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Kevin Nolan has claimed that he is not paying any attention to Notts County's League Two promotion rivals and is only focusing on what his team can do. Three consecutive wins have edged the Magpies to just two points behind third place Wycombe Wanderers with just two fixtures left. Although many connected with the club will be keeping tabs on what results Wycombe and fourth-placed Exeter City get over the next eight days, Nolan is not interested. "I don't know who they are playing, I must admit," the Notts boss told the Nottingham Post. "I keep saying to everybody else not to worry about anybody. "We've got to worry about ourselves and we've got to make sure we do what we do, and if we do that we give ourselves a good opportunity of coming off at 5pm on Saturday with three points in the bag, and hopefully the pressure still on Wycombe and Exeter. "For me, the most important thing is we recognise what such a special season it's been for us, and what we've done and how far we've come in such a short space of time. I'm going to enjoy it no matter what, and I hope my lads are going to enjoy it. "I think over the last few weeks they have, with a lot of good determination and a lot of good work, which has enabled them to get into this position. We've got to win and hope other teams drop points. If we win both games we give ourselves a great chance." 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Kevin Nolan has claimed that no team has deserved to beat Notts County at home in the league since Portsmouth last April. The South Coast side won at Meadow Lane at the tail end of last season to secure promotion and, since then, the Magpies had remained unbeaten on their own turf in League Two. However, Exeter City have now ended County's superb unbeaten league home record, winning 2-1 on Saturday. Speaking ahead of Tuesday night's meeting with Crawley Town, Nolan says his side will look to bounce back, and couldn't help but feel bemused about losing the record. “We are just looking for a reaction,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post. “When we lost to Swindon, we followed that up with a really good performance against Port Vale just a couple of days later. “For me, it does not matter we lost at home. It was a fantastic record that we held and hats off to the lads because we had some really good teams come here this year. “Exeter were the team who ended the run, but I don’t think they deserved to win. In fact, I don’t think anybody has deserved to since we played Portsmouth last April. “But I felt we did more than enough to get something out of the game at the weekend, and the only thing I didn’t think we didn’t do, is work the keeper enough. That’s what we have been working on over the last 48 hours or so.” 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Liam Noble has stressed that Notts County need a reaction in Tuesday night's fixture against Crawley Town following their weekend loss to Exeter City. The Magpies' proud unbeaten league home record, which stood since April 2017, came to an end on Saturday as goals from Jake Taylor and Jayden Stockley gave the visitors a 2-1 win. Notts are in action again in midweek, the fixture having been rescheduled due to their FA Cup progress, and Noble says it works out well to have the chance to bounce back straight away. “We were disappointed to lose the home record the way we did and it would have been a long week if we didn't have this game,” Noble told the official Notts website. “We need a reaction from everyone and I'm sure we will get it. There are 18 games left and there will be a lot of twists and turns to go along the way. “You're always going to get two or three weeks where you look at the scores after a defeat and everyone around you has won but there's no point looking at it or worrying until there are a few games left because it will keep changing. “Teams will continue to take points off one another and plenty of them still have to play each other too. We just need to keep going because we have the squad to bounce back.” 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Kevin Nolan has described Notts County as "a team in transition" and praised each of the home debutants in Saturday's League Two encounter with Exeter City. The returning Liam Noble was drafted into the starting XI, as were youngsters Matty Virtue and Noor Husin, in a side which had to be rejigged due to the absence of Richard Duffy and Matt Tootle. Nolan says he was happy with how the new players performed, and felt towards the end of the match that the Magpies played some of the best football during his reign so far, despite the 2-1 defeat. "This is a team in transition with different types of players coming in who are finding their feet in the team," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "We gave three home debuts today and I thought they all did terrifically well. I'm delighted with that and it's another positive for us. "We played some wonderful stuff, some of the best under my tenure, but we didn't have the cutting edge at the end." 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. 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's superb unbeaten league home run has come to an end as Exeter City ran out 2-1 winners in Saturday's encounter at Meadow Lane. The high-flying Grecians, who are in the promotion mix, took the lead after just seven minutes through Jake Taylor. Jayden Stockley then doubled the visitors' lead just before half time as the Magpies struggled to click with several new players in the XI and in the absence of Matt Tootle and Richard Duffy. Jon Stead pulled a goal back for the hosts with a second-half penalty, won after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box, but sadly Notts could not go on to find an equaliser. Pride of Nottingham was at the game and interviewed a number of County fans prior to kickoff. Questions asked include how Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan have done in their first 12 months, whether Matty Virtue will be a good replacement for Ryan Yates and whether they are happy with the transfer business conducted so far. Check out what the Black and White Army had to say in our latest episode of Meet the Fans! Share your thoughts about this week's Meet the Fans 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.

Notts County lost their unbeaten home league record as Exeter City secured a 2-1 victory at Meadow Lane. First-half goals from Jake Taylor and Jayden Stockley gave the promotion-chasing Grecians a two-goal advantage. Although Jon Stead scored a penalty, the Magpies could not go on to find an equaliser The result means that Notts have tasted their first defeat in the league in front of their own fans since Portsmouth won last April. What was the reaction from the Notts boss, players and fans following the draw? Here is a collection of the best post-match reaction. Kevin Nolan “It was a disappointing afternoon and it always is when you lose a game. But I thought the lads’ reaction in the second half was absolutely fantastic. “I thought we totally outplayed Exeter, and while we created lots of opportunities, the ball just didn’t seem to fall for us or we didn’t work the keeper well enough. “I just thought the response was better all round because in the first half we showed them a little bit too much respect. “But I did feel that the free-kick which led to the first goal shouldn’t have been given and when a team scores off the back of it shows how big those decisions are. “I discussed that at the end with the referee because little decisions are just as important. “It was the same for their second goal. Their lad can’t win the ball without going through Jorge Grant. “There is a ref and a lineman there and I am bewildered as to why the free-kick wasn’t given. “But these are the decisions they have to get right even though I thought the referee had a decent game.” Liam Noble “I was disappointed to not get something out of the game, but going 2-0 down in the first half wasn’t good enough. “We showed a good reaction in the second half but we can’t put ourselves in that position. “We just fell short and we didn’t pick up enough second balls. “But it was nice to be back out there and it would have been better had we got the result we had wanted.” Jorge Grant The Black and White Army - PON Forum Chris: I have to say, I fell Notts performed very poorly yesterday. The first half wasn't very good at all, we committed players to far up the field and nobody bar Dan Jones had the pace to track back. Stead shouldn't have been playing on his own up front, though why does he insist on dropping to his knees as soon as he gets the ball? Yes, sometimes there was force and pushing but he never draws the foul to a convincing point for me. Our midfield seemed very capable but sluggish to drive forward anything remotely creative. Second half I felt Notts played some great stuff, yet we never looked likely to score and we just have this habit of trying to force the play - we need an Alan Judge type player that isn't afraid to shoot from distance. Go on Kevin, get Noble and some of the others to practice this - even Grant seemed woeful! The referee didn't help but we should play beyond this, we just seemed to allow his poor handling to be bigger than it should. Exeter I felt was very poor also, they used school boy diversion tactics and frequently cheated. I noticed several incidents which went unpunished, from a two footed challenge to one of their players hitting out at Virtue (for no reason). At the end of the day we was poor and, I struggle to suggest we deserved anything from it. United Pie: With that loss yesterday my nerves are starting to rattle exester are starting to have a late serge. That loss now puts us in danger of the casing pack closing in on us Accrington are a game in a hand and can now go second with a win we need to hold our nerve and play like we have been doing. Cause loosing games like yesterday day dose not get you promoted. Liampie: fans near me kept going on about us missing yates but i think even he would have struggled yesterday. we started poorly and it became a game of chasing them after the early goal for exeter. i think the better team won tbh, we did not create enough clear chances and for that reason i am disappointed. i think they scored from their first two shots on target! standards are slipping nolan. ARLukomski: I feel like we are gonna bottle this if we keep going the way we are. Nolan got it completely wrong yesterday. If it ain’t broken, don’t try and fix it. No idea why we went with 4-2-3-1 when it’s untried, untested and unproven with this team. Why change a formation that’s been working all season. Hunt plays everyone on for the first goal. Second one is a woeful pass by Virtue. Husin was bought off when he was doing well. Noble and Walker looked quality in the centre of midfield yesterday. Hewitt is not a centre back, we desperately need to sign some cover. Early in the second half, four good balls were put into the box with nobody’s on the end of them, showing again why we so badly need a striker. Alessandra missed a sitter at the back post. Ameobi won the penalty then afterwards didn’t look bothered. The problem is yesterday’s selection was caused by injuries and again we have no strength in depth. Luton can have injuries and replace them players with players who are just as good. Tootle is ill and we replace him with a grandfather clock. The Black and White Army - Social media Peter Walker: Still In a better place than last January! Either we play Jonathan Forte or we get a striker in not another midfield player Steve Brewer: Didn't play bad. Ref had a hand in both of their goals although it was bad defending and the goalie should have stoppe d Stuart Anderson: 1st half was awful, why the hell we started 1 up top beggers belief!! 2nd started ok but we dominated when we bought a 2nd striker on! We need a pacey striker who knows where the net Is!! I thought Noble was very good today. Adrian Wheatley: If today dont make them look for defenders then nothing will nothing on the bench for central defence and let the only option leave for free? Share your thoughts about the game 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.

Notts County's superb unbeaten league home run has come to an end as Exeter City ran out 2-1 winners in Saturday's encounter at Meadow Lane. The high-flying Grecians, who are in the promotion mix, took the lead after just seven minutes through Jake Taylor. Jayden Stockley then doubled the visitors' lead just before half time as the disjointed Magpies struggled to cope against their opponents. Jon Stead pulled a goal back for Notts with a second-half penalty, won after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box, but sadly the hosts could not go on to find an equaliser. Should you wish to see them, here are the official Notts YouTube highlights from the game. Share your thoughts about the game 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.

Notts County's superb unbeaten league home run has come to an end as Exeter City ran out 2-1 winners in Saturday's encounter at Meadow Lane. The high-flying Grecians, who are in the promotion mix, took the lead after just seven minutes through Jake Taylor. Jayden Stockley then doubled the visitors' lead just before half time as the Magpies struggled to click with several new players in the XI and in the absence of Matt Tootle and Richard Duffy. Jon Stead pulled a goal back for the hosts with a second-half penalty, won after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box, but sadly Notts could not go on to find an equaliser. How did the game pan out? Pride of Nottingham's Chris takes a look with this weekend's Tactical Talk. Was the result fair? It’s very hard to say it the result was fair or not, I feel a draw may have been deserved but ultimately I do acknowledge that Notts were poor yesterday – likewise I feel Exeter equally unimpressed but we massively lack any real quality on goal. How did Notts play? For me we seemed too focused on attacking, rather than retaining the ball – we frequently gave it away very cheaply and the whole way we played made it very difficult to match the speed/creativity which Exeter did process. In the second half things did change, we held the ball and knocked it around – yet we never drawn Exeter’s player out or made space available. We tended to waste chances by trying to force the play, and only until Shola Ameobi came on did we look like a team able to get through the oppositions defence – simply we played a game of two halves. How did Exeter play? They played okay, at times quite exciting but for some reason they always insisted on doing something which wasn’t really required. I considered them to be a very good team coming into the game, yet I feel their schoolboy tactics and efforts to cheat really became unimpressive. When they focused on playing ‘football’ they looked a useful side but I think they’d have struggled to score if Notts had performed better and had noticed what they were doing. Did our tactics work out? Not very well in the first half. In midfield, we had too many new faces, this really meant that Notts had to have a little more creativity on the ball and we never really saw this until the second half. We focused on attacking more than we did retaining the ball or even defending – it was clear a few minutes in that Exeter would push us due to how far we seemed to be playing up the pitch. Second half Notts played better, yet at no point was it really enough – it highlighted exactly why we need a striker and a defender as outlined in my January transfer window article (please link) How did the referee perform? I felt he was poor, yet his decisions seemed more ‘blinded’ than negligent – I do feel he favoured Exeter, who’s players seemed to get away with everything but really he’s the standard of your typical League Two referee and I feel Notts should be smarter to this. Who do we play next? Crawley Town – another test in terms of the physical side of the game. They won’t be pushed off the ball or bullied and they will pressure us for the ball. We need to be stronger and more creative, as I feel these are points to be claimed. How should we play them? Notts need to be focused defensively, we can’t play too far up the field and if Nicky Hunt starts – he needs to be told to only go forward when we can afford his absence. In midfield I think we need to be calmer, more patient with our build-up play and attempt to draw the opposition out – as against Exeter we seemed to pack the centre of the park and this really limited the space that we could have exploited. With Crawley being your typical ‘physical’ League Two team, we need to be mindful about giving them any sort of space on the pitch. Whilst we lack pace at the back, wise positional play would give the magpies advantage and I think any attacks should be phased and risk assessed for being caught out. I’d like to see us use Jorge Grant and Liam Noble as a way to draw the opposition out, these played apart from each other would give us a means to break the Red Devils down and to allow some ‘creativity’ to get started. Really, Notts should look to thrive under possession-based football and look to be more dynamic with awareness going forward. Pressure the opposition defence, use link-up play to support the attacks and just pass the ball into space whereby this may release someone goal side – it’s not exactly difficult but if we give Crawley an inch they will take a mile. Exeter fan views (from Exeweb) Billy the Fish: The first half we took the game to them and was as complete a performance from City as I have seen in a long while. The second half County came out entirely differently and looked like promotion candidates, dangerous in attack but strangely vulnerable to our counter attacks. Lee Holmes looked out of sorts and Jordan Tillson is obviously just filling a position until the big boys are back. He works hard and gets his challenges in but today he was like a rabbit in the headlights whenever he found himself with the ball at his feet. All the others impressed, TAH rode his luck at times but otherwise every one them can be proud of themselves. I couldn't see the incident which saw Troy penalised and booked for the penalty but it came from a free kick awarded in front of us and the linesman and for which there was no discernable infringement. One of many strange refereeing decisions which infuriated both sets of fans. Great three points and a great day out. Red Bill: Just watched the goals, what a great goal the second was. Fantastic ball from Harley and a great finish from Stockley. I feel making the most of Harley, who i hope has done a lot to silence his critics with some terrific peformances lately, could be key to a serious promotion push. Andrew P Long: We went too defensive after going two up. Instead of trying to prevent them scoring we should've gone for their throat. If we had done that we'd have won more easily and comprehensively, say 1-4, and RHK was cheated out of more than a grand etc. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece 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.

Notts County's impressive unbeaten league home run in League Two has unfortunately come to an end at the hands of Exeter City. The visitors raced into the lead at Meadow Lane after just eight minutes through Jake Taylor's tap-in. Jayden Stockley, the Grecians' top scorer, then struck the decisive second just before half-time. Jon Stead scored a second-half penalty after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box but the Magpies couldn't find an equaliser and so it ended 2-1. Pride of Nottingham was at the Lane to watch the action unfold and took plenty of photos of the Notts fans. Have a look through our gallery in this week's Faces of PON, published on our Facebook page, and don't forget to tag yourself and your loved ones! Share your thoughts about this week's Faces of PON 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.

Kevin Nolan has bemoaned Notts County's 2-1 defeat to Exeter City and rued a number of key refereeing decisions which he felt cost his side dear. The visitors raced into the lead after just eight minutes through Jake Taylor's tap-in before Stockley struck the decisive second just before half-time. Jon Stead scored a second-half penalty after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box but the Magpies couldn't find an equaliser and so lost their unbeaten home record which stretched back to April 2017. “It was a disappointing afternoon and it always is when you lose a game,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post. “But I thought the lads’ reaction in the second half was absolutely fantastic. “I thought we totally outplayed Exeter, and while we created lots of opportunities, the ball just didn’t seem to fall for us or we didn’t work the keeper well enough. “I just thought the response was better all round because in the first half we showed them a little bit too much respect. “But I did feel that the free-kick which led to the first goal shouldn’t have been given and when a team scores off the back of it shows how big those decisions are. “I discussed that at the end with the referee because little decisions are just as important. “It was the same for their second goal. Their lad can’t win the ball without going through Jorge Grant. “There is a ref and a lineman there and I am bewildered as to why the free-kick wasn’t given. “But these are the decisions they have to get right even though I thought the referee had a decent game.” 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. 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's superb unbeaten league home run has come to an end as Exeter City ran out 2-1 winners in Saturday's encounter at Meadow Lane. The high-flying Grecians, who are in the promotion mix, took the lead after just seven minutes through Jake Taylor. Jayden Stockley then doubled the visitors' lead just before half time as the Magpies struggled to click with several new players in the XI and in the absence of Matt Tootle and Richard Duffy. Jon Stead pulled a goal back for the hosts with a second-half penalty, won after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box, but sadly Notts could not go on to find an equaliser. Notts vlogger and Pride of Nottingham contributor ARLukomski discussed the fixture ahead of kickoff, gave his thoughts as the game went on, and talked about the performance and result after the final whistle. Follow ARLukomski on his YouTube channel by clicking here. Share your thoughts about this vlog 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.

Notts County have lost their superb unbeaten home record in League Two after fellow promotion chasers Exeter City claimed a 2-1 win at Meadow Lane on Saturday. Boss Kevin Nolan fielded a different-look side to their usual XI, with Richard Duffy and Matt Tootle both sidelined, and a much-changed midfield including Matty Virtue, Noor Husin and the returning Liam Noble. The Magpies fell behind after just eight minutes as a contentious free kick whipped in by Lee Holmes was met by Dean Moxey, who struck the post before the rebound was converted by Jake Taylor. Notts mustered a couple of half-chances as a Jon Stead header from Dan Jones's delivery bounced tamely to Christy Pym and Lewis Alessandra also failing to beat the Exeter keeper with a shot from the corner of the box. However, Pym was largely untroubled in the first half, while the visitors were more dangerous and doubled their lead on 42 minutes through Stockley. The Grecians top scorer latched on to a long ball forward, got the better of Shaun Brisley and found the bottom corner from the edge of the area to leave the Notts contingent reeling at the break. The second half saw Notts grow into the game, but not before several more dangerous attempts from Stockley, one denied by Elliott Hewitt's goalline clearance and the other cannoning off the woodwork. However, the deficit was halved on 73 minutes when Troy Archibald-Henville hauled substitute Shola Ameobi down in the box, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Jon Stead then subsequently despatched the penalty, sending Pym the wrong way, but despite a late flurry of attacks, they couldn't find an equaliser to prolong their unbeaten home record. Share your thoughts about the game 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.

Head to head Notts County and Exeter City have met a total of 45 times over their history. The first meeting came at St James’ Park in Division Three (South) on 1 November 1930, and it finished as a 3-3 draw. The Magpies have an excellent record against the Grecians; from 45 competitive encounters, Notts have won 18 and drawn 19. Our last meeting was on September 26 at St James' Park, where Notts outlined their promotion credentials with a 3-0 win over their fellow high-flyers. Notts are unbeaten in their last three League Two matches against the Grecians (W2 D1), keeping clean sheets in two of those matches. However, Exeter have avoided defeat in each of their last two visits to Meadow Lane in League Two (W1 D1), including a 4-1 away win in this exact fixture in the 2015/16 campaign. Stats Along with Brentford, The Magpies are currently enjoying the longest home unbeaten run in the 2017/18 campaign only of all the sides in the English Football League (13 games - W10 D3), last losing at home in the league back in April 2017. Exeter on the other hand, have lost each of their last five league games on the road, failing to score more than one goal in any of those matches. They last lost more away games on the bounce when they were defeated in nine such consecutive games between February and April 2012. Jorge Grant has scored three goals in his two league appearances for Notts County against Exeter despite starting neither of those games, averaging a goal every 22 minutes on the field against the Grecians. History Exeter was formed in 1901 as St. Sidwell's United and played in the Southern League from 1908 until 1920, when that league's top division was absorbed into The Football League as its new Division Three. The club was the first ever team to play the Brazilian national team in 1914, a match which was commemorated in a 2014 friendly game against Fluminense. City took 60 years to achieve their first ever promotion, finishing fourth in Division Four in the 1963–64 season. Since then, the club have mostly yo-yoed between the third and fourth divisions, spending five years in the Conference between 2003 and 2008; having been promoted a further four times (in 1976–77, 1989–90, 2007–08 and 2008–09) and relegated five times (in 1965–66,1983–84, 1993–94, 2002–03 and 2011–12). Famous fans include Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Adrian Edmondson, Mark Nicol and Noel Edmonds. Singer Joss Stone signed up as a member of the Supporters' Trust, being introduced to fans on the pitch as a new member during a League Cup match against Liverpool. In 2002 pop singer Michael Jackson was made honorary director of Exeter City. He visited St James Park with celebrity friend Uri Geller, who was also a director. The crew of the HMS Defender also adopted Exeter City as their home team and use their strip if playing games whilst on tour. Team news Shola Ameobi returned from a four-match injury absence as a second-half substitute in last weekend's draw at Lincoln City and is expected to feature against Exeter. Should Magpies manager Kevin Nolan opt to restore Ameobi to his starting line up, Lewis Alessandra could be the player to make way. Nolan was this week boosted by the news that Nottingham Forest will let Jorge Grant remain on loan at Meadow Lane for the remainder of the season. Exeter captain Jordan Moore-Taylor is rated a 50/50 chance to be fit in time for Saturday's game - the 23-year-old has not played since December 30 due to injury. Fellow defenders Troy Brown and Luke Croll, who have been absent even longer than Moore-Taylor are also back in training but are not yet ready for first team action. Midfielder Hiram Boateng will be hoping for a place in the starting line-up after coming off the bench against Coventry last week. Share your thoughts about this Stat Attack preview 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.

Notts County will take on fellow promotion chasers Exeter City in Saturday's League Two meeting at Meadow Lane. How have the Grecians done in recent weeks? Who are their key players? What style of football do they play? Find out with Pride of Nottingham's latest Scouting Report. Head to head Notts are unbeaten in their last three league matches against the Grecians, boasting two wins and a draw, and keeping clean sheets in two of those matches. However, Exeter have avoided defeat in each of their last two visits to Meadow Lane in League Two, including a 4-1 away win in this exact fixture in the 2015/16 campaign. Notts and Exeter have met 45 times in competitive actions, with 18 Magpie wins, 19 draws and just 8 losses. Run-down of their last six features Saturday 9th December – Colchester United 3 Exeter City 1 Saturday 16th December – Exeter City 2 Stevenage 1 Saturday 23rd December – Yeovil Town 3 Exeter City 1 Saturday 30th December – Exeter City 2 Barnet 1 Monday 1st January – Newport County 2 Exeter City 1 Saturday 13th January – Exeter City 1 Coventry City 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Jayden Stockley 13, Pierce Sweeney 5, Jake Taylor 4 and Liam McAlinden 4. Persistent Foulers; Lloyd James 8 yellow cards, Jordan Tillson 5 yellow cards and 1 red card, Jake Taylor 5 yellow cards and Kane Wilson 1 yellow card and a single red card. The Key Players Striker Jayden Stockley has come into his element this season, on goal he possesses the calm finishing required to be a top scorer in the leagues above and is currently playing with a lot of confidence. Jake Taylor has been a pivotal piece within Exeter City’s midfield, having created chances through his creativity and also chipping in with his own goal – his creativity and energy is hard to suppress and he enjoys taking on opposition players. In goal Christy Pym is a very capable League Two keeper, who’s shot-stopping ability makes him very difficult to beat. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Exeter express themselves very well, creatively they are very forward-thinking and like dominate heavily with spells of possession. They can break well using a very narrow formation; however, this tends to leave space to exploit at the back. On the ball they are calm, yet can be pressured when well-marked – mistakes don’t frequently occur and they usually make good use of the ball. Their ability to overthink play can mean chances do become limited, whilst they resemble a typical side that becomes frustrated by a lack of clear opportunity on goal. Defensively they’re organised, yet don’t rely on staying deep – this again in turn leaves opposition teams space to attempt to break them down. They struggle to defend during breaks and pace is an area where they usually start to see individual mistakes at the back. Overall they’re a good team but can easily be pressed, their inconsistency to perform does allow good sides to find a way to break them down, and even in cases where they do struggle sides can punish them by pushing for a goal during an heavy attack. The key for Notts will be limit their time on the ball, whilst ensuring that any chances that do fall Exeter City’s way ultimately end up being half chances. I expect frustration to build up if we do keep them quiet, so again set pieces may play a vital part for us during the game. Share your thoughts about this Scouting Report piece 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.

Notts County are back in League Two action this weekend with a home game against one of League Two's trickier propositions, Exeter City. The Grecians topped the table earlier in the season and remain well in promotion contention as they sit fifth in the table. Pride of Nottingham has spoken to Exeter fan Matt to get an insight on Saturday's opposition. About Matt: I'm 27 years old, been supporting the team as far back as I can remember, and my favourite player is Richard Logan. How have Exeter City done so far this season? On the whole it's been fantastic, we picked up from where we left off last season and went top of the table and even though our form has gone a bit wobbly - mostly due to the poor away form - we're still just a point off third place, so it's all up for grabs! Was 2017 a good year for the Grecians? Definitely. From bottom of the table in November 2016 to a playoff place and a trip to Wembley, obviously it was a massive shame not being able to get the job done against Blackpool but having picked up from where we left off, it's a great platform and we hope 2018 can see Exeter finally go up! Who has been your standout player this season? Jayden Stockley, our record signing, has had a brilliant campaign so far, with 13 goals in all competitions. Apart from being a clinical finisher, he's also able to pull off stunning pieces of skill, like when he flicked the ball over that Morecambe defender before scoring in our 4-1 win a couple months ago. What's your favourite memory as an Exeter fan? The 1-0 win at Rotherham on the last day of the 2008-09 season, which gave us our second successive promotion - from non-league to League One in two years. What an amazing day that was! Where do you think you'll finish this season? If we can sort out our away jitters and keep on performing and getting results at home, there's no reason why we can't finish in the top three. Even Luton and Notts, who seemed like they were shoe-ins for 1st and 2nd, are beatable on their day, so there's bound to be a lot more twists and turns this season. Score/scorer prediction? I'll go for 2-2. Grant is probably the best player in League Two so he could get one or two for you, but Holmes and Stockley to get ours. Share your thoughts about this opposition view 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Exeter City midfielder Lloyd James has claimed that his side will "put their bodies on the line" at Notts County in a bid to turn around their poor away form. The Grecians were top of the table earlier in the season but their form ended up tailing off somewhat as they now sit in the playoff area. They have 7 wins from their last 10 home games, but on the road, they have 6 defeats and 2 draws from their last 10. Ahead of Saturday's League Two meeting at Meadow Lane, James was in defiant mood and insists Exeter will "get better" as they seek to build on last weekend's 1-0 win over Coventry City. “Our home form has been excellent, we just hopefully need to change our away form against Notts County,” James is quoted by the Nottingham Post as saying. “It’s about more performances like last Saturday – working hard and I think everyone put their bodies on the line, so we’ll do that against Notts County and show the character we do have, so hopefully that will bode us well. “We know some of our performances haven’t been good enough and we will get better. We’ve had some good wins on the road and hopefully we can get one at the weekend.” 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. 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 have cemented their hold on top spot in League Two with a clinical performance to beat second-placed Exeter City 3-0 at St James Park on Tuesday night. Lewis Alessandra set the Magpies on their way with an opportunistic lob after just two minutes before substitute Jorge Grant added a further two goals in the second half. The result, a sixth successive league victory for Kevin Nolan's men, sees them three points clear at the top of the table. Here is an in-depth analysis of the game from Chris. Was the result fair? I take a lot of joy from saying this, Notts County wholeheartedly deserved to win at Exeter yesterday! The home side simply failed to take their chances in the first half, and a superb second half performance sealed the victory for the Magpies – there’s no luck involved at all, the better team went home happy. How did Notts play? Notts played very well, the first half had patches but at the back Richard Duffy ensured that Adam Collin was well protected. From the off, Notts looked bright and eager to prove to League Two that they’re a serious outfit meaning to do the business this campaign. A very strong, spirited second half saw the Magpies play some good stuff. How did Exeter play? I wouldn’t suggest they played badly, however their hyping up of the game really didn’t help them. It gave The Grecians the pressure, especially being on home turf and despite some good chances in the first half – they just simply weren’t able to tuck of their opportunities a way. Did our tactics work out? The five changes meant that Notts had several pairs of fresh legs playing, a decision which in all fairness could have backfired – however with this Notts squad we all know that players are more likely to respond positively. From the off, Lewis Alessandra proved this point and it shows just how universal the team tactics are right now. Kevin Nolan did his homework by injecting height into the squad, so tactically we were spot on. How did the referee perform? The referee did alright, and for once I find myself thinking that we actually had a sensible referee. Due to this the game played out quite smoothly, and although some decisions may have been missed – I think it worked in favour of both teams rather than any decisions to favour a single team. Who do we play next? Next up is six fingers, seven toes and no thumbs – aka Mansfield Town. This game has more momentum behind it than the Exeter City game, thus making it far more important and no doubt a tricky local derby. How should we play them? Notts have been building nicely from the back in recent games, it’s important that we play with the right balance against Mansfield – as I feel they will try to press us more and ultimately attempt to close us down. It’s important that we keep the play simple, passing short and avoiding anything fancy. When Notts assumes control by passing around the centre of the park, spreading the ball out wide – it creates so much space that opposition sides don’t know whether to drop deeper or push up tighter. This is a vital aspect, as will allowing Jon Stead to gather players to make him tightly – in all fairness it would be useful to have Shola Ameobi back as his holding up of the ball and clever flicks would had a lot to our game plan. However, we just have to be sensible within our play and use the creativity that players like Rob Milsom and Jorge Grant have to offer. Exeter fan views (from Exeweb) grecian-near-hell: Personally I didn't rate Notts County that highly, I thought they were slow and ponderous with too many wayward passes for a table topping team, and will be found out (like ourselves) shortly. That said we were worse. I didn't think we had any shape about us, the defence could so easily have been ripped apart with a far worse scoreline than 3-0 had NC had speedy wingers/forwards.Regrettably I think TAH has had his day he's got the turning circle of a juggernaut and last night neither of the Troy's appeared to have any understanding of what the other was doing. Like NC too many wayward passes from defence and midfield to runners who weren't there. Jayden Stockley really needs to contact David Wheeler to find out how he seemed to float so long after he jumped for the ball, too often last night Stockley had jumped too soon and was on the way down before the ball got to him either from kick offs or crossing and on a couple of occassions this could have bought us a goal - he really does need to parctice his heading and jumping, but that's the (alleged) £400k difference I suppose. The midfield also had a nightmare, as mentioned too many passes going astray Lee Holmes not weaving his magic. The match although billed as top of the table did not live up to expectations which was a shame bearing in mind the good sized crowd for a midweek match.Oh well live and learn and we move on matches like last night emphasised why we are a fourth division side with players to match. DanceMagnet: A simple question, Mr Tisdale. When you're up against two slow defenders in Nicky Hunt and Richard Duffy, why do you start with no pace up front? Instead you play Stockley and Reid together when it was blatantly obvious at Coventry that partnership wasn't working and would likely suit there central defenders more than somebody capable of running at them. It was also pretty obvious from the start that the midfield needed strengthening. Why that did not happen at half time (at the latest) I'll never know. Boating should have been on then. Instead, we have to wait until we go two down until we make a substitution - too bleeding late, mate. Mr Jan Yeo: We were punished for some sloppy play, but I didn't feel we were far away from that being a completely different result. Seen us play a lot worse and still get something from the game. County were good and played us off the park for long periods. We seemed to struggle initially to break them down but definitely had a few decent spells that would've seen the game completely change if the ball had fallen right. We can't win them all and aren't the best in the league, so I'm not too surprised. We'll bounce back soon enough. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece 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.

Notts County have cemented their hold on top spot in League Two thanks to a clinical 3-0 win over Exeter City on Tuesday night. In a clash that pitted the top two teams in the division against each other, it was the Magpies who came out on top to extend their lead to three points thanks to Lewis Alessandra's early goal and substitute Jorge Grant's second-half brace. Here is what the Notts boss, some of the players and several fans had to say following the game. Kevin Nolan “I think it was the most complete performance because we were away from home, we got the clean sheet, and scored three goals. “We came here on a Tuesday night, made five changes and if it doesn’t work people start to question you. “It’s certainly up there and I love winning every game. It means so much to me to have another fantastic result like this. Jorge Grant "Confidence is high but we have to keep level heads. We've had a great start but it's still early on in the season. "We can't get too high when we win but, at the same time, we can't get too low when we lose." Players on social media The fans (from PON's match discussion of the Exeter game) Upthepies: Surprise start to the game to go 1-0 up minutes into the first half. I thought the team defended bravely after a shaky period, the players re-group at half time. I don't know what Kevin Nolan said but whatever it was they came back out more determined. Richard Duffy was class tonight! Yet Ryan Yates stole the show for me. He worked very hard and his engine never stopped. Liampie: Wow, 3-0 win over a very decent team. it sounded like we played very well in the second half especially. So pleased right now! Chris: At the moment everything's going our way! 3-0! Two goals by Jorge Grant and of course the opener by Lewis Alessandra. Mark Stallard and Charlie Slater labelling the game 'the performance of the season by Notts', well the first half sounded like a write off towards the end but Notts have remained focused and sealed a good display. Who r ya?? You Pies!!: Omg what a win and performance , strong in defence good going forward getting those goals , Gorge Grants on fire league 2 defences are terrified lol COYP Countyman: I just want to say it, WE ARE STILL TOP OF LEAGUE TWO. 3-0 win over Exeter? Fantastic! Share your thoughts about this reaction piece 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.

So the crunch clash of the top two teams in League Two ended up being somewhat one-sided. And luckily for us, it was Notts County who emerged triumphant with a frankly frightening 3-0 win at Exeter City. The nerves of the travelling Magpies fans - plus those following on the radio or online - were eased within the opening 90 seconds of the game. A long kick from goalkeeper Adam Collin was flicked on and Lewis Alessandra, spotting Grecians goalkeeper Christy Pym off his line, lobbed a fine first-time effort over the head of the stranded stopper and into the net. Exeter had an appeal for a penalty turned down minutes later when Jake Taylor broke into the box and went down under a tackle from Nicky Hunt, but referee Kevin Johnson deemed it a fair challenge. The pendulum then swung back Notts's way as they won a number of corners, with Richard Duffy flicking one over at the near post. Pierce Sweeney then misjudged a long ball that allowed Terry Hawkridge to break into the box but he fluffed his lines by firing over. To their credit the hosts mustered several dangerous efforts on goal, as Jake Taylor rifled straight at Collin, while Lee Holmes stung the palms of the goalkeeper with a fierce effort from distance. Exeter's best chance came shortly before the half-hour mark when Craig Woodman's cross was nodded down by Jayden Stockley and Taylor smashed his effort straight at Collin. Notts rode out the storm and, in the 62nd minute, doubled their lead as a corner kick caused havoc in the six-yard box and the ball was turned in by the incredible Jorge Grant, who had been on the pitch for five minutes. Jonathan Forte was narrowly off target for County, while Stockley headed high for Exeter, but Grant bagged his second eight minutes from time after beating the offside trap to volley home. Share your thoughts about this match report 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.

Kevin Nolan has revealed that he is getting congratulatory messages from former colleagues for having led Notts County to the top of League Two, but remains committed to keeping complacency at bay. The Magpies' blip at Coventry City on the first day of the season is now a distant memory as the club gears up for an early top-of-the-table clash against Exeter City. Notts could secure a sixth consecutive league win should they triumph at St James' Park tonight, but despite the early pats on the back from several former West Ham teammates, Nolan says he must "keep reminding everybody" about it being early days. “Ginge (James Collins) messaged me the other day to say he was delighted for me and I get them often off AC (Andy Carroll) too," the Magpies boss told the Nottingham Post. “There are people who are genuinely pleased with the way it’s going for me at the minute. “But I know I can’t take my foot off the gas pedal. I have got to keep trying and strive to be better as a manager and a person really. “It’s just about making sure I keep my feet on the ground and not get carried away with the hype. “If, at the end of the season, I am sitting where I am now then I can take all the accolades but this job is very much still in its infancy. “I am really desperate to succeed at it. I am still an apprentice trying to learn his trade and hopefully I’ve started off well. “I know there will be some bumps, but when I do get hit with one, hopefully I will be able to bounce back and am ready for it. “There are players here who were part of (the 10-match losing streak), but the shift in mentality from then to now has been absolutely brilliant. But we just have to keep working hard and not get carried away with what is happening. “As I said, and I’ve got to keep reminding everybody, that I took over a team that was second-bottom but 10 games earlier they were sixth and could have gone second. So that’s how easy it can all change.” 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.