THE GROUND
Meadow Lane
Nottingham
NG2 3HJ
Meadow Lane has been home to Notts County for over 100 years, having moved from Trent Bridge – home of Nottingham CCC – late in 1910.
The ground, also home to Nottingham RFC, currently has a capacity of just over 20,000.
All four sides of the ground were redeveloped in the early 1990s and they remain four separate stands.
Away fans are currently housed in a section of the Jimmy Sirrel Stand, named after the man who managed both Brentford and County, on the opposite side of the ground to the main Derek Pavis Stand.
THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
It is approximately 130 miles from Griffin Park to Meadow Lane by road.
Most drivers will approach Nottingham from the M1 – supporters can leave at junction 26 and take the A610 to within sight of Meadow Lane or exit at junction 21A and take the A46, A606, A52 and A6011 to the ground.
There is a car park opposite the away end, The Cattle Market, and at The City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest, a short walk away.
Street parking is also available.
The nearest station is Nottingham which is just over half a mile from Meadow Lane.
Nottingham Station is served by East Midlands Trains from St Pancras.
The Supporters’ Association will be running coaches to every game this season – details of times and prices will be announced in due course.
THE FIXTURES
The Bees will travel to Meadow Lane on Saturday November 30.
Brentford will then welcome Notts County to Griffin Park on Saturday April 5.
THE RECENT HISTORY
Notts County are about to start their fourth season back in League One after winning the League Two title in 2010.
The Magpies’ League Two win in 2010 ended six years in the bottom tier and was a season full of headlines.
The Magpies were taken over by a Middle Eastern consortium in the summer of 2009 and former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson was brought in as Director of Football.
Eriksson’s fellow Swede Hans Backe was appointed manager and former England international Sol Campbell was signed, although he only played one game.
Peter Trembling, who had been executive chairman, bought the club but sold it to Ray Trew with The Magpies on the verge of administration.
On the pitch, County stayed up by just three points in 2011 but missed out on the Play-Offs on goal difference in 2012.
They finished 12th last season, falling away after a decent start.
At the end of September County had lost one of their first nine games but they couldn’t maintain that run.
A stretch of one win in nine League One games in the depths of winter left them off the pace and they went from November to April without winning successive games, giving them no chance of being in the promotion shake-up.
THE MANAGER
Chris Kiwomya took over as Notts County manager in February after Keith Curle was sacked.
He got the job until the end of the 2012/13 season three weeks later and was given the role full time in March.
The former England Under-21 international came through the youth ranks at Ipswich Town and played more than 200 league games for the Suffolk side.
He also featured for Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers among others.
Kiwomya went back to Ipswich as Reserve Team Coach in 2008 and left in 2011.
He was Development Squad Manager at Notts County before being promoted to the First Team job.
THE TOP SCORER
The goals were shared around at Notts County last season with seven played scoring at least six goals but no-one getting to double figures.
Yoann Arquin ended the season as top scorer, hitting nine in all competition, seven of them in League One.
The French striker joined County in the summer of 2012 after a year at Hereford United – he had previously played in France.
The 25-year-old scored his first goal in England against Brentford in a Carling Cup First Round tie for Hereford United.
THE KEY MEN
Notts County will go in to the 2013/14 season without their best player from 2012/13.
Alan Judge, who was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year, left Meadow Lane at the end of last season.
The attacking midfield man, who scored eight goals last season from 39 League One games, has joined Blackburn Rovers, making the reverse journey he made when he arrived at County.
Judge was part of a combative midfield that also included Neal Bishop, Jeff Hughes, Andrew Boucaud and winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce, all of whom, played most of County’s games.
Gary Liddle and Dean Leacock were regulars in the Notts defence, along with left back Alan Sheehan and they usually played in front of goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
The attacking threat was provided by top scorer Arquin and former Carlisle United playmaker François Zoko, who scored seven goals in 38 League One games.
The Magpies will also be without Bishop, who reached an agreement to terminate his contract, and Hughes, who joined Fleetwood Town while other players to leave include defender Julian Kelly and midfield player Hamza Bencherif.
Those yet to decide their future include Arquin, Sheehan and midfield player Joss Labadie.
There has been one new arrival at Meadow Lane, former Aston Villa midfield player Malcolm Melvin, but County’s squad is still very much in the building phase.
THE FIRST MEETING
September 24 1930, Football League Division Three South – Brentford 2 Notts County 2
Brentford line-up: Nash; Stevenson, Adamson; Davies, Bain, Salt; Foster, J. Lane, B. Lane, Blakemore, Payne
Brentford goal scorers: Blakemore, B. Lane
THE LAST MEETING
March 29 2013, npower League One – Brentford 2 Notts County 1
Brentford line-up: S. Moore; Logan, Dean, Craig, Bidwell; Adeyemi (sub L. Moore) Douglas, Diagouraga; Saunders (sub Forshaw); Wright-Phillips (sub Forrester), Donaldson
Subs (not used): Gounet, Reeves, Trotta, German
Brentford goal scorers: Diagouraga, Wright-Phillips
Bradley Wright-Phillips’ first goal for Brentford proved to be the winner as The Bees completed an npower League One double over Notts County.
Click here for a full report.
THE MEMORABLE DAY
April 12 1993, Barclays League Division One – Brentford 2 Notts County 2
Brentford line-up: Peyton; Statham, Millen, Evans, Sansom; Stephenson, Dickens, Ratcliffe (sub Bennett), Manuel; Gayle (sub Allon), Blissett
Brentford goal scorers: Dickens, Blissett
Notts County scored six minutes in to stoppage time inexplicably added by referee Ray Biggar to snatch a point.