I'm not sure where these figures are from, but they seem a bit on the high side. The season we were relegated to the Bananarama Premier, we were League Two's top spenders on 3 million for the year while two or three clubs didn't evenmake seven figures. In League One a few years before, about 2.5 million was enough to place us in mid table in terms of budget.

I find it hard to believe wages have grown that much, unless these are for overall club expenditure and not just playing staff?

I don't find it surprising that we're not near the top though. Most of the teams are about where I expected, with the exception of Colchester. 

It would be interesting to be able to compare clubs finances more equally, as this doesn't really factor in if owners/clubs are overspending or are making smart decisions not to overspend on the payroll. I also assume this only takes into consideration the players wages rather than staff.

What is interesting is seeing how much each team is spending on the player positions. Notts seem to have focused on attack and midfield, with the defence not all that far behind. If I could access the previous seasons, it would probably paint a picture of why we weren't as strong defensively as we are now. As for Notts being placed where they are, I don't think it means much in the grand scheme of things.

It does highlight and reflect well on our recruitment because on paper I believe we do have a squad very capable of winning promotion.

Also, some teams have purchased players and thrown wages on them in a bid to succeed. It really goes to show just how important the right balance is, having a squad that's together and a club focus on moving forward. We are making good progress; we need to remember this.

you might say that we have overachieved the past two seasons, not being in a relegation battle but tipped for promotion is so much better. i think we spend our resources wisely and that shows when we have spells at the very top. i find it very hard to be dishearten by everything, especially those who want stuart maynard out. i just dont see the point of being so anti maynard when he has done a lot better than luke williams.

i dont think williams would have wanted defenders this past summer, i think he would have wanted to focus on being top heavy in the attacking department.

having the 12th highest budget, and finishing 6th looks a lot healthier.

Last time I looked at the League table Notts finished in sixth place in League 2, despite the injuries to key players for much of the season.

For Notts to finish in the playoffs is a big improvement from last season's effort & that should be applauded.

If Notts can get to another Wembley final in front of a 50 K + crowd, it would be a great achievement & another great day out for the Notts fans.

If we get promoted it would be a fantastic achievement, but if we do or we don't, I'm sure the owners, together with the management, will look to improve the squad for next season.

We went into that with about a 5% chance of promotion tops. Bradford and Walsall both winning (in doing so rendering our result irrelevant) takes the edge off the disappointment, but it was still a really poor performance and doesn't bode well for the play-offs.

Mark Stallard frequently commented that Donny were under more pressure, and for us it was a free hit. I'm not sure I quite agree with him - the visitors had already achieved promotion, so for them yesterday was a bit of fun with the aim of winning the title as the cherry on the cake. We hadn't achieved anything yet and our season depended on not conceding early. To me, the team looked more scared of losing than hungry to win. We never truly threw the shackles off even at 2-0 down.

Once again we were harmless going forwards. Grant and Whitaker were anonymous and should have been replaced sooner than they were. Our only attacking outlet were the wing backs, who were too far away from Jatta. As a result, most of our attacking moves petered out with aimless crosses. The fact that we missed a 37-year-old this badly goes to show how much quality we've lost in this area since last season. We finished the match with three players who have suffered long-term injuries this season, which also tells a story. But why was Palmer taking set pieces even with Jones on the pitch? And if McGoldrick was so unfit he couldn't even play the last 20 minutes, what was he doing on the bench in the first place?

SM has managed his juggling act well enough to secure a play-off place, but I doub't we have the quality to make the step up this season.

Doncaster Rovers wanted Notts to look for passes which they could intercept, and it forced Notts to either play long balls or passes which wasn't direct. Whilst they looked dangerous, and perhaps the most organised I have seen by a visiting team at Meadow Lane. I thought even though the start was prone to more mistakes, the pressure came from Doncaster. All this talk of Notts looking uninterested, it's that element of not understanding how football is played to some degree.

Creatively, it could have been a totally different game, and I personally think defensively lead to the issues which favoured Doncaster.

Alex Bass had limitations on where to put the ball, due to how much we were being pressed by them. Defensively, we didn't want the ball for very long, and that led to poor decisions. Even George Abbott lost the ball countless times, even after winning it back, and I still can't see how he's being rated insanely high compared to other players.

Kellan Gordon has the ability to put in fantastic crosses, balls which Notts must learn to be able to attack, but at the same time he's one of the most frustrating players in the squad. I don't doubt that Gordon has the ability to be more consistent and a very important player, but when he limits his runs. Walks the ball out for a throw-in, and doesn't really take on players as he clearly can. It just becomes apparent that he's not pushing himself enough.

It's the opposite with Jodi Jones, he wasn't very good in the first half, but you have to be constructive and fair. Otherwise, when he plays brilliantly and you jump on the Jodi bandwagon, you seem only interested in when things are going well. He's not ready to be starting games, he's clearly worried and intimidated about suffering another injury. Could he be braver? I don't think many in his exact situation would do any better. He clearly has a love for the game, and football is his livelihood. The fact he has come back from so many setbacks, that has to be taken into consideration. I felt he did much better in the second half, but it's a mistake to be starting him.

Stuart Maynard and Jodi probably had a discussion, where both are wanting the best outcome, but if Jodi can't play like the final 20 minutes of the Doncaster game against AFC Wimbledon, we should leave him to be an impact sub. I wouldn't be surprised if he took his performance personally, and how does a player come back from that? It's hard, unless people are understanding, and the manager gives the player a bit more time.

Rod McDonald did very well defensively, I think Matty Platt and Jacob Bedeau both struggled but they tried. It wasn't the best performance by them, but it stems from Doncaster's approach.

We can call the performance rubbish, but Notts were beaten by the better team who were more organised and had the momentum of winning the title. Had the game been played under different circumstances, and earlier in the season, I think it would have played out differently. I was at their home leg, and I didn't see the same team. I thought they were poor, and not much improved from last season. A season where their fans wanted the manager out, and they looked to have financial issues. How much rosier do we have it now under the Reedtz?

Alassana Jatta was unlike himself, probably the most underperforming player on the pitch, and it wasn't due to a lack of creativity. He just seemed very off, and considering it's the end of the season, performances can dip. This is why Stuart Maynard, and the players themselves, need to call for more focus.

Conor Grant and Charlie Whitaker found it challenging to cope with Doncaster's aggressive tactics, particularly their tendency to pull shirts. They were both fouled several times, but no excuses, they could have done better. I personally thought Whitaker looked to be the more productive of the two.

I am surprised by some of the reactions to Matt Palmer, he seemed the most consistent player on the pitch and very forward-thinking. His performance still stands out as one of the more consistent in my memory.

For context, Palmer had a 76% pass rate and Abbott only had 40%. The second highest in our team, with Platt being the highest at 78%. Whilst passing isn't the main thing, it does usually give an indication on who performed more consistently throughout a game, and considering Bedeau was the third highest with 43%, it does say something. The issue with Platt, we play the ball out from the back and he could have defended better in key moments. Also, it's worth noting that although Doncaster were very good. Their own passing accuracy wasn't remotely good.

It would suggest they had the better approach to tactics, and created chances which they were able to finish.

Notts have the 2nd best away record in League 2, so if Notts can get a narrow win at home, or even get a draw, I'm sure Wimbledon will be aware of that Notts good away record.

Previous fixtures stand for nothing when it comes to playoff matches. The pressure will be all on Wimbledon if we can get a positive result in our home leg.

Two years ago Notts made the National League playoffs with a record points total for a team finishing 2nd. It was a great achievement.

In 2025 Notts made the League 2 playoffs which is an even better achievement, even if many Notts fans don't think that is the case.

On 04/05/2025 at 23:01, Sue Garfield said:

Agree that playing at home first leg seems a total disadvantage. Ever since  SM referred to Meadow Lane being a fortress, it seems to have had a disastrously opposite effect.

This is actually a very fair comment, although sad, it is very true.

Fans told me that they were happy we started at home, and it could be a good thing, but we do play with a higher level of freedom away from home. Both home and away we can be very hit and miss, I think I would feel more confident to have started away from Meadow Lane. I think a positive start to the playoffs could have brought momentum. Whereas the pressure is on us with being at home. AFC Wimbledon are also a very decent team, that have enjoyed success even after needing to come back into games at the Lane.

Despite all this, and the fact that the club remained in the automatic places for so long. We have made a significant achievement this season, and it does still feel like we are moving forward under the Reedtz.

At no point in my lifetime did it previously feel genuine that the club has a true potential to push for a higher level of football.

I think it's great that we have a Notts club in the National League North, the sixth tier of the English league system for next season.

Good luck to Worksop Town for next season. 

14 hours ago, Robbie said:

I think it's great that we have a Notts club in the National League North, the sixth tier of the English league system for next season.

Good luck to Worksop Town for next season. 

Indeed nice to see local clubs doing well, congratulations Worksop.

Another trophy for Worksop Town.

I was only 100 points behind @super_ram

Massive thanks for doing this Sausage. Much appreciated. 

Congrats @super_ram and @DangerousSausage thank you for all your hard work on here. COYP

20 hours ago, Chris said:

I still don't believe Abbott was at his best or performed well enough. That's just my opinion.

I’m really surprised to read your thought @Chris I genuinely thought Abbott had an excellent game, to me he seemed to be performing far better than any other player. It just goes to show how different people view the same match.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who was man of the match because we lost the game sadly.

22 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

I’m really surprised to read your thought @Chris I genuinely thought Abbott had an excellent game, to me he seemed to be performing far better than any other player. It just goes to show how different people view the same match.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who was man of the match because we lost the game sadly.

I'm pleased for whoever won, and you are right, we all see things differently at times.

I thought if Will Jarvis had longer on the pitch, he would have warranted more praise in this, and in the short time he was on, I thought he did much better than most of the squad. Unfortunately, Notts fell into Doncaster's game plan in the first half, which was aimed at making us stray passes and lose the ball. I thought George Abbott did okay, but he did lose the ball a lot. I mean, I can remember him winning the ball well, and from nothing, but then passing upfield straight to a Doncaster player. It was just an off day in terms of the players shining with their quality, as a team they did okay and were much better in the second half.

Notts greatly felt the absence of David McGoldrick, as his presence and leadership elevate the entire team's performance and motivation.

I thought Austin did well when he came on. I think Notts missed him during his injury & he was playing very well beforehand too.

I hope Austin will be fit enough to start against Wimbledon. He could make a lot of difference for us.

Even though it didn't turn out as he would've hoped it does sound sound like everything at Swansea wasn't as rosy as it was made out to be. He still got to be the head coach of a Championship club and test himself against other better coaches and work with some top players so he'll have a learnt a lot from his time there.

I don’t think the door is totally closed to him returning to us in the future, this is a head coach that left us in 5th and we got a lot of money for. I wonder if the fact he is doing nothing might be giving the brothers a few pressing thoughts…

I would say Bristol Rovers would seem like a possible next job as he lives in South Wales but they are seemingly a bit of basket-case club too. I think he was spoilt with how well run we are!

As I said, I think Luke could do a job for a Club in the lower leagues below Championship level, but I don't want him back at Notts.

The way he left Notts was unsatisfactory, leaving us in fifth place yes, but leaking goals like a sieve & dropping down the league.

Having him back alongside Stuart would be a complete non starter. They are two different personalities & it just wouldn't work.

I like Stuart's management style, & I think his style is what the Reedtz brothers like too.

I wouldn’t be against him returning in some capacity, he says he hasn’t got an ego and would be willing to take anything just to get back in football, I’m sure the brothers are aware of his current position and if they thought he could help the club they’d approach him, I don’t think he left on bad terms, he was ambitious and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Well now that Bass is back this must go down as one of the most pointless signings ever. I can't believe we signed him just in-case Slocombe got injured, the chances of that happening were so slim but even if did happen we could’ve then loaned in an emergency keeper... I feel like we’ve just wasted money and Tyler’s time here…

I don't understand how Slocombe was picked before Miller but as soon as Bass returns Slocombe becomes number three behind Miller. Some of the decisions do seem a bit bizarre.

He didn't make the bench against Doncaster.  Maybe we are saving him for the playoffs  

Yesterday (before the match) I got back from a couple of days in Nuremberg. It's a wonderful city with a gorgeous old town and a copious supply of beer and sausages, I can definitely recommend it.

On a side note, yesterday is all my fault. At the market square, I noticed that people were climbing onto a fountain and rubbing a metal ring as this apparently brings good luck. I didn't do it. Worse, it started raining, so I went in the nearby church and accidentally blasphemed when my phone went off. So I'm sorry for single-handedly ruining our season. It was a nice trip though.

@Piethagoram, I might have a go with Interrail myself soon. Lufthansa's prices to the UK have grown to the extent that an Interrail ticket including Eurostar reservation costs about the same. 

It was an overcast & much colder day as late here. Thankfully the rain kept off & I managed to get a couple of hours gardening work done.

Spent the late afternoon watching three westerns from the forties & fifties. Two starring Henry Fonda, with Dana Andrews & Anthony Quinn in supporting roles in one & a young Anthony Perkins in the other

The third film starred Richard Widmark from 1956. They were three good stories that I'd not seen before. All three had good endings too.

I don't recall any home game this season that I have witnessed Notts being outclassed or not deserving something from the game. I think my biggest concern is how Stuart Maynard doesn't push for a second goal to wrap games up or at least make them easier. This past Monday, it was obvious that we were in control and just needed something a bit different to convert one of the many chances we created.

Yes, we could have won 1-0 on Easter Monday, but there's always the element that a team might sting us.

I spoke to Jake (@super_pie) about this, and I told him I would have taken Kellan Gordon off for Jodi Jones instead of Conor Grant. He mentioned that he would rather have brought on Will Jarvis and not play Jodi at all due to fears of injury. I get the point, but we are heading into a crucial stage where he really needs match minutes, and his confidence with a return to form would be massive. Gordon has a decent cross, but he runs himself into danger and becomes a bit frustrating to watch because you know he has the ability to do more.

I think all season Maynard hasn't particularly used his subs well, but away from home I do think more often it's about positive changes. Except for Carlisle United, where we went defensive beyond a point, it was long balls for Jevani Brown to chase.

There's a lot of talk by the club on how good a coach Maynard is, but I wish we could see it more during games, and especially at home. We either go defensive, or overload ourselves with attacking options.

We rescued a point against Fleetwood Town earlier in the season, but I think we started with the wrong XI and I don't believe the changes in the game influenced our comeback. If anything, I felt at the time a change was needed to handle Fleetwood, who wasn't great but deserved their lead. The 0-1 loss to Gillingham, for me, is a prime example of how we could have got more from the game. Their only goal still annoys me, but Notts could have done much better.

Despite all this, I do think Maynard has done well at times, but I wished I could see more improvements with the changes. I swear he listens to fans, as when he would make 3 to five changes at once, he's now reverted to the 70th minute mark. We would have beaten Cheltenham if we had brought Jodi on earlier and injected a bit more quality.

There have been factors such as injuries, fitness, and other concerns which haven't helped, and I do believe at this level, most managers have negatives which become irritating, but Notts have played some good football this season at Meadow Lane. The club looks much better defensively, and finally our recruitment strengthened the areas we wished for. I do think it's a juggling act for Maynard though, and I hope we can secure a playoff place because I do think it would be a good achievement. I know we could have kept nearer the top, but with all the injuries and so on, it would have taken more than what this squad has. If we don't get promoted, I firmly believe we will be able to build and strengthen the squad to a point where we will be in the running again in the next campaign.

I imagine there’s a lot more pressure on Stuart Maynard and the lads at home. I don’t think the KOP has been the same this year compared to our first season back in the EFL. I feel that togetherness left when Luke Williams departed and Maynard came in. I don’t think Maynard is doing much wrong and believe he’ll improve given time.

It can be frustrating when managers make baffling decisions, but we’re not a million miles away from where we want to be. Our home form is likely due to the pressure of expecting promotion, the dip in form from losing key players, and the constant challenge of avoiding further injuries. I haven’t attended away games, so I can’t comment on the atmosphere this season. However, it felt special when we first came back up, and I feel some areas give half-hearted support.

Maybe it’s just football and the sensationalism fading after promotion, but some clubs make match days exciting. It feels as though we’ve settled for a normal experience without much effort. From what I’ve seen, Notts have always looked like a promotion-chasing side. At times they’ve seemed lacking or indecisive, but all teams go through these phases.

I hope that if we make the playoffs, fans will make Meadow Lane vibrant and loud with various chants. The quality of chants and player songs seems to have declined, becoming repetitive. As fans, our role is to give full-hearted support. Tactically, Maynard could sometimes make changes to influence games differently. Still, we need to accept that he’s learning. At this level, unless we spend heavily on a manager which affects the playing budget, we won’t find someone perfect in every aspect of their game.

Notts have been relatively consistent all season. 

After 23 games Notts had gained 37 points & stood in seventh place in League 2, & they had won 10 matches up to that point.

From the next 23 games Notts have gained 35 points & finished in sixth place,& won a further 10 matches.

11 minutes ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Let’s get promoted first then worry about it. 

Nothing wrong in debating whether Notts are fully prepared for League 1. If Notts were promoted there would certainly need to be improvements in certain areas to allow Notts to compete at a higher level.

7 hours ago, Robbie said:

Nothing wrong in debating whether Notts are fully prepared for League 1.

@Robbie I didn’t say it’s wrong to debate it, I’m joining the debate by saying let’s wait until we are promoted before worrying about whether we’ll survive league one or not.

I’m sure the club will have contingency plans for if we are promoted and also plans if we aren’t promoted.

There's a typo in this thread.

Somebody has spelt 'Two' wrong.

12:30 pm Kick offs

Wimbledon 0-2 Port Vale

Doncaster 2-1 Bradford 

Doncaster & Port Vale promoted.

15:00 Kick offs

Chesterfield 4-1 Morecambe 

MK Dons 0-0 Grimsby 

Salford City 4-1 Colchester

Walsall 0-1 Accrington 

Notts are assured of a playoff place.

These are the final matches that could affect Notts's final position in league 2, & who they may face in the playoffs.

Saturday 3rd May

Accrington 0-1 Chesterfield 

Bradford 1-0 Fleetwood 

Carlisle 2-2 Salford 

Colchester 0-0  Barrow 

Crewe 0-1 Walsall 

Grimsby 0-1 Wimbledon 

Port Vale 0-1 Gillingham 

Three dangerous teams failed to make the playoffs on the last day. Salford, Grimsby Colchester.

Hopefully, we won't be playing them if we get promoted. If we do have to play them next season I'm sure it will be two hard competitive games. 

We've also seen clubs coming down from League 1 & struggle such as Forest Green last season & Carlisle this term being relegated to the National League.

Remember this one?

Incidentally can anyone remember why we used to sing that song? I think it was a match where we put the ball out for a throw in because a Bristol Rovers was injured but they didn’t give us the ball back and scored after taking the throw in or something along those lines. Anyone remember the actual chain of events?

Retford FC win their semi against Clipstone FC & will now play in the final at home to Blackstones FC from Peterborough, who beat Retford United in their semi final.

In the United Counties Premier Division North, AFC Mansfield lost their semi final to Bourne Town 0-4.

Bourne Town will play Boston FC in the final 

Boston FC beat Eastwood CFC in the semi final 2-1.

Worksop Town are one match from the National League North. 

They beat Ashton United in the playoff semi final tonight 2:1

I agree @CliftonMagpie the club shouldn’t offer a contract purely on sentimental grounds, there is no loyalty in football and as you say players are quick to go elsewhere if a better offer comes along.

Contracts should be given purely on the players contribution to the club now and in the future not on past achievements.

I still hope he’s welcome to train and use our facilities to help his comeback. However, I don’t believe we should offer him a one-year deal. Would Woking do it? I doubt it. I wish Adam Chicksen all the best, and I hope his injury doesn’t lead to financial problems. Many players have other sources of income, and hopefully Chicks does too.

pleased to see adam chicksen listed as a notts player here on pon, unlike the club itself. clearly hes on the way out, and its such a shame because he could fit our system quite well if stuart maynard could get the best out of him. i do agree he has flashes of brilliance and struggles, i think its confidence but i dont think we owe him anything. i also would not expect woking to sign him permanently knowing he has the injury.

its unfortunate for chicksen, but i do wish him well and until his contract expires he is a notts player.

I don't know whether he'd have got us promoted, but he laid the foundation for our promotion-winning season by switching to a system with wing-backs and adopting a more attacking style rather than Ardley's safety first approach. So I believe he played his part, but we've moved on and so did he.

Since the brothers are involved with clubs other than Notts, he's be daft not to stay in touch, but I wouldn't be thrilled to see him back.

Ian Burchnall did an adequate job during his time with Notts, but he wasn’t exceptional. He left the club for what he described as a "project" with Forest Green Rovers, jumping at the first opportunity to manage an EFL team. While I understand managers moving on, the way he left felt abrupt, and joining a struggling League One side wasn't a great career move. His tenure there reinforced that it was the wrong decision. While it’s nice he has fond memories of Notts, we’ve moved forward. I wouldn't welcome him back, just as I wouldn’t wish to see Luke Williams, Kevin Nolan, or Harry Kewell return.

he was not the worst manager, i do not get the hate towards neal ardley he stuck with notts during a point where nobody was being paid and he was a good person for helping place notts back on track. ian burchnall gets too much credit for the change in philosophy and recruitment which happened above his position. he did well to coach the team, but he was far from perfect. people said ardley would setup in hope for a draw, burchnall was worse because he would remove any hope of getting a point by bringing defenders at the cost of forwards and to do anything you needed changes at the other end. i do dislike the way he left, and his interviews because i thought he was quite dull and boring. as for saying fond things about his time here, its nice but we have moved on. he needs to let it be, as any credit of where notts are now from his time is very limited.

Hello, @JDaykin. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

Hi @JDaykin. Welcome to PON, we are glad to have you here.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @JDaykin. It's great to be welcoming you to the community here.

I'm pleased with this decision. Plenty of opportunities for people to post their political views & opinions on other social media. 

Politics has become very devisive and it is a wise move for PON to shut the door on it. 

i like the changes to limit guests and i hope it encourages people to be more involved, it just takes people to read, comment and get to know members or if they choose to remain private they can but the site is a great community. we are much better off without politics.

It was the right call to make those changes. Politics doesn’t really have a place on a football site, and the arguments often distract from meaningful discussions. If political debates weren’t so intense, it might be interesting to hear people’s views, but most are too emotionally invested in their opinions for that to happen.

The poll has now closed.

I'm pleased to announce that David McGoldrick is the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match v Harrogate.

Sorry for not voting, I hadn't watched the game or listened to the radio coverage. I had planned to go to The Nest with my friends, but obviously that got cancelled due to Notts not being on Sky.

Pleased to see the votes, and David McGoldrick earning the fans support for his performance.

It's great to have secured a playoff place, which every player majorly contributed towards, but Didzy is a different class this season.

Well done to David McGoldrick. He has made a huge difference this season, and his multiple Man of the Match awards prove it.

Be funny if that goal didn’t win our goal of the season (I think it will though). Our shortlist will basically be a Didzy show-reel with Abbott’s Accrington and Cheltenham goals.

I think he can count himself a tad unfortunate not to win League 2's Young Player of the Season. Now, I’m not dissing Nathan Lowe who is a great player, but surely the winner should be a player who has actually played the whole season in League 2 

@menzinho I think football politics was behind Lowe winning it. Abbott being loaned out to Notts from a Premier League Club may have been a factor too, why he wasn't considered, although I hope it wasn't the case.

I’m happy he won, but I wonder how many people actually watched all the goals and how they were narrowed down. It was a brilliant strike, and the way the ball fell made it feel destined to hit the back of the net. Still, I think we’ve seen better goals, especially those with stronger build-up. David McGoldrick’s efforts this season have been outstanding, and it will be interesting when voting opens, assuming Notts doesn’t influence it too much. I wouldn't say George Abbott’s goal is the club’s best this season, but I’m delighted he won the EFL award.

they put a video out showing the worst decisions of the referee ahead of the game, how can a club get away with being this unprofessional? a manager or player cant bring the game into dispute but a club the size of real madrid can. its mad!!

I don't like Real Madrid or Barcelona, both are teams who feel they can bully decisions due to their size, and really it's because of the money involved with those higher up. Real Madrid have several players who are a disgrace to football. Vinicius Junior, for example, he has such a bad attitude, is quite selfish and resorts to cheating tactics if the team isn't winning. I don't mean just diving, or other dark arts, but getting in the faces of the opposition, pushing buttons, and even trying to cause riots with opposition fans. He is someone I used to like to watch, but not any more.

Real Madrid aren't a team that I really like anymore. I think they act like they are football, rather than a football club.

Real Madrid, like other big clubs, seem to get away with too much. No club should be allowed to act in a way that damages the integrity of the game, and the same goes for players. Decisions must be respected, but clubs like Real and Manchester City often behave as if their global status makes them untouchable. It’s the people within these clubs who fail to uphold professionalism.

Yes they’ve done a great job I’d like to see them here next season whatever league we are in.

David McGoldrick has had a remarkable season and could end it on a high note by clinching the League Two Golden Boot. It would be fitting given that this might be one of his final seasons. Whether he continues for another year remains uncertain, but he's certainly shown he's capable. Alassana Jatta has also been pivotal in our push for promotion, and it's wonderful to see him gaining recognition by representing Gambia as a Notts player. I wish them both the best in their race to finish as the top scorer.

They have pretty much carried the team in terms of goal-scoring this season. Jodi despite barely playing all season is our 3rd top scorer with 5... That's quite a drop off. Whatever league we are in next season we do need other players to step up a bit when it comes to putting the ball into the back of the net.

It's never over till it's over @ARLukomski.I'm not taking anything for granted.

Hold your horses @ARLukomski, we've had a few people get 15 points this season. And there's a non-zero chance of my laptop blowing up and me having to make up some numbers on the final day!

The results:

Hull City 0-1 Derby County
Preston North End 1-2 Plymouth Argyle
Burton Albion 2-1 Cambridge United
Crawley Town 3-0 Northampton Town
Fleetwood Town 2-0 Newport County
Salford City 4-1 Colchester United
Boston United 2-1 Gateshead
Forest Green Rovers 1-0 Oldham Athletic

---

Congratulations to @Dan, who wins his second round in the last three!

---

This is what our league table looks like heading into the final game. @super_ram leads @ARLukomski by 11 points, @Robbie looks set for third unless I find some points down the back of the sofa, and some positions look up for grabs in the lower half of the top ten...

---

And on that bombshell, I'll sign off for this round. The final round of fixtures will be posted by Wednesday. See you all then for the final instalment!

A  Pesata in the leccy meter will cure it!!!!!