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Kevin Nolan has praised his Notts County players for their superb 4-1 win away at Morecambe and said it was important to build momentum after three draws and ahead of another busy spell. Jorge Grant and Lewis Alessandra scored a goal in each half to help keep the Magpies entrenched in the top three, while Callum Lang claimed a late consolation for the hosts. Up next for Notts is the weekend trip to Swindon Town and the New Year's Day home game with Port Vale, and Nolan was delighted with how his changed side performed at the Globe Arena. “It was a professional away performance," he told the official Notts site. “I made a few changes because of the number of games we have coming up so for the lads to produce what they did this afternoon, I’m absolutely delighted. “We handled Morecambe well and stamped our authority on the game. We scored some quality goals with some lovely movement, which we have worked on on the training field. It was nice to see that come off today. “The front four were exceptional. Some of the movement, interchanging and quality of play was great but we can still get better. “It was important to back up the three draws we have had lately with a performance like that going into two games in 48 hours later in the week.” 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 remain nicely placed in the top three of the League Two table thanks to a 4-1 win over Morecambe on Boxing Day. The Magpies struck first when Adam Campbell gave the ball away in his own half, culminating in Lewis Alessandra cutting the ball back for Jorge Grant to rifle home. Alessandra then turned scorer when a long punt upfield from goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons was headed down for the winger to drive into the net on the half-volley. In the second half, Grant exchanged passes with Jon Stead before sliding the ball past Barry Roche for goal number three and a brace for the loanee. Alessandra then bagged his own brace four minutes from time when he scored at the second attempt after the Morecambe keeper saved his close-range effort. There was time for a stunning consolation from Callum Lang at the death, but it was of little importance as Notts cruised to all three points. How did the Notts County fans, players and manager react to the win? Pride of Nottingham has compiled the best of the post-match reaction from the Globe Arena. Kevin Nolan “It was a professional away performance. I made a few changes because of the number of games we have coming up so for the lads to produce what they did this afternoon, I’m absolutely delighted. “We handled Morecambe well and stamped our authority on the game. We scored some quality goals with some lovely movement, which we have worked on on the training field. It was nice to see that come off today. “The front four were exceptional. Some of the movement, interchanging and quality of play was great but we can still get better. “It was important to back up the three draws we have had lately with a performance like that going into two games in 48 hours later in the week.” Lewis Alessandra “We took our chances early on and then they have to come out when we’re 2-0 up. Sometimes at home teams can sit in and say, ‘Come and break us down’, which can be difficult. “But we were 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes so they had to try and get something from the game, which left spaces for us to exploit - and we did that in the end. “It was massive we got back to winning ways today because the three games we have drawn were quite disappointing. "We gave a good, professional away performance. It’s disappointing to concede right at the death but it’s a great finish to be fair to the lad.” The players on social media The Black and White Army Super_Danny_Allsopp: A strange game really. We never seemed to get out of 2nd gear (not that we needed to) and just sort of plodded along in the game and the scoreline seemed like an inevitability by the end. A point to note though that Morecambe were especially poor, probably the worst I've seen this season. They can't play like that every week because they've had some decent results against some good sides, but yesterday they were abysmal. Steven Old was rubbish at the back, as he was 10 years ago when I watched him in the A-league. 50p head. His mate didn't help either, it seemed that Stead was allowed to take balls down or win headers with very little resistance, we didn't see him flailing on the floor for most of the game as we usually do. Then to mention the gigantic gap between defence and midfield that they gave us free access to. Jorge Grant and Alessandra had all the space, and their midfield didn't seem to keen is closing it down and their defence definitely weren't about to step up. After watching that, you can see 100% we made the correct decision letting Adam Campbell go. It was a typical Campbell performance we saw yesterday, and we've seen it oh so many times before, lots of running about, some neat touches, but ultimately 0 impact on the game and couldn't finish in a brothel. You have to worry for the lad as if he can't make it at a team like Morecambe, he will drop out of the league. Some pleasing things for us were the defending which was generally solid - only a wonder goal prevented a clean sheet. Hewitt, Yates and Walker all looked really clever on the ball. I don't know why we don't try and keep the ball on the ground when we're obviously the technically better side, as we were yesterday. There were some periods of nice play, but some seem scared to make a mistake. You're 3, 4 to none up, away from home and 75 mins on the clock? Get the ball on the deck and spray it about a bit. Elite_pie: Brilliant result, I was a bit concerned about our lack of striking power when the team was announced, but four goals away from home doesn't happen too often. It was good to see some of the fringe players like Jones, Hunt and Walker get a positive 90 minutes under their belt, we will need a strong and competitive squad going into the second half of the season to meet our target. Well done to all, especially Kevin Nolan, the changes he made once again came up trumps. DangerousSausage: Well done lads, terrific away performance. I was a bit concerned that we were sitting too deep and inviting them onto us in the first half but I needn't have worried. What's also encouraging is that four goals came from midfield today and Liam Noble will be eligible from the new year. Stead might not be putting them away at present but at least we're not dependent on him for goals. 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.

Jorge Grant and Lewis Alessandra scored a brace apiece as Notts County claimed an emphatic 4-1 win at Morecambe on Boxing Day. The first goal came after former Magpie Adam Campbell gave the ball away in his own half, culminating in Alessandra cutting the ball back for Grant to rifle home. The former Shrimper then turned scorer when a free kick was headed down for the winger to drive into the net on the half-volley. In the second half, Grant exchanged passes with Jon Stead before sliding the ball past Barry Roche for goal number three. Alessandra bagged his brace four minutes from time when he scored at the second attempt after the Morecambe keeper saved his close-range effort. There was time for a stunning consolation from Callum Lang at the death, but it was of little importance as Notts cruised to all three points. Relive the highlights from the game at the Globe Arena with the official Notts highlights, as shared here for your viewing pleasure. 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.

Lewis Alessandra has stressed that Notts County will not lose focus over the busy festive period and will look to build on their Boxing Day 4-1 away win over Morecambe. The 28-year-old scored a goal in each half at the Globe Arena, along with Jorge Grant's brace, to help keep the Magpies entrenched in the top three, while Callum Lang claimed a late consolation for the hosts. Up next for Notts is the weekend trip to Swindon Town and the New Year's Day home game with Port Vale, and Alessandra says the players and staff are being "thoroughly professional" during this period. “I’ve been a professional player for 10 years now and Christmas is always the same,” he told the official Notts website. “It’s all the sweeter when you come away from home and get a win and a couple of goals, as I have done today. “The games come thick and fast over the Christmas period and the gaffer reiterated to us that he wants us to detach ourselves from third and fourth. “He wants us to be thoroughly professional and you will get that from all the lads. “It’s about recovery now, then we’ll do game preparation for Swindon, looking at them in detail as we do for all our opponents. We’ll be looking to go there and put in a performance to keep this unbeaten run going.” 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 returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 win over Morecambe at the Globe Arena. Kevin Nolan made four changes to his side, taking into consideration the glut of festive games and also injuries to Shola Ameobi and Jonathan Forte. Matt Tootle, Carl Dickinson, Terry Hawkridge and Ameobi - who started the 3-3 draw with Cambridge United - made way for Nicky Hunt, Dan Jones, Liam Walker and Lewis Alessandra. The opening stages of the Boxing Day game in Lancashire were cagey but Notts were soon up and running with a 13th-minute breakthrough. Former Magpie Adam Campbell gave the ball away sloppily in his own half, which prompted an assault by the visitors. Lewis Alessandra edged into the box and cut the ball back for Jorge Grant to rifle home from 10 yards. Notts then doubled their lead on 21 minutes, the provider turning goalscorer when Morecambe failed to clear their lines from a free kick and Alessandra half-volleyed beyond Barry Roche.­­­­ The Shrimpers ended the half strongly as Andy Fleming twice fired efforts wide from 20 yards, Garry Thompson headed straight at Ross Fitzsimons from close range and Campbell volleyed a Thompson cross over from close range. However, Notts went on to add a third just before the hour when Grant exchanged passes with Jon Stead before sliding the ball past Roche. The rout was completed four minutes from time as Alessandra joined Grant in netting a brace, the winger scoring at the second attempt after Roche had kept out his initial shot. Although Callum Lang sullied County's clean sheet with a curling effort over Fitzsimons from the edge of the box, it would prove little more than a consolation for the beleaguered hosts. The result keeps Notts four points behind Luton Town, who won 5-0 at Swindon Town - County's next opponents - but crucially, it puts the Pies seven points clear of fourth place. 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.

Head to head Notts County and Morecambe have met 11 times in their history, with the first ever clash taking place 10 years ago, in September 2007. On that day, it ended as a 1-1 draw, Michael Twiss putting the visitors ahead at Meadow Lane in the first half, before the late Richard Butcher equalised in the 87th minute. The Shrimpers are ahead in the head-to-head, with Notts having lost to them five times, beaten them twice, and drawn thrice. The Magpies ended a run of four League Two matches without a win against Morecambe when the sides met on September 9, claiming a 2-0 victory - their first clean sheet against the Shrimps since December 2008. This fixture has yielded a scoreline of 4-1 three times already - once in our favour and twice in Morecambe's. The fixture on 19 September 2009 was former Arsenal and England legend Sol Campbell's only game in a Magpies shirt. Meanwhile the rematch later in the season, on 17 April 2010, is when Notts mathematically secured promotion to League One. Stats Notts County have lost each of their last three Boxing Day fixtures in the EFL, including the last time they were on their travels in 2013 (2-1 at Port Vale). Meanwhile Morecambe have only won two of their last six Boxing Day fixtures (L4), failing to score more than once in any of those games. History Football in the town dates back to the turn of the 20th century; however, it was not until 7 May 1920 that Morecambe FC was formed. The club then took its place in the Lancashire Combination League for the 1920–21 season. The fourteen years from 1960 could be said to be Morecambe's golden era. This included an FA Cup third round appearance in 1961–62, a 1–0 defeat to Weymouth; a Lancashire Senior Cup Final victory in 1968, a 2–1 win over Burnley; and an FA Trophy success at Wembley in 1974, a 2–1 win over Dartford in the final. Morecambe, a non-league side for most of their history, were promoted to the Football League for the first time in 2007 after winning the Conference Playoff Final, beating Exeter City 2–1 at Wembley in front of over 40,000 fans. Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. While the resort of Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire, due to its railway connection, and Scotland. Between 1956 and 1989 Morecambe was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest. Team news Notts will assess the fitness of Jonathan Forte and Shola Ameobi before making the trip to Lancashire. Both strikers are nursing knocks following Saturday's 3-3 home draw with Cambridge United, with Forte hurting his hip while scoring the Magpies' equalising goal in stoppage time. Should neither be available on Boxing Day, Lewis Alessandra could return to the starting XI to partner Jon Stead up front - if manager Kevin Nolan opts to play with two strikers. Left-back Dan Jones will hope to be recalled to the team after impressing as a substitute for half an hour against Shaun Derry's side. For Morecambe, midfielder Kevin Ellison could be in contention after starting on the bench in the 2-1 defeat by Mansfield after making a recovery from a hamstring injury. Callum Lang scored against the Stags to notch his second goal in three games and could keep his place in Bentley's starting line-up. The Shrimps will be without goalkeeper Danijel Nizic after he was called up to the Australia Under-23 squad for the Asian Federation Cup. Share your thoughts about this preview 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.

Kevin Nolan has urged Notts County to keep their standards high as he seeks to keep cultivating a fear factor for opposing teams who come to Meadow Lane. The Magpies are unbeaten at home so far this season and have not lost in their last six games in all competitions. Tonight, Swindon Town - a team relegated from League One last season - come to Nottingham to take on Notts, and though Nolan says it's a tough ask, he thinks his players can match them. “Swindon have won their last two away games. They obviously fancy themselves away from home,” he told the Nottingham Post. “They’ve got good players and we respect them. Crawley and Barnet have gone to their place and hit them on the counter. “They can come here and play with that bit more freedom. We have to deal with that – we know teams will respect us, so we’ve got to be patient. “It’s going to be a tough ask again. We want to win and this team has a lot more to come. We’re working on dominating games and keeping this run going. “Swindon try to play but I feel our lads can match them. If we switch on we can beat anyone, but if we don’t, anyone can beat us on the day. “I’m trying to instil that into the lads. I feel we’ve got a good thing going here. “(Morecambe boss) Jim (Bentley) said he felt there was a real buzz about the place that he’s not felt here before. That gets you wins. “There’s a fear factor, so I’m pleased to hear that. Hopefully we keep the run going. “Most of the teams we’ve played so far will be up there come May. I’m very pleased with how we’ve handled it. “At the minute everything is going well. We can’t let the staff or players get away with anything. “We’ve got to keep those standards high. All the lads know their responsibilities.” 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 goalkeeper Adam Collin has hailed the performances of Shaun Brisley and Richard Duffy in front of him in defence. The Magpies have a chance to make it six games unbeaten when they host Morecambe in League Two tomorrow. Collin has kept two clean sheets in the five league games played by Notts so far, but he paid credit to his centre-backs as Brisley fights to be in contention following his injury in the Port Vale win last week. The stopper told the official Notts website: "It's massive for me to have a consistent back four in front of me. "Shaun Brisley and Richard Duffy have been outstanding and are forming a good partnership, which makes it so much easier for me to play behind. I know what I'm getting from them nine times out of 10. "It's so important for the back four and me to have confidence in one another. It's been settled so far but we know people are capable of stepping up as and when they're needed." 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 revealed that Shaun Brisley looks more likely than not to play a part in Notts County's League Two home encounter with Morecambe this weekend. The defender was taken off late in the Magpies' 1-0 win over Port Vale last week after receiving a blow to the head. However, when asked about injury worries ahead of the Meadow Lane fixture this Saturday, Nolan provided a positive update about Brisley. “We have no injury worries,” he told the Nottingham Post. “Obviously we had Bris (Brisley) who came off in the last 10 minutes or so against Port Vale. “But he’s come through training and if there are no problems over the next 24-48 hours, we should be free to play whoever we want. “I'm delighted there was no severe damage. We are not out of the woods yet with him and I said after the game last week that we will look after his welfare. “We'll make sure he's alright. His health and livelihood comes well before anything else. “Fingers crossed he will be okay. He's come through a couple of training sessions, but you don’t know what could happen. There could be late concussion and/or he could get blackouts. “But we’ll leave no stone unturned to make sure he’s okay.” 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.