Nottinghamshire

Notts County head Coach Martin Paterson says "honesty" and "togetherness" has helped the team through a challenging start to life in League One.

Tuesday's 2-0 home win over promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday was only their second victory in 10 matches since winning the League Two play-off final.

The result ended a run of four successive league defeats, and was their first clean sheet in 13 matches in all competitions.

Paterson told BBC Radio Nottingham: "The way we played was exactly how I want us to look, and sometimes it is hard to get that every week but that's what we'll be asking.

"It was a really good togetherness and a really good honesty to the way we played. I can't take any more credit than I thought we looked like the aggressive unit that I want us to be - running and passing it at the right moments.

"I'm pleased for the players and for the supporters. The test now is to keep everyone fit and everyone hungry to go and replicate that".

County are sitting one point above the relegation places in 18th with 10 points. They were the top scorers in League Two last season with 74 goals, but have managed just a goal a game this term.

Paterson concedes he's been quite hard on the players in this campaign.

"The lads know me and sometimes my moodiness comes out on them," he said. "I am intense but I am really pleased with the group, and a little bit with my staff and myself.

"Not once have we bent the knee and started to doubt. We've just had a bad run and we've stayed calm, kept working and believed in ourselves.

"But it's one win, we need to do more. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we need to replicate that".

Next up for Paterson's side is Saturday's home game with league leaders Stockport County. He is confident his players are ready to continue the step up.

"They're a resilient bunch and to a certain degree they're a new bunch as well", he added. "A lot of them are adapting to me and the way we want to play.

"It's about the next game now. Give them credit where credit is due, but make sure they're really ready for the next game and we keep trying to adapt to this new level, and keep calm in the storm."

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel says Crystal Palace's second goal against Nottingham Forest should have been disallowed on the field for handball - but backed the video assistant referee's decision not to intervene.

The game was locked at 1-1 deep into first-half stoppage time when Jefferson Lerma appeared to nod the ball through the legs of Forest keeper Matz Sels.

However, it soon transpired that the ball had deflected off the elbow of team-mate Anan Khalail on its way into goal.

That meant the goal technically belonged to Khalail, who could not score a goal with his arm.

This was not picked up in the initial replays, only becoming clear during the half-time analysis on the television coverage.

Palace went on to win the game 3-1 at Selhurst Park.

The Premier League's KMI Panel voted 3:2 that it was an on-field mistake by referee Peter Bankes, but it was unanimous that the VAR, Darren England, was right not to rule out the goal.

"On the balance of probability the ball is likely to have come into contact with Khalaili's arm," the KMI Panel said.

"The panel all supported the VAR's decision to not intervene on the basis that the footage readily available to the VAR doesn't show conclusive evidence of a handball."

It will sting for Forest as they had a Neco Williams goal ruled out for handball in their 0-0 draw with Tottenham through a VAR intervention.

Williams insisted after the game the ball did not touch his arm, but replays which later emerged appeared to prove it did. The KMI Panel unanimously supported the decision.

Bankes was on VAR duty for the disallowed goal against Spurs.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Ipswich at Portman Road (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Morgan Gibbs-White is able to return after training for the entire week. Nikola Milenkovic, who was an unused substitute in Forest's last game, is "ready to start".

• Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona are the only players who can't be involved with everyone else being "fine and fit".

• Glasner says Gibbs-White's return is "important", adding: "He can create chances and score goals himself and that is always very positive - but on the other hand, without him we had a very competitive team against the champions. This gives us confidence."

• On the team's performances and results so far this season: "The feeling is that we deserve more points but the reality is that we don't. So far the tactical approach has been quite OK in most games, but if things don't work, you need to do something extra or 'not on your to do list' to get the result.

• He spoke about the importance of sticking to his principles: "The results are not satisfying but I won't change my principles in life or how I see football because this is why I'm sitting here as a Premier League manager. I was just told I am the manager with the most trophies won in the last 16, 17 months. Why is there now doubts?"

• On coming to the City Ground: "The reason I am sitting here is because no-one was pleased with last year's season. We want to change something because if you do the same you will always get the same. Right now we are the same but we want to change a few things."

• On what he wants to change: "It's not just how we play, it's how we deal with each other. We are in the middle of the thunderstorm but you always have to go through it. Afterwards, the sun is shining."

Image source, Shutterstock

Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough says he wants his side to try to get "somewhere near" their home form as they play two games on the road in the next four days.

The Stags are at AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday before going to Blackpool on Saturday.

Clough's side have yet to win on their travels in League One this season, with three defeats and one draw in four matches.

Contrastingly, they are unbeaten at the One Call Stadium having won three of their five games.

"It's important to stay unbeaten at home and even the other night [a 1-1 draw against Oxford United], we're 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go and we get that goal, so at least we get something out of the game," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"It's the losses, that's something we have to stop on the road. The losses do the most damage.

"If your home form is very good, then anything on the road is a bonus. We know we won't keep winning, and staying unbeaten, especially in this league. But I think a result on the road in the next couple would do us a world of good.

"We'll know a bit more about the team and the squad with these next two away games - can they do what we're doing at home, try to get somewhere near it on the road?"

Tuesday's match will be Clough's 275th league game in charge, taking him past Ian Greaves' league record, and within sight of becoming the club's longest-serving manager.

Clough will mark six years as boss in November and said his longevity is down to having such a supportive board.

"It's a credit to the club that they've stuck with the same manager for nearly six years and what we've achieved together with the supporters," Clough said.

"I think the vast majority realise we're not going to win every week but they're just enjoying us competing.

"We've had a couple of sticky spells during that period but I think generally the club has improved on and off the pitch.

"I know we're in an age where a lot of people want instant results, but success does take a lot of time and a lot of work

"Managers will always lose their jobs, but if the bigger picture says you're improving then that's the most important measure."

Are Nottingham Forest's lack of goals a worry or just unlucky?

That's the question BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club have been debating after Oliver Glasner's side failed to find the back of the net at the City Ground for a fifth consecutive game in all competitions.

The unwanted run comes after owner Evangelos Marinakis splashed a club-record £50m on Chelsea striker Liam Delap, who has scored just one league goal in 2026-27.

"When he was playing for Chelsea he was doing a lot of things right, but he is paid to put the ball in the back of the net and he isn't doing that," former Manchester City centre-back Steph Houghton said. "Obviously, in seasons gone by, Nottingham Forest have heavily relied on Chris Wood to score goals.

"It seems like the team are lacking a bit of confidence when it comes to getting in the box and making that final action. It probably isn't a situation the club or its fans need at this moment in time."

The Observer's Rory Smith provided a different viewpoint, claiming that there isn't "any problem to analyse" and that the Reds' goalscoring figures "will average out".

"Nottingham Forest are fourth in the xG table, which suggests they are creating chances," Smith said.

"You could worry that Liam Delap, Chris Wood and Arnaud Kalimuendo aren't quite of the requisite quality to take those chances though, but the chances are they're just having a bit of a bad run at the moment.

"I reckon they will make up for it by having a better run relatively soon. I'm not worried about the club in any way."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds