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Even though we're in the off-season at present, we've still had plenty of football action to go by over the last few weeks. First of all the World Cup, which has been an absolute spectacle from start to near-finish, not to mention England doing so well to get to the semi-finals and indeed continuing their participation with the third-place playoff. At Meadow Lane, meanwhile, we're very much in the full swing of pre-season, with players coming in and friendlies being played out. It's effectively been a seamless transition from international football back to club football, and by the time the World Cup ends, it'll only be a few weeks until the season is back underway! Pride of Nottingham was at Greenwich Avenue for Notts County's 3-1 friendly win over Basford United and was also at club shop on Monday to meet new signings Enzio Boldewijn, David Vaughan and Nathan Thomas. Our photographers took snaps of the action and of the Black & White Army, so why not check out our Faces of PON galleries if you were at the events to see if you're among the papped peeps? Share your thoughts on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Richard Duffy has praised Basford United for giving Notts County a tough game in Saturday's pre-season friendly at Greenwich Avenue, but admits that the game was only really about getting match fit. An own goal following a Dan Jones free kick and a strike from Alex Howes in the first half helped Kevin Nolan's side claim a 2-0 win over the Evo-Stik Division One South outfit. The Magpies boss fielded a different team in each half, which saw trialists goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimmons, defender Pierce Bird and striker Callum Saunders all given a run-out. "In the first half they had a couple of chances and I didn't see much of the second half, but it was just another 45 minutes under our belts to add to our fitness," Duffy told the Nottingham Post. "It was a tougher game than the first friendly we had (against Rolls Royce). They are a decent outfit and they do alright in the league they play in. "We always knew it was going to be tough. But you expect us to come out on top, and comfortably. "We probably deserved a couple more goals but they could have scored too. So fair play to them. They gave us a good game but it was more to do with fitness than anything else." Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

Kevin Nolan is hoping that Curtis Thompson's hamstring injury in Notts County's pre-season friendly win over Basford United is not too serious and will warrant just weeks rather than months of being on the sidelines. The midfielder came on at half time for the Magpies at Greenwich Avenue but had to be taken off midway through the second period of the 2-0 victory. Speaking about the injury to Thompson, Nolan told the Nottingham Post: "It didn't look good, but speaking to him afterwards he said that he didn't feel anything pop in his hamstring. "He said he felt it twinge and I am hoping it's not as serious as I first thought it would be. "I hope it's something that will lead him back on to the training pitch in a matter of weeks rather than months. "So fingers crossed but we will only know more later in the week when we've given him a proper look over." Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

Kevin Nolan has given his assessment of Notts County's performance in their pre-season friendly against Basford United, describing himself as "reasonably pleased". The Magpies won 2-0 at Greenwich Avenue on Saturday, as Dan Jones opened the scoring when his free kick found its way through a crowded penalty area and into the net. Notts then doubled before the break when midfielder Alex Howes skinned his man and slotted beyond the Basford keeper. A reasonably straightforward afternoon was however hampered y an injury to Curtis Thompson in the second half, as he felt a slight tweak in his hamstring. "I was reasonably pleased, I feel we could have punished them more in the second half," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "In the first we played to their strengths by giving them too many free-kicks which allowed them to put the ball in to our final third and around the box. "It's another clean sheet, but there are a few things we can start drilling into the lads to work on and to think about going forward. "I just said to the lads that I'm pleased we didn't concede and we can drip feed into them a few aspects we want them to think about. "There are things we can get better at. We can do that when we get them on the training pitch. Apart from Curtis Thompson, we've come through unscathed." Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

It's been a long two months since the end of the 2016/17 season, hasn't it? But fear not, because Notts County are in action again as of this weekend! The Magpies' pre-season preparations are fully underway and the players will take to the pitch for the first time in 2017/18 when they take on Linby Colliery Welfare at Rolls Royce Leisure tomorrow. Then there will be a pre-season friendly every following Saturday, after which the season gets underway on the first weekend - oh, plus the small matter of a fixture against a local team by the name of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday 19th July. Here is a factfile about each of the teams that Notts will face over the coming weeks. Rolls Royce Select XI (A): Saturday 8 July, 3pm This fixture is usually the first pre-season game of Notts County's season, given the partnership between the Magpies, the Rolls Royce Leisure Centre in Hucknall, and North Nottinghamshire College. The programme, also knows as the Notts County Pathway Academy, sees students study towards a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport and offers the chance to combine professional level football training with academic studies. Basford United (A): Saturday 8 15 July (3pm) Basford United play their football at Greenwich Avenue in Basford, a suburb of Nottingham, and currently ply their trade in the Northern Premier League - Division One South, where they finished 6th in the 22-man league last season to qualify for the promotion playoffs but lost to Coalville Town in the semi-finals. There are quite a few names at Basford that you might recognise - manager Martin Carruthers was born in Nottingham and played up front for the likes of Aston Villa, Stoke City, Peterborogh United, Southend United and Scunthorpe United. Former Notts players Saul Deeney and Kyle Dixon, plus ex-Forest man Eugen Bopp, are also on their books. Nottingham Forest (H): Wednesday 19 July (7:45pm) Never heard of them. Wigan Athletic (H): Saturday 22 July (3pm) One of the success football stories of the 21st century (except for the last couple years, mind), Wigan were only elected to the Football League in 1978. They were little more than a footnote in the English game until 1995, when JJB Sports owner Dave Whelan purchased the club, but within 10 years they were in the Premier League. The Latics enjoyed a total of eight seasons at the top table, but the greatest moment in their history ended up being rather bittersweet, as they won the FA Cup in 2013 but were relegated from the top flight in the same season. The last few years have been tumultous for the club, as they now find themselves in League One just a year after winning promotion back to the second tier from the third. Since 2013, Wigan have either been relegated or finished the season in the promotion places (automatic or playoff). York City (A): Saturday 29 July (3pm) The Minstermen have endured a rollercoaster few years, reaching the League Two playoffs in 2014 and winning two FA Trophies, in 2012 and 2017, but now play in the National League North after two successive relegations in 2016 (from the Football League) and the season just gone. York play at Bootham Crescent, a stadium near the city centre and just over a mile from the city's railway station which they share with rugby league club York City Knights. It was formerly known as KitKat Crescent for sponsorship reasons - why they didn't call it Yorkie Crescent is one of the great mysteries of life. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Notts County have secured a deal with Basford United that will guarantee the Magpies their own training pitch next season, Kevin Nolan has revealed. The team have currently been using Basford's facilities and 4G pitch in the build-up to games, but this will change going into the new campaign. "We have brokered a deal with Basford United and we will have our own pitch up there," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "Our groundsman will be working there. They (Basford) have been fantastic and so too have the boss (Alan Hardy) and Jason (Turner, CEO). "It's another positive move for the club and epitomises what is going on at the club at the moment in terms of getting the right facilities. "We have been training on 4G and while it's not great to be working on it all week, at least you can work on your qualities and know the weather will not have a massive effect. "Next year we are hoping to have a great playing surface at Meadow Lane and we are hoping to replicate that at Basford. "We are going to have our own pitch that we will be able to train on daily. It will be a grass pitch and we will also have the use of the 4G when needed. "I am just delighted we have somewhere for next year when we will be on grass more often than not." Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.