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Next Up: Meadow Lane
Next Up: Meadow Lane

Notts County Preview

By: Richard Hubbert
Date: 15/04/2005

WITH just four games of this 2004/2005 season remaining, the Mariners make a trip to Meadow Lane on Saturday to face Notts County, who were relegated with Town last season.

Home > 2004-2005 Season > Previews > Notts County (a)


The Opposition

Overview
The Magpies, like the Mariners were relegated from Division Two last season and were expected to be up there challenging at the top half of the division this season. However, a slow start to the season left County near the foot of the table, then a 5-1 defeat at Rushden prompted the dismissal of boss Gary Mills. Veteran midfielder Ian Richardson (left) was appointed caretaker manager and has been in charge ever since. Richardson has steadied the ship somewhat and made County safe from relegation, but inconsistency has been the main problem at Meadow Lane this term. Like Town, they seem to fare better against the top teams, with a win at Yeovil a few weeks ago as well as good victories over Lincoln, Swansea and Wycombe.

Their Squad
In the summer, County seemed to have on paper one of the best squads in the division, especially when former Chesterfield striker Glynn Hurst (left) decided to drop a division to play for the club. Hurst scored 14 goals for the Spirites last term and has hit 15 for County this term. Another forward, Mark Stallard recently rejoined the club on loan from Barnsley. Ex Coventry defender/midfielder David Pipe has been a regular this season at right back while this season has seen the emergence of youngster Kelvin Wilson. The 19 year old youth team product standing at 6 foot 2 can play at centre back or right back. In midfield, Stefan Oakes will return from suspension in midield. Oakes scored against Town in the game at Blundell Park and is an energetic midfielder. Ex-Town defender, Mike Edwards, meanwhile, remains sidelined after snapping his cruciate ligament in September.

Key Player
Julien Baudet (left). Notts County have a pretty bad home record this season, losing nine, winning six and drawing six of their league games. Only bottom clubs Cambridge and Kidderminster have lost more home games. Therefore it depends what sort of a day the Magpie's defence is having as to what might happen. Baudet, a French centre back with experience with Tolouse, Oldham and Rotherham has been a regular in this defence and his personal performance could have a significant bearing on the result.

Recent Form

 

TownNotts County
DWycombe(h)0-0
LMansfield(a)0-2
DRushden(a)0-0
LBury(h)1-3
LDarlington(h)0-1
Currently 17th in League Two.
LOxford(a)1-2
WLincoln(h)1-0
WYeovil(a)3-1
LBristol R(h)1-2
LChester(a)3-2
Currently 19th in League Two.

Top Scorers

 

TownNotts County
Pinault7
Parkinson7
Hurst15
Gordon8

Team News

 

TownNotts County
  • Manager Russell Slade will have to decide whether to go back to 4-4-2 or stick with the 3-5-2 formation he deployed last weekend.

  • There are no fresh injury worries for Town but Michael Reddy could be set for a place on the Mariners bench after sitting out through injury for a few weeks.

  • Both Ronnie Bull and Tony Crane performed well for the reserves in the week, but are likely to sit on the bench once again.

  • Andy Parkinson will continue to play in attack with Martin Gritton, with David Soames still unavailable due to a family bereavement. Graham Hockless should be fit enough to take a place on the bench.
  • Former Leicester midfielder Stefan Oakes will go straight back into the County side after sitting out their game with Oxford due to the red card he received a fortnight ago against Lincoln City.

  • On loan goalkeeper Rob Elliot is back from a calf problem and will return on the County bench in place of Karl Dryden
  • Probable Teams

     

    TownNotts County
    1Anthony Williams
    2John McDermott
    6Terrell Forbes
    28Justin Whittle
    18Rob Jones
    9Simon Ramsden
    16Jason Crowe
    11Stacy Coldicott
    15Terry Fleming
    10Andy Parkinson
    26Martin Gritton
    1Sean Deeney
    2David Pipe
    14Paul Bolland
    8Julien Baudet
    20Kelvin Wilson
    12Chris Palmer
    7Matthew Gill
    6Stefan Oakes
    29Ruben Zadkovich
    10Glynn Hurst
    25Mark Stallard

    Subs

     

    TownNotts County
    17Thomas Pinault
    5Tony Crane
    12Graham Hockless
    14Michael Reddy
    30Nick Heggarty
    23Shane McFaul
    15Matt Williams
    11Tony Scully
    21Robert Elliot
    18Shaun Harrad

    Head to Head

    Notts County are the oldest side in the football league, and the Town sides have a long history of meetings, the first being way back in 1893. Town have the edge over the Magpies, with 29 wins over their 29. There have been goals aplenty as well, Town scoring 94 and conceding 98.

    P 67 W 29 D 15 L 23 F 94 A 98

    Notts County Head-to-Head (32nd on The Opposition Ladder)

    Connections

  • Ian Baraclough played in Black and White for boths sides. He had two spells with County, one from 1995 until 1998 and then again from 2001 until this summer when he joined Scunthorpe United. He made just two starts and a handful of substitute appearances for Town in the early 1990s until a move to Lincoln City in 1992.

  • Ex-Mariners' skipper and midfield general Shaun Cunnington (left) had a short lived stay at Meadow Lane, signing in 1997 from West Brom. He appeared 11 times in all competitions for the Magpies before ending his career with Kidderminster. For Town, he was a central figure in the Town side that was promoted under Alan Buckley two seasons in a row before a record £pound;650,000 sale to Sunderland.

  • Lee Nogan had a brief loan spell with County just prior to joining Town in 1997. It was not a particularly successful spell though, failing to score and County failing to win in any of the games he was involved in.

  • Current Mariners boss Russell Slade did have a brief period in charge of the Magpies from September 1994 until January 1995. However, it was not a happy one for Slade, winning just 6 of his 23 games in charge. He was one of four manager that season for County, including Mick Walker, who he replaced, Howard Kendall and Steve Nicol. County were relegated to the Second Division that season.

  • Marcel Cas and Ian Hamilton are two other players who have recently turned out for both sides. Cas was with County for a couple of seasons before joining the Mariners in the summer of 2003, lasting just five months before departing back to Holland, but not before a scathing attack on the club and Paul Groves. Hamilton, meanwhile joined County the season following a loan spell with Town in 2000, having a season with the Magpies before spells at Lincoln and Woking
  • Last Meeting

    Town just edged the last meeting between the two teams, in a 3-2 win for the Mariners at Blundell Park back in December. Town were never trailing in the game, but were pegged back to 1-1 and 2-2 with County goals from Stefan Oakes and Gavin Gordon. However, Town goals from Ronnie Bull, Andy Parkinson and Justin Whittle secured all three points for Russell Slade's men. The last meeting at Meadow Lane meanwhile ended in a disappointing 3-1 defeat for the Mariners. Graham Rodger was caretaker manager at the time, and off the back of our 6-1 drubbing of Barnsley Town got off to a good start with a Tony Crane goal. However, County goals from Paul Heffernan, Steve Scoffham and future Town striker Mickael-Antoine Curier gave County three precious points.

    Grimsby Team: Williams ,McDermott ,Whittle ,Forbes ,Bull (Reddy ,77 ) ,Crowe ,Fleming ,Pinault ,Gordon ,Parkinson ,Cramb (Sestanovich ,77 )
    Subs: (not used) Coldicott,Jones,Hockless,

    Notts County Team: Henderson ,Whitlow ,Baudet ,Wilson ,Pipe (Scully ,60 ) ,Palmer ,Oakes ,Gill ,McFaul (O'Grady ,86 ) ,Williams (Hurst ,65 ) ,Gordon
    Subs: (not used) Petterson,Kuduzovic,

    Attendance: 4,030    Report

    Prediction

    1-1

    Recent Predictions

    GamePredictionScorePoints
    Wycombe2-00-00
    Mansfield2-10-20
    Boston1-11-13
    Oxford0-02-10
    Rochdale1-10-20
    Yeovil1-12-10
    Chester3-11-01
    Swansea1-10-01
    Shrewsbury2-00-10
    Bristol R2-10-30
    Reader's POMs

    Directions

    Click on the link for directions to Meadow Lane (left).




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