The future starts here

FORMER Notts goalkeeper Mick Leonard has returned to Meadow Lane to take up his new role as director of the Centre of Excellence-and promised to play his part in reviving the club’s fortunes.

And he is in no doubt about the size of the task which confronts him as he strives to re-launch a youth scheme.
He said: “It’s a massive challenge but I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Everyone knows that one of the strengths of Notts County over the years was the way they kept producing good young players but we’re having to start again from scratch.”
“It’s going to take a long time to get back to anything like it was. But we have to start somewhere and that job is now under way.”
Leonard’s immediate challenge is to find 100 talented young players before the start of September to join the various squads, ranging from under-9s to a combined 15-16 age group.
And he added: “We’ve put together a steering group to oversee the running of the project, and now I need to put in place a programme of activities and find the coaches and players.”
“Nottingham has always been regarded within football as an excellent breeding ground for promising young footballers and I’m looking forward to getting around the schools and finding out if that is still the case.”
Leonard, who made 204 League appearances for County from 1979-88, has been working as an academy director in Dubai for the past two years and before that was national goalkeeping coach for the New Zealand FA.
He added: ““I’m excited about linking up again with Ian McParland and Dave Kevan and the opportunity to come back and play a part in reviving the fortunes of Notts County really appeals to me.”
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Earnshaw signing the real indicator

COLIN Calderwood is adamant the capture of Rob Earnshaw will entice other high profile players to join Nottingham Forest.

The Reds boss has seen Sammy Clingan move on to Norwich City this week- the second player to turn down a new contract after the departure of Kris Commons to Derby County.

But far form feeling the moves have dented Forest’s squad building, he feels Earnshaw’s signing is the real indicator as to the club’s intentions in the transfer market this summer.

He said: “I think it will help(attract other players to sign). Anyone with any knowledge knows the group is potentially quite good but what we’ve added is a bit of experience and a certain firepower from the past but we certainly think he’s got a great chance of having that in the future as well.”

“In a perfect world everyone will be here in pre-season so you could do the whole thing as a group, but it just won’t happen like that.”

“But I think there won’t be any hurry up signings-it’ll be someone we’ve looked at, spoken to or spoke about-they’ll be the ones who join us.”

“We won’t take anyone who suddenly shoots up from nowhere.”
“But something will happen between now and the start of the season where a change of ownership or a change of manager at a couple of clubs and suddenly someone becomes a first choice(target) when we didn’t think they’d be first choice.”

No pressure

ROB Earnshaw has vowed his high profile move from Derby County will not pile on the pressure to perform immediately in a Nottingham Forest shirt.

The 27-year-old switched to the City Ground earlier in the month in a £2.65m move to take his career transfer fees to £12.65m

But he says the money doesn’t enter his head when the heat is on to perform.

He said: “It(the transfer fee) doesn’t bother me because I want it to be that way, you’re an asset to the club then.”

“I’m looking to do well on the pitch, and that’s all I look to do, score goals, be smiling and enjoying it football- that’s all I want to do.”

Fans hail 'impressive' new stand

TRENT Bridge’s new stand can safely be described as receiving the seal of approval. Officially opened by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on June 5, on the first day for the Test match against New Zealand, the stand has since successfully housed fans for Notts’ Twenty20 campaign.
And if the supporters’ views are anything to go by, the club can be assured they’ve replaced the old Parr stand with something to be proud of.

On a pleasant sunny Saturday afternoon on June 14 against Durham, fans may have already been in positive mood after a 23 run win, but they didn’t hold back on their praise for the new facility.

Mike Smalley, 42, and his wife Denise and their children James and Alice from Edwalton watched the game from the stand.

Mike said: “The view from the top of the stand here is great. I think a few people were concerned that it was only increasing capacity by a couple of thousand but this complements the rest of the ground really well.”

“Every improvement they’ve done is in keeping with the surroundings. Even the new floodlights don’t look ugly or out of place.”

James, 9, added: “It’s really good. I like sitting behind the bowler’s arm but I like this view better.”

Irene Dakin, 64 and husband Martin from Ravenshead were also impressed.

“It’s an excellent spot.” she said. “It’s arguably better than the Fox Road stand which itself has good views.”

“They’ve managed to design something which doesn’t feel out of place with the rest of the ground. Sometimes a new stand can just look odd for a while but this fits nicely.”

“It looks even more like a real 21st century test ground. Headingley and Old Trafford can’t compete in my opinion.” Chief Executive at the club Derek brewer commented this won’t necessarily be the end of ground improvements.

He said: “We are determined to continue to enhance Trent Bridge in order to continue to attract major matches to the venue and look forward to welcoming supporters to our new facilities.”

Hopkins Departs

RYAN Hopkins has left Nottingham Rugby Club to re-join Plymouth Albion.The 27-year-old prop joined from the same club in 2006, and in two seasons made 65 First XV appearances scoring six tries. A club spokesman said: “We thank him for his efforts over the last two seasons and wish him the best of luck with his "new" club.”Meanwhile coach Glenn Delaney has confirmed his side will play London Irish in a pre-season friendly at Sunbury on Friday August 15.

The future's heading for Orangeville

The GMB Nottingham Panthers are sending three young players to Canada for intensive summer training. Two more can’t make the trip but will be on personal training programmes here in the UK.

The club is sponsoring Robert Lachowicz and Sam Bullas along with another promising teenager Tom Norton who will be flying to Orangeville where coach Corey Neilson has run a successful hockey camp for ten years.

James Neil and Joe Graham have family commitments and can’t make the trip but coach Neilson has devised training routines for them.

At the camp in Canada it will be ice hockey 24/7.

Said Corey Neilson today : “The youngsters will be training with us and they will also go to some try-outs with local teams so that they can compare themselves with other players.
“It will be hockey all the way – and in a party-free environment.
“There will be personal training when they will all be analysed and any holes or weaknesses in their game will be worked on and hopefully eliminated.
“When I was their age I was a man, in terms of size and stature, therefore physical development will be crucial.
“I’m very excited by the prospects of these boys going back home and having that extra edge when it comes to Panthers’ training camp.”
Often young players trying to break in to the senior ranks have to make do with an odd shift at the end of a game that has already been cracked open one way or the other but the GMB Panthers coach is hoping to break the trend and use his young players more often:
“I don’t want a fourth line of kids coming on late in the game when it is either won or lost. That helps no one. I want them to make a contribution throughout the game and this training camp should help them, and help me, to achieve that.”

'We've got to find the right combination'

COLIN Calderwood has stated Nottingham Forest must find the right forward combination next season to fulfil their potential in the Coca-Cola Championship.

The Reds boss has brought in Rob Earnshaw from Derby in a £2.65m move but is yet to finalise the long term futures of Nathan Tyson, Junior Agogo and Grant Holt.

The latter two have both been linked with moves away from the City Ground whilst Tyson has stalled on a new contract offer.

And the Reds boss didn’t dismiss other forwards may arrive before July, highlighting a system must be found in the warm-up games that suits his personnel.

He said: “We’ve got to find the right combination and that’s why pre-season we’d want to have everybody in.”

“I think you can sometimes have almost opposites or too similar and sometimes that two strikers that don’t really gel together.”

“It’ll be interesting to see the link up with all the forward players. The important thing now is the service we get to them.”

“The one thing we don’t lack is good set play delivers in the team which is always useful to have.”

He also said it was important to plug the creativity gap offset by the loss of Kris Commons to Derby County.

He added: “We’ve lost Kris(Commons) who’s a major provider of goals and it’ll be interesting what comes out of the squad and that’s all for our pre-season work.”

“We’ll try one or two combinations and try and get the best formation and formula for ourselves.”

“In losing Kris we’ve obviously lost someone who can conjure something with the ball, a good set play deliver and someone who could play as a winger.”

“We’ve got to adjust around that a little bit so maybe we need someone with a little bit of width.”

Stags set to lose Hamshaw

MANSFIELD Town look to set to lose Matt Hamshaw to rivals Notts County.The 26-year-old midfielder will meet Mappies boss Ian McParland this week to finalise the deal having already held talks with the assistant-manager Dave Kevan and Tommy Johnson. The former Sheffield Wednesday player has been linked with moves to Lincoln City and his hometown club Rotherham, since being released by relegated Mansfield at the end of last season.And he indicated Notts County are the closest of the three clubs to grab his signature.
He said: "Notts County is a massive club. If they get it right there is huge potential to move up the Football League. They are a very attractive club. I always give 100% respect to clubs that are interested in me, and I have got a couple of other clubs to speak to. Notts County is at the top of my short-list."

Vandanel back Notts

Football clothing manufacturer, Vandanel Sport Ltd, has announced a major kit deal with League Two side Notts County.

League Two Notts County and Vandanel have worked closely on the deal and now look forward to working together in the coming seasons.
Neil Burke, Director of Vandanel Sport Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be associated with what is universally recognised as the oldest football league club in the world. Vandanel is proud to supply top quality clothing and it is a privilege that our brand is to be aligned with such a well-known and traditional club. We are very proud to be able to announce this deal.”

Shots Not Slogs

HARD hitting batsman Adam Voges has said he can still play his natural game and get results in Notts’ imminent Twenty20 campaign.

The top order Aussie is relishing the competition having built up an enviable reputation for spectacular performances in the format in his native Perth for Western Australia.

He said: “I think you can still play good cricket shots, the guys can get a bit unstuck just trying to slog balls.

“Personally it’s just knowing which areas I’m strong and sticking to them. You’ve got to improvise now and then when the circumstances demand but it’s mainly just hitting to your strengths.”

And he admits Notts have not necessarily played spectacularly in one day games this year but have ground out results.

He added: “Our one day in form in the FPT has been a little bit indifferent but we won a lot of group games. I can’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do well in Twenty20.”

Quarter Final Target

NOTTS head coach Mick Newell has said the club’s progression in Twenty20 campaigns in the last two years will stand them in good stead for a crack at this year’s title.

Notts begin their group games on June 13 against Yorkshire at Headingley and Newell is optimistic a last eight spot is again a realistic target.

He said: “Our first two or three Twenty20 campaigns were hopeless where as now we’ve had a finals day and a quarter final and I think a quarter final has to be your minimum target.”

“It’s financially beneficial to the club to get there plus the players want to get there and get out of the group.”

Four Green'n'Whites agree new deals

NOTTINGHAM Rugby’s preparations for the new season continue with four more players agreeing new contracts.

Dan Montagu, Alex Loney Tim Usasz and Chris Pilgrim have all signed for another year. They join Matt Parr, Alex Dodge, Luke Sherriff, Craig Hammond, Tim Molenaar, Nigel Hall, Joe Duffey, Nic Rouse, Lee Morley, David Jackson, Andy Savage and Tim Taylor, who have already committed their immediate futures to the Green and Whites.

Director of Rugby Glenn Delaney, who has also signed a new rolling contract which commits him to Nottingham for the foreseeable future, is delighted with the progress the club is making. "We are getting there," he said. "We are planning ahead and everything is starting to fall into place.

"There is still a lot of work to do, a few players I would still like to sign and we are getting on with that. We have a lot of work to do but I am excited about the future."

Delaney is also hoping that centre Matt Smith will be back for the coming season. He said: "I'm working at Matt being available to us as well. He is contracted to Leicester Tigers but I'm hoping we might get him on a joint contract. He was fantastic for us last season."

New stand ready for test match

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club are delighted to announce that the new stand at Trent Bridge has received a safety certificate from Nottinghamshire County Council after building work was completed ahead of schedule.

The stand will be officially opened by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on Thursday June 5, the first day of the third npower Test against New Zealand, but it was used for the first time for the Friends Provident Trophy clash against Ireland on Sunday.

Sue Storey, Chair of the Nottinghamshire County Council Safety Advisory Group responsible for issuing the safety certificate said: “We are delighted to announce that the new stand at Trent Bridge is safe and ready to be used by Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club."

“Throughout the redevelopment project, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club have been very keen to work with us to ensure that all possible safety features were included in the new stand."

“The new stand and other redevelopment work has greatly enhanced the safety at the venue.”

Derek Brewer, Chief Executive at Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the redevelopment has come to fruition and look forward to welcoming England and New Zealand for the deciding game in an intriguing series.

“We are determined to continue to enhance Trent Bridge in order to continue to attract major matches to the venue and look forward to welcoming supporters to our new facilities.”

Toneys becomes latest import

GMB Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team are today pleased to announce their latest “import” recruit in the shape of six feet two inch American defenceman Nick Toneys.
And Nick will be heading to the University of Derby to study a masters degree in business thanks to the new deal announced just last week between the university and the club.
Coach Corey Neilson said today : “We can’t underline the importance of deals like the one with the University of Derby enough. I said last week when we revealed the new partnership that it would make my life easier when it came to recruitment, there are a lot of players who have turned professional after going through the high class American and Canadian college systems who will jump at the chance to go ‘back to school’ while continuing to play, and so it has proven to be.
“Nick Toneys is a stay-at-home six feet plus defenceman who clears the crease well and is perfect for the job we have in mind for him. He doesn’t take too many penalties, and as a graduate from Michigan Tech and St Norbert’s College, his experience of the college system will make it an easy transition to our systems of play. This is another good signing for the GMB Panthers.”
Nick Toneys, 25, played at Augusta and Phoenix in the East Coast Hockey League last season and the year before he was at Kalamazoo in the United Hockey League.
And the blueline core has been completed with the full-time addition of hot prospect Joe Graham who dressed for the club nearly thirty times last season, after a couple of years in the EPL at Solihull. The teenager will be eighteen next month and was named man of the match in the annual England-Scotland junior international at the play-off weekend last season. Joe will wear the number 29 jersey, as worn by his father Davie who backstopped the Panthers when the club won the Wembley play-off crown twenty years ago this season.

The battle of Nottingham

A pre-season friendly it might be, but Colin Calderwood and Charlie McParland will dearly want to get one over the other in the battle of Nottingham.

Notts and Forest meet at Meadow Lane on August 2, a week before their respective curtain raisers in the league.

And it is the first chance the managers have met in football since their acrimonious split 12 months ago.

Because as much as the relationship between the pair has remained civil since, the departure of long standing coach McParland from the City Ground twelve months ago ultimately left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Shortly after the 2006/7 season finished, McParland was told he was no longer part of the back room staff-a decision believed to have been made after disagreements over tactics and team selection that ultimately saw Forest bomb out of the play-offs to Yeovil.

McParland had indicated he thought the squad was more than capable of promotion and it was easy to see Calderwood’s somewhat negative decisions and man management at the time frustrated him.

But the decision to let him go was rough justice for a man who did a magnificent job in a number of roles for over a decade for The Reds.

He had been a major factor in the success of the conveyor belt of talent that emerged form the youth and reserve teams for several years and that allowed Forest to remain financially afloat after the sales of Jermaine Jenas, Michael Dawson and Andy Reid.

An official statement was made several weeks after McParland had left- adding more flames to the fire about the way in which the club had kept the worst kept secret in the city.

That may well all be forgotten by the time the two meet, as the task of bedding in new faces in both sides with just a week left before the new season will be of top priority.

But you can’t help but feel even with two divisions separating the two sides, local and personal pride will still be just as fierce to grab a result.

Officials at Meadow Lane will hope however the battle doesn’t spill into the stands after the pure embarrassment of last season’s pitch invasion after Forest’s 3-1 win in a similar pre-season tie.

Fans of both clubs shamed themselves that night with violence that took the game’s profile in the city back a step to something out of football’s dark days in the 1980’s.

Needless to say precautions and policing will be far stricter this time around. Fortunately the only place passions may get a little heated is between the technical areas.

Swann wants Twenty20 crown

Graeme Swann is determined Notts will go the extra step and lift the Twenty20 crown this season.

The England international may only have limited time to feature for Notts if, as expected, he is picked as part of the one day series squad to face New Zealand in June.

But he feels the club should have won the competition last season as they went out to Kent in a re-arranged quarter-final at Trent Bridge.

He said: “Everyone around the club knows we should have won it last year and we messed up in that one quarter final where it all started so well and just went to pot inside half an hour.”

“We’ve still a got strong side and can beat anyone on the day.”

And he admitted he savours the increased popularity of the shorter form of the game.

He added: “It’s great to walk out on Trent Bridge and have 15,000 people cheering you on. I don’t enjoy the longer form of the one day game half as much as Twenty20.”

“It’s adrenaline packed and it’s exciting and you come off more tired from a Twenty20 game than you do a 50 over match.”

“You throw yourself around and you get swept up in the emotion of the crowd, it’s brilliant and you get to stay in bed longer in the morning so it’s a winner all round!”

Earlybird offer extended

Nottingham Rugby has had a fantastic response to its season ticket offer and would like to thank all existing and new season ticket holders for their wonderful support.

In recognition of this support we would like to extend our Early Bird offer until the 31st May 2008.

Our early bird discount offers even greater value, so join today and be part of the team! A Season Ticket is a great value way to enjoy watching Nottingham Rugby at every home league match.
Being a Season Ticket holder at Nottingham guarantees you the following: Guaranteed entry into 15 National Division One Home League matches;
Two ‘Bring a friend for free’ vouchers;
Fixture Card;
20% discount voucher on one shop purchase in the Nottingham Rugby shop;
Season Ticket Holder Prize Draw;
Right to apply for the ballot for England International Tickets; Fantastic offers from our partners.

Here to stay?

HAVING passed through an era when sacking football mangers was second nature to club chairmen, Colin Calderwood may just be pleased to hear his current employers have seemingly finished with the habit themselves.

The Reds manager was believed to be all but sacked had he failed to drag Forest back into the Championship this season.

But from a position in April when defeat at Doncaster Rovers looked to have consigned the club to a play-off place, Calderwood has emerged out of the mist and fury to leave himself his most challenging task to date in the Championship. But he has arguably never been in a stronger position. That’s if the club’s hierarchy is to be believed.

Mark Arthur revealed after Forest’s final day promotion to the Championship that Colin Calderwood would have kept his job regardless of Forest’s fate again this season.

He indicated he attended a fans event in the final weeks of the season confirming the Scotsman’s position regardless of where the club finished.

He said: “I told them (the supporters) that Colin would be the manager of Nottingham Forest next season regardless of what happened.”

“We have always believed it to be important to build a little stability and continuity at the club and we felt that, however the season turned out, we had a bright future with the group of players we had put together.”

That was u-turn on what he indicated earlier in the season when Forest’s poor away form had already seen them drift alarmingly away from the top two. Calderwood at that point was seemingly finished if promotion wasn’t secured.

But chairman Nigel Doughty and Arthur appear to have learnt their lessons. As much as Paul Hart, Joe Kinnear and Gary Megson were all on undoubted downward spirals at the time of their departures, you can’t help but feel in Hart's case particularly that he deserved his own leap of faithfrom the chairmen when results didn't come up to scratch.


But now with continuity and stability the buzz words, they will be keen to stick with a manager who through unprecedented pressure has done what he was employed to do.

The next hurdle of the Championship will be an interesting test of Calderwood’s credentials but he may now go about his work safe in the knowledge the axe may not be ready to swing if results don’t arrive immediately.

Club needs work

CHARLIE McPARLAND has re-iterated just how much work must take place with the club’s infrastructure for it to move forward.

The Magpies boss has helped oversee plans for a new centre of excellence next season but remains realistic about whether he will still be in charge to see the fruits of its introduction.

He said: “This club needs to be built from bottom to top for it to become the Notts County of old. Whether I see that out or not I don’t know because I live in the real world and managers life spans are quite short.”
“I hope you’ll have an under 18 youth team in a year, the year after hopefully field a reserve team and then the next year have one or two in your first team.”

Commons released

Nottingham Forest have confirmed that Kris Commons is to be released.

The 24 year old midfielder has not been offered a new contract after he told manager Colin Calderwood he would not be staying at The City Ground.

Calderwood explained: “We offered Kris a new contract last summer but he decided instead to sign a one-year extension to his existing agreement.

“We had hoped to sit down with him and his agent again at the end of the season to talk about his future at The City Ground.

“But he told me shortly after we had secured promotion that he had already decided to leave.”

Alan Power and Felix Bastians have also been released, while Forest have offered new contracts to six players.

Sammy Clingan, Dale Roberts, Paddy Gamble, Shane Redmond, Hamza Bencherif and Joe Heath are considering contract offers from The Reds.

Youngsters Mark Byrne, who made his first-team debut last month as a substitute against Cheltenham, and Tom Sharpe have signed new one-year deals.

Shreck signs new two year deal

Nottinghamshire bowler Charlie Shreck has signed a two year contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2010 season.

A consistent performer since his arrival at Trent Bridge in 2003, Shreck, 30, has already made a big contribution to Notts’ LV County Championship campaign and will face a heavy workload during the absence of Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad who will spend the summer on England duty.

“Charlie has been the mainstay of our bowling attack for five years and I am delighted that he has chosen to commit his future to the club,” said Notts Director of Cricket Mick Newell.

“I know that his inclusion in the England squad has been discussed very seriously and the opportunity may come his way but his priority is to do well for Notts.

“Charlie has performed well for England Lions and he can play his way into contention for the national side.

“His contract was due to expire at the end of the season but both parties were keen to agree a new deal as early as possible and I am pleased that it has been concluded.”

Shreck missed the 2005 campaign after suffering a stress fracture of his back but found good form in 2006, taking 50 wickets for the first time, including two ten-wicket hauls and a hat-trick against Middlesex at Lord’s.

He made his Notts debut in 2003 having arrived on the first-class scene following several years on the Minor Counties circuit with Cornwall and spent the winter in New Zealand where he played for Wellington.

“I was very keen to extend my contract and there is nowhere else that I would rather play than Trent Bridge,” said Shreck.

“Looking around on a match day, it’s clear to see that the club is taking massive steps forwards with the ground developments and the playing squad and management are first class.

“Ryan Sidebottom had three consecutive 50 wicket seasons at Notts before he got back into the England side and the key for me is to stay fit and take wickets consistently.”

Shares for sale

Nottingham, this season’s surprise package in First Division Rugby, believes it has all the credentials to mount a serious push for promotion to the Guinness Premiership for the upcoming season – 2008/09.

Having finished joint second to Northampton Saints last year - and the only team to take two bonus points off them in the process - the club is confident that with the right level of investment to improve the talented (and young) squad coached by Director of Rugby Glenn Delaney, the sky is the limit!

Having split into amateur and professional sections to create Nottingham Rugby Ltd, the club is embarking on controlled fundraising including a limited sale of shares and presents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who have a love of the game and who would relish the opportunity of becoming actively involved in a go ahead and vibrant company with genuine aspirations to join the elite clubs in the Premiership.

"The directors believe the club is valued at £4m and is debt free, and whilst we have had a good initial response locally we recognise the opportunity may be attractive to other potential investors from further afield," said Chief Executive Ken Grundy.

"The working capital we secure will be spent on strengthening our squad to put us in a position to really challenge for promotion and to invest in a marketing campaign focusing on increasing match day attendances at Meadow Lane which is a fantastic venue for rugby."

If you are interested in learning more about this unique opportunity, please contact Ken Grundy on (07887) 757722 or Geoff Huckstep, Chairman, on (07802) 956065

Maintaining the harmony

COLIN Calderwood has re-iterated Nottingham Forest’s transfer policy this summer will not upset the current

harmony of the squad’s team spirit.

The Reds manager feels a lot of the momentum of the impressive final run into promotion was down to a young and upbeat dressing room that became stronger over the course of the season.

But four first team players’ futures are set to be decided in the weeks ahead with Kris Commons and Sammy Clingan set to negotiate new deals and Paul Smith and Matt Lockwood potentially exiting the club as new players sign.

Goalkeeping and forward cover has been particularly identified as areas for change but Calderwood confirmed new blood will be looked for without dismantling the foundations of the side.

He said: “We need someone to put Paul under a little bit more pressure. He’s very calm and done his job exceedingly well but starting from next season we would be looking to start with a goalkeeper on the bench.”

“We’ve built a foundation here. The players look like they’ve got potential because of their age. The next question is how good are we as a group in the Championship.”

“If the going gets tough we’ll stick together and that only comes from having good times because if you only have bad times the doubts and negatives feelings then it becomes it’s very easy to become splintered and selfish and more of an in individual.”

“And I think what the team showed was that individual performances dropped and team performances grew.”

“Team knowledge has developed, we’ve always had quite good spirit and feeling about the players I think we’ve just developed emotionally. What some of those players have gone through from Yeovil one season to the Yeovil the next are probably the two extremes in football.”

The Scotsman also highlighted experienced players will be sought over the next couple of months but not necessarily from the higher divisions.

He added: “I wouldn’t put a number on the signings but they’ll all be important additions.”

“We’ve been viewing at all levels who we might bring to the club, and I think it’s important that we don’t just focus on big signings and the I think the supporters should have faith in our scouting process because I think it’s proved very very fruitful.”

“In a perfect world there will be a bit of experience added to the team because we can’t be all the time as young as we are.”

“The experience of Ian Breckin was there for all to see towards the end of the season and Matty Lockwood. They came into games and easily coped and had big input into the games.”

Settling in just nicely

DARREN Pattinson has already shown it has taken little time for him to settle in at Trent Bridge.

The Aussie paceman was brought in for cover for Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad after the pair were tied to central contracts by the ECB in April.

And the 29-year-old has already re-paid the faith shown in him with a fantastic five wicket haul at Kent in the LV County Championship opener and a critical 4 for 35 in the FPT win over Leicestershire-keeping Notts in prime position to compete in both competitions.

Notts’ Director of Cricket Mick Newell hailed his impact and identified the key role he will now play in the coming months.

He said: “He’s already proved he’s going to be a really important player for us after the wickets he’s picked up for in both formats of the game.”

“He’s come and done an excellent job for us and will play a vital role with Ryan and Stuart away for most of the summer.”

“We met him originally after he came down with David Hussey to a nets session and we’ve kept in contact with him since. Also with him being English born we were aware about the possibilities of bringing him in an not affecting the overseas restrictions.”

“We’ve got the chance to bring in Darren and Luke Fletcher and now and to be honest it can only be of benefit to the side to bring in faces like them who we know can give us real options in our attack.”

But the coach was reserved as to the fact the side can challenge for silverware in the LV County Championship despite topping the table going into a heavy run of fixtures.

He added: “We’ve started off quite well, it was just disappointing more than anything the way we played against Kent up here.”

“We went down there in the first game and played well and came way with the result we wanted.”
“I don’t think we want to look too far ahead, we just want to be competitive. I wouldn’t want us shouting out that we’re going to do this or that like some people do, we’re just looking to compete.”

Come and join us for another fantastic season!

By Luke Sherriff
NOTTINGHAM Rugby Club would like to thank all of its fans for their support during the National League One campaign this season and we are pleased to launch our season tickets for 2008/9. This season, Nottingham Rugby Season Ticket Holders have enjoyed some of the most exciting and memorable games in the clubs history. So make sure you don’t miss out by signing up for your 2008/9 Nottingham Rugby Season Ticket and be part of the team! A Season Ticket is a great value way to enjoy watching Nottingham Rugby at every home league match. Being a Season Ticket holder at Nottingham guarantees you the following:
Guaranteed entry into 15 National Division One Home League matches Two, ‘Bring a friend for free’ vouchers, a fixture card and 20% discount voucher on one shop purchase in the Nottingham Rugby shop.
A Season Ticket Holder Prize Draw, the riight to apply for the ballot for England International Tickets and fantastic offers from our partners are also on offer.
All existing season ticket holders will receive their season ticket packs through the post in the next week. However if you can’t wait, please download from www.nottinghamrugby.co.uk and fill in the application form and send it to: Nottingham Rugby, 1 Holme Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5AA.
For more information, please call (0115) 907 0070 or pop in to Lady Bay during office hours.
For full season ticket prices see http://www.nottinghamrugby.co.uk/
If you pay in full before 22nd May 2008, you will receive £15 discount on the above prices. This offer is not available on Junior rate.
We look forward to seeing you all down at Meadow Lane next season and help in our push for promotion.

A model pro

CHARLIE McParland has hailed Jason Lee’s time at Notts County-despite letting the player leave the club in the end of season clearout at Meadow Lane.

The 36-year-old managed just a solitary goal in an injury hit season and despite not being offered a new deal by the Magpies, the boss couldn’t speak highly enough of the professional way he handled himself since coming in last October.

He said: “Jason has been a terrific professional-he looks after himself, looks after his body and he trains like an 18-year-old trying to get in the first team. When he plays he gives it his all and that’s why he’s stayed in the game until he’s 36.”
“Some younger players in the game should have a look at how Jason conducts himself.”

The only way is up!

FOR Charlie McParland and Notts County there is simply only one direction to go-up.

The Magpies signed off their fraught season with a 1-1 draw at Chesterfield on the final day but even in this end of season meaningless encounter, Notts’ problems on the field were only all too evident.

The manager admitted some players already looked like they were on their holidays. It spoke of an attitude that fits only too well with some of the individual abject performances that have blighted the club’s season and left them embarrassingly close to non-league football.

And limited, if any, blame can be attributed to the Scotsman. Inheriting a squad with so little self belief and motivation, the number of loan players he felt the need to bring in highlighted the attitude of several players letting themselves and the club down.

But now a new leaf can be turned at Meadow Lane-and the club can look to get back on the road to recovery.

There can not be enough praise bestowed on the move to already sign one of the key components for Notts relegation escape- in the form of Michael Johnson.

As much as Johnson may have signed for the club regardless if it is to be his last year in the game, McParland’s attitude and treatment of such a respected pro is a good indicator of the respect he commands. It can only be hoped he can pull off one or two other such significant signings.

The exits of Jason Lee and Laurie Dudfield highlights the experience the squad is set to lose but is was required given the unaccepetable response in the final third this season.

Continuity and stability is key to any club’s progression. But in Notts’ current case as much major surgery as possible on the squad was the only way to go forward.

A main priority also remains with the capture of a striker who can net at least 10 to 15 goals next season. The Magpies finished bottom of total goals scored chart this year-even below relegated Mansfield and Wrexham.

Play-offs and possible promotion out of League Two are at the moment a distant dream. An injection of goals from one forward next season and a more settled and experienced back four should mean the club can begin to look forward again-rather than over their shoulder.

McGugan bid war

Nottingham Forest are expecting to fight off bids for Lewis McGugan this summer after a sterling run of form from the midfielder in the promotion run-in.

The 19-year-old scored three times in the last five games, including two stunning free-kicks against Bristol Rovers and Yeovil to cap off the critical 20-yard strike at Hartlepool.

Already being watched by England under-21 manager Stuart Pearce, a host of Championship clubs are looking to line up a £3m bid-with Crystal place boss Neil Warnock leading the chase of admirers. Wolves and Birmingham have also monitored the youngster.

Notts set early pace

Adam Voges hit 42 as Notts continued to set the pace in the Midlands Division of the Friends Provident Trophy with a comfortable win over Northants Steelbacks.

Samit Patel hit a huge six to the second tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand before being caught by David Sales and opener Will Jefferson weighed in with 36.

“We were looking forward to coming back to Trent Bridge because it felt like we had been away for such a long time and it’s great to kick-off with a home win,” said Notts Coach Wayne Noon.

“The bookies wrote us off at the start of the season but there is a quiet confidence in the squad and we believe that we can get the results."

“We fielded exceptionally well and it is really encouraging that squad players are stepping up to the plate and delivering performances."

“Mark Ealham has shown that he is still a quality player, Adam Voges saw us home, Darren Pattinson played well having had a week off and Graeme Swann is in great form."

“There is a lot of experience in the dressing room and it is a great environment to bring someone in like Luke Fletcher and let them bowl in tandem with Ealham.”

Northants opener Steven Peters hit 90 to help his side set a target of 189 before rain at the interval left Notts chasing a revised total of 143 from 30 overs. Mark Ealham dismissed Peters having already seen off Rob White to record figures of 2-25 from 10 overs and Darren Pattinson continued his impressive start to the season with 3-39.

Mark Wagh was relieved to see fielder David Lucas miss the stumps as he ran a quick single on his first ball. Monty Panesar dived in vein as Wagh found his rhythm with a four but he was caught lbw playing a sweep having scored 26.

Meadow Lane stay confirmed

Ambitious Nottingham Rugby have agreed a new rolling one-year deal with Notts County to continue playing their matches at Meadow Lane.

And delighted Chairman Geoff Huckstep believes it will be the start of an exciting new partnership which will benefit not only both clubs but also Nottingham sport in general.

He explained: "It is key to our ambitions that we have a base capable of staging top flight rugby and our players have consistently shown with this season's performances what they think about playing at Meadow Lane.

"Since we've been there our average crowds have increased by 500 and all our marketing and community activities this summer will be geared towards attracting even bigger crowds next season.

"My negotiations with County Chairman John Armstrong-Holmes have been straight-talking but cordial and a key component of the talks has been how the two clubs can work together for our mutual benefit.

"I'm confident that the new deal will form the basis of arrangements long after the 2008-09 season."

Nottingham turned Meadow Lane into something of a fortress last season and although they eventually had to settle for third place in National League 1, they are determined to mount an even stronger promotion challenge next time.

Added Huckstep: "I'm sure that our players, supporters and sponsors will be delighted to know that we will be playing at such a great venue again next season."

The effects of dual-purpose use on the Meadow Lane pitch has been a major topic of discussion for County but Armstrong-Holmes said: "We are about to carry out major works on the pitch and I'm sure it won't be such a big issue next season.

"We were very unlucky last year because we renovated the pitch during the wettest summer on record. The roots didn't settle, due to the surface water, and that set back the whole growth programme.

"In the long-term we need to look at laying a completely new pitch which is especially designed for high usage, but that requires significant investment and will need to be planned months in advance.

"It's something to think about for 12 months time, but there are other systems that can be introduced straight away that will improve the pitch, and our ground manager Greg Smith is currently investigating them.

"The new deal with the rugby club, which will be continually reviewed in the interests of both parties, is on much more favourable terms from our point of view. It was important to achieve that but we do think it will genuinely benefit both sides.

"We have a 20,000-seater stadium which sits doing nothing most of the time and it needs to be used.
"We are determined that we will move our club forward, so are the rugby club and it's exciting to think that we might work closely together in certain areas to help each other achieve our ambitions."

Magpies release eight

Notts County Manager Ian McParland has today announced his retained list, confirming that eight players will be leaving the Club in the summer.

Heading the list of those departing are strikers Lawrie Dudfield and Jason Lee, defender Lee Canoville and midfielders Matt Somner, Andy Parkinson and Gary Silk.

Also moving is youngster Rob Austin, while Austin McCann is also leaving the Club having signed a pre-contract agreement with Dunfermline Athletic earlier in the year.

New contract offers have been made to goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington and defender Mike Edwards to join the ten players already under contract for next season.

Young winger Stef Frost has been offered an extension to his contract in order to regain fitness after suffering a broken leg in March whilst on loan at Matlock Town.

Swann hails bowling dream team

ALL rounder Graeme Swann hopes that the depth of the Notts bowling attack will help the quest to mount a serious challenge for honours this season.

Notts have emerged as the early season pace-setters in division one of the LV County Championship and the midlands group of the Friends Provident Trophy with plaudits being heaped on the bowlers who have found wickets easy to come by so far this term.

Veteran all-rounder Mark Ealham took 4-39 in Sunday’s win over Ireland after Darren Pattinson had announced his arrival with 5-22 in the first innings of last week’s win over Kent.

Swann took 1-32 in Dublin before hitting 21 from 18 balls and was quick to praise his team mates.

“This would be a dream team if Siddy and Broady weren’t in the England squad and with Mark Ealham, Charlie Shreck and Darren Pattinson we are a bit spoilt so hopefully we’ll be smiling at the end of September,” said Swann.

“Having Chris Read in the side is so much to our benefit because he is a truly fantastic cricketer.

“He gets the runs and leads the troops well and the country’s loss is definitely our gain.

“I was quite happy with my batting at a time when we needed to add impetus to the innings and get a decent total on the board.”

Swann batted at number seven but is keen to move up the order for the Outlaws as he presses for a place in England’s one day squad.

“I think I’m viewed as an opener in Twenty20 and 40 over cricket and I will grab any chance I get to open up with both hands,” he said.

“Everything went well for me in Sri Lanka but it became apparent that I wasn’t going to be in the team for the tests in New Zealand but I’m looking forward to the ODI’s starting so that I can have another go at the Kiwis.”

Fans get green light to return to Kop

KOP-happy Notts County fans have had their wishes granted because they've been given the green light to turn that area of Meadow Lane into their own fortress next season.

County Chairman John Armstrong-Holmes confirmed today in announcing season-ticket prices for 2008-09 that The Kop will officially become home territory.

And the season-ticket deal for The Kop offers adults the chance to watch all League games for the equivalent of just £10.87 per match.

Said the Chairman: "Call it coincidence if you like but there's no doubt in my mind that the crucial wins we recorded against Accrington and Wycombe were significantly influenced by the support from The Kop.

"There are still a few issues to address with us taking over that area on a permanent basis but I'm sure there will be no objections from the Police and Nottingham City Council, our ground safety authority.

"The key thing is for us to make the necessary arrangements for 'housing' visiting fans in the Jimmy Sirrel Stand and we are complying with everything that has been asked of us."

General season-ticket prices are increasing slightly for the first time in five years but under-12s will have free admission in all areas of the ground and under-16s also go free in the new Haydn Green Family Stand.

The Family Stand is being renamed as a lasting legacy to the man to came to County's rescue when they were in administration, pumping in £3million to keep the club in business.

Added the chairman: "Haydn Green's part in the history of Notts County needs to be recognised and we believe that renaming the stand will do that.

"It's especially fitting that it should be the Family Stand, where we can offer free admission to under-16s. It was always high on Haydn's agenda to encourage young people to enjoy football, and this is our way of supporting his beliefs for the future of Notts County."
Season-tickets go on sale at Meadow Lane on Tuesday May 6 and Early Purchase Discounts will apply until Saturday May 31.

Now we've got the steel

CHRIS Cohen is certain Nottingham Forest would already be promoted to the Championship if they’d showed their recent steely character in more games earlier this season.

The Reds enter the season finale at home to Yeovil Town in third place with a chance of gaining automatic promotion back to the second tier if they win and Doncaster fail to pick up three points at Cheltenham.

And their ever increasing confidence from five wind and a draw in the last six games he feels can only give them every chance of getting over the finishing line, even if it does mean doing it the hard way through the play-offs.

He said: “The way we’ve ground out results recently, if we could have done that a few times earlier in the season then we’d have probably had automatic promotion wrapped up along with Swansea.”

“We’ve had a lot of games where we’ve played well and didn’t take the points and even though you come away saying we played well today we deserved three points, there’s no use saying that because we haven’t done it and in the last few weeks we’ve shown a lot more steeliness and character especially away from home.”

“We know we’re capable of scoring at any time we’ve just got to make sure we keep it solid at the back and go up the other end and try and put a couple of chances away.”

“We haven’t got a massive squad a lot of players have played a lot of games so the perfect scenario would be go up and be able to rest up for a long as we can before we go into the league above.”

The 21-yearold also highlighted automatic promotion would be ideal-if only to give the club the best possible chance time wise to compete in the Championship.

He added: “You look at Derby and the way that they’ve struggled and it was maybe a surprise for them to win the play-off final so they probably hadn’t prepared to be in the Premiership and that showed this year with the way that it’s gone for them.

“Even Blackpool in the Championship have struggled and only just got safe and again they only had a month to prepare and get players in.”

Delight for Charlie

CHARLIE McParland expressed his delight at seeing Notts County confirm their football league status for next year after their 1-0 win over Wycombe.

Richard Butcher’s solo goal was enough to confirm the three points that guaranteed Notts’ League Two safety.

And the 46-year-old couldn’t hide just how relieved he was the fans and the club as a whole.

He said: “I’m so pleased for the fans because it’s been a hard season for them.”

“It’s been a hard season for me and also the players as well, but the main thing is Notts County will be playing in the football league next season.”
“I am just a little disappointed that we didn’t secure our future a few weeks ago but for different reasons we didn’t manage to do it.”

Ealham on form

MARK Ealham carried on his excellent early season form with four wickets in the 56 run win over Ireland in Dublin.

The 36-year-old all rounder scored an impressive century in Notts impressive 10 wicket win at Kent last week to kick start the club’s Liverpool Victoria Championship campaign.

And he supplied a top performance with the ball with an cutting spell of 4 for 39 from 10 overs in the Friends Provident Trophy as he tore through the Irish order to seal Notts first win in the competition.
Adam Voges top scored with 60 as the visitors posted 217-9. Ealham’s efforts however and a wicket apiece for Sidebottom, Shreck, Broad, patel and Swann saw Ireland all out for just 161.

Hoodoo banished!

NOTTINGHAM Rugby ended the season on a high last weekend banishing their Coventry hoodoo and coming away with 5 points that so nearly brought them a runners up finish.

Exeter Chiefs and Nottingham went into the final weekend of the season on 111 points. Exeter knew that a bonus point win for them at Doncaster would clinch the runners up spot but it took a try in the 11th minute of injury time to seal it for them, as both teams ended the season on 116 points but the Chiefs runners up by virtue of having won one more game.

This did little to take away from what has been a fantastic season for us and to finish 3rd in National Division One is a great achievement. A tight game at Coventry, a place where Nottingham had not won in the fours years they have been back in the division, was not a classical end to the season but it was a case of job done but sadly it wasn’t quite enough.

Following the game on Saturday we celebrated the season in style with their Annual Ball and Awards ceremony which was this year held at the Colwick Hall Hotel. Over 350 people enjoyed a fun filled evening hosted by Trent FM’s Jo and Twiggy and following the awards danced the night away to Roy De Wired. Those still keen to continue celebrating then made their way to Alea, who sponsored this year’s event, for the after party.

With such a small squad every member played a huge part throughout the year. I feel very fortunate to have won a couple of awards but even more fortunate to have been a part of this team, we have great players but we are also great mates and that makes such a difference.

The Awards this year went to:

Young Player of the Year – Charlie Hayter
Supporters Player of the Year – Luke Sherriff
Try of the Year – Luke Sherriff
Players’ Player of the Year – Tim Molenaar
Player of the Year – Craig Hammond

The players will now have a well earned rest and come back for training mid June when all eyes will be focussed on an even better 2008/9 season. Thank you for all of your support throughout the year and we hope to see you next year.

Tenacious C

THE dictionary definition of tenacious: dogged; persistent; rententive; adhesive- all qualities Colin Calderwood has arguably failed to consistently drum into his Nottingham Forest side over a 22 month period.

But whilst the impending League One play-offs are set to decide his fate as Forest boss, a timely corner may now have been turned regarding his and the side’s tenacity to grind out results and succeed in the end of season showdown.

The 2-0 scalp at Tranmere and the 1-0 win over Luton signalled a Forest side far from at their best but still managing to grab three points-a habit they have yet to master since entering League One.

With automatic promotion now a surprising possibility entering the last two games, making the most of two below par showings could be a mentality that could be all important in the outcome of the Reds season.

And Calderwood admitted the style of the win at Tranmere could be a turning point in turning average performances into winning ones.

He said: “At Tranmere we scored with our first chance in the game and that made a world of difference in everyone’s perception of the performance because not that we didn’t come out in the first 30 minutes but we were second best in a lot of areas and were held together by the two centre halves and the goalkeeper on a lot of occasions.”

“The rest of team then got to grips with the game and played really well form there on in.”

“I was hoping Doncaster was going to be like that. Get absolutely battered and then score with Lewis’(McGugan) chance and you run away with the points.”

“But that is predominantly how I remember a lot of away games when I played and we haven’t had that too often this season but the rest of the game we were dominant and absorbed the early pressure which bodes well.”

He also indicated there was little fear factor in the side despite the disappointment of the play-offs last season.

He added: “The fear factor comes with success and the chance of the success and the team don’t look at the point of view of failure which is a great mindset to have.”

Hales hits century for Second XI

Alex Hales hit 110 from 110 balls as the Notts Second XI warmed up for the new season with a two day friendly against Loughborough University.

Each side spent a day batting in an otherwise unstructured format that saw Notts reach 305/7 from 89 overs and Loughborough 294/8 off 86 overs.

Rob Ferley (51) and 15 year old Sam Wood (50) also did well with the bat whilst AJ Harris (2/44) and Andy Carter (3/19) were the pick of the bowlers.“It was the first time that I had seen Sam Wood play outdoors and he looked very confident and accomplished and Alex got the hundred that I wanted,” said Second XI Coach Wayne Noon.

“Rob Ferley batted with Sam and helped him through and the experienced players know that they can play their way into Mick Newell’s plans by performing well for the Second XI.”

Harris bowled 17 overs and looked to have overcome the nerve injury that has hampered him recently whilst Gareth Clough enjoyed two spells with the ball as he recovers from a shin problem.

Noon hopes to arrange a one day fixture for the Second XI next week ahead of their Championship opener against Yorkshire at Stamford Bridge on May 7.

Notts trio named in England squad

The England and Wales Cricket Board today announced a 26-man England Performance Squad for this summer’s international season that includes Notts players Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom.

The EPS, which has been chosen by the England selectors, consists of 12 players currently on 12-month ECB contracts, which includes Sidebottom, plus 14 non-contracted players.

It includes three players who are uncapped at international level; Michael Carberry, Adil Rashid and James Tredwell together with the Kent opening batsman Robert Key, who last played for England on the tour of South Africa in 2004-05.

Ring in the changes

Colin Calderwood has signalled he may rest players in Nottingham Forest’s final three league games to maximise the team’s condition during the playoffs.

The Scotsman indicated one or two changes may be made in the starting line-up for Forest’s home game against already relegated Luton Town tomorrow.

Despite an uninterrupted week of training following the 2-0 win over Tranmere, Calderwood still feels it is the right time to rest players who may have clocked up a number of appearances in recent months.

He said: “We’ve got good honest competition for places and problems to be had when it comes to select the team.”

“We look at the number of games one or two have played and certainly recently there might be a case of resting but all it will do is blend in one or two who haven’t played so much.”

“But we’ve got a fairly tight squad really and the majority have played some part recently so it's just a case of maintenance through this bit.”

“We also need a little bit of focus on what we’re about and what we can do to get a little bit better and also what we must do to be as tight as we can at the back.”

"We want to go and try and play with a bit of buoyancy and go and express ourselves, we’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about at all so we just go and try and play with as much freedom as possible."

Hussey pays to play IPL

Nottinghamshire have given David Hussey clearance to play in the Indian Premier League after agreeing a compensation payment with the Australian.

The 30-year-old batsman signed a new two-year contract at Trent Bridge at the end of 2007 but was then reported to have signed to play in the Indian Premier League which runs over the start of the domestic county season.

Notts Director of Cricket Mick Newell said: “We’re pleased we have reached an agreement over compensation with David.

“He has made a valuable contribution to us over the last four years and I’m sure he will continue to do so.

“As soon as we learned of his link with the IPL we moved to find another overseas player and Adam Voges is an excellent replacement.”

Voges will cover for Hussey whenever the Victorian is unavailable, including the IPL campaign and Australia’s tour of the West Indies, following Hussey’s call-up to the One-Day International squad.

Hussey made his Twenty20 international debut this winter and was awarded a central contract by Cricket Australia last week.

“There’s no doubt that I love playing for Notts and am again really looking forward to joining up with everyone in July,” said Hussey who will play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

“The past few months have been amazing with so much going on and I’m really grateful to all at Notts for letting me play in the IPL but rest assured come July I will be doing my best for everyone on and off the field at Trent Bridge.

“I know Adam will go well and hope the boys keep up the good start.”

Added Newell: “We are very pleased that David has got a central contract as he’s been an extremely consistent performer for us.

“We are looking forward to him returning to Nottingham in early July after Australia complete their tour of the Caribbean but I’m sure Voges will fill his shoes very capably in the meantime.”

'Under no illusions'

Charlie McParland says he was “under no illusions” of the fight Notts County had to face when he took the Meadow lane hotseat.

The 46-year-old helped steer Notts five points clear of the League Two dropzone with a critical 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley but he has made no secret of the task he was up against when he took the job last October.

He said: “I knew it was going to be a fight all the way when I came in and had a look at this football club and everything about it.”

“Maybe not as bad as what it is but I was under no illusions that after two or three weeks and assessed everything I knew it was going to be a right fight.

“But we can go and stay in this division, there’s enough in there to stay here, they just have to realise that and get out there, stick their chests out and go and get the job done.”

Three debutants in Championship opener

Director of cricket Mick Newell will hand Notts debuts to three players when the County Championship begins at Kent on Wednesday.

Matt Wood and Will Jefferson will form a new opening partnership and overseas player Adam Voges is named at number four in the batting order.

Wood was a victim of Marcus Trescothick’s decision to retire from international cricket and open the batting for Somerset and Newell says his performances could be a key factor if Notts are to achieve success in Division One.

“The only contentious decision was leaving out Bilal Shafayat but we felt that Matt Wood’s experience as an opening batsman gave him the edge,” said Newell.

“If Matt and Will can form a good opening partnership then we have every chance of being successful in this division.

“Bilal will push for a place and he can force his way into the reckoning by working hard.”

Darren Pattinson, a team mate of David Hussey’s at Victoria, is also in the side for his first appearance on the county scene since stepping up from English club cricket.

Chris Read captains the side, which also includes Graeme Swann and Mark Ealham, but Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad will not feature until the end of April following their success with England this winter.

Bulwell born Luke Fletcher will also travel with the squad as twelfth man.

Notts’ defeat to Kent in the friendly last week with an experimental line-up is of no concern to Newell who has embraced the underdog tag afforded to his side by the bookmakers. Notts were largely unfancied the last time they won promotion to the top flight but went on to win the competition in 2005.

He said: “It is a very open competition and I can’t see anyone running away with it or being cast adrift.

“We’ll have a very good idea who the contenders are when we reach August and although Sussex are very strong, I think it will go to the wire.

“We set the benchmark by getting promoted and then winning the title and I am not concerned if people think that we are under-powered.”

Kent will give a debut to Pakistan Test player Azhar Mahmood who joined from Surrey in the off-season.

A right-arm, fast-medium bowler and middle order batsman, Mahmood made his entry into the Test arena against the visiting South African team in 1997, scoring 128 in the first innings and 50 in the second without dismissal.

He has signed a two-year deal with the reigning Twenty20 Cup holders and hopes to help them improve on their seventh-placed finish last term.

Chairman thanks fans

Notts County Chairman John Armstrong-Holmes has thanked supporters for "exceeding expectations" as they roared the team on to victory over Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
More than 2,500 fans took advantage of the opportunity to use the Kop Stand for the first time.
But despite the success of that venture the Chairman has revealed that the Kop will not be available to County fans for the final home game of the season against Wycombe Wanderers on 26 April.
He explained: "The Police allowed us to give the Kop over to our supporters because we knew Accrington wouldn't bring many fans with them.
"In the event they brought 101, but the same will not apply with Wycombe.
"We have been advised that they may bring up to 2,000 supporters, and that means the Kop will have to be made available to them. This is a Police decision, and one we have to accept.”
The Chairman says Notts are investigating the possibility of turning the Kop into County territory at some stage in the future, but complications will have to be ironed out before that can happen.
He added: "I would like to thank our supporters for the way they responded to our initiative.
"To be honest we estimated that about 800-1,000 would use the Kop, so to get 2,500 was brilliant and we were delighted that 5,424 Nottingham people came to the game."

Notts 1 Accrington Stanley 0

Chants of “We’re staying up” rang around Meadow Lane at the final whistle as Notts County claimed a vital 1-0 victory and moved five points clear of the drop zone.

The Magpies merited the three points, particularly on their first-half performance, and they were cheered on by a buoyant Notts crowd, emanating from The Kop.

The idea to move Notts fans behind the goal, previously claimed by the travelling contingent, was well received by Ian McParland, and it undoubtedly generated an atmosphere for the home side to thrive on.

“I thought they were fantastic today,” McParland commented. “They stuck with us, and we got a bit edgy because of the position we are in, but the fans kept going and the noise was fantastic coming out of The Kop”.

The inclusion of Myles Weston on the left side of the midfield four provided Notts with a cutting edge, and the youngster’s pace was too hot to handle for the Accrington defence. Jason Lee almost profited from Weston’s mazy run and pass, but the veteran striker shot straight at Accrington keeper Kenny Arthur.

County continued to ask the questions, with the away side content on getting men behind the ball and breaking on the counter-attack when the opportunity arose. However despite Notts possession, their Achilles heel, of scoring when on top of the opposition, seemed to be rearing it’s ugly head once again.

That was until the 36th minute, when striker Ryan Jarvis drilled home to give Notts a deserved lead. A deep ball in to the box fell at the front man’s feet, and after his initial effort was blocked, he made no mistake with the second bite of the cherry, shooting into the bottom left hand corner.

The goal, Jarvis’s first since February, was richly deserved after his hard-working performances in recent weeks, and it helped to steady the nerves of the home fans.

The second period saw Stanley come out the blocks quicker than the Magpies, in eager pursuit of an equaliser. Shaun Whalley should have done better with his effort, which flew high and wide following Paul Mullin’s measured flick-on.

The tempo, which had dictated County’s earlier play, seemed to be on the wane, and in an effort to ignite the spark once more, the Notts boss introduced Lawrie Dudfield in place of the quiet Danny Crow. It almost proved to be an inspired substitution, with Dudfield beating his marker before firing a fierce shot at the Stanley keeper.

At the other end, the visitors nearly grabbed an equaliser through Whalley, as the pendulum swung once more. He beat two County defenders before firing marginally wide of Russell Hoult’s goal. Stanley’s attacking approach opened up the game and it started to become a real end-to-end encounter.

Weston’s pace again blighted the Accrington back four, and Phillip Edwards was lucky to stay on the pitch after recklessly hauling the winger down. Referee Mr Boyeson only brandished a yellow, but it could have been worse had Edwards been adjudged to be the last man.

McParland was quick to praise the youngster after his performance. “Myles has got ability he just has to realise that. He’s 20 now, I’m hoping in the next six months he’s going to fully develop.”

Notts had to hang on towards the end as the visitors threw everything they had at them, but not for the first time this season, the County defence were resolute and remained solid in weathering the Stanley storm.

I have no issue with the fans

Colin Calderwood has spoken out over his relationship with Nottingham Forest’s fans and insisted he holds no bad feeling towards them.

The spotlight was firmly on the Reds boss after his views following the draw against Bristol Rovers when he was prompted over the chorus of boos and criticism the players received in the last 15 minutes.

He indicated in his post match interview that supporters need to use more common sense in their reaction to help get the best out of the players’ performance.

The comments angered many fans, already fearful of a fourth year in the third tier of English football and who are dismayed at the failures of the club to challenge for automatic promotion.

But the 43-year-old, who is expected to lose his job if Forest fail to gain promotion this season, said his comments merely came from a line of questioning over the issue that was then perceived to be a negative reaction.

He said: “I was asked a question and they(the press) wanted to go down that line and have a pretty negative answer for them and I tried not to give that but because I’ve answered a question on it, it leads into this type of scenario.”

“I don’t have any anger towards them(the fans). I think we can do our job and aided and helped by them would be a fantastic thing to have, and I have no displeasure or no feeling of discontentment towards any of them.”

“The fans are very much supporters of the club and if there’s anything I can address as manager of the club it’s just a little bit of sensibility to the team who are out on the pitch and who are striving to do their best.”