Welcome to PON, @ASHLEY GUY.  

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

Hello, @ASHLEY GUY. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. We are a great bunch of fans, who all enjoy discussing Notts. You will be made to feel at home, and respected. I hope to see you join in.

Hello, @Michael Bramley. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham!

You don't have to be an active Notts fan to be involved, just share your thoughts to what you think. You would be surprised just how much taking part could get you up to speed with Notts. We are a friendly group. When you can, my guide to the site might help you settle in further.

On 11/02/2025 at 13:28, Chris said:

Hello, @Michael Bramley,

It's really nice to see you have joined us here. I apologise for not taking the time to welcome you sooner on site. It's been nice going down memory lane with my father @super_ram, who you have since confirmed the connection with your own father. As I have mentioned, I have heard stories about yourself and your father, Albert, and it is such a wonderful thing to have stumbled across paths in such a manner. Thank you for joining and exchanging emails.

I hope you enjoy being part of our Notts County community here. 🖤🤍

Hello Michael,I am overwhelmed to see that you are who I thought you might be.What are the chances after all these years.Chris sent me the PM that you replied to him and I hope you don't mind sharing my response with all the members here on PoN.

You told Chris you would be interested to learn how I knew your dad.Well here goes,perhaps their will be a few names you remember your dad mentioning.I started working for Simon,May in September 1963 in the quaintly named counting house with Chief Clerk,Frank Powdrill,basiclally as a gopher-go for this ,go for that..More on Mr Powdrill later.I transferred to 'S' Export dispatch the following spring.I should have reported for work on the Monday morning but due to toothache I was at the dentist instead.When I turned up for work later that day(minus the offending tooth) I dont think your dad was initially too impressed with the reason I gave for my lateness.My workmates along with your dad were,Eddie(can't remember his surname) ,along with 3 women packers,Kathleen Woodward,Irene Pearson & Joan Edwards.On the same floor was the 'S' department Home trade with Frank Holmes and his packer Ernest Rowe.You may remember Malcolm Baker, who always pestered your dad if he found out you were having a break from Newcastle because he requested you go play Hockey ,I believe for West Bridgford.

When Eddie left I became your dad's assistant .I could hardly miss the fact your dad was a Notts fan and when he found out I was a Rams fan we found a shared interest in football.We used to exchange match reports on the morning after games.We also shared the same sense of humour with Monty Python especially..In fact there was a time when Bram(as your dad was affectionately known)was off work ill for a lengthy period.On his return he presented me with a Monty Python book for covering for him whilst he was off work.Something I didn't expect but shows what your dad was like..Incidently I became a member of the Littlewoods pools syndicate that he ran.He told me a lot of stories about Notts and football in general.This, along with my father in laws support of Notts ,is why Notts are my second team and why I'm here on Pride of Nottingham.Bram told me he used to meet up with his sisters and they'd attend games together.I remember wishing him luck for his last match and the shock we all had  the next morning when we all learned of his passing.I was taken to the funeral by Bill Robinson and with many other Simon,May personell.I missed him very much after working with him for so long as he treated me so well and as a friend.

On a lighter note I mentioned Frank Powdrill earlier.Well after being made redundant at Simon,May's I was employed by a Dairy as Stores Manager,I was taking a a break late in the afternoon and went to the canteen for a drink and sat at a table where there was a discarded Nottingham Post.This would be around 2004,about 40 years after I started at Simon,May's.I picked the paper up and there was an article about Mr Powdrill.Notts had made a presentation to him ,I believe it was on his 100th birthday and as a longtime County fan.There's another coincidence.

Well there we are Michael,I hope this was of some interest to you  and don't be a stranger.Barry(super_ram)

Hello, @Michael Bramley. It's great to read the connection you have with @super_ram. I can see why your father thought a lot of him, because well, he's super! Even if you don't attend games you will be welcome to share your thoughts on PON. Sometimes an outside view makes a good insight, so please don't be put off. Welcome to the community from me.

Hello, @Colcard.

Are you related to James Sanderson? Don't feel obliged to answer, it's just nice to have you amongst our community regardless. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community, so welcome.

Hi Chris,

Yeah, proud Dad of James 👍.

Many thanks for the warm welcome...clearly missed many other welcome messages also, so again many thanks. 😊

Hello, @Colcard. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, I am pleased you have joined us.

James Sanderson looks to have a bright future, most Notts fans are desperate to see a youngster break through into the first team. Fingers crossed it will be your, James! 🙏🏻

welcome to the pride of nottingham, @andrew lord. i hope you find the site fun and become a regular contributor to pon.

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

Hello, @andrew lord. Welcome to PON, I hope to see you online and sharing your thoughts in the future.

Hello, @Charlie_ncfc. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. It's nice to see you have joined us.

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

Hello, @Charlie_ncfc. Welcome to the PON site and community, be sure to join in when you can.

To be honest, I didn't know that dark Toblerone was a thing.

Do you like it, @Piethagoram?

I’m not a fan of it, or even the regular version. The texture puts me off. I don’t like white or dark chocolate either. Milk chocolate is the only one I enjoy, and even then, it depends a lot on what it’s paired with. I was surprised when Poundland copied it with their Twin Peaks.

Hello and welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. I am pleased to see another new member recently join the community. It would be great to see you join in @piedestrian.

Aren't we all piedestrian?  At least Notts fans???

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

I love the choice in username! Great decision!! 👍🏻👏🏻

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @piedestrian. If your username is any indication to your personality, I think you would fit right in and I would highly encourage you to spread more humour within the PON community. It's great to have you here.

Hello, welcome to PON @John Wardle. How long have you supported Notts?

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

It is lovely to have exchanged emails upon your arrival, thank you so much for getting back to me.

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @John Wardle. It's great to be welcoming you, and although I am late. I do want to say welcome and hello. I hope by now you feel settled and familiar with the site.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @padma. Great to have you with us.

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

Welcome to PON, @padma. It's nice to be saying hello, even if I am late to doing so.

Another belated welcome from me, this time to @Scimitar76.Come on dip your bread.We're not too bad !

Hello, @Scimitar76. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. I hope you enjoy being part of our Notts County community.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Scimitar76. Sorry to be saying hello so late, but I am delighted to see you have joined. Don't forget to join in when time allows you, just share what you feel and when you can.

Hello, @The Cheshunt Pie. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, we are delighted to be saying hello to you.

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

PS. Is the "Cheshunt" pie related to a business? I noticed on Saturday, when Notts played Morecambe at Meadow Lane. A company's vehicle went past me and parked; I noticed two Notts fans get out of the van. It could be a coincidence, but it made me wonder. 

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @The Cheshunt Pie. Great choice is usernames! 👍🏻👏🏻

welcome to the pride of nottingham, @Helen Measures.

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

Thank you for your support; I do hope to see you return in the future.

Hello, @Helen Measures. I am sorry that it's taken so long to welcome you, but just like the others before me. I am very pleased to be welcoming you to the Pride of Nottingham.

Welcome to the Prde of Nottingham, @DistantBard24. We hope to see you join in when you feel like it, it would be good to see your thoughts being shared.

Hello, @DistantBard24. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, I hope you enjoy being part of our Notts County community.

Hello @DistantBard24, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. It's very nice to be welcoming you, even though I am late to it. I hope to see you around the community!

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @TFP. The site has been great since I have been a member, and everyone is very welcoming. Keep share more of your thoughts on Notts with us.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @TFP. Its not a bad way to introduce yourself.

Hello, @TFP. Sorry I missed your arrival to PON. I do want to extend the welcomes and say that it's great to have you here.

@k9muers, its good to have you here, welcome to pon! i hope you enjoy the site and manage to find time to join in with discussions etc.  

A warm PoN welcome from me too  @k9muers and good to see you telling us a bit about yourself.

Hello, @k9muers. Sorry I missed your arrival, but it is great to see you that you have posted and setup your profile. Please don't forget about the community, just join in when you can. Until I see you again, welcome from me and enjoy the site!

5 hours ago, Scotty said:

If Donny beat Bradford (highly possible) and Wimbledon beat Port Vale (highly unlikely) then Donny will have won the league before they come to Meadow Lane for the last game of the season. If this is the case, then they'd have had a few beers and won't be as aggressive as they will if they need to win.... then we have chance. 

Lots of permutations in the offing in this league as we enter the last two games.

There will be lots of twists and turns before those games are done.

It would be very unlucky if we were to slip out of the playoffs now, but stranger things have happened. However, I look at the season, I think we have grown and done well as a club who is only in their second season back within the English Football League.

But in typical Notts fashion, it's going to go down to the wire.

The only team I can see potentially edging themselves into the playoffs is Colchester United. Ideally, we'll get a positive result at the weekend and they drop points, leaving the playoffs final spaces to be fought between Grimsby Town and whoever can challenge them. It's going to be interesting, though I hope some of our supporters can get over this Maynard out stuff and just back the team or club, as they say managers come and go.

Missing out on the playoffs would be a major disappointment, much like how we felt when we deserved promotion in the National League but underperformed in the playoff final against Chesterfield. That’s why I believe Walsall deserves a place in the automatics, they’ve shown they belong. I found their fans calling for the manager’s dismissal perplexing, even during a rough patch. Their situation highlights how harmony and unity are essential for clubs striving for promotion.

More rotten luck for Notts once again.I wish Nick a speedy recovery. His absence will be a big blow to Notts as Nick has been very influential on the left as well as the right in his roll of wingback this season.

Another blow to our hopes of promotion, I wish Nick a speedy recovery, he would have been an important player in the last few games.

Nick Tsaroulla’s injury is unfortunate, but it’s not the end of the world. At this stage, it’s reasonable to expect a significant layoff given the nature of the injury. With two guaranteed games remaining and the playoffs highly likely, it’s unrealistic to hope for a quick return. I send my best wishes to him for a strong recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch when he’s ready.

Why is the game at Harrogate Town a 1pm kick off.....no sign of the game on Sky+ schedule????

I think we can finally put our automatic dreams to bed now. From those 16 matches that were initially posted we've picked up just 16 points (with 2 still to play) and we’ve only won 2 of our last 8, it’s quite amazing it’s remained a possibility for so long but it was always looking less and less likely...

I thought we would manage to get back into the automatics by this stage, but it's not going to be, and whilst there's talk of it still being mathematically possible. In all seriousness, our form suggests otherwise, and if we are unlucky, we might slip out of the playoffs if we don't at least get 4 points or the remaining fixtures go our way. I still believe our squad is good enough for promotion, and I feel playoffs will be achieved, but the season has been a good one regardless.

It's a shame, but I think the club handled the injuries and recruitment well. Mai Traore looks like he's finally settling, and could be a good asset for next season.

If we remain at this level, Notts wouldn't have to do so much to improve ahead of competing with other League Two teams. I think more extensive improvements would be required if we do secure promotion. We need Junior Morias' position covering, with another optional striker to take off the burden. The future of David McGoldrick is unknown at this stage, and defensively we could do with a few more improvements.

We have a good core squad for both situations, which is pleasing, but I really hope whatever happens we really send a message that we are not there to survive (League One) or settle for playoffs (League Two), but make a bold strategic move to establish ourselves as a good League One team, or a firm promotion favourite with a squad that has the depth to rally when our form dips or injuries happen.

I am not suggesting the club blows the players wage budget and risks the future. I am just saying it would be a big confidence boost to see us not "settle" but continue to build well.

Hull City v Preston North End 1-2

Millwall v Norwich City 2-1

Lincoln City v Bolton Wanderers 0-2

Wigan Athletic v Rotherham United 1-1

Accrington Stanley v Carlisle United 2-1 Joker

Chesterfield v Bradford City 1-1

Eastleigh v Yeovil Town 0-2

Wealdstone v Maidenhead United 2-0

Hull City 1 - 0 Preston North End

Millwall 2 - 0 Norwich City

Lincoln City 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderers

Wigan Athletic 2 - 1 Rotherham United

Accrington Stanley 2 - 1 Carlisle United

Chesterfield 1 - 2 Bradford City

Eastleigh 2 - 1 Yeovil Town

Wealdstone 3 - 1 Maidenhead United(Joker)

The results:

Hull City 2-1 Preston North End
Millwall 3-1 Norwich City
Lincoln City 4-2 Bolton Wanderers
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Rotherham United
Accrington Stanley 1-1 Carlisle United
Chesterfield 3-3 Bradford City
Eastleigh 1-0 Yeovil Town
Wealdstone 1-1 Maidenhead United

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Well done to @menzinho, who scooped one of the season's biggest scores!

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No change in this week's table, with @super_ram leading the way with two rounds to go:

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Round 45 is coming up on Saturday, the fixtures will be posted tonight. Thanks for playing!

On 22/04/2025 at 14:54, Robbie said:

I think it would be the height of stupidity to make a short term appointment for the last 2 games & maybe 3 further games in the playoffs.
44 games have gone by & credit has to be given to Stuart for getting Notts into this position. It's not the time for the owners to panic.

I agree entirely, I don’t think the brother are the panicking types, they will take a cool, calm measured view of the season and act if/when the time is right.

On 15/04/2025 at 15:28, Robbie said:

The owners obviously think that Maynard can cope with a smaller coaching staff, otherwise they would have recruited more help after the brothers left.

Or they (and possibly SM) have someone specific in mind who isn't free yet. Maybe from one of the other clubs they're involved with? Wild speculation on my part.

Only the players can really say whether fewer coaches has had a negative effect.

10 minutes ago, DangerousSausage said:

Or they (and possibly SM) have someone specific in mind who isn't free yet. Maybe from one of the other clubs they're involved with? Wild speculation on my part.

Only the players can really say whether fewer coaches has had a negative effect.

I do expect some movement in the coaching department once the season is over. 

Another class act from David McGoldrick, he gets my vote.

The poll has now closed. Thanks to all who voted. It was a close poll, however David McGoldrick has been chosen as the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match v Cheltenham.

Well done David.

A worthy winner. 

I'm only writing now as I was very mardy last night.

That was absolutely there for the taking, and there was so much at stake. I thought we played well in the first half, we created plenty of openings and thoroughly deserved to go in ahead. Until about the 60th minute there was only one team in it, but after that we grew increasingly passive, started dropping back under pressure and this gave Cheltenham the space to play and carve out chances. You could definitely see the equaliser coming. As for Platt and Bedeau's lamentable attempts to clear the ball before their first goal, this is L2 and the occasional clearance is going to get scuffed. It's the sort of thing that happens when you don't put the game to bed and start sitting back instead.

The sames goes for their winner - a great goal, reminiscent of McGoldrick against Bradford. But if we'd put a couple of goals' distance between us and Cheltenham when we were on top, it would never have happened.

With hindsight I'd have started Jarvis and Whitaker instead of Traore. Whitaker would have given us an attacking outlet in the middle of the pitch, while Traore was anonymous. I was a bit disappointed by Jones, but realistically he's been injured a long time and isn't match fit yet. We probably won't see the best of him this season, so I don't blame the manager for leaving him on the bench.

Missed opportunities and bad decisions on and off the pitch. I was a bad day all round. We've got a point to prove this weekend.

Two games to go, possibly 5. I would play Whittaker & Jarvis from the start every match. Jones is not fully fit so he would be on the bench. 

Jarvis can be a real handful for opponents so he has to start before Jones until Jodi is fully fit. 

For me there is also a question mark about Palmer in the starting eleven. I don't think he's the same player since he came back from injury. 

I would be inclined to play Hinchy & Abbott together in midfield & have Palmer on the bench. Notts have to go for the win on Saturday, as I believe one win will be enough to secure a playoff spot.

Jarvis for definite @Robbie, Whitaker I’m not so sure about as he is a bit weak. Totally agree about Palmer, he’s always been the guy that makes us tick, but too often this season he has just been content with sideways passes and has lost a yard of pace. JJ is a different matter, if we make the playoffs he is vital to us and he needs to get match fit sharpish, so he will only do that by starting.

I would prefer us to play three in the middle with Didzy playing further up and alongside Jatta, too often we get outnumbered in the middle of the park so playing a central three would address that.

Is it true that Mark Draper's brother played for Long Eaton United? Several fans over the years have told me this, I can't say, but those who have said that his brother was the better player, which is hard to imagine.

Great to see them reaching the playoffs, I wish them well in them.

@Chris I searched for a connection but only found this.

The search results indicate several connections between Draper &  Long Eaton United. Firstly, Mark Draper, a former professional footballer, was born in Long Eaton. He played for various clubs, including Leicester City, Aston Villa, and Southampton. Secondly, there's a reference to a Jamie Draper playing for Coventry Sphinx and playing against Long Eaton United. Thirdly, Danny Draper scored a goal for Wellingborough Town in a match against Long Eaton United.

Source Google.

Looks like there are only loose connection, but someone else may know different.

End of the third days play and a very productive one for Notts.

Warwickshire are 163 for 6. They trail Notts by 111 runs.

The fourth days play is delayed due to rain.

Update.

Update.

Update..

The bad light hasn't improved so the match has been called off & declared a draw.