Simon Clark

This is purely a personal view and no doubt every reader will disagree with my choice and want to replace at least half of this list! There’s no logic to some of it, and there are no old scores to settle – I’ve chosen these on days I expect (hope?) to enjoy, which is why I’ve left some out on the basis that unless we’re 4-0 up in the first 10 minutes, I probably won’t enjoy them… Sutton United – the first game back. Yes, I want to win and will be disappointed if we don’t, but it’s lovely to be back (and an easy ground to get to as long as the trains aren’t on strike), although I’m guessing it will be tough to get tickets for this one. Bradford City – the first UNESCO City of Film and a city of great history, often overlooked by more photogenic neighbours. With an average attendance of almost 19,000 and the last 2 games last season seeing over 20,000, it should be a great atmosphere (albeit they reportedly include all-season ticket holders whether they actually attend or not). AFC Wimbledon – the first of the fans’ clubs to start from scratch and work their way through to the League. A museum of football in Wimbledon reminds visitors of their past glories as a non-league side before being hijacked and relocated to Milton Keynes. A lovely club that made a fantastic (and spontaneous) gesture to a friend of mine when he completed the 92 just over a year ago. Stockport – easy on the train, good pubs, a weekend in Manchester and a proper club. Say no more. (although 23rd December might not be the date I’d have chosen for this!) Barrow – a blooming long way, so it makes sense to have a weekend in the Lake District. October might not have the best weather, but it’s a wonderful part of the world at any time and there’ll be fewer tourists around. Harrogate – a week before Christmas might be a wonderful time to visit a picturesque market town. With the Montpellier Quarter and the Crescent Gardens area, there’s plenty to enjoy for a relaxing weekend away. Tranmere – one of my favourite away days. A proper ground, decent support and great atmosphere. It’ll be tough, but the huge beer tent outside the ground making up a fan zone for followers of both sides is a great place to review the game and hopefully celebrate. Salford – although they get a lot of bad publicity because of the Manchester United millionaires backing them – and I understand that – the volunteers and workers behind the club seem to be good people who want to support their local football club. Watching the shows about them on TV, it seems as if they feel their club is being taken away from them, and they are happy watching a small club at whatever level. Forest Green – the last game of the season, hopefully one to enjoy for all the right reasons, and it won’t be a tense affair where we need a result to secure 3rd or 7th (or, dare I even think it, 22nd!) Almost half a season of away games to enjoy – will that happen? Of course not. I’ll be desperate for 3 points and on the edge of my seat hoping we can hang on, make a comeback or keep control of a game we’re winning. Unless we get a 3-goal lead and control the game, the 90 minutes I can’t control will be the part I HOPE to enjoy rather than expect to. Be sure to check out the latest discussions on Pride of Nottingham’s dashboard page and get involved! We want to hear from Notts fans what are your thoughts on the Pre-Season friendly against Nottingham Forest? Let us know.

There are some interesting statistics when looking at the previous teams who have won the National League playoffs since they were introduced for the 2002-03 season. Those 21 finals have seen 8 of them go to extra time (and beyond) while only one of them has been won by more than a 2 goal margin. Exeter, Grimsby, Forest Green and Tranmere all won after losing the previous year’s final while Luton followed consecutive losing finals by winning the league! Almost all losing finalists have eventually made it into the league although Gateshead, Fylde and Torquay also saw relegation to NLN or NLS. The first winners – DONCASTER ROVERS with 4 players with Notts connections – beat Dagenham on golden goal or, as it was called for this game, ‘promotion goal’ (the only time promotion has been settled that way in the UK). They immediately won the Third Division as it was called then and have had 3 spells in the Championship, albeit one season spells, and they are now in League 2. SHREWSBURY TOWN beat Aldershot on penalties in 2003-04 and finished 21st in their first season back but were 11 points clear of relegation. After 3 playoff campaigns in 7 years, they eventually got promoted in second place and reached the L1 playoffs before falling back into tier 4, bouncing back the following season. Currently, in League 1. CARLISLE UNITED beat Stevenage 1-0 and followed that up by winning the League Two title at the first attempt. After an 8-year stay where they had a playoff campaign, they fell back into League Two and have just won the playoff final to get back into League One. HEREFORD UNITED twice came from behind to beat Halifax 3-2 after extra time in the only game to be played at Leicester City’s ground. It was also the only game where neither club currently exists in the same form. They finished 16th in their first season in L2, gaining automatic promotion the following season. They rarely left the relegation zone, falling back into L2 immediately and fell back into the National League after 3 seasons and were expelled then wound up in 2014. MORECAMBE beat Exeter in the 2006-07 final – the first to be played at Wembley - to become the first side to earn a place in the Football League for the first time and managed 11th placed finishes in their first 2 seasons, following that up with a playoff spot. In the 2019-20 Covid shortened season, they were 22nd after 37 games and stayed up then bounced back to win the playoffs the following season and get to League 1. They managed 2 seasons at that level and will face Notts next season in League Two. 2007-08 was probably the year when things stepped up and for 10 years almost all finalists were typical Football league sides who had fallen on hard times as EXETER CITY beat Cambridge United. They immediately went up again as runners-up and spent 3 years in League One before dropping back into L2 where they spent 10 more seasons before gaining another runner-up spot. Currently, in League One. Cambridge were broken-hearted again next season as they became the first side to lose consecutive finals, losing to TORQUAY UNITED. The Gulls finished 17th in their first season back and reached the playoffs twice before returning to National league football in 2014 and a further relegation back to NLS in 2019. Another NL playoff campaign beating Notts in the semi-final gave them hope before relegation again last season. Currently, in the National League South. OXFORD UNITED beat York City in 2009-10 and finished their first season back in 12th place. They went up to League One in 2016 and are another side to have reached the playoffs at that level. Currently, in League One. AFC WIMBLEDON squeezed past Luton Town on penalties in 2010-11 in only their 9th season of existence, including 3 league titles and the lowest final position of 8th. It’s been hard work for them since then, following a final place of 16th in their first season with 20th, 20th and 15th before getting into League One via the playoffs in 2016. Since then, they haven’t finished higher than 15th and were relegated last season. Currently, in League Two. YORK CITY were the next team to inflict final defeat on Luton (whatever happened to them?!), returning to the league after an 8-year absence. They finished 17th in their first season back in the league, securing survival late in the season and managing a L2 playoff spot before suffering consecutive relegations after just 4 years in League Two. Currently, in the National League. The 2012-13 final was an all Welsh affair, with NEWPORT COUNTY getting the upper hand against Wrexham. They finished in a comfortable 14th place in their first season back and followed that with 2 narrow escapes, including a famous ‘Great Escape’ as they were 11 points adrift with 12 games left, securing survival with a last day win against Notts. Famous for their cup runs, they also had 2 unsuccessful playoff campaigns, losing in both finals. Currently, in League Two. CAMBRIDGE UNITED beat Gateshead in the next final, a Wembley double with an FA Trophy win as well, and finished 19th in their first season back. Shaun Derry then guided them to 9th and after 7 seasons in League Two (mainly in the bottom half) they finished runners-up in 2021 to gain promotion. Currently, in League One. 2014-15 saw BRISTOL ROVERS beat Grimsby on penalties in front of the largest final attendance of 47,029 to gain an immediate return to EFL after just one season. They followed this up with another promotion, finishing 3rd in L2 in their first season back, returning to L2 after finishing bottom of the league 5 years later. Again, they made an immediate return with a third place finish in 2021-22. Currently, in League One. GRIMSBY TOWN bounced back from that disappointment a year later, beating Forest Green Rovers to return to the EFL after a six-year absence. Three managers, including Russell Slade, took them to 14th place in L2 in their first season back. After 5 seasons, 5 managers and 4 caretakers, they were back in the National League in 2021, bouncing back at the first time of asking after a dramatic playoff campaign saw them win at Meadow Lane and Wrexham. They finished in 11th place last season as the only team to have won the National League playoffs twice. Currently, in League Two. FOREST GREEN ROVERS followed suit and recovered from disappointment a year earlier to beat Tranmere Rovers in the final. This made Nailsworth the smallest town ever to host a Football League club and ended a 19 season long run in the National League without promotion, the longest consecutive period since promotion to the EFL began. They finished 21st and one point above relegation in their first season (a season where Notts were in the playoffs) and managed two playoff campaigns in three seasons before winning the league in 2022. They only lasted one season in League One, being relegated last season. Currently, in League Two. TRANMERE ROVERS completed a hat trick of losing finalists coming back to win promotion as they beat Boreham Wood in the 2017-18 final after being in 18th position after the first 12 games. They gained back-to-back promotions as a sixth-place finish got them into the playoffs and some would say unluckily relegated from L1 in a Covid shortened as positions were decided on a point per game basis when they were on a run of three consecutive wins when the season was called to a halt. Currently, in League Two. SALFORD CITY gained the largest final win with a 3-0 victory over AFC Fylde as the two smallest clubs to contest a final albeit with significant investment especially for Salford. They finished in eleventh place during Covid shortened season and made it into playoffs last season. Currently, in League Two. HARROGATE TOWN broke Notts hearts during Covid enforced empty Wembley Stadium as third winner moved into EFL for the first time. They have finished seventeenth, nineteenth, and nineteenth during three seasons. Currently, in League Two. HARTLEPOOL UNITED beat Torquay on penalties ending a four-year spell in non league but only managed to finish seventeenth, twenty-third returning to National league next season, making the quickest return for any previous winners. Currently, in the National league. As mentioned, GRIMSBY TOWN won again twenty-twenty one twenty-two beating Solihull finishing eleventh in league two last season. Of nineteen previous play-off winners nine will face Notts next season in league two action six plying trade league one two hoping to repeat success in national league one national league south one disappeared. After fantastic start play off winners returns two sides winning division first three seasons seems hard work only two sides last fourteen years managing top ten finish cautionary note perhaps overall average final position twelfth first season back. Be sure to check out the latest discussions on the Pride of Nottingham by using the “Topic Feed”! Don’t forget to read all the latest articles on the Pride of Nottingham, drop a comment and share any content you enjoy!

After a multi-record-breaking (record-shattering?!) season which will hopefully end with a promotion, what would I want our squad to look like next season? With so many great performances and stability running through the club, it's no surprise that I'd want to keep the core of the current squad, but there may be one or two of my suggestions which divide opinion. The easy ones – Macaulay Langstaff, Cedwyn Scott and Sam Austin. Three summer signings who made the move up after being named in the National League North team of the season have shown exactly why they were so highly rated. Plenty has been written about Langstaff and with a record of a goal every 89 minutes (and no penalties), he is greatly in demand. Scott is actually 3rd in the National League charts on minutes per goal (and second if we remove penalties) despite not really having a good run in the starting 11. With only one more year on his contract, there could easily be teams looking at him this summer. Austin is another one who hasn’t had a regular starting place but has an energy that lifts the team and is number one in the League for goal involvements per match. Sam Slocombe has adapted to Luke Williams’ style with more comfort than many of us would have expected and has been a calming presence at the back – and what an assist at Chesterfield! Adam Chicksen has had the season of his life by hitting double figures in goals while excelling at his defensive role as well. What an engine this man has! He never stops running and has great positional sense. Toby Adebayo-Rowling had a difficult start, with the new coach telling him he was short of what was required. He knuckled down and worked hard, earning a place in the side and looking capable of moving up a level or two before injury cut his season short. Aaron Nemane needed a fit and firing Toby, in my opinion. Unless you are freakishly fit (like Chicksen), you need a rest to keep up that level of performance, and Williams has improved Nemane’s game immeasurably this season. Yes, defensively he is weak, but he never stops battling and has been a revelation going forward. I just wish Chicksen and Nemane’s crossing was better, but I guess if it was, they wouldn’t be in the National League! Connell Rawlinson has turned from a ‘head it kicks it’ type of defender to one who is comfortable bringing the ball out of defence and running with it – who would have thought?! Matt Palmer and John Bostock struggled to play together initially, and it seemed as if we’d struggle to fit two excellent players into the same line-up. Palmer has undeniable quality. Current player of the year, he has got even better and could comfortably play 2 divisions higher. One of my favourite things about him is that he always plays with his head up and is constantly looking around. I genuinely think you could stop a game at any point, and he could tell you where the rest of the players are. Bostock didn't become a fan's favourite immediately, although I must admit I liked him from the start even though you could see he needed a bit of time to get up to speed having not played for almost half a season before joining us. His quality is now shining through and he is controlling games. An early tip – I think he will be the player of the season 2023-24. Frank Vincent has come back from a loan spell with a great attitude and forced his way back into the picture. Another player with great energy, I'd like to see him stay and kick on his career with us. He also seems to have adapted to a wing-back role really well. Junior Morias will be a star! OK, I'm maybe getting a bit excited after his short cameo off the bench against Woking, but I think he has everything to help soften the blow of losing Langstaff in the summer, as it is almost certain. You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned Ruben Rodrigues yet. One of my friends earlier this season described his performances as a 'bag of manure' (something like that, anyway...). Well, my friend, if you spread enough manure, you will get beautiful roses and that is what Ruben gives us. Yes, sometimes he makes the wrong decision and tries to run through a defender or shoots when a teammate wants the ball, but what a player. A slow start on the goalscoring front, but he's added another aspect to his game this season, and he will be a sad loss should he leave. Spread that fertiliser on the Meadow Lane pitch as long as you like, Ruben... Surprising to some for a defence which has conceded so few goals this season, but I think our defence is a real weak point which has been covered up by having so much possession and so much domination of most games this season. I really hope the radar is looking at central defenders as I would be far happier if our current ones are no more than squad players next season. Kyle Cameron has great ability and is super going forward, but his unforced errors have been responsible for more than 10% of the goals we’ve conceded this season. Unforced errors. How often does he get himself in trouble then throw himself to the floor to get a free kick? Too many times for me. Aden Baldwin, while having had some excellent games, always seems to have at least one glaring error per game in his locker, where he will pass the ball to an opposing forward. Geraldo Bajrami never seems to have an average game. He is either excellent or has a shocker. And you can’t afford too many shockers, although he seems to have great character having come back from a spell out of the side to come back in and turn in some excellent performances. Let’s hope Richard Brindley has recovered from his injury and gets back to his form. His pace will be needed as we are short of that in the middle. Tiernan Brooks got a chance when Slocombe was injured and did brilliantly. He will surely be challenging for the first choice next season. Although comments recently from Sam and Luke have made me wonder whether he has a few attitude problems? I hope I’m reading too much into that. Jim O’Brien is like a dog chasing a ball in the park; he never stops. Constantly urging on his teammates, he provides great energy, and I’d love to see him stay at the club in a coaching capacity and be a handy squad member. Although, as a coach at Sheffield United, he may have his future mapped out away from us. Ed Francis and Kairo Mitchell seem destined for the revolving door with long loan spells away from us. Although, I think Kairo can feel a little unlucky to be behind the top 2 strikers in the division based on minutes per goal from open play. Especially as we often only play one striker. He seems to be delivering for Eastleigh with both goals and assists and I wish him well. Francis has been a perfect example of the progress we have made this season. A perfectly adequate player, how can he get a game when we have Palmer and Bostock? The summer, as always, will be interesting and exciting. I fully expect us to make signings I have never heard of and will be singing their praises to anyone who will listen by the end of September! If you enjoyed this feature, please show your support by liking and sharing it on social media. We would also love to hear your thoughts, so don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have the time! The Pride of Nottingham is a product of passion and effort from our dedicated team of writers and admins. They work tirelessly to provide quality content that you can enjoy. Take a moment to get involved and show your support for our community.

July 2022 and it was a chance to look at Notts’ array on new signings for the first time with a short journey to Basford. Yes, it was against a side which had struggled 2 divisions below Notts the previous season, but there were some hugely positive outcomes from this first run out. As supporters, we all want new faces to excite us, that marquee signing which sells a few extra season tickets for those sitting on the fence, but Notts have moved on from the fanfares and Hollywood glamour of a big name on the way down and our summer business at that time numbered 2 players each from Kidderminster and Gateshead and one from Ebbsfleet. While most of us have grown to trust the radar, it would surely not be enough to convince the uncommitted as none of those players had a proven track record at National League level while the remaining players from the previous season had shown a soft underbelly and tendency to underperform on a regular basis. On that sunny evening, however, clinical finishes from Langstaff and Scott showed that we had signed genuine goalscorers – but could they do it in tier 5? – and all 22 players involved that evening looked to have a spring in their step. We stepped it up against Leicester City to beat them with some style and the rest of the pre-season campaign gave me huge optimism for the season ahead. To many of us, it seemed as if we’d be playing for a home semi-final by finishing either second or third, as surely Wrexham would stroll to the title with a squad signed from League One and the upper reaches of League Two and a wage bill likely to be several times that of most National League sides. Surely no-one would give them a serious long term challenge, would they? With a new coach in Luke Williams, could Notts build on the 3 failed play off campaigns and dismiss a few of those ‘bogey’ clubs as well as show a harder edge? We all knew Notts could outflank football sides, but could they win the ugly games? Could they scrap to protect a one goal lead? Could their away form on some dubious surfaces match those on the carpet of a pitch we have at Meadow Lane? A comfortable opening day win and 2 goals from new signing Langstaff gave us hope, but this is Notts and when we gave away the lead twice to draw at Borehamwood then rely on an own goal to get a point at newly promoted Gateshead, it seemed as if the old problems hadn’t gone away with 4 points dropped already and only one clean sheet. A turning point – albeit early in the season – may well have been what came next. With half an hour to go and 2-0 down at home to old foes Chesterfield, a double substitution changed the game and 2 more goals from Langstaff showed he was adjusting well to the higher level, and we earned a point from a seemingly lost position with 4 of the 5 new signings on the field at the end of the game. A first reverse of the season may just have seen us wobble in previous seasons but this Magpies team responded with 7 straight wins although 3 draws in 4 November games showed this was still a work in progress, and we did have some issues trying to break down a team which had little to no positive intent. The away form, meanwhile, had been a revelation and any concern about ‘bogey’ clubs was swept aside with wins at Eastleigh, Aldershot and Torquay as well as a thrilling win at Chesterfield to prove we can win on TV! Another tv game – at home to Dagenham – may be the one which cost us the title. (Really? We matched the Hollywood Globetrotters this far?!) as a completely dominant performance saw 2 breakaway goals send us to a first home defeat of the season. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game where one team hits the woodwork 3 times AND has 3 cleared off the line in the same game. Added to that, one absolutely nailed on penalty was ignored and another good shout was waved away. If that game were played 100 times, I feel Notts would win 98 with maybe one draw. Of all the seasons for the away win, it had to be this one… The most hyped game in non-league history is likely to have sealed our play off fate with defeat at Wrexham but with 2 games left we have exceeded all pre-season predictions and can still win the league. Unlikely, given that Wrexham need to fail to win 2 of their last 3 games, but pretty much everyone expected the title race to be over by Easter – practically, if not mathematically. And now we face the end of the season. Hopefully just 2 more games but realistically hopefully not 3 more games. For all the previous play off campaigns, this is one we can justifiably feel confident. The soft underbelly has gone (although tier 5 defenders still make mistakes) and the gap between Notts and the rest is the same as it would be between second place and mid table in a normal season. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee anything in a one off game but one thing we do know is that it’s been an incredible season and Luke Williams will not allow any complacency to get into this squad. Have a look at the Pride of Nottingham's 'Topicfeed' to peruse and participate in our discussions. Join our community at the Pride of Nottingham by creating an account and getting involved in our discussions!

Recent results have certainly created a whole raft of opinions about whether the squad is good enough, whether the manager is good enough, is the system right and a lot more, but let’s have a look at where we are. Two seasons ago, we came into the National League in complete disarray and most of us were simply hoping we’d avoid successive relegations. We managed to get stronger as the season went on, making the playoff final (and I think we’d have had a chance of automatic promotion if the season hadn’t been curtailed). With more expectations last season we faltered badly after Christmas but got to the playoff semi-finals again. In both of those seasons, teams went up without having huge resources or expectations, in Barrow, Harrogate and Sutton. Hartlepool maybe had more expectation but were still not huge spenders. This season, Grimsby has made a great start after relegation and seem to be a contender at this early stage while we’ve all read and heard of the big spending Wrexham, Chesterfield and Stockport. Notts’ owners and management have said that we won’t be competing with big wages – and an example of that is when Ian Birchnall said Chesterfield blew us away with the deal they offered Calvin Miller. Wrexham have signed players from League One when their current clubs didn’t want them to go. When that happens, it puts into perspective what is on offer elsewhere. Notts have recruited technically good young players with a good academy background and the ability to play the type of football both owners and coach want to play. The idea is that with good coaching, they improve and not only progress Notts but also their own careers as we aim to sell them and make the club financially strong. All of that comes with a lot of advantages, but also some testing times. Young players make mistakes. In fairness, all players make mistakes, but younger ones lack the experience to handle certain situations as effectively as they can, such as the recent capitulations against Woking and Halifax where it was real ‘rabbits in the headlights’ stuff. When you play football from the back, it carries more risks. Even Barcelona and Manchester City have times where their goalkeeper passes it out to an opposing forward, so we should expect to see a non-League keeper (or, in the case of Patterson, a League One third choice keeper) doing the same. If we seek to play entertaining football, such as we saw at Barnet and in brief spells against Aldershot and Woking, we need to accept the other side. We saw with the return of Kyle Cameron at Yeovil how the defence seemed more composed, albeit still giving chances to a really poor side towards the end. Going back to those games against Woking and Halifax, let’s not forget that for around 75% of those two games we were in control and should have coasted towards victories. On that basis, it maybe isn’t a million miles away from being a winning team. The trick is to make those mistakes fewer and less costly. But we’ve had a spell where our goalkeeper and 3 central defenders have been injured, and most teams would struggle to cope with that, even with the loan players. One of the things Notts have struggled with recently is the results against teams in the bottom half. Take last season as an example. Notts did the double over champions Sutton but then lost to bottom-placed Dover (okay, results expunged, but the point still stands). And against teams who finished in the bottom half of the table, Notts had a record of 40 points from 21 games, with 5 defeats – a record of 1.9 points per game. In my opinion, this is where league titles are often lost, by dropping points in the games you should make the most of. So far this season – early as it is – Notts has 17 points from 7 games against teams in the bottom half with no defeats, a record of 2.4 points per game! And this is with what is almost universally acknowledged as a team that hasn’t clicked yet, so there’s lots more to come. So, what do Notts need? I think this squad plays better and it a bigger threat when playing 3 at the back and 2 wide men, as long as the wide men do their defensive duties as well. Playing with four at the back makes it feel as if we’re being outnumbered somehow. But a crucial part of that is working as a team and, just as importantly, keeping hold of the ball when we have it. Sometimes, players seem to give it away very easily and that invites pressure all the time. We have goals from all over the team, but I’d love to see someone playing with Kyle Wootton. He seems so alone at times, with no-one within 20 yards of him. Which is fine if he’s able to control the ball and lay it off, but how often does a ball come at an awkward height, or the defender is all over him? If we had someone alongside to pick up the pieces – as Rodrigues did towards the end of last season – it gives the opposing defence something extra to think about. Join the Pride of Nottingham in discussing what role you see Lewis Knight fulfilling in the upcoming season. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

What a great bit of business by Notts County in extending Cal Roberts’ contract at Meadow Lane to the end of the 2022-23 season. As a declaration of intent, it doesn’t get much better as he seems to be the talisman and when Roberts plays well, Notts are very difficult to hold. I guess that could be said about several players throughout history but what helps Roberts stand apart is that more than not since he joined us, he has actually played well. It’s fine to have some tricks and be a crowd pleaser without achieving anything at the end of it – we all know players like that and I may not be popular for including Stanley Aborah in that group, but have a think – how many goals did he score or create during his 2 seasons? – but Roberts actually hurts other teams. Any player who has come through a Premier League setup and is still there at the age of 22 must have ability better than most, and we all know how difficult it is to break into a club which spends millions without thinking. When he says that he should have been scoring a goal a game at Blyth could come across as being egotistical but when Roberts says it, you know it’s with a determination that he has to get back into league football and to as high a level as possible. And with that attitude, for him to happily extend his current deal by two years is a real sign of where the club is heading. There have been rumours of interest from clubs in the top two divisions and being out of contract in the summer must have been a temptation because for all the money in the game at that level, they don’t like splashing it out on Non League players. But, if he can help us back into the Football League, it not only raises his profile but it also raises his price. And with the other exciting players in the squad, it’s unlikely that opponents will be able to put 2 or 3 players on him as they did at times last season. Imagine if we have a line up including Roberts, Boldewijn, Rodrigues and Sam – or more likely 3 of them in the same line up. If you put 2 players on Roberts and 2 players on Enzio, there’s lots of space for everyone else! That must be a good thing and promises great things once everyone settles, and we’ve shown that in spells this season during the games with Altrincham, Maidenhead and Wealdstone. Roberts isn’t just a talent on the ball. He works hard without it and is definitely a team player. It’s a frustration that so soon after signing the extension, he has suffered from an injury which sounds like it could rule him out for some time but let’s hope he’s back sooner rather than later and can add to our promotion push. And if Notts make a better signing this year, I’d love to see it! Share your thoughts about this article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Go on, hands up if you thought Kyle Wootton would turn out to be this good when Notts County signed him on loan from a struggling League Two side at the end of August? Granted, one of the things fans have constantly complained about is the lack of a big, strong target man. Someone who can hold the ball up, bring other players into the game, win the headers and generally lead the line in a way which helps the poachers like Kristian Dennis and Wes Thomas find the space to play their own game. At the point of signing him, Wootton had a League record of 15 goals in 101 games and 2 goals in 22 games on loan to Nation al League sides. Hardly the stuff to whet the appetite but that just shows how misleading statistics can be – especially when a lot of those appearances were from the bench. His full debut at home to a dour Solihull side which came to stifle the game, and did that superbly in a goalless draw, didn’t really give much of an idea. But away at Sutton United the following Saturday took your breath away. A wonderful all round performance capped with a fantastic goal gave huge hope that we might have the striker we’ve been waiting for since Jimmy Spencer. With 16 goals at around a goal every other game, he has certainly found the scoring touch as well as helping his colleagues – and let’s not forget that holding the ball can also take pressure of the defence and give them time to reorganise. It’s strange to think that when January came around, one of our fears was that we’d lose him as he was attracting the attention of League clubs. Thankfully, he settled so well at Notts and speaks so highly of the management that it appears that was never really likely as soon as we made our move to make him a Notts player rather than a loanee. I think that could turn out to be one of the best signings we could have made, because there are very few players around at this level who can do what he does and, if we are able to get back in the League, I have no doubts that he’ll do just as well in League Two. Another thing to consider is the amount of work he gets through. While Ardley likes to rotate his players, and rarely plays any of the others strikers twice in a week, Kyle Wootton hardly misses out and leads the line in a manner which shows far more maturity than his 23 years. I feel there is much more to come and am really looking forward to him being a major part of the club at least for the immediate future. One downside of performing well at a lower league club is that it’s difficult to hold on to them, so let’s enjoy him while he’s here. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

What a contrast to our previous regimes. For all his rights and wrongs – and I think there were more rights over his tenure – Ray Trew found it difficult to stay away from social media and club message boards, often falling into the trap of over promising some new signing. He also seemed pretty keen to hit the fire button as the revolving door rarely slowed down on the manager’s office. Then, of course, we had the ego which took the club out of the league and almost out of existence, alienating our closest neighbours and making the club a laughing stock while retaining the trigger happy nature of hire and fire. What we needed is exactly what we have now – stability and a great relationship between owners and manager. They’re putting no pressure on Neal Ardley and that must be a great situation for him, allowing him and his staff to look on a longer term basis than most managers are allowed. In fact, they haven’t really said a lot at all, so maybe the things they haven’t said are quite interesting: - They’ve not shouted about any ‘game-changing’ new signings - They’ve not made outlandish predictions of where we’ll be in 5 years - They’ve not been critical of any other team or organisation - They’ve talked up how good we are They have: - Stayed in the background - Provided steady hands while bringing the club under control - Given good, honest answers in the few interviews they’ve done Of those rare interviews, they actually seem quite reluctant to garner publicity for themselves – how about that for club owners?! I enjoyed listening to them on Radio Red not so long ago. A half hour chat, thoughtful, constructive and a great insight into how they work. What I found interesting was that they seem to have a great relationship with Ardley and view changing the manager as a last resort. From studies they’ve done, they’ve identified that it often doesn’t work, so things will have to go pretty badly for the axe to fall, and that stability must be a better place for the club. So often you see a change of manager followed by wholesale changes in the squad. I’m a big believer that it takes a good 2 or 3 transfer windows before a manager can call the squad his own so unless it’s going badly wrong, give the guy time. Another thing we need to do, and it’s great that they are so open about it, is that the manager has to be willing to work with them, using data as part of the process to sign someone. We’ll probably never know how they do it, what info they look at, etc, but you know that some managers would rebel against that and class that as boardroom interference, so the manager needs to see this as a tool to help him. Brentford brought out a similar process a while ago and Mark Warburton immediately announced he would leave the club, although he did see out the season. When Leicester City won the Premier League, 2 of their best players were Mahrez and Kante, plucked from Le Havre and Caen respectively. I remember reading that both players came onto their radar because of data they’d used – how far they ran during games, how many tackles, etc. That was followed up by watching them play, but it wasn’t just a gut instinct, as so much recruitment seems to be. In fact, I can see this being the way things move in the future and I’m certain the big clubs use this and have been for some time. We’re lucky to have these guys in charge and I hope they stay a good long time. It could be a real success story of how we appeared to be on the brink of liquidation and ended up with a stable, successful club. You never know, it could be a blueprint for other clubs to follow. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.