Notts County preview: Sheffield Wednesday (A)

Derry speaks to the press at the new Arnold Town training ground

With a league cup game at Hillsborough on Tuesday night, Shaun Derry reflected upon a positive weekend away at Preston, securing a draw against the promotion favourites. The Magpies did let three points slip, conceding in the 89th minute, but the manager viewed it as a good point away from home and an opportunity to “carry all the good things we did into Tuesday night”.

The Magpies face Sheffield Wednesday, who took three points away at Brighton on Saturday afternoon, return to Hillsborough with high expectations for the season. Notts are also in good form off the back of the pre-season win against Osasuna and the point at Preston, and Derry expects more from his squad: “I’ve always said that I want us to be competitive this year and I don’t want it to be sporadically, I want it to be on a weekly basis.” The cup is an opportunity to string a few wins together; cup runs breed confidence and an excitement amongst the fans which can be conducive to league form. Sheffield Wednesday are the strong favourites and are expected to achieve in the Championship which takes the pressure off the visitors and may allow them to express themselves. Derry expressed the importance of the cup, and the respect which must be given to it in terms of team selection and competitiveness, citing that:

“As much focus is going into tomorrow night [Sheffield Wednesday] as it did into the Preston game…our preparation is going to be as good as it can be”

The pre-match presser took place at the new training ground, based at Arnold Town FC, and Derry acknowledged the usefulness of the facility, commenting that “this is our training ground, our home, our workplace that we can come in every day and I can become a better manager and the players can become better players. It’s a great facility…the players make us better, but this facility makes them better.

More information can be found on tickets for the game at: http://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/tickets/

 

Notts County announce club partnership with Arnold Town

Notts County have announced a partnership of mutual benefit with local side Arnold Town. The agreement forges an official link between the clubs, meaning that the Magpies are able to use the Arnold ground for training for the next two seasons, and have announced a pre-season friendly with the club, taking place on Wednesday 9th July (KO 19:30). It is likely that Notts will send players on loan to Arnold for first-team experience, with Derry previously mentioning his intention to make full use of the Magpies’ youth academy. The move is also instrumental in promoting grass roots football, with the benefit for Arnold Town being that it should, potentially, bring more revenue into the club through the agreement.

Chief executive, Jim Rodwell commented:

“I am delighted to have finalised this agreement and would firstly like to thank everyone that we have dealt with at Arnold Town for their professionalism and cooperation in getting this over the line.

“In Eagle Valley we have found a first class training base for the club and I hope that this is just the start of a long and successful partnership between our two clubs.”

The Meadow Lane ground staff doing an excellent job on the pitch. [Credit: Notts County Facebook page]

Meanwhile, the ground staff are working hard on the Meadow Lane pitch ahead of the pre-season, ready for when the players return to full training on June 29th with the season beginning in August, away at Preston. It was discussed last season that the constant wear and tear due to usage by Nottingham Rugby and Notts County Ladies, as well as the men’s team, was detrimental to the quality of football, with the converse view being that the other teams bring in considerable gate revenue. Decisions are yet to be made on the future of this agreement.