge, who marauded into the Carlisle penalty box and, catching Gillespie off his line, majestically chipped the ball over the keeper. 1-0, 35 minutes played, the crowd delighted at what they'd just seen. Neal Bishop threatened five minutes later with a quick breakaway, but couldn't find a player to feed the ball through to. Shortly afterwards, a scramble in the Notts box very nearly led to a Carlisle goal were it not for another great goal-line clearance, this time by Alan Sheehan. In injury time, Notts nearly doubled their lead, but Zoko couldn't finish a move started by Sheehan, who crossed into the area. One player who stood out for Carlisle was Lee Miller. Although the majority of the time it was for bad behaviour and baiting the Notts players, he did get a good shot on goal in the 57th minute when a great Bartosz Bialkowski save denied him from six yards out. Just a few minutes later, Sean O'Hanlon was a dead cert to equalise, but again Bart managed to miraculously keep the shot out, so much so both sets of fans applauded him for his save. Later on in the game, Notts were under the cosh and needed Bart to bail them out again, James Berrett's fine hit parried behind by the Pole. The skilled Andre Boucaud, towards the end of the game, unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 yards which smashed against the crossbar and into the crowd, before a fingertip save by Joe Jones and a catch by Notts Joe ensured the ball was back in the keeper's hands promptly. Good honest ball work, no time-wasting and ball-spooning akin to ball boys working for trophy-winning Welsh sides. The much-maligned Miller finally received his marching orders in the last few minutes, as a headbutt on sub Joss Labadie earnt him a straight red card. His ignominious trudge back to the dressing room was accompanied by the very satisfying chanting of "cheerio, cheerio, cheerio" by the Notts crowd. Despite some last-ditch Carlisle pressure, Notts were well organised and kept the waves of attacks at bay, and when the final whistle went, it was a cause for celebration as the Magpies earned three desperately needed points, courtesy of the Irish Messi's solitary goal, and managed to keep a clean sheet. Notts remain tenth on 52 points with a game in hand, eight points off the playoffs, and unbeaten in five with three draws and two wins.

Every Notts fan, young and old, will know about, or at least have heard of, Jimmy Sirrel. The Glaswegian is undisputably the greatest manager in the history of Notts County. Once asked who was the best player in his legendary team of the early 1980s, he nominated his goalkeeper, giving the following reason: "In my opinion, the goalkeeper is the number one man in your team. You start with a point, and if he doesn't lose a goal, you get that. So if you score one, you've won." The goalkeeper he had in mind was a player he cared about deeply, spending a great deal of money on to bring him to England, as well as investing a lot of time and effort into making him feel welcome and appreciated, in turn becoming one of the top players in that great team. That player was Radojko "Raddy" Avramovic. Born in Sjenica, a small town in southwestern Serbia (then Yugoslavia), on the 29th November 1949, he began his career at FK Borac Čačak in 1969, before moving to NK Rijeka in 1974, where he established himself, playing 162 games in five years for the club. Meanwhile, in England, a decades-old rule about restricting the number of foreigners playing in the English league was about to come to an end. Previously, the FA had a rule in place whereby foreigners couldn't play professionally in England, with a couple of notable exceptions such as Bert Trautmann, who served time as a prisoner of war in England before playing for Manchester City. In 1978, the FA had to remove this rule, when the European Community deemed it contrary to the principles of free movement enshrined in the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Able to sign foreign players for the first time in 47 years, English clubs began scouting overseas, which saw the likes of Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa come to England. In Nottingham, Jimmy Sirrel, Notts' manager at the time, toured Europe for two weeks, and in that time spotted Avramovic playing for Rijeka. He reported back to then chairman Jack Dunnet saying he'd found "a goalie who would keep them in the Second Division", and persuaded Notts to part with £200,000 for the Yugoslav, a then record club fee. Sirrel would put a lot of faith and care into the keeper when he came over to England, aware of the potential issues such as homesickness and acclimatising that may have arisen. Raddy and his family stayed at Jimmy’s house at first until they bought a home of their own. At the beginning of the goalie’s career at Notts there was a social function at which Raddy bought all his new teammates a drink as a friendly gesture. A local Evening Post reporter who covered Notts saw this and wrote a piece about Raddy being a ‘boozer’ and a ‘big-time-Charlie’. The next time that reporter went to Meadow Lane, Jimmy physically got hold of him and had him thrown off the premises and banned from the ground. Avramovic made his competitive debut for Notts on Saturday 4th August 1979 in the Anglo-Scottish Cup qualifier against local rivals Mansfield, while his first league game was the 4-1 win against Cardiff City on the 18th August. In his first season, Notts' form was erratic and the club finished in 17th, but the following season was a completely different story, as the club exceeded all expectations to finish second in the league, behind a very strong West Ham side, to gain promotion to the First Division, the top echelon of English football. Avramovic was a key player, taking part in 38 out of 42 league fixtures and keeping sixteen clean sheets. Rather than finding himself out of his depth in the top flight, Avramovic excelled during the 81/82 season, playing all 42 league games as the club finished clear of relegation in the First Division and registered some impressive results, such as a 2-1 win against Arsenal in October and a 1-0 defeat of reigning champions Aston Villa. Such was his quality that Liverpool legend Ian Rush described how good he was in his autobiography when talking about their game against Notts in January '82. After maintaining his high standards of goalkeeping once again during the following season, helping Notts survive in the top flight for another year, Raddy left for Canada vith a view to play for Inter Montreal, but then-manager of Coventry Bobby Gould persuaded him to sign up for the Sky Blues, making his debut in a 2-1 home win over Leicester. He played a total of 24 games - 18 league games and a further six in cup competitions - in his brief spell for the West Midlands club, which saw him lose his first-team place after mistakes against Watford and Stoke, before he returned to Yugoslavia to finish his playing career with OFK Belgrade and to study law. Avramovic spent some time in Oman before becoming manager of Kuwait, leading The Blue to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and winning the West Asian Games in 2002. He then became manager of Singapore, where he enjoyed his most successful spell at the helm, winning the ASEAN Football Championship three times - becoming the most successful coach in the history of the competition - and overseeing the nation's progress to the group stages of the AFC Zone World Cup 2014 qualifiers, a first for the team. After departing from that role, Avramovic continued his adventure in international management by taking the helm of Myanmar, where he stayed until October 2015. Whatever his future may hold now, Notts County has always been close to his heart, and likewise, the Magpies fans and hierarchy will always remember him for being a cult hero during one of the club's brightest times led by the club's greatest manager. Share your thoughts and memories of Raddy Avramovic on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Another match day, another bad first half, another good second half, another decent result. Notts' trip to Tranmere saw the Magpies a goal down at half-time, despite a decent performance, but once again turned it on in the second half, inspirational firebrand captain Neal Bishop with the equaliser which led to a frantic finish as both teams desperately tried to win it. Notts started the game with a 4-4-2 formation, Francois Zoko starting up front alongside John Cofie and Alan Judge on the left. The first chance of the game came on two minutes, as the frankly amazingly named Max Power fired wide for Rovers. Just three minutes later, Michael O'Halloran troubled Bartosz Bialkowski for the first time, the Notts keeper saving from the forward one on one, and another few minutes later, Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro had a chance of his own. Tranmere were definitely the brighter side in the first ten or so minutes, although the Birkenhead club suffered an early setback as skipper Andy Robinson fell without any provocation and had to be subbed off. Jamal Campbell Ryce had a few bad moments in the opening instances, losing possession near the touchline, but he did power a very good cross to Zoko who sadly wasn't able to get a shot in, while Judge's ensuing effort was then wide. Another Rovers played then took a knock and had to be subbed off, Ian Goodison coming off for Donervon Daniels. After a fairly even opening 28 minutes, Notts were once again stunned in the first-half, as Abdulai Bell-Baggie fired from deep inside the penalty box low into the middle of the goal to gift his side the lead. Bialkowski came out very early, and Bell-Baggie took advantage of this to slide home. Notts, bemoaning the early loss of the clean sheet once again, nearly equalised from the off, as a cross by Judge was headed on by Neal Bishop and nearly converted by Zoko, while Julian Kelly, who equalised against Bury in the previous game, had another very good chance which was straight at Owain Fon Williams. The first half ended with the Magpies down on the scoresheet but certainly on the ascendency in terms of pressure and attacking, Tranmere lucky not to have conceded by half time. The first ten minutes of the second half saw both teams mostly bogged in midfield and creating a couple of half-chances comfortably cleared by the likes of Ash Taylor for the home side and Dean Leacock and Gary Liddle for Notts. Soon, both teams would spring into life, as Cole Stockton wasted a chance by trying to go solo, resulting in a block and clearance, while a few minutes later, Taylor's effort was bravely saved by Bart. In response, Jeff Hughes came close with a header in the 65th minute, saved by Fon Williams, while soon after Tranmere caused a scare with their first corner of the game, but Stockton's effort was just over. Eventually, Notts managed to come from behind once again, as has been the norm over the last couple of games, with a Judge free kick headed into the corner of the Tranmere net by skipper Bishop in the 73rd minute. Zoko very nearly proved to be the man to put his team in front again a few minutes later, neatly rounding the keeper when through on goal, but wasn't able to finish. On 83 minutes, a delivery by Judge was smashed against the post by Hughes, and buoyed by this action, the game became even more frantic, both sets of fans screaming for their teams to find that all-important winning goal and several players clashing - Power pushed to the Max of his patience and earning a yellow card for his challenge on Zoko - but despite both teams pushing for a goal, the defences were just as driven, and the game finished 1-1. An away point against a team challenging for promotion may sound like a fair enough result, but judging by the performance and Chris Kiwomya's reaction, Notts definitely had enough quality to win the game, so it may seem like two points wasted. Notts slide to tenth, nine points off the play-offs, but there is definitely a lot to build on, bearing in mind we gave one of the top teams in the division a difficult game, and the new manager has got the team playing good, exciting, promising football again.

The way Notts's games have panned out recently, the club may consider selling tickets for just the second half. Joking aside, another game of two halves, this time on a Friday evening in front of the Sky Sports cameras, saw Notts play disappointingly and concede in the first 45, before a scintillating second-half display, aided by some lacklustre defending, saw Notts tear Bury apart and score four goals to give the Magpies faithful a great start to the weekend. Chris Kiwomya played a 4-4-2 formation against the Shakers. Replacing Jeff Hughes and Jacob Blyth with Julian Kelly and Yoann Arquin, a tame opening period saw Notts play cautiously and in their own half, before Jamal Campbell Ryce, on fourteen minutes, threaded a ball to Kelly, whose cross was just too high for Arquin. The following ten minutes saw Notts assert themselves over Bury, but on 24 minutes, Notts found themselves behind after some hesitant defending was seized upon by Steven Schumacher. The midfielder intercepted Kelly's poor pass and fired a fine shot inside the right hand post past Bartosz Bialkowski. Not long after, Arquin's attempt was nervously spilled behind by Bury keeper Trevor Carson for a corner, but on the whole, Notts struggled to trouble him much more than that in the first half. There were many instances where the ball would be practically gifted to the opposition with a pass or cross to nobody in particular. The Notts fans soon voiced their bemusement, and by the half time whistle, after Bury had several more dangerous chances, the boos rang out. Notts were haphazard and shapeless. Nevertheless, the Notts fans had a quiet sense of confidence that the second half would bring a dramatic change in performance and possibly result. However, no fan would have foreseen just what was to come. Kimowya made one change, Francois Zoko coming on for Arquin. Bury started the second half as they finished the first half, confidently and dangerously. David Worrall and Nicky Ajose testing Bialkowski. However, Notts looked to be playing with more awareness and confidence, and just before the hour, the dangerous John Cofie threaded a pass through to Kelly, who cut inside Ajose and fired into the net, aided by a Joe Skarz deflection. Buoyed and ecstatic at having pulled one back, the Notts fans celebrated raucously, although the cheers turned to boos as Kelly was booked for his celebration. Meadow Lane only had to wait about more three minutes before Notts took the lead, as Andre Boucaud's chipped pass was misjudged by Ashley Eastham and Francois Zoko seized on the loose ball to fire into the bottom corner. The shellshocked Shakers tried desperately to retake a foothold back into the game, but a hopeful attempt by Schumacher was thwarted by Bialkowski. Now dominant, Notts soon added a third, as another great ball from Boucaud was poorly headed by former loanee Eastham, and Zoko, the substitute, beat Carson and tapped the ball into an empty net. The fans were truly loving it, and empowered by the increasing volume of the crowd, the Notts players took it upon themselves to attempt a couple of ambitious efforts, Gary Liddle nearly scoring from a 30-yard volley. Eastham was once again the culprit as he felled Judge inside the box, and JCR fired a confident penalty in front of the Kop crowd to take the scoreline to 4-1. The frustration soon got to the Bury players, Tom Soares' snarling challenge enraging the crowd and earning him a yellow card. As the Kop chanted "It's just like watching Juve!", Notts took their foot off the pedal and, despite Bury's forays into the opposition penalty box, they couldn't trouble the Notts defence further, and the game finished 4-1. This absolutely exhilarating second half display was the perfect start to the weekend for the Notts faithful, and also convinced Ray Trew to give Chris Kiwomya the manager's job on a permanent basis until the end of the season. Notts rise up to ninth, eight points off a play-off place.