Blessing or Curse: How will Notts React

It is with great despondency that I type these subsequent words after the events that have transpired today in concerns to my supported team, Notts County. Following the conclusion of our closing encounter away at Gillingham earlier this afternoon, we now find ourselves consigned to the lowest division within the football league that is SkyBet League Two. It is a stat that I am sure the vast majority of fellow supporters will not want to be reminded of, but nevertheless, our cruellest nightmare has indeed come to fruition, and now, we must analyse and assess the causations in order to investigate the causes as to how this unfortunate situation became reality.

I must profess that before the start of the match, I considered the prospect of relegation to be both a blessing and eye opener for the future development regarding our club. The concept behind this thought process would comprise of both a complete overhaul of the playing squad and re-structure behind the scenes at board level, for a club that is in desperate need of financial injection and constructive equilibrium. Irrespective of how despondent I am to see the club be relegated, I still envision that this course of action is necessary for a healthier outlook of our club, but as with all aspects of football, this will require a consistent requisite for solid labour and allegiance from within all sectors of the club, from our experienced board associates, to the faithful, unpretentious supporters that make up our club. We have to recognise that we are where we are, and it is up to us to continue to support the players and Ricardo Moniz, and demonstrate to the rest of the football world that we will not surrender and perish. We will return as a force to be reckoned with, and we will endeavour to provide the city with a team that we can all be proud of next season, regardless of our newly acquired League Two status.

So in what areas do I sense we have been lacking insufficiently in this present campaign? Well, for starters, the shortage of financial import has been displayed significantly throughout the season. It is well acknowledged that we had the forth-worst budget in now our predeceasing league. However, although I do feel sincerely remorseful towards our Chairman Ray Trew and his family, irrespective of his earlier contributions into the club, I do believe that perhaps more could’ve have been instigated into depositing more commercial support into a club that so desperately requires more expenditure clout to strive for more higher goals in the forthcoming future. Can this be achieved with our current board? I genuinely hope so, as I believe that they are decent people. Like countless other fans, I would love to see more wealth pumped into the club within the near future. Only time will tell if this notion will become a reality in the summer.

I also consider the dismissal of Shaun Derry to be unscrupulous in relation to the timing of his departure. I do not believe that he warranted the sack, as I contemplate that it was the player’s responsibility to perform for a manager who commanded respect amongst the majority of our supporters. Shaun was a good man, and I trust that he would have kept the club up in League One had he stayed in charge, much like his performance during the great escape manifestation in the previous season. Sadly, we will never know if this was to be repeated under Shaun, and we now currently have a manager in Ricardo Moniz, who, without meaning to be discourteous, was relatively unheard of amongst the footballing community. An anonymous foreign coach who was thrust into the deep end of the ocean with only a squad that was lacking in self-confidence, it was little surprise that Ricardo failed to establish a run of positive results in sequence, despite the impressive win in our last home encounter against Doncaster. I feel sorry for Ricardo. When it relates any aspect of a job, you can only perform with the tools at your disposal, and with all due respect to Moniz, despite all of his vast tactical knowledge and credentials that he has gained from coaching and winning titles in other countries, he was limited to what he could work with, and thus, it has shown in our unfortunate relegation to League Two.

I do not blame Ricardo, Shaun, or to an extent, the board at Notts County. I place the record accountability upon the shoulders of the players, who perform week in and week out on the pitch for the club. It is all well possessing great levels of skill and ability and having tactical awareness of both the opposition and your team mates around you, but if you do not possess the self confidence to play straightforward attacking football, then ultimately, you will not win the vast majority of football matches, and this has been displayed in our final position in the League One table. We have been too petrified to damage opposition defences in their own half, and not keep enough possession of the ball for periods within a game. We have played far too many long balls to our attacking forwards, and too many times this season have our wingbacks been caught slacking defensively and picked off by opposition forwards. This needs to be immediately addressed on both the training ground and through our engagements during the summer transfer window.

Do I believe that we will be promoted from SkyBet League Two at the first time of asking? I strongly consider the likelihood that we will form a more attacking intent team that will fit the style of Ricardo Moniz’s attacking philosophy next season, with the squad shaped to suit the requirements of the managers footballing strategy over the course of the summer, through player releases and transfer signings.

Regardless of our odds for promotion next season, the main task at hand now is to create a team that will generate a positive atmosphere around Notts County, as well as inspire a future generation of footballers and supporters. The division we are consigned to is irrelevant and eventually, the mourning from todays unreceptive occasion will subside. We must stick together and provide the club with the continued backing and devotion that make Notts County so unique in comparison to any other club within the country. In time, I trust that Moniz will produce the results both on and off the pitch, and we can all gaze back at this catastrophic occasion as a trivial blip on the road to resurrection for Notts County Football Club.

Notts County vs Mansfield Town: Johnstone’s Paint Trophy

“Down 2 the Stags”

2nd September 2014

“The gulf in class between League Two to League One was made evidently on show as Notts County booked their place in the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy with a comfortable 2-0 victory over local rivals Mansfield Town at Meadow Lane. A goal in either half from Ronan Murray and Jake Cassidy was enough to send Notts through on the night. The Magpies broke through on 27 minutes with a goal of exquisite quality. It began deep on the left just outside the Notts box and saw the ball worked downfield with Murray playing two sweet one-twos with Cassidy before beating opposing Goalkeeper Evtimov with a low finish across the keeper and inside the far post. County swept 2-0 ahead on 65 minutes. Cassidy ran at Riley from the right of the box and, although the defender, looked to have halted him, Cassidy somehow managed to wriggle past the tackle and slot a low finish under Evtimov from eight yards out.”

NOTTS COUNTY: Spiess, Mullins, Hollis, R. Murray, Cassidy (Harrad, 76), Jones, Thompson, Noble (Wroe, 83), Edwards, Brown, Cranston. Subs not used: Andrews, Keane, Whitehouse,

MANSFIELD TOWN: Evtimov, Riley, Sutton, Tafazolli, Marsden (Beevers, 87), Taylor, A. Murray, Clements (Bell, 73), Heslop, Fisher (Palmer, 66), Rhead. Subs not used: McGuire, Studer.

ATTENDANCE: 3,7801 (1,386 away)

REFEREE: Mark Haywood.

GARY ABBOTT (Notts County Assistant Manager): "I thought we won the game yesterday at the training ground. They were so keen to win, spirits were high and they didn't want Mansfield taking anything home. The performance was key tonight. We passed it as well as we've done all season. It was always going to be difficult against Mansfield, especially after the pre-season game where we saw they got some big strong boys playing. We competed well and got our ball-players on the ball, the likes of Reece Brown and he made things happen for us. I thought the move for the first goal was brilliant and it calmed everyone down and allowed us to play. I was pleased for Jake too, as he's been playing up there on his own a little and he works hard for the team. It's great to get them both on the scoresheet.”

FINAL POINT: I thought we thoroughly deserved the victory over our local rivals. We took our goals confidentially, and we were strong from start to finish. Our upper class showed through our accurate passing, keeping the possession more efficiently and through our constant urgency to keep pushing and pressing up the field and attacking the opposition throughout the whole ninety minutes. In my opinion, you could tell the difference in class between League One and League Two football. The amount of long balls that Mansfield Town produced to try and penetrate our defence was astounding. It hardly worked, as our centre backs Hayden Mullins and Hadyn Hollis who have formed an exceptional partnership in our backline so far this season, firmly dealt with the danger in the air confidentially with their superior strength and heading ability. I thought Curtis Thompson, who if im honest, ive slated in the past for being turned too easily defensively when being played in a more defensive role, was exceptional. His runs and pace frightened the opposition defence and he was able to help create numerous chances for our attacking contingent. He is most definitely better suited being employed in a more attacking role as this plays into his natural ability and strength of being able to run past both left and right backs freely with his blistering pace and produce a good standard of passing and crosses. I also thought that Reece Brown (Midfielder on loan from Birmingham City), and our number two Goalkeeper Fabien Speiss (Substituting for our number one Goalkeeper Roy Carroll due to an International Call Up), put in a good shift during this match as well, but in all honesty, I would deem that the entire team played to a good standard against a side that could’ve potentially caused us many problems, but we dealt with they threw at us well and we thoroughly deserve our place in round two of the Johnstones Paint Trophy. I would like to see us stay in this competition for as long as possible, as it is not only a good way of winning Silverware and earning an exciting trip to Wembley for a Cup Final, but it can also help to breed confidence that can hopefully, be passed into the League fixtures that I have always stated, is the “Bread and Butter” of any teams footballing season, but obviously a Cup run would always be nice for the fans as well. Finally, I would love for ourselves to be drawn against another local team to add extra spice to the tie (Somebody like Burton Albion), but in all honesty, as long as we are drawn at home, I would consider us to be a tough outfit for any team to defeat, especially in front of the Notts faithful at Meadow Lane. Either way, home, or away, we will be a match for anybody as long as we can produce the same level of performance we produced against Mansfield Town.

The Derry Good Appointment

Notts County have appointed Queens Park Rangers midfielder Shaun Derry as their player-manager. The 35-year-old, who was on loan with Millwall, returns to the club with whom he began his career with, but the length of his contract has not yet been disclosed by the club. Former Carlisle boss Greg Abbott has been named as his assistant at the League One side, as the duo succeed Chris Kiwomya and Mick Jones, who parted company with the struggling outfit last month. The Magpies had also been linked with a number of experienced managers, including Dean Saunders, Danny Wilson, Brian Kerr and Burton Albion boss Gary Rowett, but have decided upon appointing a man who is tasked in his first Managerial employment with changing Notts Countys fortunes in League One, with the side languishing at the foot of the table after 15 games into the season.

Nottingham-born Derry is no stranger to appearing at Meadow Lane, having joined the club as a 10-year old, where he spent three years with the Magpies at the start of his professional career between 1995 and 1998. Derry has played a pivotal role in promotions to the top-flight with Crystal Palace and QPR and is now looking to transfer his successful playing career into one in management.  Having worked with a variety of top bosses, including Tony Pulis, Harry Redknapp and former County boss Neil Warnock, Derry has seemingly developed all of the credentials to take the club forward onto bigger and better things. Notts County Chairman Ray Trew acknowledged that there were going to be big "question marks" over Derry's credentials because it is his first managerial role at a club. 

“There are question marks over his credentials, simply because this will be his first managerial role, I know that, but there are doubts with every managerial appointment and we, as a Board, have to put our faith in who we think is the right man for the job. When we, as a Board, sat down to identify the credentials that we were looking for in our next manager, we were agreed that we needed someone who understood this club and what it means to our fans. Shaun is someone who can relate to the players and, perhaps more importantly, relate to this club. What he has achieved as a player, coupled with the leadership that he has shown throughout his career, make him the ideal candidate for a managerial role and he made it clear that he wanted that role to be with his hometown club, but he is not naïve enough to think that he could take this step alone. That is why he has turned to Greg Abbott, a man with a wealth of experience in the Football League, as a coach and manager, and someone that he has worked with in the past, to assist him in his new role. Having met with them both at length I am confident that they have what it takes to not only turn our fortunes around this season, but to go on and deliver the success and stability that we are craving here at Meadow Lane.”

Derry will take up the managerial role with immediate effect, meaning his first game in charge will come in the form of an FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser First Round trip to Hartlepool United this weekend.

Personal Thoughts: After reading in the Nottingham Evening Post that we had appointed Shaun Derry as our successor to Chris Kiwomya, I must be honest with everyone who reads this, I was shocked and very much frustrated and annoyed when the news came through. Don’t get me wrong, my opinion has changed a lot since ive sat down and thought long and hard about the future and what Shaun can bring to the table. I was just really angry that Jim Rodwell, our chief executive, would again; go for the cheapest option that was available to him, instead of going for a manager who is ambitious like Dean Saunders or Paulo Di Canio. That is in no way intended to be disrespectful towards Shaun Derry, because, after watching his first press conference as Notts County Manager, and reading the email that he sent to all Magpie Player subscribers, I was swayed and impressed by his ambition, drive, and determination to succeed and bring stability and good times back to the club. He may not be as qualified as other available managers out there, and he may not have the required UEFA Pro Coaching Badges, yet, but, as a player, Shaun demonstrates the desire, the talent and the personality which would be benefiting a Manager, so I feel that he will have no problem in his transition into football management. It is a risk appointing someone with no experience, and quite rightly they’ll be fingers pointed at him and the board for making this particular decision, but, I feel that it will pay off in my opinion. He is also a local lad, born and bred from Nottingham, so, as he stated in his email, he will strive for nothing more than total commitment from all of our squad, and give them the freedom where possible to play on the pitch. He will bark out orders where needed to, something Kiwomya didn’t do too much of, and he will grow naturally, given his intake of football wisdom, in the form of tactical knowledge, thanks to his assistant (Who, I am very impressed we have been able to attract to the club), former Carlisle United Manager Gary Abbott. I feel that we may, just have the perfect combination in place to help us drive up the table, because as I posted in my previous Pitchtalk blog, I feel that we are a much better side that our league position shows. We are too good for League Two but not quite there to make it as a competitive Championship side, yet. I hope in my lifetime, we will be able to be a regular team in that League someday soon. Maybe with Derry and Abbott at the helm? We will see. On a random side note, I feel that with the appointment of Gary Abbott as assistant manager will help improve our chances greatly in the Johnstones Paint Trophy this season, as Gary has won the competition previously with Carlisle United, so he knows what it takes to win that trophy. A nice run to the final at Wembley, a trophy in the cabinet, and some money would do nicely at the end of that thank you very much!

At the end of the day, getting back to the point in hand, even though Shaun Derry has no experience of managing a football team whatsoever, and yes, the Chairman Ray Trew did say that we were taking a risk appointing him in charge, I feel that with someone who knows the club and city inside in charge, and with an assistant who has experience in keeping teams in this division, which is surely the main objective for this season now, we will flourish for the remainder of the season, and hopefully, stay in SkyBet League One. Time will tell if this an appointment that will indeed prove to be a genius masterstroke, or, become one of the biggest mistakes the board have ever made.

I would like to wish Shaun and Gary the very best of luck in charge of Notts County and hope that they can both bring some stability and success that we are all craving, but most importantly, deserve to the club.

Lets start off the Derry era with an FA Cup First Round win at Hartlepool this weekend. Would love to get to the latter rounds and draw either Arsenal (@DaGman84) or Manchester United (@Apparentlyrich) home or away and play one of the 3 Pitchtalk co-hosts again after going out unfortunately to @SSLJA s Liverpool in the Capital One Cup 2^nd Roundat Anfield earlier this season.

Kimowya Tenure Over. Uncertainty at Notts County

Chris Kiwomya has left his post as manager of Notts County 'by mutual consent', the club announced on Sunday 27^th of October 2013. The Magpies lost 1 - 0 at home to Preston North End on Saturday, leaving them bottom of Sky Bet League One, with just two wins, one draw and ten defeats from their opening 13 matches. Kiwomya, who played for a variety of different clubs during his player career, such as French side Le Harve, Ipswich Town and Arsenal, joined County in February 2012 as their development squad manager and has been in charge of the first team since February this year following the departure of Keith Curle. Assistant manager Mick Jones and first-team coach Andy Watson have also parted company with the club. Development squad manager Steve Hodge will take charge of the first team for Tuesday night’s league game against Oldham Athletic.

Sky Bet have made former Sheffield United Manager Danny Wilson the early favourite to succeed Chris Kiwomya as Notts County at odds of 4/5. Some suspected candidates are listed below:

Steve Hodge        5/1
Steve Cotterill      8/1
Mick Jones          14/1
Kevin Blackwell 16/1
Gary Megson      18/1
Paulo Di Canio    20/1
Tony Mowbray    25/1
Michael Appleton 33/1
Craig Short           33/1 
Sven                     33/1
Steve Kean           33/1

Jim Rodwell (Notts County Chief Executive): “I cannot express how difficult a decision that this has been for the Board of Directors. This has been a gruelling year for Chris, both on the pitch and personally. Chris has conducted himself with dignity and professionalism throughout.  We would like to state, for the record, that we continue to hold Chris in high regard. His work rate, enthusiasm, commitment to the club and importantly, honesty and integrity are commodities rare in football today. We put our faith in Chris towards the end of last season and genuinely thought that we had found the man to bring stability and a long-term vision to the manager's role here at Notts. However, it simply hasn't worked out how we had envisaged and unfortunately, as we all know, this is a results driven business and there has to be a line that we simply cannot cross. Chris has a real talent for spotting and nurturing young talent that I am confident will serve him well in his career. As a Board it is our responsibility to look after the best interests of the club at all times and above all else, which is why we felt obliged to agree to go our separate ways, but Chris can be proud of his time at Meadow Lane and company with the club with a little more luck I honestly believe things could have been very different.”

Final Word: After reading the news that came through on the official Notts County Twitter page, I must admit, a huge sense of relief was felt after seeing that the Board had finally come to their senses and terminated Kiwomyas tenure as Manager after our disastrous and appalling start to this season which has only gone in 12 games so far.  I was flabbergasted that it took the Board this long to see that unless a change was to occur in the near future, we would be fighting relegation for the remainder of the season. Im not saying this as a bias Notts County fan, so no disrespect to other League One clubs, but, we are a team with a squad that should be situated much higher in the table than what our position currently shows. We haven’t had much luck as our League position shows, and in some matches, I will admit, we have been rather unlucky at times (Such as Liverpool in the Capital One Cup) Don’t get me wrong, I wanted him to succeed. I had my doubts at the start when they appointed him as successor to Keith Curle, who, by the way, should never have got the sack in the first place because he was producing an attractive style of Football that was winning matches, and, in the words of Liam Angel (@SSLJA) there are too many “ itchy trigger finger” Chairman’s out there who will sack a Manager after one loss, or, after a ridiculous behind the scenes argument, and not think towards the future of the club. But im going off topic. In some cases, Chris did succeed during his time with us, even though he was sacked after less than a year in charge. He can however leave with his head held high. Kiwomya, as a Man, is one of the most genuine nice, kind hearted individuals out there who you can say, is a true Gentleman with integrity and class. He is down to Earth, and, although he wasn’t the best at his tactics, without meaning to be disrespectful to his knowledge about Football, he did put his points across to the players during matches, whether they worked or not, he demonstrated confidence to try something new.

Maybe they just didn’t click, or maybe his tactics where just wrong altogether. I felt that his tatics were not the best to use, but as a rookie Manager, this can be expected. I just wish that the Board had seen this at the beginning instead of giving a rookie a chance in a sticky situation such as ours. It wasn’t the right time, and in the end, Kiwomya paid for price for not having the necessary knowledge to win many matches. He did manage to develop some great young players into the team such as Midfielder Greg Tempest, who has been recently called up into the Northern Ireland under 21s, and Goalkeeper Fabien Spiess, who has been exceptional whenever he has had to step in between the posts for Bialkowski, so his tenure as Notts County Manager cannot be necessarily seen as a waste as we have a great crop of young talented, and local I should point out, such as Curtis Thompson, players coming through the system that will stake hard for places in our first team. Personally, I think that he was the wrong Manager to succeed Keith Curle back earlier this year. It should’ve been someone with more experience who knows what it takes to get out of League One, and be able to motivate the players who can play an attractive style of Football playing the ball on the ground and draw big crowds back for home matches. With no disrespect intended, Chris Kimowya was not the Man who would draw big crowds back to Meadow Lane for matches. He does however, leave with some great memories that I will personally be able to live with for the rest of my natural life, such as the Liverpool Capital One Cup game away at Anfield, which we were unfortunate to lose in extra time, and also the Johnstones Paint Trophy match at Molineux against Wolves, which was again, one of the best games that ive ever been to so far. That Penalty Shootout victory was plain crazy!

I wish nothing but the best of luck to Chris Kiwomya for the rest of his career. Hopefully, he can find a job that will start him off somewhere that will suit him and his skills, and then, he can work his way up the ladder to becoming a better Manager. I don’t think that he is ready to become a Manager, yet. If, however, he can become for instance, say an assistant coach, or, a youth team Manager at another Football League Club somewhere in the near future and gain some more valuable experience, then I truly believe that he will be ready for a Managers position somewhere, and become a successful coach in the future. As with anything in life, you learn from your mistakes and they make you a better person because of it. Chris will learn from his mistakes at Notts County and they will make him a stronger coach and a stronger Man because of it.

If you ask me who I would like as the new Notts County Manager (Ian Holloway… Just kidding! We can’t afford him) then I would put a cheeky £1 bet on Paulo Di Canio. Why? Because for starters, he knows League One Football off the back of his hand. Look at what he did at Swindon Town. He played an attractive style of Football and, although he did have some arguments with a couple of players during his tenure there, he motivated and encouraged success and he did not tolerate any rubbish from anybody. We need that here at Notts County. Someone who will help motivate, shout, be nasty when needed, but also give guidance and encouragement to the players when they need it so that they can continue to do the right things and learn from their mistakes. Two, he will have a point to prove in English Football after his brief tenure at Sunderland in the Premier League earlier this year. He will feel that he wants to succeed in England, and, if given the time, I truly believe that he would succeed here at Notts County.

I know a lot of fellow fans will disagree with my opinion on Paulo Di Canio. Yes, he is a fascist, but, I judge the man solely on his football management ability, and I truly believe that he would be the right man to lead Notts County to future success… if, a big if, we could afford him. We always seem to go for the cheapest available option out there, so let’s see if Jim Rodwell will prove us all wrong and go for a Manager with ambition, hunger, drive and a vision for success. Otherwise, we might as well start planning for life in League Two (Oh the thought!)

Notts County 4-1 Bury NPower League One Friday 22nd February

Notts County 4-1 Bury
NPower League One
Friday 22nd February

J.Kelly, 58                                                                                                   Schumacher, 24

F.Zoko, 61, 65
J.Campbell-Ryce 74' (pen)

Meadow Lane
Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Match Report:

In a match that was chosen by the Football League to be played in front of the TV Cameras on Sky Sports, it was the "Magpies" Notts County who prevailed in a lively encounter with relegation threatened Bury at Meadow Lane.
Caretaker Manager Chris Kiwomya made just two changes to the side that drew with Walsall six days prior to this match, with midfielder Jeff Hughes and young Leicester City loanee Jacob Blyth making way for Left Back Julian Kelly and Frenchman Yoann Arquin, as the Notts Manager decided to revert to a traditional 4-4-2 formation for this particular encounter.
Julian Kelly was involved in the first opening that Notts created in the 14th minute, when Jamaican winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce, fed him in with an accurate through pass down the right channel. The former Reading full back then produced a terrific cross into the penalty box which was just a little too high for Yoann Arquin, who looked destined to score.  The game then went into a tight midfield battle that resulted in hardly any attempts on goal for either side, but, that all changed in the 24th minute, when Bury took the lead through skipper Steven Schumacher. The former Bradford midfielder intercepted a poor pass from Julian Kelly out of defence, & then he carried the ball into space and refiled in an unstoppable volley past Notts Goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski and his right-hand post. Two minutes after the opener, Notts had a chance to level matters, when Yoann Arquin had a shot from the edge of the Penalty Box which Bury Goalkeeper Trevor Carson nervously spilled behind for a corner. The "Magpies" continued to press for an equaliser in the first half, and created more chances, with Jamal Campbell-Ryce, who was causing problems on the left flank, firing in a dangerous looking cross which on-loan Manchester United striker John Cofie did well to get a head onto, but he couldn't direct his header on target with Trevor Carson beaten in goal. Campbell-Ryce went close himself before the end of the first half with a blistering shot that was hit straight at the Goalkeeper. The half time whistle came, and the Meadow Lane faithful made their frustrations clear at the break, following another quiet first half, with the norm of conceding avoidable goals, and a lack of clear-cut chances in front of the opposition goal.
Notts Caretaker Manager Chris Kiwomya new that changes were drastically needed to give his side a more attacking goal threat, and it resulted in Frenchman Yoann Arquin being replaced by Ivorian Francois Zoko. It proved to be a master stroke of genius by Kiwomya, as the former Carlisle winger was a constant thorn in the "Shakers" side every time he got near the ball in the 2nd half. The "Magpies" managed to successfully get themselves back on level terms on 58 minutes, when John Cofie provided an incisive pass which Julian Kelly did well to latch onto. The Left Back made up for his costly mistake earlier in the First Half, when he went past his marker and applied a slide finish that deflected into the net off opposition defender Joe Skarz. The "Magpies" gained confidence from the equaliser, and it wasn't long till they turned the game round and took the lead. Three minutes after equalising, "The Enforcer" Andre Boucaud, produced a hopeful chipped pass from the away back-line, which 2nd half substitute Francois Zoko did superbly well to collect. The Ivorian wrestled past his marker and placed accurately across goal into the bottom left-hand corner. It did not take long for Notts to extend their goal advantage to 3, as another long Andre Boucaud pass on 65 minutes, penetrated the Bury back-line and found Francois Zoko yet again. The "Target-man" managed to get past his marker, who was in fact former Notts County loanee Ashley Eastham, prod the ball in between opposition keeper Trevor Carson's legs and slot the ball home to give the rejuvenated home side a deserved two goal cushion and Zoko his second goal of the evening. Notts dominated the 2nd half proceedings, and on 68 minutes, the "Magpies" were unfortunate not to get a forth goal, when defender Gary Liddle's stunning 30 yard volley was unfortunate to go inches wide of the left hand post with "Shakers" keeper Trevor Carson completely beaten. The home side were not to be denied a forth goal however in the end, when Ashley Eastham upended the "Irish Messi" Alan Judge inside the penalty box. Up stepped regular penalty taker Jamal Campbell-Ryce, who made no mistake from the spot, by placing the ball down the centre to make it 4-1 to the home side and make the points safe. Francois Zoko almost managed to grab his hat-trick at the very end, but a smart near-post save by Trevor Carson made sure that wasn't going to happen. However, in the end, it was the three points that mattered the most, as the "Magpies" managed to give caretaker Manager Chris Kiwomya his first win under his tenure and rejuvenate their push for the top six and promotion to the NPower Championship.

My Man of the Match: Francois Zoko. Scored two vital goals and was a constant thorn in the Bury defence when he was introduced for the second half.

Notts County: Bialkowski, Kelly, Liddle, Leacock (Hollis' 85), Sheehan, Campbell-Ryce, Boucaud (Hughes' 76), Bishop, Judge, Arquin (Zoko' 46), Cofie

Bury: Carson, Skarz, Eastham, Regan, Zubar (Soares' 46), Ebanks-Landell, Worrall, Schumacher, Thompson (Carrington' 86), Bishop, Ajose (Fagan' 80)

Attendance: 5,795 (Including 297 away supporters)

NPower League One Positions:

Notts County: P: 23, W: 12, D: 12, L: 9, Pts = 48 (10th Position)
Bury: P: 23, W: 5, D: 12, L: 16, Pts = 27 (22nd Position)

Chris Kiwomya (Notts County Caretaker Manager) - “It was much better in the second half, as in the first half it was flat and disappointing again, but the boys reacted again so I can’t be too fussy. In the second half, we asked a lot more questions of them, had a lot more purpose and we played at a higher tempo. We played higher up the pitch and there weren’t too many square passes as well, so I was very pleased with the second half performance. (On his substitution of Francois Zoko for Yoann Arquin at the half time interval) - “It was a tactical decision on my behalf, Zoko had trained well all week and I thought he’d give something to us in the game. He did that and he was the difference in the second half. He uses his body very well and he’s a strong boy, so you know when he gets into those positions he can lean into people and manipulate the ball. That’s what he did in the second half and I thought he was excellent.”

Weekly Round Up

Portsmouth 0 - 2 Notts County

NPower League One

Tuesday 29th January

J.Hughes, (81)

F.Zoko, (88)

Fratton Park

Referee: Gavin Ward

Match Report:

Notts County, after seeing their remarkable 22 unbeaten away run end at Leyton Orient last weekend, managed to successfully bounce back from that shock defeat and get back to winning ways at a windy and rainy evening at Fratton Park against struggling outfit Portsmouth.

There were two changes made to the side by Notts manager Keith Curle, as an unfortunate concussion sustained at last weekends match with Leyton Orient kept number one Goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski out of the starting 11. His replacement was none other than the young and exciting prospect Fabian Speiss, who was handed his, first ever start for the club by Keith Curle. The manager also decided handing a start to Ivorian striker Francois Zoko, who was making his return from a 3 match suspension. The versatile forward replaced Enoch Showumni in attack to partner Frenchman Yoann Arquin up front in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

During the first 45 minutes of the match, both sides saw very little in terms of "goalmouth" action, but there were some decent chances for either of the two sides to take the lead, with veteran striker David Connolly going close for Portsmouth, after seeing his goal bound effort cleared off the line by Notts defender Gary Liddle. The team from Fratton Park, who are struggling with the threat of closure and currently in administration, did start the game well, and looked dangerous down the right flank, with right back Yassin Moutaouakil, a recent signing from Npower Championship side Charlton Athletic, causing problems with his crosses into the box, which young German keeper Fabian Speiss did well to combat throughout the first half.

Notts, after weathering the storm, did manage themselves to get a foothold in the game, with Alan Judge and Francois Zoko, both seeing vast amounts of the ball in the opposition half. Judge, like many times so far this season, has been the main Orchestrator for Notts County in their attacking play, and it was he who created the first opening for the "Magpies" in the eighth minute - An in-swinging corner that centreback Dean Leacock did well to get a head to, but his effort went over the crossbar. Moments later, County had the ball in the net, when Jamaican winger Jamal-Campbell Ryce, delivered a cross into the box, that saw Veteran Portuguese defender Ricardo Rocha head the ball over goalkeeper Simon Eastwood and into his own net. However, the goal was rightfully disallowed, due to a blatant push into the defender by Notts County's captain, Neal Bishop. Both sides frustrated each other greatly during the first half, but the match heated up as the half time whistle approached. Zoko and Bishop had decent attempts on goal blocked for the "Magpies" whilst "Pompey" forward James Keene saw a deflected shot bounce kindly into the arms of Speiss.

The 2nd half began with a much higher tempo, as Portsmouth pressed themselves higher up the pitch. They maybe should have taken an early lead, when wideman Jed Wallace, saw his shot skid off the greasy surface of the pitch and narrowly miss Ashley Harris' outstretched foot. At the other end, Alan Judge managed to get a shot away from distance but saw his effort go marginally wide of the left side of the post. Portsmouth, throughout the 2nd half, remained organised, resolute, & difficult to penetrate, but the hardworking team ethic installed by manager Keith Curle showed as Notts were able to throw in some good deliveries into the opposition box and cause numerous problems, with only the final touch / finish lacking.

Alan Sheehan, on 66 minutes, delivered a good free kick into the penalty box, which saw Jeff Hughes force opposition keeper Simon Eastwood into a smart save on his line. Five minutes later, Jamal-Campbell Ryce, picked out Francois Zoko, who was able to produce a prodded effort but Eastwood did well to suss out the danger. Jamal kept causing many problems on the right flank during the latter stages of the second half, when he again, produced another dangerous lofted cross which Jeff Hughes did well to control and tee up Yoann Arquin who saw his goal-bound effort superbly blocked by the Portsmouth defence.

On 81 minutes, however, Notts County finally made their pressure count and took a deserved lead, when Yoann Arquin on the byline, sent in a magnificent looking cross into the penalty box, and Jeff Hughes was well placed to prod the ball over the line and into the back of the net for his second goal in as many games. Not long after the goal was scored, Notts changed their formation to a traditional 4-4-2, as Alan Judge made way for right back Julian Kelly in order to help preserve and keep a hold of their one goal advantage. That didn't stop the "Magpies" from making it 2-0 on 88 minutes and putting the game to bed however, when Alan Sheehan swung in a deep corner that Jeff Hughes did well to put a head onto and divert it into the path of Francois Zoko, who from six yards out, placed the ball past Simon Eastwood and into the net.

There was still time though for some controversy before the final whistle, as Notts County captain Neal Bishop, was shown a straight red card for an incident involving opposition captain Johnny Ertl. It was too late however to have any real effect on the outcome of the match itself, as Notts County bounced back from their shock defeat to Leyton Orient at the weekend with three vital points at Fratton Park. The result pushes the "Magpies" up to 9th in League One, and are now only five points adrift of 6th placed Sheffield United, who are situated in the last remaining play off position, as the race for promotion to the Npower Championship hots up.

My Man Of The Match: Francois Zoko. Great performance on his return from suspension. Took his goal well, and looked tidy and composed on the ball. Brilliant positioning throughout the match.

Portsmouth: Eastwood, Moutaouakil, Gyepes, Ertl. Rocha, Butler, Cooper (Reed, 84), Wallace, Connolly, Keene, Harris (Walker, 78)

Notts County: Speiss, Sheehan, Leacock, Liddle, Campbell-Ryce, Bishop, Boucaud (Mahon, 90), Hughes, Judge (Kelly, 82), Zoko (Labadie, 90), Arquin

Attendance: 10,276 (Including 135 away supporters)

Npower League One Positions:

Portsmouth: P: 28, W: 5, D: 6, L: 17, Points = 21 (23rd position)

Notts County: P: 28, W: 11, D: 10, L: 7, Points = 43 (9th position)

Keith Curle (Notts County Manager): "In the first half I thought that we were comfortable in the game but without that cutting edge up front. We didn’t up the tempo of our play when entering the final third. That was what I asked for in the second half but I thought we started the first five minutes a little bit slow. After that, we moved the ball quickly into wider areas and in and around the advanced position of the two centre forwards I think we showed more cutting edge. (On Captain Neal Bishops Red Card) Bish is disappointed, he’s raised his hand to give Johnny Ertl a little tap to say ‘you’ve caught me there with a tackle – you were late. Its not as if he’s turned around and given him a right-hander but the amount of money he’s going to donate the fund, he might as well have.”

Final Thought: Overall, im pleased we've managed to come away with the three points after seeing our unbelievable away run end at the weekend. After watching the match  highlights on Magpie Player, I must say this: To all the other teams in League One, You must not underestimate Portsmouth FC! They may look like a squad in peril, but they are a team and club united under unfortunate difficult circumstances. I legitimately hope they don't get relegated this season. Regardless, im happy we've won. It was nice to see Francois Zoko score on his return from suspension. We have 3 good strikers in Arquin, Showumni and Zoko, but I hope Keith Curle can still generate the funds to go and buy / loan a decent, middle aged striker who will provide more competition for places and give the other 3 something to think about. I still think that we can reach the top six again, and with some luck, patience and continued good coaching by the staff, I truly believe that 6th spot and above is a realistic possibility.

Keep the faith! & Come On You Pies!

Big T - (Thomas Hewitt)

Weekly Round Up

Notts County 1 - 2 Milton Keynes Dons

NPower League One

Monday 1st January 2013

(Notts County)

J, Campbell-Ryce, 56' (Pen).

(Milton Keynes Dons)

D,Potter, 6'

D.Powell, 13'

Meadow Lane

Referee: Graham Salisbury

Match Report:

Notts County got 2013 off to the worst possible start they could have wished for, as Milton Keynes Dons recovered from their last two home defeats to Walsall and Coventry respectively, to pick up the 3 points at Meadow Lane and cement their position in the top six in League One.

There was only one change to the starting 11 that went away to Shrewsbury Town on Boxing Day, as "Magpies" manager Keith Curle was forced to replace Jeff Hughes at left back due to the player picking up five bookings and resulting in a one match suspension. Jeff was replaced at left back by the returning Jordan Stewart, who had just recovered from a Hamstring injury, in what was an otherwise unchanged starting line up and formation (4-4-2) The "Pies" almost got off to the best possible start, when right back Julian Kelly picked out on loan Watford striker Chris Iwelumo with an accurate diagonal pass out of defence. The experienced Scotsman headed the ball down to skipper Neal Bishop who then laid it off to Alan Judge but his resulting effort went over the bar.

Milton Keynes then took the lead on 6 minutes with a rather soft goal to concede it has to be said. A free kick on the left wing from on loan Brighton midfielder Ryan Harley was not dealt with properly by the home defence with nobody marking Darren Potter in the penalty area, who was allowed too much space to head the ball past Bartosz Bialkowski and make it 1-0 to the visitors. Terrible defending it has to be said! The "Dons" then doubled their advantage on 13 minutes, with again, more lacklustre marking and defending it has to be said. Daniel Powell, was given too much time and space in midfield, and he was allowed to skip past centre-back Gary Liddle into the box and then prod the ball past Bialkowski into the bottom left corner of the goal to make it 2-0, and give the "Magpies" an unwanted and unnecessary mountain to climb in this early stage of the game.

It should, have been 3-0 on the 25 minute mark, when in form "Dons" striker Ryan Lowe, was found unmarked in the box after a good flick on, but his placed effort was well turned away by Bialkowski, before Dean Bowditich followed up with a shot of his own but it went well wide of the mark. As half time approached, Notts did manage to start breaking down their visitors to Meadow Lane, as Lee Hughes centred the ball for Chris Iwelumo who headed it wide from outside the six-yard box, whilst fellow loanee Andre Boucaud produced a long ranged shot that skidded past the left hand side of the post.

Jamal-Campbell Ryce, playing on the left wing, was also growing increasingly into the game in the first half, as he delivered cross after cross into the box, and he was unfortunate not to see one of them converted in, especially in added injury time, when captain Neal Bishops header looped over onto the roof of the net. Changes were needed to be enforced by the manager Keith Curle at half time, and he didn't fail to surprise, as he took off forward Chris Iwelumo, who was playing the final game of his loan spell from Watford, and replaced him with joint top scorer Yoann Arquin. The first effort of the second half came from Milton Keynes Dons, as centre-back Shaun Williams lead out a breakaway move from the heart of defence and following an exchange with full back Adam Chicksen, Williams fired inches wide of the bottom left-hand corner
from the edge of the box.

On the 56 minute mark, the "Magpies" had the perfect opportunity to put themselves back into the game, when Antony Kay, sent Alan Judge tumbling inside the area. Graham Salisbury immediately pointed to the spot, and up stepped Jamal Campbell-Ryce to slot the ball past opposition keeper David Martin to make it 2-1 and give the "Pies" a chance to get something out of the game. Second half substitute Yoann Arquin wasted a golden opportunity to make it 2-2, when Lee Hughes produced a smart pass to send the Frenchman through on the right channel. Arquin then broke into the penalty area after getting past Antony Kay, but his placed shot was saved and turned away by Dean Martin, who reacted well to sharply save down his right hand side.

Notts continued to dominate the proceedings in the second half, as the "Dons" were camped inside of their own half, and it seemed as if an equaliser would soon be on the cards for the home side. The Notts faithful thought that came to fruition when Julian Kelly surged past Adam Chicksen on the right wing, and delivered a low cross which Lee Hughes was unlucky to see his effort come back off the crossbar. There was another substitute for the "Pies" on 78 minutes when Jamal Campbell-Ryce made way for Ivorian Francois Zoko, and the former Carlisle frontman almost made an immediate impact, when he ran from the left flank and crossed the ball into the box which found Julian Kelly, who was then able to feed Alan Judge, but the Irishman's firm effort went agonisingly over the goal.

Four minutes of added time were introduced by the Fourth Official, as Manager Keith Curle brought on former Leeds United striker Enoch Showumni for Julian Kelly, as Notts County went to four up in attack with Lee Hughes, Francois Zoko, Yoann Arquin and Showumni to try and grab the equaliser. There were a few chances in this added period as Notts threw bodies forward, with Arquin going close with a headed effort, Zoko forcing a save out of Dean Martin, and Centre-back Manny Smith firing wide from close range, but it was not to be, as the "Magpies" fell victim to the Dons at Meadow Lane and saw themselves slip further down the NPower League One table to a mid table 13th position; 6 points adrift of the play offs. However, the "Pies" do have two games in hand, so there is all still to play for as we go through 2013.

My Man Of The Match: Alan Judge: Was involved in the majority of our play once again. Ran tirelessly down the wings, created chances and was unlucky not to put himself on the scoresheet.

Notts County: Bialkowski, Kelly (Showumni - 90), Liddle, Smith, J.Stewart,
Campbell-Ryce (Zoko - 78), Bishop, Boucaud, Judge, L.Hughes, Iwelumo (Arquin - 46)

Milton Keynes Dons: Martin, Lewington, Chicksen, Kay, Williams, Potter, Powell,
Harley, Bowditch (Smith - 45), Lowe (MacKenzie - 90), Balanta (Doumbe - 65)

Attendance: 5,325 (Including 311 away supporters)

NPower League One Positions:

Notts County: P: 24, W: 9, D: 9, L: 6, Points = 36 (13th Position)
Milton Keynes Dons: P: 25, W: 12, D: 6, L: 7, Points = 42 (6th Position)

Keith Curle (Notts County Manager): “We gifted them two goals and, home
or away, if you gift teams goals you’re going to find it difficult. We created some good opportunities and should have got something out of the game. The performance in the second half showed what we’re about and we’ve got to start games at Meadow Lane like that. I’m as frustrated as anyone and I know that the owners are very frustrated because it does affect us. We just needed that little bit of luck, that little break that you need in the box, but the ball just wasn’t quite falling right for us – but, it will do.”

Final Word: Im rather annoyed at that performance by the team. The two goals we conceded are really soft and could have been so easily avoided had we marked the opposition better and stuck ourselves in more with "meaty" tackles. Win the ball back! & keep the ball on the ground instead of hoofing it in the air! Theres no point in long balls unless we know its going to reach the desired destination. Chris Iwelumo, will be going back to Watford today and even though he has been good in regards to heading the ball down and bringing others into play, I cant see him coming back to the club. I really hope
we utilise Enoch Showumni at some point soon! He's a decent striker, who can run, control the ball and head it down, as well as bring others into play. If he can recapture the form he had for both Leeds United and Tranmere Rovers, then we will have a fine player on our hands, so Keith? Please start him at some point along side Yoann Arquin up front.

Overall, we did pick ourselves up in the 2nd half and played a little bit better but I just felt we weren't good enough that afternoon and we deserved to be defeated. After looking at the League table, 13th and 6 points from the play offs in 6th, its not ideal, but we can get back into the top six, especially with our two games in hand, so it is throughly achievable! I really hope we sign a new striker to replace Chris Iwelumo, as well as sign up Andre
Boucaud on a permanent deal from Luton Town, Also, I hope Keith Curle will attempt to sign some young, new defenders in January, but I can dream cant I?

Finally, I hope we do all we can to keep a hold of Alan Judge in the January transfer window. If a Championship club comes in offering some ridiculous amount, then fair enough, cash in on him and buy a suitable replacement, but we cant afford to lose him, especially in January and the rest of the season to go, so I prey that the board do all they can to keep Judgey at the club, and whilst they're at it, offer him a new contract! Cheers..

Well, thats it from me this week. I'll be back next weekend with some more reaction from our away League game to Portsmouth.

Keep the faith! & Come On You Pies!

Big T - (Thomas Hewitt)