menzinho

I have to say, I was pretty stunned with that performance 4 months out and then coming back for such a big game and we just absolutely nailed it. 10/20 mins in and the nerves kind of went for me, we fell back into a bit of a rhythm, I just thought we looked so much more assured on the ball than Barnet even though it wasn’t coming off in the early stages. The movement, patterns, trying to work the ball into dangerous areas, it was all promising. And off the ball, we were the proactive team, organised but pressing Barnet well. The only thing that pricked the nerves a bit was Ben Turner when he had to sprint! He doesn’t look that natural running to me (sorry Ben) but that said he played very well, won pretty much every header exactly what you want from him. Lacey was class as well, 100% needs to be here next season. I don’t have the time to praise everyone, they were all excellent for me. What win. Finish the job next weekend and wow what a season this will have been. COYP!

Picking the team is going to be tough. Some big decisions; like CM pairing. I think it will be Doyle and Rose. Maybe not a a bad thing, O'Brien on in the second half if we need a goal. Bakayogo or Bagan, I really don't know? And Turner coming back in? I personally would like to see Lacey and Rawlinson as our centre backs. I also wouldn't be surprised if Thomas starts upfront but I'm hoping it's Dennis and Wotton. Can't see it being a goal fest, I think Barnet will come and defend, they'll let us have the ball but restrict any space in behind. Having to break a team down on our first game back isn't ideal - need to hope Roberts and Enzio can do something magic. 1-1. Notts to go through on pens.

A hard fought P-P well done Ardley, all the boys and the fans that did not travel! That keeps us 3rd in the league! COYP!

Fylde's last league win was on the 26th November, they're on an 11 game winless run. Notts in recent years have a knack for losing games like this. On paper we should beat them though. I think if we get the first goal it'll knock their confidence, get the crowd to turn, they're not in a good place right now. They played extra-time too, whilst we got sub off Wotton, Doyle and Rawlinson. I'm quietly confident about the game, hopefully it does go ahead it could potentially be raining all morning there. Eek!

I listened to the game too, it sounded like we totally dominated the game. It's very good win, I thought having got so far Aveley would've been more of threat and I certainly didn't think we'd score 5. Genuinely want to get to Wembley now, so I'm looking forward to the draw on Monday! Also worth noting that Halesowen who are at the same level as Aveley beat Barnet… Imagine the reaction if that had been us yesterday!

Woking lost 7 successive away games before turning up at Meadow Lane today… When they went 1-0 up I thought this is classic Notts. We started very well and probably should’ve taken the lead. And then passing seemed to get worse and worse. The second half was just a bit off mess for the first 20 mins. Roberts always looked dangerous though, and he was vital in getting us back into the game. I thought we were a bit predictable and narrow, not the usual support from the fullbacks. Kelly-Evans couldn’t really do a lot but cut the ball back when he overlapped and Brindley didn’t really get forward (he didn’t do a lot in the game if I’m being honest). I’d have liked to have seen Enzio and Roberts switch wings from time to time and look to stretch the game. It was a pen for us, but then I thought the ref did miss one for Woking when we were 1-0 down so I won’t complain too much… Definitely not our most fluent performance, I feel we could’ve beaten them.

First win at Yeovil in 15 years apparently! I think I would have been frustrated had I been a Yeovil fan today! Ref sounded like he had a bit of a nightmare, and never got hold of the game. Could’ve been a red for Lee, Thomas’ red sounded soft and then he bottled giving a pen for Yeovil. Still credit to the team today, tough game and they’ve gone and grinded out a great result. Que sera sera and all that…

I thought we deserved the win, we controlled the game but bar the start we didn’t really have many spells of sustained pressure. Chesterfield were poor, they relied the long throw and the long ball to Denton. We could’ve been 1-0 down, although with us twice hitting the woodwork we probably should’ve gone ahead. My one issue is our CMs slipping back into old habits and playing too deep. Why do we need two players doing the same job? On a couple of occasions Lacey/Rawlinson picked up the ball, ran past them both! And considering Chesterfield’s forwards probably had a combined age of nearly 70 I don’t know why they didn’t push up a bit more. Positives for me were the Rawlinson/Lacey partnership and Kelly-Evans did excellently considering he’s plays on the other side. Rose stepped his game up, Enzio turned up and Roberts showed some very promising glimpses. The big moment was the penalty save, as dreadful as it was Fitz still had to stop it and he did. He might not be too happy here at the moment but he put in a great performance. All in all, very happy! 3 goals, clean sheet and the TV curse – gone!

There’s an interesting story now that the Chesterfield manager has said Fitzsimmons is desperate to go back and he wants him back. I wonder what it’s been like behind the scenes this week, I wonder if he’ll start now… Their manager has also said he’s picking the brains' of Nathan Tyson and Matt Tootle about how Notts might play. "I think Tyson has been doing my job this week," he joked. "I have asked about one or two things." A bit weird as I think it’s pretty obvious how we’ll play, NA has been using pretty much the same system all season! Even though they beat us they last time, they were really poor. About 3 shots over the whole game and one went it in. I think we absolutely have to score first and if we do, I hope the goals will flow and we’ll be able to banish this TV curse!

I didn’t know initially that a draw would mean the game against Fylde would be off. Why did Dagenham want a replay? Bizarre! With about 1-minute left of listening to the game I was thinking that 1-1 was the worst-case scenario, falling even more games behind in the league. I almost wanted to hear that Fitz had just kicked it into his own net in the last seconds… And then Michael Doyle pops up with the goal of the decade! I cannot wait to see the highlights.

It's a weird competition this! Beat the Daggers and then we're just 2 games away from the semi's and 3 from the final! I think we'll definitely see the fringe players in, so I'm hopeful Crawford, Bird and Fitz can get starts. Dagenham's recent form has been absolutely dreadful so I'd imagine they'll be looking to try something different. We're confident at the minute, but the possible dead atmosphere could make it feel like a training game. We've got to try and keep the ball moving quickly, I think if we can get an early goal I'd be confident of an easy win... I don't think we'll get one though! 1-0 Notts, Tyson to score.

It felt like a big game yesterday, a real chance to solidify our position at the right end of the table. Bromley were your stereotypical non-league side, big, physical and all about loading the box. That’s all they did, hit it long and play for set-pieces/long throws but we defended our box really well, made for an excruciating last 10 minutes mind! It was proper battling win, Rose & Doyle did well considering they were outnumbered in the midfield. The back five were great, Connell Rawlinson the stand out for me, he was outstanding! Ref was bad. Missed the pen. Missed the red for Cheek on Rawlinson. And Bush should’ve been sent off way before he actually was…

Well what an away day that was, a great early Christmas present! I thought the first half was a bit of a non-event. Started okay, but quickly started playing too safe and the final ball was poor. Halifax didn't really deserve to go in 1-0 up. However the second half was like watching a completely different game. We just shifted the tempo, the passing was quicker, we actually knocked the ball for players to run onto and put some crosses in! Enzio was on it. Not so much of the drifting inside, more using the width beating his man and getting balls into the box. Lacey has stepped in nicely, decent in the air but he's much quicker across the ground than Turner. He won his far share of tackles and was pretty spot on all game. Just looks like a really good athlete to me! Also I'm pleased for Ross Fitzsimons, I thought he did really well considering it was his first game in ages. Notts have a clip of the final goal on twitter now, doesn't show the bit where he came and grabbed the ball in the crowded box a good 15 yards out from his goal. Last season he'd have been stood under his crossbar... Back to back away wins now, bring on Maidenhead!

Imagine if Cambridge pull off a win and we don’t. I’ll feel physically sick. But seriously I’ve got a horrible feeling we’re going to go through all the emotions tomorrow, nothing is ever straight-forward with Notts! Over the course of 90 minutes we’ll be going down at one point, have a chance of survival the next, probably even be safe at some stage! I really hope we just go all out for the win. 3 points or nothing. Que será, será and all that... ????

I’m dreading this weekend. I expect an OK performance from Notts like usual. The effort will be there but the cohesion and quality won’t. It really is groundhog day, how many times have we said “this weekend’s game is a must win game?”. How many times have Yeovil and Macc slipped up, and then we have as well? Too many. It’s the most excruciating and painful scrap for survival ever. For once I'm more concerned about Macclesfield, they go to Port Vale who are now managed by Mr Macclesfield himself: John Askey. He has nearly 700 appearances for the club and managed them for 5 years as well. He must have spent close to 30 years there. I'm sure he'll have a soft spot for them and I just wonder how seriously he'll take the game. I won't be surprised if Vale try out a few youngsters and give their fringe players a run out too... Hopefully I’m wrong but this could be the weekend we go down.

Fitting that over this Easter weekend it's now pretty much Notts last chance to resurrect the season. Over the two games 4 points has to be the minimum here. That's a win and a draw, any less and I really think it will take the miracle beyond all miracles to stay up. I'm not feeling confident, simply put MK are good and our home form is bad. I think we'll need at least 2 goals to get something out of it. And I'll take a draw if that can then be converted into a win away at Crawley. Here's to hoping we have new life come Monday, but I'm expecting we might just be nailed on for the conference...

I don’t think we’ll get an easier chance to get three points like that again this season. It was painful. We were given a gift and instead of ripping it open with both hands we stared at it for a bit, prodded it, poked it and then just as Exeter were about to leave we chucked it straight to them and they’ve gladly taken it home with them. We’ve got no clue how to break teams down when they just sit back. If anyone’s done their homework against us they’ll do just that, cross a couple of balls into the box and take the three points. Forget battle to stay up; I think Yeovil, Macc and Us are having a battle to see who can be relegated first...

Comprehensively beaten by Michael Duff’s (who?) Cheltenham Town… Other than Macc away I don’t think we’ve beaten any of the teams around us, we just can’t help ourselves can we. The season’s nearly over now and Harry Kewell is still responsible for half our wins this season. Where is the next win coming from, anyone see it? Port Vale beat Mansfield which is something I’d usually be quite happy about; not tonight though. I’ll be amazed if we aren’t playing in the national league next season.

I really felt yesterday was the day we’d make a statement, get back to winning ways and get that optimistic mood back. Port Vale were bottom of the form table, as a poor team we’ll get to play this season and we made them look half decent. We looked nervous, we didn’t have any sustained spells of pressure just wasted the ball (hoofed it) far too often. The second half was just a complete non-event from us. Neal Ardley spoke in his press conference before the game that in his eyes it wasn’t a 6 pointer, it absolutely was, and we’re not going to get many more home games where we’ll have a great chance of picking up 3 points. The draw against Lincoln and the two wins are now just a distant memory, 1 point from every 3 isn’t going to keep us up. The pressure's on with back to back away games now and we have to win at least one of them.

I know off the field it’s glum but the team just have to carry on and see what happens. It’s an absolutely HUGE game, we’ve already given points to Macc, Yeovil, Cambridge etc. We cannot let Port Vale go 8 points clear of us. I think if we lose we really will need a miracle to stay up. Vale are in real trouble though, they’ve only scored 2 goals in their last 8 games. Before the window we struggled against teams like them but we’ve got more character now and they’ve got a chance to rectify that in this game. (And in the ‘6 pointers’ just around the corner). I’ve seen some Vale fans on twitter doing a prediction league thing from the Staffordshire Post (or whatever it’s called there) points wise most have got Vale in the low 40s and still to stay up. Maybe that sacred 48/49 won’t be the finish line this year… Assuming we’re still around to get there… I’ll go for a 2-0 win for us. Gomis and Mackail-Smith for us. Here’s to hoping come Saturday evening the gap is down to 2 points.

Top v Bottom. Lincoln saw off the likes of Yeovil and Cambridge recently whereas we really struggled. I hope the new players can have an instant impact and I'd expect a couple more in and out before the window shuts. Predicting the team and formation is anyone's guess. Personally, I'd like to see Schofield back in goal with a back 4 in front of him. Dennis and Hemmings to get the nod to start assuming they're fit but I wouldn't be surprised to see Mackail-Smith start. Almost guaranteed that Lincoln will score from a set-piece. I'd absolutely take a draw right now, I just can't see us beating Lincoln. 1-3.

Well, considering how negative I felt on boxing day, maybe there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel after all. Proper Jekyll and Hyde team this lot. I don’t remember a first half where we were so comfortable, all that was missing was a goal. Bury stepped it up at the start of the second half but on the whole I thought we should’ve won (considering the gift of a that pen). Vaughan finally played like we hoped he could and Kellet is surely now a shoe-in to start the games for the rest of the season, his touch and movement combined with his combativeness is great. Then in the defence we had Pierce Bird playing like Bonucci, impressive debut from him. Evina stepped up and I know I have to whisper it quietly on here because he’s no fan favourite but Duffy played very well. It feels like that was our first clean sheet since time began. I’m not getting ahead of myself yet though, need to back that performance up with another positive display against Oldham now.

Great escape? With this lot? Na. I'm usually pretty positive but unless we have a miraculous January and get in a few amazing players I think we're in really, really, really big trouble. That first half was just depressing. Vaughan shoved out the left? Defenders backing off, a complete lack of effort again. We needed to start that game like a house on fire, we just go the house. The stationary house watching everything go by. The 2nd was better in spells, Kellett looked good as did Hemmings (why was he taken off?). At 1-1 we had a chance, a tiny little glimmer, beat the worst team in the league or become the worst team in the league. We chose the latter. The players put more into the scuffles at the end, shame they can't show that same passion when actually playing.

Some Sunderland reserve side that was… GK – Ruiter – 31 – Played top flight Dutch football. DF – Ozturk – 26 – Former Hearts player. DF – Looven – 35 – Played for Celtic, Zaragoza and Sheff Wed. DF – Oviedo – 28 – Former Everton player, 46 caps for Costa Rica. MF – McGeouch – 25 – Former Hibs player, recent caps for Scotland. MF – O’Nien – 24 – Part of the Wycombe team that got promoted. MF – Power – 25 – On loan from Wigan, played Championship football. FW – Watmore – 24 – Played in the Prem. FW – Sinclair – 22 – On loan from Watford who paid £4Mil to get him from L’Pool. Sounded like DJ handed them that 2-0 though. Ross made some good saves and Notts had some chances from all accounts. Like many have said it'll have given Ardley a chance to look at the team before the big game at the weekend. GULP.

Well by all accounts it wasn't a great performance, but considering the catastrophe that was the 3-0 loss last weekend, I'll take a point for now. Pros: Dennis has started to now look the striker we hoped for. Morecambe didn't have tons of chances like most sides that plat against us. We didn't lose. Cons: Late goal made it feel like a loss. Same old problems in terms of defending balls into the box. Didn't create too many chances. Possible injury to Enzio.