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Key information about Meadow Lane

Meadow Lane was built in 1910 and is now the home of National League’s Notts County. The ground is located in Nottingham, England and is actually only 300 yards away from the City Ground, Nottingham Forest’s stadium.

Its current capacity soars up to 21,388 and the pitch measures 104m by 70m. The field is not surrounded by a running track but the surface is covered with natural grass, albeit they don’t have undersoil heating installed just yet.

The record attendance is 47,310 as people flocked in to watch Notts County yield a 1–0 victory to York City in the FA Cup Sixth Round on 12 March 1955.

A history of Meadow Lane

Before they finally moved to Meadow Lane in 1910, Notts County were actually playing their football across the River Trent at Trent Bridge as a tenant of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. Needless to say, this was far from an ideal situation since the pitch was mostly used for cricket rather than football and this forced the club to play their fixtures either far too late in the evening or far too early in the morning to avoid overlaps.

This was of course deemed unacceptable by the Football League and the club was asked to either relocate or negotiate more favourable terms with their ‘landlord’. Shortly after that, they leased some land on the other side of the river and constructed a stadium there and got it ready for the beginning of the 1910/11 season.

The first game played there took place on 3 September 1910 and the grand opening was celebrated with a 1-1 draw against old rivals Nottingham Forest, watched by 27,000 supporters. Even though they would still face some problems with the lease, they settled at Meadow Lane and started with the upgrades in the early 1920s. The first of those was the expansion with earth banks and a newly built main stand. This was followed by the addition of another stand in 1923 that saw the old Sneinton Side replaced with the County Road Stand.

Further renovations were necessary after World War II since Meadow Lane was badly damaged by the bombing and there were no fixtures played during the 1942 campaign. Interestingly, in times of need, the stadium would also host their rivals, Nottingham Forest, on two occasions when their own ground was unavailable first after the war and then once again in 1968.

In 1978, the club also demolished the Meadow Lane End and subsequently replaced it with a building which housed new dressing rooms, a social club and a variety of other facilities but around that time, their capacity dwindled to only 24,000 places, a far cry from their plateau that was reached in 1955 when 47,310 supporters watched Notts County face York City.

Meadow Lane was modernised in the 1990s, which was also a reaction to the Bradford City stadium fire and Hillsborough disaster with the Meadow Lane End, County Road Stand and Spion Kop all getting replaced in 1992 by the Family Stand, the Jimmy Sirrel Stand and the Spion Kop Stand respectively and the main stand by the Derek Pavis Stand two years after that.

In 2002, the stadium was briefly called Aaron Scargill Stadium due to sponsorship reasons but that couldn’t last and after the deal fell through, the ground’s name reverted back to Meadow Lane. Over the years and in modern times, there were several changes but none too drastic.

The Derek Pavis Stand now has a number of conference and function facilities to complement their Broken Wheelbarrow bar which is located behind the Family Stand. And the Family stand also got renamed to the Haydn Green Family Stand in 2007.

Tickets to watch Notts County at Meadow Lane

All the tickets to watch Notts County at Meadow Lane can be found on the club’s official website. The price range will vary depending on the seat you choose and the time of the purchase but you can find tickets for around £22-£24 for adults.

They also offer season tickets to their fans with the price for adults and seniors previously being £276 and £184 respectively. More information can be found on their website.

Related links

https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Notts County

Tottenham Hotspur have edged past Everton to emerge as favourites to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has indicated Hojbjerg is the signing he needs to rebuild the midfield ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

According to The Telegraph, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, the Saints star prefers a move to Spurs over Arsenal this summer.

Jason Burt, the chief football correspondent, claims Arsenal had considered making a move for Hojbjerg, but both the Lilywhites and Everton have already submitted offers and it is unlikely he will end up anywhere else.

Mourinho has made it clear the former Southampton captain is his top target in the summer and he wants the Dane to fill the defensive-midfield position in the first team for next season.

The ex-Bayern Munich ace has informed the Saints he will not sign a new deal at St Mary’s which has led to him being stripped of the captaincy by Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The Telegraph revealed last week that the Toffees had launched a bid worth £18m for the Danish international but he favours a transfer to Spurs instead.

However Everton are still stubbornly persisting with their pursuit of the midfielder.

The 24-year-old has played 33 games in the Premier League this season, supplying one assist, taking 1.4 shots, winning 2.4 tackles and completing 1.5 clearances per game on average (stats provided by WhoScored).

While Spurs are reportedly the favourites to sign Hojbjerg in the summer, the transfer saga has shown no signs of ending anytime soon.

If Hojbjerg ends up in north London, Kyle Walker-Peters could head in the opposite direction for the final time. However, there are sure to be plenty of twists and turns still to come as the transfer window approaches.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know down below!

According to The Express, Liverpool are ready to reignite their interest in Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly this summer.

What’s the word?

Jurgen Klopp’s side were reported to be interested in the ace last year, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the transfer window.

Now however, the Cherries’ relegation from the Premier League has opened up the team to a raid from some of the big-hitters in the top-flight, with Liverpool eyeing up a move for Kelly in particular.

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The report claims that following Dejan Lovren’s departure to Zenit St Petersburg in recent days, Klopp is interested in bringing in a new centre-back to the club, with Kelly also being able to play at left-back too.

A masterstroke from Michael Edwards

Standing at 6 foot 3 and being left-footed, Kelly does inspire comparisons with former Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger, who played for the Reds 232 times.

The Cherries defender is comfortable with the ball at his feet – he averaged an 80.1% pass accuracy in the Premier League this season – and has the kind of mobility that marks him out as a potentially elite centre-back in the modern game.

After completing a deal to sign him for Bournemouth, Eddie Howe said: “Lloyd is an exciting talent and a player of real potential, while at the same time already possessing good experience for someone so young. He is athletic, versatile, physically excellent and has a very bright future ahead of him.”

Still only 21, and earning only a reported £30k-per-week, Kelly would slot in seamlessly as a rotation option in the Liverpool back-line, and as a left-footer, offers the Reds something completely different in the centre of their defence. Michael Edwards could pull off a masterstroke by finally landing him for the Merseyside club this summer.

Ipswich Town have joined Sunderland in the race to sign recently-released Everton left-back Luke Garbutt, according to The Northern Echo.

Despite making a number of summer signings already, bringing in Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien, and agreeing a new contract with Tom Flanagan, Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson knows that he may still need further additions to his squad if they are to earn promotion to the Championship in 2020/21.

To that effect, the Sunderland boss has shown interest in former Everton man Garbutt, although it is now being reported that League One rivals Ipswich are also keen on the 27-year-old.

The report claimed that Ipswich see themselves as favourites to sign the defender after having him on loan last season.

The Tractor Boys are also claimed to have held talks in an attempt to sign him permanently, whilst Sunderland officials are said to have issued a formal contract offer, as per The Northern Echo.

Garbutt is expected to resolve his future in the coming days as the majority of Football League sides have already returned to pre-season. The new League One campaign is due to begin on the weekend of September 12.

Judging by The Northern Echo’s report, Ipswich seem to be in pole position for Garbutt, who could be inclined to go back to a club with which he is already familiar.

However, Sunderland came closer to the play-off places than the Suffolk outfit last season, so if they can make a convincing case to the defender, it could open up an exciting transfer tussle between the two clubs.

Do you think Garbutt would be a good signing for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

There could be a change at the front of the pitch for West Bromwich Albion next season if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Steve Madeley, the Baggies have held discussions over a potential move for Huddersfield Town striker Karlan Grant this summer.

It’s claimed that the 22-year-old is a cost-effective alternative to Brentford’s Ollie Watkins and that Slaven Bilic has a genuine interest in clinching him for their Premier League return.

Although he’s wanted by other clubs and it very much remains to be seen how much the Terriers would want to let him go – a £15m fee has been mooted in the past.

Bye-bye Zohore?

Elsewhere in the report, it is further suggested that the Midlanders could be willing to part ways with summer flop Kenneth Zohore with the player wanting a crack at regular game time.

Therefore, it would make sense to offload the struggling 26-year-old and bring in someone who outperformed him entirely last season.

The young Englishman provided 19 goals and four assists as Huddersfield flirted with the prospects of relegation. He also averaged 2.6 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Zohore managed just three goals all year.

Plenty of people have handed Grant glowing praise in the past – teammate Tommy Elphick believes he “has got everything” while his old Charlton boss Lee Bowyer claimed, “the kid causes problems and scores goals.”

Charlie Austin will bring that vital experience and know-how in the top-flight but having a young and hungry marksman either beside him or as perfect foil would be a very smart decision from Bilic’s end.

The Baggies must clinch Grant at all costs given the reported price tag on his head.

AND in other news, West Brom can soften Grady Diangana blow with Super Lig swoop…

It seems like Jacob Murphy is a transfer target Sheffield Wednesday want to pursue, but his current club Newcastle United seem to be undecided on whether they want to let him go.

According to Dom Howson, the Magpies are in no rush to make a decision on the winger due to the fact that manager Steve Bruce wants to take a look at the 25 year-old during pre-season and see if he is good enough to play for the Premier League side.

Murphy was with the Owls on loan last season and during this period, he played 39 times in the Championship, scoring nine goals and picking up six assists, per Transfermarkt.

It is no surprise to see Garry Monk interested in bringing Murphy back to Hillsborough as the winger was the second top goal scorer at the club last season. However they might have to look at other targets as they cannot just wait around for Newcastle to make a decision.

Here is what fans said following the news, with the majority suggesting they believe a deal is unlikely and the club can’t wait around forever, and so should move on.

Would like him to come but not going to happen. Don’t let’s leave it until that late we can’t get anyone else worth having.

— stephen varns (@stevie1953) August 26, 2020

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son will understandably take the plaudits after Tottenham Hotspur’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Southampton.

The former got four assists and a goal, while the latter scored four times throughout the match, which says enough about just how impressive their respective performances were.

However, Jose Mourinho, and Spurs fans, can also be pleased with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s display in midfield, as he came up against his former club.

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He was hit with a tough challenge from Oriol Romeu fairly early on, but this did not deter the Denmark international from putting in a solid performance.

The 25-year-old won four of the six aerial duels that he competed in, as well as winning one tackle, completing one interception and one clearance.

In addition to his defensive and combative involvements, Hojbjerg showed quality with the ball at his feet, completing 83% of the passes that he attempted, as well as completing both of his dribbles.

He was also able to see plenty of the ball, holding 6% of the game’s overall possession, a number that was only exceeded by Harry Winks among his fellow Spurs players.

Having seen his side collectively struggle during the first half, after losing against Everton, Mourinho will be feeling particularly pleased with the eventual scoreline.

The way that they went about securing the one-sided result will make this feel even better for the Portuguese tactician.

He can also add the fact that one of his summer signings put in a highly impressive performance to his positives from the day.

According to an update courtesy of L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, FC Metz striker Habib Diallo is ‘on the move’ and a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur ‘remains his priority’ – especially after the 6ft 1 colossus was left on the bench against Stade de Reims.

Reportedly unsettled in Ligue 1, Diallo has been set to leave for some time as per this update, with Spurs currently heading the queue given his reported desire to sign in north London.

Reliable Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold confirmed that Diallo was being considered as a potential option as back-up to star striker Harry Kane, and his meagre £10.8 million valuation could prove to be an enticing prospect after the Lilywhites’ recent business.

Indeed, after making five marquee signings already this summer, including Sergio Reguilon (permanent) and Gareth Bale (loan) from Real Madrid, Tottenham may be looking to offload some squad members before taking to the market again.

As confirmed by the Athletic journalist David Ornstein, the most likely players facing a potential axe could be Danny Rose, Juan Foyth, Paulo Gazzaniga, Serge Aurier and Ryan Sessegnon as chairman Daniel Levy looks to balance the books before reinforcing.

However, a new striker and centre-back is on the agenda, with Gold also recently reporting that Spurs have their eyes on a number of potential targets this window. 

Diallo, at least according to this report, may well be one of them – and given his impressive 38-goal haul over the last two seasons for Metz, he could be a bargain buy waiting to happen.

Spurs fans, should Diallo become Levy’s sixth summer signing? Have your say in the comments down below…

West Ham are interested in signing Troy Deeney, according to a report in The Daily Star,

Late move for Deeney

West Ham were quiet on transfer deadline day, but it seems they will be busy before the domestic window shuts on October 16th. They are said to have agreed a deal for Said Benrahma, and are now looking at Deeney as back-up to Michail Antonio.

The Hornets are reportedly open to offers for the 32-year-old, with West Brom also interested.

Controversial but effective foil to Antonio

Antonio has been in fantastic form so far this term for the Hammers. In the first four Premier League matches of the campaign, he has scored twice, helping David Moyes’ side to two wins along the way.

Deeney is, therefore, unlikely to come in as a first-choice option if he does sign, but he could be a fantastic back-up. Although Watford were relegated last season, he scored 10 goals in 27 league games, and has 160 strikes throughout his career. Deeney also won 7.3 headers per game last term, showing just how much of a handful he can be.

It could be a controversial signing, though. Deeney has previously admitted that West Ham fans give him a lot of stick, with him goading supporters on one occasion after scoring at The London Stadium. Whether the fans would take him is up for debate, but he certainly has plenty to offer on the pitch.

Let us know what you think below!

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has tipped Kalvin Phillips to guide the Whites to a top-six finish in the Premier League if the club can resist offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Phillips has developed incredibly with Leeds and is now one of the most talked about Premier League players, having started the season in fine form, gaining many plaudits.

Having also become a regular for the England national side, Phillips is now said to be attracting interest from Spurs, with chief Daniel Levy reportedly ready to double his wages.

Champions Liverpool are also said to be interested.

What has Mills said regarding Phillips’ future at the club?

Talking about the future of Phillips and his importance to Leeds, Mills was drawn to comment on a potential top-six finish for the Yorkshire side, which he felt would be determined by the future of the defensive midfielder.

“If this season goes well,” Mills told Football Insider. “I am sure clubs will be coming looking.

“He is a superb player, he just has to prove it now. It is a big step up because to be consistent in the Premier League is not easy, no matter what anybody thinks.

“He has a great opportunity to showcase his football at Leeds. Hopefully he does that but stays at Leeds and pushes them into that top six.”

What does the future hold for Phillips?

The youngster could become the subject to a bid much greater than what he is valued at currently by Transfermarkt, which is a mere £19.8m.

An impressive rise to England regular has been quite remarkable and Leeds will find it hard to hold off a huge bid from one of their Premier League rivals.

The January transfer window could be a very interesting one for Phillips and the Yorkshire club.

Do you think Phillips will remain at Leeds for the foreseeable future? Let us know in the comments section below…