TheSkipper

I have been mostly writing about sports at work today. Not a great deal assigned to me from the football front, but I am enjoying the switch from covering celebrities. I am hoping that one of my workplace's main magazines will give me the chance to interview some of the top players in the EFL and Premier League. That's one wish, but I am happy to take it as it comes. The bad thing about being a journalist or writer is that you don't get snow days, as you can write from home. What if the internet goes down? Staff like me need it to prove we aren't gaming and are instead writing non-stop.

I don't think we'll need to worry about power cuts, nothing beyond temporary. I mean, the snow has mostly melted where I am. I have seen pictures of Nottingham, and it seems to have had a bit more snow, but the streets look mostly back to normal. Doesn't anyone actually like a nice snowy Christmas? I agree, papers love to panic people because it sells.

Martin Allen was a good manager with many funny moments during his time at Notts. I will be interested in the live podcast event for sure. I will have to check my diary and make plans to stay at my folks' place. When Allen tells stories, you can guarantee that he will have some very funny ones. Some fans thought his character was just an act to distract, but he's actually a very amusing person. So, I will enjoy looking back on the earlier years of my Notts support.

This weekend's match is a must-win for us. If we don't secure a victory, we risk falling further behind at this crucial point in the season. A win would be a much-needed boost to our morale. We need key players like David McGoldrick to be in top form. I would also like to see more from Kellan Gordon and Nick Tsaroulla, who are crucial in the wide areas of the pitch. Newport might try to slow the game down and play their usual dirty tactics.

I thought Nick Tsaroulla played excellently. He was a threat and gave a good account of himself. The team as a whole played well, but individually, there were two other players who stood out for me: Jacob Bedeau and Matt Palmer.

I don't think Notts played badly, although being caught out by a quick counter-attack was disappointing. I do think Alex Bass should have reacted faster. I don't blame him, as in a one-on-one situation, you expect the striker to score, but his reaction seemed a bit delayed. Then again, who was defending that break? I'm unsure about the penalty. I didn't see anything wrong at the time and still don't after watching the highlights. Crewe Alexandra played well and deserved the win. We lack the attacking threat that Alassane Jatta brings. I would have rested Cedwyn Scott mid-week and saved him for today, or started David McGoldrick instead, so he wasn't overburdened after his return. I don't think we need to worry, but it's a shame to lose the undefeated away record.

Blackpool 1-1 Northampton Town Stockport County 1-5 Wrexham Joker Accrington Stanley 1-3 Swindon Town Barrow 3-1 AFC Wimbledon Bromley 2-3 Carlisle United Braintree Town 2-0 AFC Fylde Hartlepool United 1-0 Eastleigh Yeovil Town 0-0 Halifax Town

The game should have ended in our favour. Without Alex Bass, this might not have been the case, and I think defensively we hung on at times. I thought Doncaster looked far more organised this time around, but they didn't really play all that well. Notts did in spells, but failed to see out the game after a very good first half. Alassana Jatta's strike was brilliant. It's a shame we didn't create more chances, but we played well, just lacked at the crucial end, but it wasn't due to effort.

Norwich City 2-2 Bristol City Portsmouth 1-0 Preston North End Joker Exeter City 0-2 Charlton Athletic Stevenage 1-0 Reading Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Newport County Walsall 2-0 Crewe Alexandra Solihull Moors 0-0 Altrincham Southend United 0-1 Yeovil Town

Welcome, @Bren Shep. The Price of Nottingham is a brilliant site for Notts fans and people who enjoy discussing football.

I quickly switched to desktop mode on my phone, and I am very impressed. I think it looks great! What’s even better is seeing more details on my phone. The last upgrade was good, but this is on a whole new level.

Nick Tsaroulla played exceptionally well, and it's wonderful to see him showing such confidence at the moment. He looked like a great signing when he arrived, so it's pleasing to see him settle in and start to earn our applause.

We played very well, even though we only won 1-0, and Harrogate worked hard to limit our chances. It was a great moment when we scored a brilliant team goal, thanks to Tsaroulla and Jatta. I found the match entertaining, and Harrogate clearly weren't going to settle for a draw or a loss, so fair play to them as well. Nick Tsaroulla performed exceptionally well.

Derby County 1-2 Hull City Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Preston North End Cambridge United 1-0 Burton Albion Lincoln City 2-1 Stockport County Bradford City 0-1 Doncaster Rovers Joker Newport County 1-0 Fleetwood Town Barnet 2-0 Rochdale Ebbsfleet United 0-1 Wealdstone

We need to get Dan Crowley more involved further up the pitch. He has the ability to make things happen, but I thought he was quite quiet yesterday. Even Matt Palmer seemed a bit slow to start, which is usual for him, but Barrow make it difficult. They are a compact team when needed and quick to break. I thought they were excellent, even after Notts took control of the game. A point seems fair, considering we nearly lost.

I'm torn between Nick Tsaroulla and Alex Bass. I thought David McGoldrick did okay, but he wasn't close to being Man of the Match, with all due respect. I believe Dan Crowley needed to be further up the pitch, as he was quite ineffective yesterday. So, I voted for the player I felt worked the hardest.

Cardiff City 1-0 Portsmouth Leeds United 2-0 Watford Bristol Rovers 1-2 Shrewsbury Town Peterborough United 1-0 Blackpool Fleetwood Town 3-1 Crewe Alexandra Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Grimsby Town Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 Eastleigh Joker Tamworth 0-1 Yeovil Town

I hope he isn’t just a transitional manager. He can actually make things happen, but he needs to build on strong foundations for the long term. He’s a good coach, but success at the international level depends on understanding the players. One thing foreign managers often get wrong with England is recognising which players can truly uplift the national team and which ones don’t quite fit in with those around them. You can’t just choose players based on reputation or names alone. It’s important to have the right players in the right positions.

I can imagine it was quite exciting to see the results slowly reveal themselves one by one after the final whistle. But honestly, I wouldn’t want to be the person typing in the scores. I can imagine that back then, it was quite a nightmare to update everything, especially in a live environment.

It's great to see someone unexpected scoring the winning goal, especially in such an important match. I agree that his height makes him a natural target. With players like Jatta as well, it forces the opposition to think carefully about who to mark. The joy on Matty Platt's face after scoring, along with his celebration with Jacob Bedeau, was absolutely brilliant.

I was desperately trying to get on after catching a train from London to Nottingham. So, I’m sorry I didn’t vote, @Robbie, but I would have voted for Alex Bass myself. I’m delighted for him; he’s a top goalkeeper.

You have to balance good performances with less-than-perfect ones when aiming for promotion. Who cares what purists think? Similarly, who worries about winning ugly when results like this take some pressure off the team? I believe we did everything we could to secure the result. We will need to rely on the defence to handle threats strongly, and when we can’t, thankfully Alex Bass is exceptional, especially at this level. It was a good win, and it deserves only positive thoughts from us.

It’s a good response from the manager. I'm surprised he didn’t mention the officials or some of the tackles made by the AFC Wimbledon players. Asking for protection in interviews can get quite dull if it happens too often. I would much rather hear about the preparation that went into the match and why things worked or didn’t. I hope Stuart Maynard can focus on the positives because, during the defeats, his responses were pretty typical.

We need to give players time. If they are struggling and need support, we can only help them by being patient. Cedwyn Scott opening up is a big deal; not many players do that in football. I hope he’s okay. Depression is something we, as a fan base, should support. It's important not just for the players, but for our friends too.

He’s one of the best signings we’ve made. If we are to get promoted, his arrival will play a huge part in that achievement. He’s a solid goalkeeper who would thrive in League One. Time and again, he has shown that he makes a real difference here.