Even better than my 3 for 2 Christmas sock deal I got!

Superb news that he'll be here for the future. Is he even underrated anymore? I think everyone knows how important he is for the way we play and he's arguably improved this season too.

This is how Notts should be handling contracts, we're performing well and morale is probably at the highest it has been within the squad for years. At these points, you get your best players nailed down with good contract lengths.

Yes, not all players will agree to extend their stay but when you leave things off, they're bound to be tempted elsewhere.

If we accept that we might only get a few years out of a player, without selling the club's ambition to players, then I just feel it shows a major lack in that department. Yes, Notts extended Cal Roberts deal when he was here, but more players haven't - with that common "I'm focusing on my game and performances right now." Personally, when I read or hear this, I assume the players have already decided to leave.

Well done Notts for extending Matty Palmer's stay! He's a brilliant asset and someone we can further shape the squad around.

matt palmer extending his stay is a positive bit of news, technically hes solid at this level and will only grow in his importance as we push to return to the football league.

Bristol City 1-0 Birmingham City

Cardiff City 2-0 Wigan Athletic (joker)

Cambridge United 1-2 Morecambe

Fleetwood Town 1-1 Oxford United

Ipswich Town 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

Gillingham 0-2 Hartlepool United

Rochdale 1-1 Colchester United

Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Walsall

Been absolutely shafted by Cardiff and Ipswich late on

The results:

Bristol City 4-2 Birmingham City
Cardiff City 1-1 Wigan Athletic
Cambridge United P-P Morecambe
Fleetwood Town 1-2 Oxford United
Ipswich Town 1-1 Plymouth Argyle
Gillingham 2-0 Hartlepool United
Rochdale 1-2 Colchester United
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Walsall

---

Several of you got your jokers right, including our top scorer @DonnyNotts!

@DonnyNotts - 11
@nottsnutter - 10
@jimbob - 8
@barnet11uk - 7
@Dan, @magpiejue, @super_ram, @4everapie, @DangerousSausage, @GrannyPie - 4
@ARLukomski - 3
@Dripsey3, @gtownjohnno - 2
@Megan_Elizax - 1

---

It remains maddeningly close. @barnet11uk moves level with @ARLukomski in joint second:

Dripsey3 - 139
barnet1uk - 133
ARLukomski - 133
gtownjohnno - 123
Dan - 121
magpiejue -119
super_ram - 113
4everapie - 110
DangerousSausage - 109
GrannyPie - 108
DonnyNotts - 107
nottsnutter - 99
Megan_Elizax - 97
jimbob - 86
Chris - 72
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

So that's yer lot, the next round is on Saturday and will be posted in midweek. This thread will remain open for gloating / hilarious banter, otherwise, have a good week and I'll see you then!

Charlton Athletic 0-2 Lincoln City

Morecambe 2-1 Cheltenham Town

Crewe Alexandra 0-2 AFC Wimbledon

Harrogate Town 2-0 Colchester United

Mansfield Town 2-0 Barrow

Dagenham & Redbridge 1-2 Woking (Joker)

Southend United 1-2 Solihull Moors

York City 2-1 Maidstone United

Sorry about the delay - was going to add up the scores tonight but ended up writing a very long email instead. I'll try and get it done tomorrow.

The results:

Charlton Athletic 2-1 Lincoln City
Morecambe 2-1 Cheltenham Town
Crewe Alexandra 0-0 AFC Wimbledon
Harrogate Town 1-3 Colchester United
Mansfield Town 2-3 Barrow
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-2 Woking
Southend United 3-0 Solihull Moors
York City 4-1 Maidstone United

---

Congratulations to @Dripsey3, our highest scorer! And @barnet11uk and @super_ram also made double figures...

@Dripsey3 - 11
@barnet11uk, @super_ram - 10
@gtownjohnno - 8
@DangerousSausage, @jimbob - 7
@Dan, @4everapie - 6
@DonnyNotts - 5
@magpiejue - 3
@GrannyPie - 2
@ARLukomski, @Megan_Elizax - 1

---

We've had some developments in our overall table then. @Dripsey3 sails past @ARLukomski to retake the lead, while @barnet11uk is not too far behind in third. And most importantly of all, I'm in the top half of the table.

Dripsey3 - 137
ARLukomski - 130
barnet1uk - 126
gtownjohnno - 121
Dan - 117
magpiejue -115
super_ram - 109
4everapie - 106
DangerousSausage - 105
GrannyPie - 104
DonnyNotts - 96
Megan_Elizax - 96
nottsnutter - 89
jimbob - 78
Chris - 72
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

There's another round on Saturday, so I'll post the fixtures tomorrow. Until then, COYP!

Jim's celebration reminded me of what I tend to be like, surprised that I managed to score such an easy goal.

The chip from Nemane was superb.

Good goals all round.

Thanks for the effort, good luck 

Castro could come up with something unpredictable and struck a nice free kick, but as @Fozzy says nobody had him in their first eleven. I don't think he came here to play ten-minute cameos off the bench when we were already home and dry, so I can't blame him for wanting to go elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see whether we give Vincent a shot or dip into the loan market again for someone with more of a goal threat.

He's as you would expect from a player coming in on loan, especially at his age. There were times he shined, others where he struggled to get involved. This is something players learn with experience, as it's not a question of skill or quality but more an understanding of the game's pace.

Personally, I would've been delighted if he stayed but at the same time I think there's probably more consistent options out there.

Also, Frank Vincent may get his chance to reembed himself into the starting line-up. There were games last season where he became our outlet for attacking opposition teams, to which he reminded me of a young Jim O'Brien.

Best wishes to Castro, I hope he settles somewhere for first team football.

Happy with that

Aldershot away is one of those you'd be concerned about, even more so when it is a January fixture, but Notts got the job done in a professional manner. We can't worry about anyone else, just need to keep picking up points. 

Agree with @Dripsey3, this fixture is always a banana skin. I can't say much about the game as we were already 2-0 up and cruising when I started watching the stream. There was an anxious moment when Slocombe dwelled on the ball a little too long, and a nice opportunistic goal from Nemane, but apart from that I haven't got much to say. Good job, onto the next one!

Hi... Really think the opening question should be rethought. Should World Cups etc be awarded to countries with a history of the abuse of human rights records: YES or NO

On 30/12/2022 at 14:40, gtownjohnno said:

Citye

Bradford City 2

On 30/12/2022 at 14:40, gtownjohnno said:

Alexandrae

Crewe Alexandra 1

Coventry City 1 v 1 Bristol City

Millwall 2 v 0 Rotherham United (Joker)

Morecambe 1 v 2 Burton Albion

Peterborough United 2 v 2 Wycombe Wanderers

Bradford City 1 v 3 Salford City

Crewe Alexandra 1 v 2 Tranmere Rovers

Eastleigh 1 v 2 Dorking Wanderers

Maidenhead United 2 v 0 Wealdstone

The results:

Coventry City 1-1 Bristol City
Millwall 3-0 Rotherham United
Morecambe 5-0 Burton Albion
Peterborough United 0-3 Wycombe Wanderers
Bradford City 3-2 Salford City
Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
Eastleigh 4-0 Dorking Wanderers
Maidenhead United 0-0 Wealdstone

---

A very tight round, but @ARLukomski was the best of the bunch...

@ARLukomski - 6
@Dripsey3, @gtownjohnno, @Dan, @DangerousSausage, @Megan_Elizax, @nottsnutter - 5
@barnet11uk - 4
@DonnyNotts - 3
@magpiejue - 2

---

Not a lot of change overall then...

ARLukomski - 129
Dripsey3 - 126
barnet1uk - 116
gtownjohnno - 113
magpiejue -112
Dan - 111
GrannyPie - 102
4everapie - 100
super_ram - 99
DangerousSausage - 98
Megan_Elizax - 95
DonnyNotts - 91
nottsnutter - 89
Chris - 72
jimbob - 71
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

Round 26 will be on Saturday, so the fixtures will be online in a couple of days from now. Until then, party on!

A point away from home is a good result but you can't help thinking that it should have been 3. On to the next game. 

Like dripsey3 says, a point isn’t bad, it’s just our current form and the fact we took the lead each time makes it feel like 2 points lost. Still averaging over 2 points a game and that’s the main thing.

I’ll have to wait to see the highlights but the first goal sounded like a right gaffe and the penalty a soft one too.

Very frustrating that we're still handing out presents now that Christmas is done. I think Slocombe was mainly at fault for the first goal, he rushed out to clear the danger after Oldham attempted a fast break, but instead of putting it out of play he scudded a fast pass to Bajrami(?), who was being closed down rapidly and was dispossessed before he knew what was happening. The penalty looked a really clumsy challenge, but it was hard to tell whether Cameron brought down his opposite number, or whether the Oldham man went down and dragged him down with him. Very annoying as the cross was overhit and there was no genuine danger. We were lucky not to lose at the death though.

But in spite of all our possession, we never really had the game under control and Oldham worked hard for their point. It definitely feels like two points lost given the fact that we were leading twice.

Millwall 2-1 Bristol City (Joker)

Wigan Athletic 0-2 Sunderland

Forest Green Rovers 2-0 Burton Albion

Morecambe 2-1 Accrington Stanley

Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Cheltenham Town

Grimsby Town 2-0 Salford City

Northampton Town 0-1 Swindon Town

Walsall 1-2 Stockport County

The results:

Millwall 0-0 Bristol City
Wigan Athletic 1-4 Sunderland
Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Burton Albion
Morecambe 2-0 Accrington Stanley
Shrewsbury Town 0-1 Cheltenham Town
Grimsby Town 1-4 Salford City
Northampton Town 1-2 Swindon Town
Walsall 0-2 Stockport County

---

Given the lamentable failure of seven out of the eight home teams to win, points were at a premium this round - three of you share first place with four points.

@ARLukomski, @barnet11uk, @4everapie - 4
@magpiejue, @gtownjohnno, @Dan, @DangerousSausage - 3
@Dripsey3, @GrannyPie, @Megan_Elizax - 2
@super_ram - 1
@DonnyNotts - nul points

---

Not much change then, but @ARLukomski takes the lead outright!

ARLukomski - 123
Dripsey3 - 121
barnet1uk - 112
magpiejue -110
gtownjohnno - 108
Dan - 106
GrannyPie - 102
4everapie - 100
super_ram - 99
DangerousSausage - 93
Megan_Elizax - 90
DonnyNotts - 88
nottsnutter - 84
Chris - 72
jimbob - 71
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

There's no rest for the wicked - the New Year's Day fixtures are online now. Thanks for playing and see you there!

Here we go again @Dripsey3. The two of us once more

4 hours ago, Chris said:

If they do it right, it will be a great thing all round.

It's something the Football League needs to consider, as Derby do their own streaming and my dad praises that. If Notts had a similar service, it would be awesome for those who can't make certain games or live overseas.

They did offer live streaming of all matches on iFollow for the last couple of seasons we were there (and I think they still do). As an overseas subscriber I could watch all games that weren't being screened on Sky Sports. I think this will be much the same. The difference is that you pay for the whole streaming service and can switch between matches if you want (I didn't try that part of it myself, not all that interested in Dorking).

I believe ifollow was beset with problems. Has it got better does anyone know

They're charging 80 quid for a half-season pass for overseas fans. Considering that includes 23 live games, plus you can watch any other National League game (if that floats your boat), that's decent value - I was expecting it to cost more. Obviously it's not much use for you lot in the UK, but there is the possibility of streaming matches that weren't available before (as long as they're not Saturday 3pm kick offs).

https://www.nationalleaguetv.com/packages

On 27/12/2022 at 04:22, 4everapie said:

I've missed this week as I'm in City Hospital, not paying attension

That doesn't sound good ... hope you're feeling better soon.

On 27/12/2022 at 03:22, 4everapie said:

I've missed this week as I'm in City Hospital, not paying attension

Sorry to see you are hospitalised @4everapie.Hope you are well & home again soon.- from Me and @GrannyPie

The results from Boxing Day:

Hull City 1-1 Blackpool
Rotherham United 2-2 Stoke City
Exeter City 0-0 Portsmouth
Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Bristol Rovers
Carlisle United 1-0 Bradford City
Rochdale 1-2 Hartlepool United
Altrincham 2-1 Halifax Town
Southend United 0-1 Bromley

---

No fewer than three of you made double figures this round, the best being @magpiejue - congrats!

@magpiejue - 12
@ARLukomski - 11
@Dripsey3 - 10
@gtownjohnno, @super_ram, @DangerousSausage - 7
@barnet11uk, @GrannyPie - 5
@Dan, @DonnyNotts, @nottsnutter - 4
@Megan_Elizax, @jimbob - 1

---

Despite hitting double figures, @Dripsey3 has to make room for @ARLukomski in top spot, while @magpiejue leaps into fourth:

ARLukomski - 119
Dripsey3 - 119
barnet1uk - 108
magpiejue -107
gtownjohnno - 105
Dan - 103
GrannyPie - 100
super_ram - 98
4everapie - 96
DangerousSausage - 90
DonnyNotts - 88
Megan_Elizax - 88
nottsnutter - 84
Chris - 72
jimbob - 71
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

Round 24 is online right now and will be played tonight - don't miss out!

Job done by half time...cue on rack

Even without Macca I thought we’d be ok today given Oldham haven’t won away all season. Scott’s no slouch, he’s got a great goal scoring return this season and today showed he’s not about to be outdone by his mate.

I feel like I’m just repeating myself, but we are a well-oiled machine now, dominating and scoring at will. I’m just trying to ignore Wrexham/Chesterfield and enjoy this team. Only 1 loss so far this season and we could have 60 points before the year is out. Insane.

Complete opposite for Oldham though, I remember when their new owner was like “Who are Dorking?” on his first interview. I think he thought they’ll be fine in this league but they’ve seriously underestimated it and have found that out the hard way. They’ll do well to stay up. 

Great result, and good to see us putting the match to bed early on. Is there any news about Langstaff? I take it this game came a little too soon for him. 

We've got plenty of goals elsewhere though - Scott is also on target for 20 goals for the season...

Sounds like Nemane and TAR put some decent balls into the box last night that weren't attacked enough. Maybe LW sent the side out with the intention of just controlling the game whilst expending as little amount of energy as possible.

I see that Mitchell couldn't get in the side and missed another sitter when he did finally come on. We have to look at loaning him out as it isn't doing him (or us) any good by just sitting on the side lines every week. Loan him out with a 24 hour recall if needed, that way we will keep him match fit and hopefully more capable if needed.

@Fozzy I always try to get behind the players, but Mitchell is a dud signing and one we need to move on from. It's a position which we shouldn't be carrying players, I felt like this last season, and he's done nothing better since. I really don't see the point in having a player like him on the bench or even in our first team, a youth striker could gain more experience with the minutes Mitchell wastes.

The goals and pieces shown from the game look like we have nailed the passing style, with Nemane looking more effective.

At the last home league game, I heard a fan say "[Nemane] he's another JCR, can't cross, can't pass, he just runs with the ball".  Whilst I actually thought JCR was a much better player for us, Nemane has the potential to do more overall. His crossing can be good, but it's exactly why he's at our level and not higher. He's starting to come more and more into the squad, something which wouldn't happen if we still had Roberts around.

Is there really any dispute about the Austin goal? I see no reason for Scott to attempt to claim it.

That sounds like a potentially career-ending injury. Hope he recovers quickly and well, and maybe we'll see him at Meadow Lane again in the not too distant future.

I feel sorry for him, two major career injuries and one which massively set back his progress.

There was doubt he would be the same player after he broke his leg, I think it was a double break if I recall right. Usually players don't bounce back from that, but credit to him for doing so. It's just a shame that it did have the impact in which it did on him. No way would he be playing in League Two otherwise, but that said, I think he should consider retiring now. I doubt he will, but these injuries quickly mount up, and I would be mindful of the long term damage.

Then again, Judgey is a different type of person. Always determined! Best wishes to him.

Ouch. But all that really tells us is that the club is not being run on a sustainable basis (not surprising given the lack of TV money and parachute payments) and that the owners are putting money in to make up the gap. As long as the brothers are still interested and solvent (their dad is a billionaire apparently) we're fine, but it's not healthy to be so dependent.

Another takeaway is the 220k in transfer fees - presumably what we paid upfront for Langstaff and Scott?

I'd be interested in the overall squad budget. We had a pretty solid League One-sized budget when we went down, I wonder how it compares now?

Plus, nobody seems to be trying to cover things up or sweep it under the carpet.

To me, I think the Reedtz brothers are content with the club's spending. It would make little sense for them to run a club at a loss, without plans on how they can turn it around. Keep in mind we're trying to become a club that maximises their income and outcome via the transfer market. Was previous owners really going to see their investments return with the various and many styles of recruitment we went through - no.

Some fans will allow this to be a negative, should we be concerned? I don't think so; it's only something to be mindful about.

Coventry City 2 v 0 Swansea City

Preston North End 3 v 1 QPR

West Bromwich Albion 3 v 0 Rotherham United

Charlton Athletic 1 v 1 Bristol Rovers

Cheltenham Town 0 v 2 Lincoln City

Barrow 1 v 1 Swindon Town

Tranmere Rovers 2 v 0 Crawley Town

Walsall 2 v 0 Crewe Alexandra

Thanks for the reminder.

Coventry 2-0 Swansea

Preston 0-1 QPR 

WBA 2-0 Rotherham (Joker)

Charlton 2-1 Bristol Rovers 

Cheltenham 0-2 Lincoln 

Barrow 2-0 Swindon 

Tranmere 1-2 Crawley 

Walsall 2-0 Crewe

The results:

Coventry City 3-3 Swansea City
Preston North End 0-1 QPR
West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Rotherham United
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Bristol Rovers
Cheltenham Town P-P Lincoln City
Barrow 0-1 Swindon Town
Tranmere Rovers P-P Crawley Town
Walsall P-P Crewe Alexandra

---

Like hook-a-duck, everybody won a prize. Also like hook-a-duck, not all prizes are equal. Winning the equivalent of a goldfish are @nottsnutter and @magpiejue, with very respectable scores (especially from just five fixtures!).

@nottsnutter - 10
@magpiejue - 8
@4everapie - 6
@ARLukomski, @barnet11uk - 5
@DangerousSausage - 4
@Dan, @gtownjohnno, @Megan_Elizax, @DonnyNotts, @jimbob - 3
@Dripsey3 - 2
@super_ram - 1

---

This is the state of play. @Dripsey3 now leads by a single point, and @barnet11uk is our third centurion:

Dripsey3 - 109
ARLukomski - 108
barnet1uk - 103
Dan - 99
gtownjohnno - 98
4everapie - 96
magpiejue -95
GrannyPie - 95
super_ram - 91
Megan_Elizax - 87
DonnyNotts - 84
DangerousSausage - 83
nottsnutter - 80
Chris - 72
jimbob - 70
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

The next round is on Boxing Day, so the fixtures should be online by Thursday. See you then

Injuries a concern, hopefully nothing too serious. Referee was abysmal, but 3 more points and top for Christmas.

According to the club, the injuries to Langstaff and Chicksen aren't serious and they'll be back in action sooner rather than later. A big relief. Thanks for nothing referee.

As for the game, chances were few and far between in the first half despite dominating the possession, but the goal came just at the right time. Things opened up in the second half, and overall it was a comfortable win.

Our next match is on Tuesday, with Wrexham playing their fixture on Wednesday. That gives us the chance to go seven points clear and pile the pressure on Wrexham. 

At the very start, Notts had a bit of a shaky start at the back.

Gateshead had a perfectly good opportunity which I felt incredibly surprised that their player didn't even hit the target, instead snatching his shot wide across the goal. Seeing that, I thought to myself that we would need to be more careful and hoped that it was a sign of their finishing.

I can't say they impressed me, their defence seemed woeful and clumsy.

They used the pitch quite well, passing and creating space, but it always seemed like they had no clue what else to do - even when the basics was to pull a shot away. The only thing they did well with was being dirty, breaking up the play with needless tripping and putting bodies on certain players.

I thought Nemane played quite well, I just wished his crosses were a little more polished, but he had a few efforts on goal.

Their number 2, Tinkler punching Cameron and getting away with it royally p-d me off.

Notts played quite well despite the groans and moans audible from some, they didn't let the tactics of Gateshead distract them and the patient play led to plenty of chances.

I also thought Bostock looked a quality addition when he came on, although Francis did perfectly fine before. Yes, he did some rash things early on, but I think he's someone who will improve with more time - I also think he misses Doyle's mentoring.

@menzinho One of the groundsman was probing areas for results throughout the build-up to kick off. It didn't look like anything worried him during any pitch inspection, but I did notice him returning to areas and breaking the ground up in some of the spots he probed. Notts has done generally well with this regard for quite a few seasons, so I never tend to worry about the pitch condition.

@Alex Canada deserved to win Belgium, they played incredibly well against one of the world's most overrated teams (at international level).

I think the occasion got to the nerves of some Canadian players, but boy did they put on a game.

PS. I went against avoiding it.@super_pie wanted me to watch England with him.
I held my own minutes of silence to the people who died building the stadiums etc 

Usually I support Ukraine, Sweden and Scotland at international level. But this time I have to watch Mexica as I have a lot of Mexicans at the work and they are really crazy about their team. They stop to work and go to lunch room to watch the games. 

Me too :))

At the start of the tournament I said to @super_pie, that I felt Morocco would surprise people and make it out of their group stages. Jake thought Senegal and Cameroon would do well. I actually thought Ghana would do a lot better, but at this stage I'm rooting for Morocco.

I do think Messi will get his hands on the gold, France will most likely make the final, but I don't see fancy their chances in the final.

Middlesbrough v Luton Town 1-1

Stoke City v Cardiff City 2-0

Bristol Rovers v Port Vale 2-1

Lincoln City v Wycombe Wanderers. 3-1

Newport County v Doncaster Rovers 2-1 JOKER

Salford City v Walsall 1-1

Halifax Town v Barnet 1-2

Maidstone United v Altrincham 1-0

Middlesbrough 1-1 Luton Town

Stoke City 0-2 Cardiff City

Bristol Rovers 1-0 Port Vale

Lincoln City 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers

Newport County 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

Salford City 2-0 Walsall (joker)

Halifax Town 2-1 Barnet

Maidstone United 0-2 Altrincham

The results:

Middlesbrough 2-1 Luton Town
Stoke City 2-2 Cardiff City
Bristol Rovers 1-0 Port Vale
Lincoln City 0-0 Wycombe Wanderers
Newport County 0-1 Doncaster Rovers
Salford City P-P Walsall
Halifax Town P-P Barnet
Maidstone United 2-3 Altrincham

---

@Dripsey3 wins this week's round with a very solid seven points!

@Dripsey3 - 7
@GrannyPie - 6
@magpiejue - 5
@ARLukomski, @gtownjohnno, @Megan_Elizax, @DangerousSausage, @jimbob - 4
@Dan, @super_ram, @4everapie - 1

---

In our overall table, @Dripsey3 stretches his lead again, @ARLukomski has scored a century and @GrannyPie jumps a couple of places:

Dripsey3 - 107
ARLukomski - 103
barnet1uk - 98
Dan - 96
GrannyPie - 95
gtownjohnno - 95
super_ram - 90
4everapie - 90
magpiejue -87
Megan_Elizax - 84
DonnyNotts - 81
DangerousSausage - 79
Chris - 72
nottsnutter - 70
jimbob - 67
KB1862 - 21
steve61 - 7
liampie - 6

---

I'll be back tomorrow to post Saturday's fixtures. Till then, take care!

I think Notts are hoping to be in control of the game more by holding the ball in midfield, but it's games like this when you realise that defensively we need to be better. Great victory, vital 3 points but after going up 3-1.

We need to learn to close games down and avoid needing to chase a winner.

Langstaff is an incredible asset to us.

I’ll take a win and 3 points everyday of the week, but we made that harder than it should’ve been.

Was there a touch of overconfidence at half-time? I’m sure Luke would’ve told them to play like it’s 0-0 but recent away wins, one’s where we were rarely troubled, must have been fresh in the players’ minds.

The good thing though is this team has goals in it, especially our main man Macca, 21 goals now. Unbelievably good.

We are staying up!

we need to start giving the young pros chance to develop into what we need, pleased for him but i suspect i will be disappointed by the end of the season,

Very heavy touches from him in the Alfreton game if I am not mistaken, but his presence was decent.

Youngers do need to find themselves as part of our plans, even if It's just for cover.

There’s obviously reasoning and logic to him changing positions but it’s really fascinating that he’s recently switched from a winger to CB, that is a massive change. I don’t expect him to come into the team this season, only 17 and it’s a season with a lot at stake. A loan after Christmas might not be a bad option. Still a lot of time for him to improve and eventually make an impact.

On the topic of the academy there has been an issue the lack of youth progression to the first team. Although I’m hopeful Tiernan and Luther might just buck that trend. I get that it’s not something you can fix overnight and I’m sure the club are looking to improve in this area. I’d be interested to know how many players we lose to other academies as it can’t be easy competing with the likes of Forest. And anytime we actually have a decent prospect like Bearne, Dongda and Etete they’re off before they even get a chance for us! Totally unfair in my opinion.