Can't make your mind up?

Last updated : 13 June 2007 By Paul Smith

Notts County were drawn to face Championship outfit Coventry City in the first round of next season's Carling Cup on Wednesday morning.

It is yet another away clash against a team from the highest league in the competition at this stage after Notts travelled to Crystal Palace and Watford at the same point in the past two seasons.

View to the left of the away stand at the Ricoh Arena

After last season's sensational run to the fourth round passing Palace, Premiership Middlesbrough and Southampton along the way, NCM were of the opinion that several Notts fans would be willing to make the trip to the Ricoh Arena - a ground Notts have never played in.

However their appears some debate as to whether there will be a large turnout.

NCM assure all fans should go.

Firstly in competitive games Notts haven't met Coventry since the season before the lucrative Premiership was formed as Notts were relegated from the old Division One.

That season Coventry were 1-0 victors at their then home Highfield Road early in the season while at Meadow Lane an own goal by former England full-back Kenny Sansom was the difference in a 1-0 Magpies win.

The sides have met in pre-season friendlies twice in recent seasons, the last of which came ahead of last season when Stern John and Gary McSheffrey who have both since been promoted to the Premiership with Sunderland and Birmingham respectively, struck in the second half to give the Sky Blues a 2-0 win.

Dowie... Notts date
Secondly the Ricoh Arena is a stadium Notts have yet to play in, and is an impressive site too.

The capacity is 32,000 with room for approximately 3,000 visitors in the Jewson South stand behind one of the goals.

Plusses for fans that choose to go include the pie and a pint deal for £4.60, the favourable roof that allows for louder chanting and the steepness of the stand which enables you to feel closer to the action.

There is of course also the oppurtunity of another stadium to get under your belt for those who like visiting different grounds.

But will Notts have a chance?

It is early days in the transfer market as yet with Notts still to finalise several positions in their squad despite making some important early forays.

Coventry are likely to have an old friend in their ranks in the form of last season's Hartlepool goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos who kept twenty plus clean sheets as the Pool gained promotion and kept out an Austin McCann spot kick to deny Notts a win over them, but elsewhere Iain Dowie's business has been relatively quiet so far.

Notts favourite David Pipe in full flow during Coventry days

With the two managers set to increase their squads over the coming weeks, it is difficult to assess the quality of them as yet.

Currently in City's ranks are the likes of Leon Mackenzie, Dele Adebola and Stephen Hughes although no current player has any past with the Magpies.

Notts have one member in the squad who has history with the Sky Blues as David Pipe - Notts' current longest serving player - joined from City in 2004 after 25 appearances and two goals.

Are the current crop of players at the Ricoh Arena better than those put out by Peter Taylor's Palace last season when Lawrie Dudfield and Dan Martin struck to give a relatively inexperienced Notts side a 2-1 win last season?

They are probably the same level, and who knows, the Notts support could make the difference between the players thinking they can win or a routine home win for City who have been formidable at home since moving to the new stadium.