Whilst Kevin Nolan is a long way off having a statue erected of him outside Meadow Lane he is fast becoming a hero to the black and white half of Nottingham.
Since his tenure began, he has brought County from the brink of oblivion to a side that would give any club in the fourth tier a run for their money.
Just a few weeks ago the prospect of defeating Plymouth Argyle would have seemed like an inconceivable pipe dream. County were languishing just above the relegation zone and Plymouth looked dead set to gain automatic promotion.
Fast forward to Tuesday night and Plymouth still look a certainty to gain automatic promotion but Notts County finally look like a force to be reckoned with. New signing Jorge Grant capitalised on a calamitous mistake from the Plymouth Keeper in the first half to earn a tremendous victory away from home deep in the heart of the West Country.
This victory speaks volumes about the progress that has been made with Nolan at the helm. County have transformed from League 2 whipping boys to a cohesive unit that battles for every point.
Whilst staying in the division is by no means a mathematical certainty it would surely now take a cataclysmic dip in form that would result in County being relegated. With an 8 point margin between County and the relegation zone, Nolan’s bird army is seemingly going from strength to strength. Come on you ‘pies!
The ex-Newcastle man is by no means resting his laurels however and firmly acknowledges that the Meadow Lane club are very much still at the wrong end of SkyBet League Two. “This is the time to work even harder and that is what we are going to do. We will continue to do that because that’s what we are doing behind the scenes as a backroom staff.”
After the initial uproar at bringing in the relatively inexperienced, chicken-dancing Kevin Nolan it would be a struggle to find a single fan inside Meadow Lane that doesn’t firmly believe he is the right man to take County Forward.
Safety from the drop is imperative but should County continue in the same vein they will steer themselves firmly away from trouble. With no defeats in 5 games the Magpies are one of the most in form sides in the division.
This is unquestionably down in part Nolan’s outstanding leadership from the touchline. The ex-West Ham captain is fast proving himself to be a leader of men. The agonising wait continues to see Nolan don the black and white stripes himself, but with the players performing so well on the pitch right now, the wait is only likely to continue.
Joe Mackenzie
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