Notts County supporters with tickets for the sold-out trip to Mansfield Town on Saturday 8 October (kick-off 12.15pm) are advised of the following procedures.
Following a number of incidents at last season’s fixture, the relevant authorities have informed the club that they will be employing a more robust search policy with a particular emphasis on preventing smoke canisters from being taken into the ground.As all tickets will show a specific row and seat number, stewards will take a proactive approach towards assisting supporters to their allocated seat. Those occupying incorrect seats will be requested to move and failure to comply with this may result in ejection from the ground.
Mark Huckerby, Notts’ head of operations, said: “We have had a number of issues at some games, including the Mansfield away fixture, in which a small group of our supporters seem intent on creating problems.
"We’ve worked hard with the police in an attempt to resolve this and a number of these individuals have now been banned. This will hopefully make the matchday experience a better one for the rest of our fans.
"We will continue to monitor this to ensure our fans enjoy their match days.”
Notts manager John Sheridan added: “I and everyone at the club understands the importance of this fixture to our fans, and their support will be greatly appreciated on the day.
"All I ask is that our supporters abide by the ticketing policy and ground regulations, which are in place to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable matchday experience.”
Nottinghamshire Police are providing information on matchday parking, pubs and more.
Their chief superintendent Mark Holland said: "The behaviour of some Notts County fans last year was very poor. Since then, we’ve worked closely with the club to identify those who caused the trouble. This has resulted in club bans and court prosecutions.
"A significant investigation into public disorder in Nottingham city centre after another match at home to Exeter resulted in the prosecution of a number of fans who cannot attend matches as part of their bail conditions.
"We would say to anyone attending the game on Saturday to enjoy themselves but not to drink to excess. We’ve brought kick-off time forward to 12.15pm to reduce the risks around drinking, we have sufficient officers to police inside and outside the ground and we will be making sure that no licensed premise in Mansfield is available to away fans prior to kick-off."
Away tickets for this match have now sold out and, with no more on sale, only supporters with tickets are advised to travel.