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- Comment on the Richard Montague interview here
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- PoN member theAnticlough poses a new set of questions about the team, click here.
- Notts confirm Belshaw signing
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Game 16 - The Exiles (H)
Team: Newport County
Date: 28/10/17
Where: Meadow Lane
What line-up should Kevin Nolan opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?
Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.
In terms of Notts County fixtures, October is now over and done with, and it's been a case of mixed fortunes this month.
I wrote at the start of the month about how a relatively easy month on paper could have caught the Notts players out due to complacency and, at certain times, it seemed like that's just what happened.
So from 5 League Two games - a possible 15 points - we've got 8, but crucially finished the month on a high note with a much improved display and a 3-0 win over Newport in the last game.
What would you rate the month out of 10? Let us know!
Fitzsimons 7.5 Apart from one error in not coming for cross which Shola expected him to claim, looks a very good keeper
Tootle 7 Always feel that something is going to happen when he delivers into the box. Manned up in tough encounter
Duffy 6 Rightly booked
Brisley 6.5 Does the simple things right, don't take any chances like clearing the ball well
Dicko 6.5 Much more confident now
Hawkridge 7.5 Energy, energy energy with some nice play too
Yates 6 Battles well to win 2nd ball
Hewitt 6.5 One great run to put in covering tackle when rest of side was beaten for pace.
Grant 7 the side needs someย class and Grant does provide it in patches
Stead 6 Looks short of pace and unlucky with one flick finish in the second half
Shola 7.5 reminders of Lee Hughes control of the ball. always looking to bring players into play
ย
Subs
Walker 7 ...nearly goal of the season shot
Forte 6.5 movement but perhaps needed more time
Hunt 6 slots in well to cover Toots
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Saturday's Fixtures:
Norwich City v Derby County
Reading v Middlesbrough
Portsmouth v Bradford City
Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
Forest Green Rovers v Morecambe
Mansfield Town v Exeter City
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Newport County? 6 members have voted
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1. Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Newport County?
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Ross Fitzsimons0
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Matt Tootle2
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Richard Duffy0
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Shaun Brisley0
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Carl Dickinson0
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Terry Hawkridge0
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Ryan Yates0
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Elliott Hewitt0
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Jorge Grant0
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Jon Stead0
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Shola Ameobi4
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Liam Walker0
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Nicky Hunt0
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Jonathan Forte0
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Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.
Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Newport County?
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I've read a few comments now about our lack of a plan B and our reliance on long balls. At the same time, the squad rotation this season has shown that we do have a number of interesting options this season.
From watching fourth division football in Germany I've become a bit of a fan of the 4-2-3-1 system. At that time the manager knew that was how he wanted to play and picked the players to suit it. I think Notts have the players to fit it too.
In the centre you have two holding midfielders protecting the defence and another one behind the striker. This gives you an extra man in the centre and helps you dominate midfield. So for the holding position you could have two of Hewitt, Milsom and Yates, or one of them alongside Walker or Thompson. Plenty of options there and can be adapted according to the opposition. Grant orย Noble would be ideal forย the number 10 role as they could link up the attack and get into shooting positions.
But what you really need for this formation areย two wide players who can cut in and support the striker up front when you're on the ball and cover the full backs when you're not. Rather than just playing down the byline like traditional wingers they'd look to cut inside and link up with the striker rather than just crossing to him. For that you need two players who are good on the ball, creative but who also cover a lot of ground and are willing to muck in defensively. I could see Alessandro and Hawkridge doing this. I don't rate Forte as a winger but I'd rate him in this role. Then of course there's Grant if Noble are playing as number 10.
Finally you need a striker who can play with his back to goal and bring others into the game. That's Stead's speciality. And with Grant, Alessandro and Hawkridge supporting him he'd have more options too.
It's a good system for playing football. With two conventional strikersย your second striker spends most of the game chasing flick-ons and scraps and has little impact on the game. It makes more sense to utilise that man in midfield instead to help us control the game more, especially when we have so many options in that area.
Possible team:
Fitzsimmons
Tootle - Brisley - Duffy - Jones
ย ย ย ย ย Milsom - Thompson
Alessandro - Grant - Hawkridge
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Stead
What do you think?
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Last night, I caught-up with the BBC documentary: "Sir Bobby Charlton at 80". For anyone who's not yet seen it, the documentary followed the ups and downs of this Legendary footballer's career and also featured other (younger) footballers talking about their time working with, and around him.
A very interesting ethos that Sir Bobby appeared to have been taught when he first arrived at Manchester United (and which he gladly passed on to the likes of Beckham, Giggs, Cantona and any others who followed in his footsteps at Man U) was that "behind all the gardens, yards and terraces of the local Manchester area, were men and women who did shift work in factories and worked extremely hard all week long, to then utilise a part of their hard-earned money to come to Old Traffordย 'to be entertained' by the football played. Charlton, said the younger men, a) never failed to forget it and b)ย never failed to pass it on to the younger lads.
In view of the recent comments by KN regarding Notts fans, which clearly (to me) demonstrates that perhaps Charlton's ethos is currently 'unimportant'; 'doesn't matter' 'forgotten about' or 'disregarded'ย at Meadow Lane, who's right?
Is it Charlton for believing - to this day, as he continues to represent Man U - that his job WAS/IS to 'entertainย paying fans' or KN who appears not to like fans criticizing his decisions, having a voice or whatever else he was trying to say in his recent 'rant?
I'd be very interested to hear too, whether others think this 'respect' for fee-paying supporters is 'old school'; needs to be reinstated or doesn't/shouldn't matter, today?
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does anyone else think the constant changes made by nolan has impacted the recent run? i think its a big part of the issue.
we seemed fine when the changes was being made for the reason of injuries or to give players a rest but recently we are making them needlessly imo.
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Can you name five things that you have learned so far during the 2017/2018 season from a Notts County perspective?
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Use the template above to list your answers, please do try to explain the thoughts behind it - I think this will be interesting. Lets try to keep this constructive, yet don't be afraid of being branded as negative.
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Ross Fitzsimons has performed admirably since taking to the Notts County goal in the absence of the sidelined Adam Collin.
When Collin returns from injury, should he be slotted back in between the sticks for the first team, or should Fitzsimons be kept in the starting XI?
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EFL - The Stags (H)
Team: Mansfield Town
Date: 24/10/17
Where: Meadow Lane
What line-up should Kevin Nolan opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?
Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.
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17 hours ago, Mark Connors said:It will nett us ยฃ10000 if we win(not to be sniffed at,at our level) it will give fringe players some fitness and give KN an opportunity to have a look if they are ready for first team action so it's a win win - Joe think you are looking at it a bit narrowly.
I disagree, the introduction of Premiership 'B' teams into the competition was a sinister move and I have no doubt it is the thin end of a wedge that will see them pushing for Football League status before too long.ย Even though lower league fans were massively against the change, the cash they bunged was enough to see most (such as Alan Hardy) surrender.ย Even though it has always been an uninspiring competition, I used to attend the home games but even if we got to Wembley I wouldn't attend a game while 'B' teams are involved.ย Act now unless you are happy to see Notts County v Manchester United 'B' as a league fixture.ย What the Premiership wants the Premiership usually gets, and this is definitely something they want.
19 hours ago, Mark Connors said:It will nett us ยฃ10000 if we win(not to be sniffed at,at our level) it will give fringe players some fitness and give KN an opportunity to have a look if they are ready for first team action so it's a win win - Joe think you are looking at it a bit narrowly.
Perhaps the Premier League teams would like to show just how much it means to them by having the inclusion of their B teams by offering a fee per win which actually respects lower tier teams like ourselves?
20k isn't really anything, some teams will be lucky to get 40k throughout the competition.
This within its own right highlights why clubs need to take it seriously, and if they can't - well I think it just goes to show how pathetic the re-branding of the JPT is.
The Lincoln game will be very interesting.
dont care and i think the clubs stopped caring also.
Game 15 - Cumbrians (A)
Team: Carlisle United
Date: 21/10/17
Where: Brunton Park
What line-up should Kevin Nolan opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?
Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.
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1
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1
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1
difficult game but pleased we got the point. i think we are running out of ideas due to the limitations in the squad tho. 
nolan needs to think about things a little more.
The first half was quite poor for Notts.
We didn't seem able to use the ball all that well and we played in a similar fashion to previous games which allowed Carlisle to play us off the park. I think they should have been at least 3-0 by that point and I would say we are lucky withย the draw.
That is why I would take the point but its hard not to feel disappointed. Same old Notts I am afraid!
First half was dire, really there are worse words I could use to describe it with but I will stick with that considering peopleย cant accept others point of views.
I thought we played quite well in the second half and we scored a well worked goal. I do not see how Kevin feels we should have won the game because I felt the better team was Carlisle. I do think we matched them better in the second half and assumed control of the game well.
Good point? Yes but the performance really needs to be consistent.
Saturday's Fixtures:
Barnsley v Hull City
Bristol City v Leeds United
Blackpool v Wigan Athetic
Bradford City v Charlton Athletic
Newport County v Mansfield Town
Swindon Town v Wycombe Wanderers
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Carlisle United? 12 members have voted
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1. Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Carlisle United?
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Ross Fitzsimons9
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Matt Tootle0
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Richard Duffy0
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Shaun Brisley0
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Carl Dickinson0
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Terry Hawkridge0
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Elliott Hewitt0
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Ryan Yates2
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Jorge Grant1
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Shola Ameobi0
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Jon Stead0
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Lewis Alessandra0
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Alan Smith0
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Nicky Hunt0
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Carlisle United?
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It's a bit of a paradox that, although we have been lucky enough to call Meadow Lane our home for over 100 years, we spend our matchdays at a modern ground. Now work clearly needed to be done in the early 1990s, but it's also a shame that so little of the old ground was kept.
This brings me on to our topic - what is actually the oldest part of our ground? The sports centre that forms the back of the Family Stand was built in 1981 (it was originally supposed to be a new stand, but as Jack Dunnett was unhappy with our crowds it wasn't finished under his stewardship and we spent the 80s playing in front of a wall). The tree between the Main Stand and the Family Stand predates both stands by a long way and has a protection order, but calling it part of the ground is stretching it.
One other thing does spring to mind though - I've only ever been in the Family Stand a couple of times, but I seem to remember going through quite an old-fashioned turnstile on the way in. Is this part of the old ground? Or did I dream it all?
Can any of you think of other remnants of the past at Meadow Lane?
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Hey guys,
For a long time I've steered clear of Twitter but I've just created a new account.
So if you fancy, get following!
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Crewe Alexandra? 1 member has voted
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1. Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Crewe Alexandra?
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Ross Fitzsimons1
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Matt Tootle0
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Richard Duffy0
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Elliott Hewitt0
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Carl Dickinson0
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Terry Hawkridge0
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Ryan Yates0
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Rob Milsom0
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Liam Walker0
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Jonathan Forte0
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Lewis Alessandra0
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Jorge Grant0
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Shola Ameobi0
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Jon Stead0
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Crewe Alexandra?
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Saturday's Fixtures:
Barnsley v Hull City
Bristol City v Leeds United
Blackpool v Wigan Athetic
Bradford City v Charlton Athletic
Newport County v Mansfield Town
Swindon Town v Wycombe Wanderers
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Tuesday night's Fixtures:
Oxford United v Charlton Athletic
Scunthorpe United v Fleetwood Town
Southend United v Peterborough United
Crawley Town v Chesterfield
Exeter City v Luton Town
Swindon Town v Lincoln City
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Name: Meet the Fans 17/18 - Barnet FC (14/10/2017)
Category: Meet the Fans
Date Added: 2017-10-17
Submitter: Chris
Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for Notts County's 2-1 win over Barnet and interviewed several Magpies fans ahead of kickoff.
Questions asked include what the fans thought of Liam Noble's return to Notts County, the team's problem areas, and whether the Magpies have been overachieving at present.
If you would like to feature in future Meet the Fans videos, get in touch! Feel free to submit potential questions below and we will look into asking them.ย
Be sure to subscribe, share, like and comment - Your support is greatly appreciated.ย
Visit us on:ย
Website: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/
Community: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/community/
Don't forget to register on our site, look out for us on social media and at live games. COYP!
Meet the Fans 17/18 - Barnet FC (14/10/2017)
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3
Notts are ball 31 for the FA Cup Draw
Who do we want in the first round?
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Game 14 - The Alex (A)
Team: Crewe Alexandra
Date: 17/10/17
Where: Alexandra Stadium
What line-up should Kevin Nolan opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?
Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.
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Very, very poor half.
Not sure what kind of tactics we are supposed to be playing to. We've hoofed almost every ball to Alessandra and Forte. In all fairness, the two of them have won **** all and Forte in particular looks lazy. They are never gonna win Dicko's hit and hope to nowhere balls, Toots seems to be mirroring his fellow full-back. Neither Milsom nor Yates are capable of picking the right through ball to unlock Crewe's defence. If we continue with these two up-front, we need a Grant, and perhaps Walker in the middle, to thread those passes through. Yates is generally hoofing it aswell.
Defence doesn't look great, Hewitt seems OKish but Duffy looks vulnerable.ย
Mention to Fitzsimmons who hasn't done anything wrong and has good distribution. Either change the front two or put someone in the centre of the park that can pass forward on the floor and let the full backs know not to mindlessly hoof it, or in Dicko's case, play a short ball to anyone else who is capable of passing with some accuracy.ย
Based of a starting point of 5:
Fitzsimmons - 7ย - Didn't do anything wrong, no chance with either goal. Good distribution.
Tootle - 2 - Rubbish in possession. Aimless hoofs forward.
Hewitt - 1 - Couldn't deal with Porter. Headless chicken.
Duffy - 1 - See Hewitt.
Dickinson - 3ย - Technically barely a footballer, can't pass but defended half-decently.
Walker - 3 - Not in the game. Feel a bit sorry for him, clearly one of our technically better footballers but put out wide right and must have neck-ache watching the balls ping pong over his head.
Yates - 2 - Poor. Can't pass forward. Bossed by Crewe's midfield.
Milsom - 2 - Needs new boots, spent most of the game on the floor. Other than that, passed sideways and backwards. As with Yates, overran by Crewe's midfield.
Hawkridge - 1 - Didn't win anything, crap in possession, weak physically and so predictable with the cut in from the left. Lost the ball endlessly.
Alessandra - 1 - Ghost. Didn't win anything at any point in the game, no creativity.
Forte - 1 - Won **** all. Looked lazy.ย
Grant - 5 - Offered some technical ability that was lacking. Nothing came off though.
Stead - 5 - Won a couple of balls. As with Grant, nothing came off.
Ameobi - 4.5 - At least put himself about. Didn't really do owt though.
Nolan - 2 - Not sure what tactics he was trying to play. If you're going to play two pacey strikers, put someone in the centre of midfield who can actually pass forward. Grant or Walker would have sufficed. Instead, and I'm hoping this wasn't the instruction, we had Yates, Dickinson and Tootle doing their best Haydn Hollis impression and seeing how high they could smack the ball in the general direction of the other half of the field.ย
Ref & linesman - 3 - Strange decisions and equally bad for both sides, but at least it was somewhat balanced. Were influenced by Crewe's managers' weird touchline antics.ย
ย
I missed it last night but it did seem a strange decision to play Forte and Alessandro - who both need the ball played to feet - and leave our best ball-playing midfielder on the bench for an hour. If we're going to play the big boot then we might as well play the big men who can win the arial challenges.
I'm a bit concerned that KN has started to believe the hype. We've got some decent players on board but we're not so good that we can afford to drop a player of Grant's quality, especially when his replacement is playing out of position and hasn't really arrived in professional football yet. Although I think it's an attempt at man management, dropping players like that could be interpreted as arrogance by the opposition.
Name: Highlights: Notts County 2-1 Barnet
Category: Match Highlights
Date Added: 2017-10-16
Submitter: Chris
Notts County v Barnet
Highlights: Notts County 2-1 Barnet
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Barnet? 7 members have voted
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1. Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Barnet?
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Adam Collin0
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Matt Tootle1
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Richard Duffy0
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Shaun Brisley0
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Carl Dickinson0
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Lewis Alessandra1
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Ryan Yates3
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Rob Milsom1
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Jorge Grant0
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Shola Ameobi0
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Jon Stead0
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Ross Fitzsimons1
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Jonathan Forte0
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Elliott Hewitt0
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Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Barnet?
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Saturday's Fixtures:
Brentford v Millwall
Norwich City v Hull City
Oldham Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
Rotherham United v Scunthorpe United
Luton Town v Stevenage
Wycombe Wanderers v Exeter City
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https://www.newport-county.co.uk/news/2017/october/report-notts-county-away/
Decent win.
Iโm currently away with my family for Halloween and I heard the score whilst purchasing some food in Skegness. There was a lot of praise from the pundits speaking about League Two, mostly for Shola Ameobi.
Pleasing to see us end the month well, just hoping the performance was better?
Second half was much better @Chris, first half until the sending off was a bit scrappy and probably even between the two sides. I must admit that before the sending off,ย I saw nothing special from Newport suggesting that we might lose the game and thought that if we could get a goal, we would have won comfortably.
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