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Nottingham News

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

As the team hit the month of November there was a lot of expectancy after the previous two results in the League and the F.A Trophy where we ran out six-nil victors over Soham and where we also gained a victory on penalties over Kidsgrove.

Carlton Town 0-0 Histon
Our first fixture of the month was at home against bottom of the league Histon and as we all know these type of games always seem to be the toughest of them all. For sure the visitors on the day came with a plan and an agenda and to be fair to them enacted it out very well as time and time again Carlton were frustrated. The game was fairly even throughout and the opposition defended stoutly as The Millers didn’t hold back in pursuit of the points. Histon didn’t look like a team that were bottom of the league and all credit must go to them on their application in this one.

Carlton Town 1-2 Stourbridge
Our next visitors at Stoke Lane were Stourbridge and here were opposition that were sitting in a lowly position in their division and a real opportunity for us to progress into the next round of the F.A.Trophy. The opposition were off the back off two defeats in three days the week before and not having won a fixture for the whole of October. Carlton started well as we always do and were rewarded with a strike from Aaron Opoku five minutes before the break to give us the lead at half-time. Stourbridge immediately at the start of the second-half set about reducing the arrears and Montel Gibson immediately levelled the score-line. This didn’t deflate The Millers it just inspired us to maintain our good work-rate and to keep ploughing away at the opposition as we did. The game would be a real end to end affair and it was only five minutes from time before it would be decided when Gibson for the visitors would tie it up leaving The Millers faithful deflated but not too upset as the performance had warranted a better result.

Chasetown 2-2 Carlton Town
Next on the agenda was a visit to the West Midlands and to a fixture that always produces a good game for the spectators. This one was no different from any other fixture in the past and the game was an absolute joy to be involved in. The game had passion, skill and excitement and for the most was a real pulsating affair as both teams went at it like raging bulls. Martin Ball opened the scoring just under fifteen minutes in with a fine header after his long lay off from injury before a nice move seven minutes later and a sharp header from Butlin brought the home side level.Khyle sergeant in his second spell for the club would finally get off the mark three minutes before half-time and take The Millers into half-time with the lead.The second-half would play out pretty much the same as the first and with twenty minutes to go the home side would draw level again when Taylor was left unmarked at the far post. All in this one was a real cracker and a draw was a fair result against a very good side. It was also good to catch up with the fans who included fellow columnist Steve Corry at the end of the game to get their views which were very complimentary.

Carlton town 4-2 CorbyTown
Another home fixture and this time Gary Mills the former Nottingham Forest European Cup winner would bring his team to the Lane. Corby were sitting mid-division in the table and their form had been very indifferent but again at this level of the game or any level to be fair these things cannot be taken for granted. The Millers went at it straight from the start to set the tone but they would take half an hour before Nat Watson would open the scoring. Corby would equalise seven minutes later through Furey before loanee signing from Basford United Alex Howes would increase the lead on the stroke of half-time leaving ‘The Steelmen’ wrought.

Article by Phil Jennings

That man Howes again with another good finish would further increase the lead in the second period fifteen minutes in before Toby Moore with a header increased the advantage further. Corby tried to rally late on and would reduce the deficit in the last few minutes but by this stage the game was well and truly long behind them. So we have now hit December and probably one of the most important periods of the season where we can further establish ourselves in the title chase as we head to the halfway mark. We still have a lot of football to play against a lot of tough opposition that will be trying to halt our pursuit of glory and no doubt there will be a lot of times where our opposition will be frustrating to play. However, with the standards that we have set so far and the quality and calibre of this squad this season we have placed ourselves in a very good position to march on during the second half of the season.

Forthcoming Fixtures:
4th December Stamford(h)
7th December
Sporting Khalsa(a)
11th December
Bedworth United(a)
18th December
Shepshed Dynamo(h)
27th December
Spalding United(a)
1st January
Daventry Town(h)

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Nottingham Forest are pleased to announce new plans for the further redevelopment of the club’s training facilities at Wilford Lane. Central to the plans are a new two-storey building and enhanced facilities at The Nigel Doughty Academy. The new academy building will include fourteen changing rooms, three classrooms, gym, physio room, analysis suite, guest parents’ lounge and canteen facilities, plus additional on-site car parking.

The latest plans are in line with the club’s ongoing investment in the facilities at Wilford Lane which earlier this season saw the enhancement of the show pitch to include a new playing surface and goals, LED floodlights, perimeter fence and dug outs to meet the club’s conditional Category One Academy licence obligations. The plans will be submitted via the formal planning process with Rushcliffe Borough Council, with a decision expected in the New Year.

Commenting on the plans, Nottingham Forest Chairman, Nicholas Randall, QC, said: “This is another important milestone in enhancing the infrastructure of the club by Mr Marinakis, in line with our long-term aspirations. “In addition to his continued investment in the playing staff, we are very grateful for the owner’s continued generosity and his vision for how he wants the football club to evolve.

“We undertook a strategic review of the options for developing our training facilities, including assessing other potential locations. We have concluded that Wilford Lane, which has been our home for over 20 years, provides the ideal footprint for us to improve and further integrate our first team and academy operations. This integration is essential to the culture and philosophy we are seeking to develop at the club. “Everything we do as a club is geared towards continually improving standards to provide the best possible environment for us to progress and this latest investment by Mr Marinakis is another example of that. “We are proud of the club’s long history in developing players through the academy to the first team and, as evidenced by this investment, it remains integral to the footballing strategy of the club.”

THE PETER TAYLOR STAND UPDATE
The club is also pleased to update supporters on latest developments on the plans for the new Peter Taylor Stand.
The club has recently submitted updated proposals to Rushcliffe Borough Council for a sustainable and environmentally friendly travel plan for visitors to The City Ground, including cycle, foot, bus, and traffic initiatives.
Chairman, Nicholas Randall, QC, said: “As we anticipated from the outset, the new stand has been a complex project. The location of The City Ground is one of the many features of our home that makes it unique and so loved by our supporters, but it also provides logistical challenges which have required careful consideration working in partnership with the local councils and the community.

“Like all our supporters, we are keen to conclude the planning process as soon as we can as we are excited about the transformational impact this will have on our supporter matchday experience. We hope these updated sustainable plans will pave the way for a full and final planning submission in the new year. We will continue to keep supporters updated on progress on this important project.”

Nottingham News

Join Green Rewards today and earn great discounts, vouchers and prizes at local businesses and projects in your community for playing your part to combat climate change and achieve net zero! That’s the message from all nine local Councils in Nottinghamshire who have joined forces with local universities and creator Jump for a trailblazing partnership!

It provides a new Green Rewards app and web platform which means Notts residents can accumulate points and earn the prizes for many activities they do every day at home or out and about that help lower their carbon footprint.
It is part of the Universities for Nottingham civic collaboration which aims to improve the way the universities work with each other and their local partners to help change the lives of local people for the better. Sign up for free now or download the Green Rewards app on iOS and Android. Search for ‘Notts; Green Rewards’ in your device’s app store.
In similar fashion to rewards points at retailers, all residents need to do is log their day to day activities that highlight how they are decreasing the amount of carbon they create, such as:

• Walking to work or school instead of taking the car
• Cycling or using public transport
• Putting your recycling bin out with all the correct recyclables
• Switching off a light or switch at home
• Taking a shower of four minutes or less and many, many more!

There’s a full list of how you can redeem points or it’s available on the app and when you accumulate sufficient points you can then earn the discounts, vouchers and prizes and in Rushcliffe 10 per cent discounts or other offers at these participating outlets.

There’s also £20 worth of vouchers for the top two residents in each council area who earn the most points each month, to claim at local businesses, donate to worthwhile causes or projects and in some districts and Boroughs there’s prizes too for the top points earning wards.

All the Councils across Notts including Ashfield District Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council have come together to drive forward and fund the platform and app to residents. They have followed the lead of Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham who use the app to encourage their staff and students to log their every-day activities.

Through the Universities for Nottingham initiative partners have pledged to tackle sustainable travel and transport and develop joint programmes to change behaviour, ensuring the lessons learnt are passed on to all in the region.
The first collaborative sustainability engagement programme of its kind in the UK, it features the simple carbon-reduction activities that residents can complete.

It means Nottinghamshire is the first County in the country to see all its major local authority and education partners collaborate on a climate change reduction project in this way ahead of next month’s COP 26, providing an easy to use platform and incentives for all. Speaking on behalf of the council partners, Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Communities and Climate Change Cllr Abby Brennan said: “We are excited to launch Green Rewards to our residents and provide them with the tools and motivation to join the fight against climate change. Register or download the app today!

“Small actions really can make a difference, and we’re confident of this scheme’s ability to show how much of an impact our residents can have. “This scheme has already been a huge hit with University students and staff so we’re delighted many residents can now join them to be rewarded for everything they do to help lower carbon levels.
“Every time you go for a walk, cycle or use green public transport instead of using a car, recycle responsibly or just turn a light switch or plug off at home, you can earn points and enjoy the rewards.

“The environment and climate change are at the forefront of all of our priorities as partners and this project is a unique opportunity for Councils across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to work together and achieve something extraordinary.” Nottingham Trent University’s Head of Sustainability Charmaine Morrell said: “We launched Green Rewards at Nottingham Trent University in February 2019, so I’m delighted that the app is being rolled out across the whole of Nottinghamshire. “This is a huge achievement given that all the local authorities within Nottinghamshire have come together, united in their desire to get everyone involved to combat climate change. At NTU alone 360,000 kilograms of carbon has already been saved, the same weight as 90 elephants.”

Andy Nolan, Director of Sustainability at the University of Nottingham said: “We’ve been delighted with the way our staff and students have used the Green Rewards App to log the positive actions they are taking to help achieve our sustainability goals and it’s great to see how commitments made through the Universities for Nottingham initiative are expanding across the county. “We’ve already seen 23,000 positive actions, saving over 25,000kg of CO2.”
The partnership will support each council’s target of reaching net zero carbon emissions before 2040, with some committing to an earlier date of 2030. Each councils’ residents will see different activities and content when they access the Green Rewards platform, ensuring it is tailored to their council’s goals.

Graham Simmonds, Chief Executive, Jump, says: “We are delighted to be celebrating the launch of Notts Councils’ ground-breaking Green Rewards programme. “This is a significant step in the race to reach net zero and it’s very exciting to see the eight District and Borough Councils plus the County Council and two universities coming together and collaborating so effectively. “I’m excited by the range of carbon busting activities for residents to get involved in, and with lots of people taking lots of individual actions this will collectively add up to a big difference.”

Nottingham News

Six parks in Ashfield have once again been awarded with the Green Flag Award. The six parks that have been awarded the Green Flag 2021 are Brierley Forest Park, Kingsway Park, Portland Park, Selston Country Park, Sutton Lawn and Titchfield Park, Hucknall.

The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Cllr Samantha Deakin, Cabinet Member for Parks, Town Centres and Neighbourhood Services said: “We are so pleased to have received six green flags in our fantastic parks again this year. We have invested heavily into our parks and green spaces to ensure that they are places that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Our parks are popular with our residents as a place to escape and to enjoy connecting with nature. “These past two years people have really seen the value of having great quality green spaces on their doorstep. We are proud of the hard work that our teams have put into maintaining our parks to such a high standard that they are nationally recognized as being some of the best parks in the country!”

Commenting on the news that Ashfield has achieved the Green Flag Award standard at six parks, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Ashfield worthy of their Green Flag Awards.” “To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that Ashfield has high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives.”

Nottingham News

A bid for over £40m of Government funding towards further redevelopment of the Broad Marsh and The Island Quarter sites have received backing from a range of politicians and captains of industry. The city has put forward a bid for the Levelling Up Fund set up by the Government to fund major regional infrastructure projects that can make a real difference to local communities by creating jobs and opportunities for people and businesses. Nottingham has submitted a bid for two major projects – asking for £20m towards the next phase of preparing the Broad Marsh shopping centre site for complete redevelopment, along with £20m towards the ongoing development of The Island Quarter. Both are among the largest city centre regeneration sites in the UK, presenting huge opportunities for major investment, new jobs and fresh ways to boost the local economy. The City Council has also submitted a bid for a further £18m from the fund for citywide transport improvements.

The city’s three MPs, along with the Leaders of Nottinghamshire and Broxtowe councils, and senior bosses at Experian, Boots, BioCity, East Midlands Chamber, the Local Enterprise Partnership, both universities and Nottingham College, among others, have joined the City Council’s Leader and Chief Executive, Cllr David Mellen and Mel Barrett, in signing a letter to Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, Michael Gove, and his ministers, urging them to support the bid. In it, they set out the compelling reasons for both bids to receive Government backing. On Broad Marsh, they outline how the site presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvent and reimagine the city post-pandemic and the widespread support for its redevelopment, with expert input from designer Thomas Heatherwick and the Broad Marsh advisory group. They explain how transforming Broad Marsh will unlock jobs and investment and allow the city to flourish while also contributing towards Nottingham’s goal to become a carbon neutral city by 2028.

Additional public funding such as the Levelling Up money would help to complete the work already underway on site and act as catalyst to secure private investment to help fully realise the huge potential and opportunity of Broad Marsh, the letter says. It points out that The Island Quarter is another major Nottingham development, with over two million square feet of mixed use development planned on the edge of the city centre, set to extend the central business district and create up to 4,000 jobs, which deserves the Government’s financial support. City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen, said: “The signatories of this letter, and many more people in our city, can clearly see that both Broad Marsh and The Island Quarter represent opportunities to deliver what the Levelling Up Fund sets out to achieve – supporting investment in infrastructure that can make a real difference to local communities. “Our region has seen the lowest level of public investment of any region in the UK and so we hope the Government agrees that our ambitions for Broad Marsh and The Island Quarter embody what Levelling Up is all about. The scale and significance of the Broad Marsh project alongside the Island Quarter can help to significantly raise the profile of Nottingham as a Core City nationally and internationally and be a catalyst to generate and increase investment and prosperity across the whole city, the county and wider region, spreading the benefits to more of our people.”

Robert Ware, CEO of Conygar Investment Company PLC, which is currently progressing on phase 1A Canal Turn at The Island Quarter, said: “We are not just supporting, but partnering, Nottingham City Council in this bid for the Levelling Up Fund. The fund will mean a great deal to The Island Quarter, allowing us to accelerate our building programme and will ensure the city can rise from the pandemic, proud and successful – bringing jobs, homes and opportunities, and boosting the local economy.

“Our 36-acre £1 billion development is vital for Nottingham, and alongside the Broad Marsh development will bring tremendous opportunity to the city. We are urging everyone to back the Nottingham bid and we are, with the City Council, campaigning for support. “Government should not forget mid-sized cities like Nottingham – they are central to realising the aspirations of the Levelling Up agenda. With the backing of ambitious private sector developers like ourselves, this core city can and will make the most of itself – and won’t be overlooked again.”

Further comments from some of the bid’s backers: Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, Scott Knowles, said: “Nottingham City Council’s Levelling Up Bid seeks support for two vitally important regeneration schemes in the heart of the city that will has a long lasting transformative effect on the city, its residents and the business community. This investment will act as a beacon for further investment from the private sector and subsequently the creation of thousands of new jobs and ensuring the city centre’s future prosperity.” Director of Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, Sandeep Mahal, said: “We are proud to back the city’s bid to the Levelling Up Fund and the enormous opportunity if offers to set a vision for the future prosperity of the City. The Levelling Up Fund offers huge potential for attracting investment and growth that will in turn transform the lives of people in Nottingham, create jobs in the area and showcase the talent and creativity that our UNESCO Creative City has to offer. “Nottingham is an ambitious, young and diverse city with a culture of grassroots collaboration and a rich heritage of rebellious innovation. As a UNESCO Creative City of Literature, Nottingham is important, not just locally and regionally, but also on the global stage; working to harness the power of creativity to build a better, more sustainable, more equitable world.” Founder & CEO of Switch Up and the Nottingham School of Boxing, Marcellus Baz, said: “The success of both schemes is incredibly important not only to the economic prospects of Nottingham but to the bright future of the disadvantaged young people I support in the city.

“Seeing these significant regeneration projects realised with the support of the Levelling Up Fund will provide them with opportunities for employment as well as giving them a sense of pride in where they live. This feeling of being part of the community will drive their aspirations to contribute and make Nottingham a fantastic place to learn, work, and live.” Experian’s Global Head of Social Innovation & UK & Head of Corporate Responsibility, Richard Donovan, said:

“At Experian we are proud of the deep roots we have here in the East Midlands. As a leading employer in the region, we recognise the importance of transforming the Broad Marsh and Island quarter in supporting the economic development of the city and inspiring the next generation of talent within our local commu-nities.” Executive Director of BioCity, Toby Reid, said: “Nottingham is an exciting city full of potential but for too long the two sites of Broad Marsh and Island Quarter have blotted the cityscape, masking the ambition and thwarting the city’s ability to fulfil its potential. The private sector can play its part, but nothing catalyses activity and drives confidence in a development like public sector support.”

Nottingham News

Gedling Country Park, Arnot Hill Park, Burton Road Jubilee Park and for the second year, Bestwood Country Park, joined a record number of parks and green spaces collecting a Green Flag Award – the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

Arnot Hill Park retains the award for the 15th consecutive year, Gedling Country Park for the 6th year in a row, Burton Road Jubilee received the award for the sixth time and Bestwood Country Park has received the award for the second year in a row since the management of the park was taken over by Gedling Borough Council.
The four parks in Gedling Borough join over 2,000 sites across the country in collecting the award for 2021.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making these sites worthy of a Green Flag Award. To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that these areas have high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and that they are places that support people to live healthy lives.”
Councillor Peter Barnes, Portfolio Holder for Environment said: “Over the last 20 months, our parks and open spaces have played a vital part in the health and wellbeing of our residents as, for a long time, they were one of the only places people could go to enjoy exercise and to meet friends and family. We have seen unprecedented demand on our four main parks and we are delighted that Keep Britain Tidy has recognised the value of all four and awarded us with the Green Flag Award.

We work very hard every year to meet the standards and criteria set by the awards so I would like to thank our hard working parks and open spaces staff for their dedication. We know residents of Gedling are very proud of our parks, and this achievement goes to show what wonderful spaces we have in the borough.”

Councillor John Cottee, Chairman of Communities Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said:
“It is great news that Bestwood Country Park has been recognised by the Green Flag Award scheme. We are committed to ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy our country parks, come rain or shine. I would like to congratulate, and thank, all of our partners, staff and volunteers who put so much time and care in to this fantastic green space. Throughout all the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, parks like Bestwood have provided Nottinghamshire residents with an opportunity to exercise, socialise and come together as a community safely.”

Nottingham News

Progress on the Gedling Access Road is continuing at pace despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to be opened in spring 2022. Once complete, the new 3.8km route will reduce congestion through Gedling village for motorists and local residents and will enable the sustainable redevelopment of the former Gedling Colliery/Chase Farm site, which includes the construction of 1,050 new homes.

Since construction began in January 2020, teams have been busy with excavation works, surfacing, roundabout construction, habitat enhancement for local wildlife and drainage works. The new route was initially programmed to take 18 months to complete but is now set to open in spring 2022. This revised timescale is due to the various knock-on effects caused largely by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The Gedling Access Road is a major investment for Nottinghamshire and we are proud that we have made a significant amount of progress on the project despite the challenges we have faced. “Back in March 2020 we could have halted works, as was the case with many other projects at the time. If we’d done that, the Gedling Access Road would have been many more months behind schedule, but we chose to press on, and that was the right choice.

“In the circumstances, just an extra few months on a project that’s been in the pipeline for several decades, delivered during a global pandemic, is a pretty good effort in my view and I am very proud that we are the ones delivering this for people in Gedling. The road will make a huge difference to motorists who will notice faster journey times, and local residents, who will benefit from less congestion through Gedling Village and for the further investment it will unlock in the area.

“I want to thank local residents for their patience and understanding about the project. We are really looking forward to completing the scheme soon, and delivering its benefits for local people and Nottinghamshire as a whole.”

Nottingham News

Nottinghamshire County Council has appointed Councillor Mike Adams as its first ‘Environment Ambassador’ ahead of the UN’s Climate Change Conference (COP26) starting on Sunday in Glasgow. The Environment Ambassador will lead on the county council’s ambition to become carbon neutral in all its activities by 2030 after it declared a climate emergency in May.

The council has already commissioned a new greenhouse gas report to pinpoint where carbon emissions are greatest across its buildings and services. Once complete, a targeted plan will be put in place to reduce these emissions.
It is also set to transfer its electricity supply to a green tariff which will provide energy exclusively from renewables thereby avoiding fossil fuels.

Cllr Adams said: “I’m thrilled to have been appointed the county council’s first Environment Ambassador. It is a big responsibility and one I take very seriously. “We were already working towards carbon neutrality in our buildings, but the climate emergency declaration provided a clear signal of our commitment to Nottinghamshire’s environment.
“I’m going to be rolling my sleeves up to make sure we meet our promise to become carbon neutral by 2030 – it is an opportunity we can’t miss.

“I’m really glad to have taken up this role with COP26 just around the corner too.” The Environment Ambassador will also work closely with partner organisations to deliver local climate friendly projects to help the UK reach its ambition of reaching net zero as a country by 2050.

This includes working with Greenwood Community Forest to deliver the DEFRA-funded ‘Trees for Climate’ programme, which will see at least 250 hectares of new woodlands created across the county in the next five years. The county council has committed to planting 250,000 trees on its own land and is also working closely with the three other D2N2 highway local authorities to develop cycling and walking infrastructure for the benefit of both the environment and tourism.

Cllr Adams added: “Our climate emergency declaration promised we would secure net zero emissions in all our activities, but we want to go further and contribute to carbon neutrality across the UK. “We have got some fantastic joint projects in the pipeline like the Trees for Climate scheme, where we have already planted the first five hectares of new woodland and will be planting a further 60 hectares this autumn and winter. “I’m looking forward to working with our partners to help deliver a cleaner and greener future for both Nottinghamshire and our country.”

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Nottingham Forest may well have been outside the Premier League for 22 years but thanks to the Serbia supporters branch they are still winning trophies in Europe. I caught up with their Captain and Chairman Milan Milenovi
who regaled upon the fascinating story of how it all happened. Milan is 42 years of age and comes from Niš in south Serbia, commonly known as the Electronic City in former Yugoslavia. He describes it as a very welcoming place and now the proud home of NFFC Serbia Branch. I asked Milan how his love for Forest began? “When Forest played Bayern Munich in 1996, it was a special day despite losing 2-1, the likes of Bryan Roy and Stuart Pearce really caught my eye.” Milan explained the difficulty in watching the Reds after this due to the lack of TV coverage at the time, however, his penchant for the two-time European Cup winners was suitably assisted by the internet which helped him to stay in the loop regarding all things NFFC.

I was intrigued by the formation of his 5-a-side team, despite the fact there are many Forest supporters clubs in England and worldwide, only a handful wear the famous club crest on the field of play. The only others that sprung to mind were the New York branch, but I don’t think the competitiveness was at the level of the Serbs, that said, NYC have a better kit than the official first team! How did the formation of the Serbia Forest Supporters club team come about? “Officially, it began in 2016,” said Milan. “We inspired some friends to form similar clubs like Fulham, Millwall and unbelievably, Basford United, Ilkeston Town and Sheffield FC! Because of this, my hometown of Niš is quite the footballing town.”

I was curious to learn if there were more Nottingham Forest supporters in Serbia. Again, Milan explained in detail; “It’s hard to tell, I try to find them in each City across Serbia and know there are some from Belgrade. People know of Forest here for sure, in fact there’s a unique saying here, that Nottingham Forest belong in the Premier League!” We reverted to the playing side of things where Milan acknowledged the progression of supporters club teams all around the world, he said “I was stunned to see just how many sides existed.” He referred to a fans club tournament on Facebook, telling himself the following “we must organise something like this.” Then came Milan’s next idea. “I noticed that the Bulgarian capital of Sofia housed the Bulgaria Newcastle United supporters club. We met with them and different clubs, friendly people with a passion for football, so, we travelled 110km to Sofia for our first tournament in 2017 and from that moment we made such good friends. It’s like a brotherhood of fans clubs and from here onwards we played against each other in similar tournaments in this part of Europe.”

As the Serbia Forest boys amassed more time on the pitch, they began to see their results fluctuate, competing in two to three international tournaments a year as well as friendlies. From third place in their inaugural tournament, they matched this in Dimitrovgrad before fourth and fifth place finishes next time around in Sofia. But, as all Forest supporters are aware, it took three years for Brian Clough to win his first major trophy, this was mirrored by the Serbian boys as they lifted their first trophy in 2019. Milan described it as “our brightest year” as they defeated Burnley (Bulgarian supporters) on penalties, Ivica Stojanović with the winning kick. Ironically, like Clough’s most successful side, Serbia Forest matched their achievements by winning back-to-back European trophies after beating Liverpool (Bulgaria Supporters) once again by virtue of the penalty shoot-out. Since then, they picked up another third-place tournament finish and landed a local fans club league title before the outbreak of Covid-19. Milan was pragmatic as always in his assessment of the situation, “due to the pandemic we’ve had a very long break from such events, but we WILL be back!”

As the interview neared the end, I learned that Milan is yet to visit England and his beloved City Ground to watch Nottingham Forest in action. “This is painful for me, but I hope someday I can make the journey.” Despite this, he spoke with real enthusiasm regarding his favourite players both past and present; he waxed lyrical about Bryan Roy, Stuart Pearce, and Chris Cohen before acknowledging the new breed such as Brennan Johnson, Joe Worrall, and Joe Lolley.

Finally, I asked for his musings on the new manager and the prospects for the first team this season? Milan replied, “I was unsure about Steve Cooper at first but after listening to his press conference I soon changed my mind. I like managers who are willing to take risks and play football, NFFC have certainly changed their ethos on the pitch. The team certainly looks good and is playing better, Johnson has pace and creates many chances, like Zinckernagel also, Grabb’s has started scoring again and I really like Spence and Lowe. Lolley must return to the form he’s capable of, but I do believe Carvalho will be sold! Colback is solid and in my opinion Mbe Soh is better than Figueiredo, as for Garner, he may play a role but he’s not our player at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter what I think, or others in fact, the onus is on the players to perform to a high level each game and the results will come.”

Milan Milenović beautifully summed up the mantra of the Serbia Forest supporters club football team, “We want to share nice moments together, we realise that football is more than just a game, we aim to erase every border and boundary and meet with many more people, it’s a wonderful game!” The Serbia Forest Supporters Club team members: Milan Milenović, Dimitrije Mišić, Nikola Đukić, Marko Božinović, Bojan Panev (GK & player of the tournament), Boris Zdravković, Milan Popović (Tournament top scorer), Andrija Jovanović & Ivica Stojanović.

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

With the busy month of September now well and truly behind us we entered October with only four fixtures to play. This allowed our players to receive some respite from the very heavy schedule that we have had to endure and also allowed some of the players that have been carrying knocks to get some recovery time.

Carlton Town 2-1 Coleshill Town
Our first game at home this month would see us pit our wits against a club that are one of the oldest in Non-League football and against a team that were sitting in the top two having been undefeated away from home. As expected this game was to be a good test for ‘The Millers’ as we were coming off the back of two draws and an away win from our previous three fixtures. Having had a lot of the week later and we were play for the most of the first period we would break the deadlock when new signing Kieran Knight would open his account for the club and take us into half-time with the lead. The second period started pretty much the same as the first half did with Carlton constantly pressing for the second goal to ease the pressure in a game that could still turn at any stage. With sixty minutes into the game we were rewarded with a penalty which skipper Tom Maddison as he usually does converted well.
The visitors would then pull a goal back five minutes later and this was how the score would stand until the final whistle.

Carlton Town 1-1 Bedworth United (5-4 pens)
A week later and we were back at it again with a fixture in the F.A. Trophy and up against opposition that we had already encountered in our first home league fixture this season. Bedworth started brightly and brought the game to us and after only five minutes opened the scoring to stun ‘The Millers’ faithful. After this early shock Carlton would continually plug away at the opposition with very little reward against a very robust side that had learnt from our previous encounter and it would take another seventy minutes before there was another goal to be seen. Carlton gained a free-kick just outside the penalty box and with a bend and a whip Niall Davie struck the inside of the woodwork to level the scores. The game would finish level and to penalties it would go. One after the other the ball would hit the net before goalkeeper Jack Steggles made a fantastic save to became the hero on the day to see us through.

Carlton Town 4-1 Loughborough Dynamo
Back to league action and a visit from Loughborough Dynamo was next on the cards. Another fixture that always produces close fought games was predicted for this one. However as usual ‘The Millers’ took the game by the scruff of the neck early on but would find it difficult to break through the Dynamo rearguard. Two goals in three minutes around the half-hour mark from Kieran Knight gave us the foothold on the game before the opposition would pull one back five minutes before the break. Immediately ‘The Millers’ responded and with an outrageous Rabona from Nat Watson we would score again when Toby Moore rose like a salmon at the far post to nod home. With the game now pretty much a forgone conclusion the opposition still tried to peg us back but to little avail and with three minute to go Kieran Knight was scoring his third to take the ball home.

Soham Town Rangers 0-6 Carlton Town
An away day next and to possibly the furthest trip in our fixture calendar. Soham were no match for us on the day as they were routed and given a lesson on how to play the game. A brace from Tom Maddison including a penalty, a pair from substitute Aaron Opoku within fifteen minutes and goals in-between from Knight and Blake would send us home with the points well and truly in the bag.

Carlton Town 2-2 Kidsgrove Athletic (4-3 penalties)
So it was back to the Trophy and again opposition that were well known to us over the years. Kidsgrove now in the West Division of our code have always produced entertaining fixtures when we have competed with them and this one was no exception. With twenty minutes gone ‘The Millers really should have been two-up and coasting but some stout defending determined otherwise. It took until the stroke of half-time before the scoring commenced when Tyler Blake slotted home only for the visitors to immediately strike back before the whistle.

No sooner had the second half begun and Nat Watson with a nice bit of trickery put ‘The Millers’ ahead again. The lead lasted only fifteen minutes before a controversial goal was given to the visitors who even stated themselves that the ball hadn’t crossed the line. The opposition were now back in it and appealing for everything they could get from a game they really shouldn’t have been close to score wise. The fixture would again end in a tie and into penalties it went .Carlton would score four well executed penalties and cometh the man cometh the hour had Jack Steggles again as in the previous round to save the day with two consecutive saves and ensured that ‘The Millers’ were in the hat for the next round of the draw.

With another positive month behind us and a potential lucrative draw in what will be the First Round proper of the F.A. trophy the club are maintaining our momentum at present. As we all know we can take nothing for granted and that you only get out of it what you put into it. So again we face a difficult month fixture wise and again we will not be taking our foot off the gas in our pursuit of glory.

Forthcoming Fixtures:
6th Nov Histon F.C. (h)
13th Nov T.B.C. (F.A.Trophy – 1st Round)
20th Nov Chasetown (a)
27th Nov Corby Town (h)