MANSFIELD Town will work with Sascha Studer to improve the goalkeeper's kicking in a bid to help him realise his potential.

The 23-year-old was dropped earlier in the season, with boss Paul Cox citing Nottingham Forest loanee Dimitar Evtimov's better distribution.

A groin strain to the latter gave Studer a way back into the team and he has played the last five games, conceding just three goals.

One of those came on Saturday, when he paid the price for some wayward punts, sending one straight to York City midfielder Russell Penn, with the opening goal the eventual result.

Studer made up for his error in the second half, pulling off a fine save to deny goalscorer Diego De Girolamo in the 1-1 draw.

But Cox is keen for the Swiss stopper to further his development and work on his flaws.

"I'm not going to have a go at the lad because I thought he pulled off a great save in the second half when we were chasing the game at 1-1 and looking to win it," said the manager.

"He's a baby in terms of a keeper.

"When I left him out earlier in the season it's not because I dislike the lad or he was playing badly. Sometimes with young players they need to play a few games, then they need to come out (of the side) and work on the training ground on things they need to improve on.

"Personally, I think that's part of Sascha's game he needs to improve on.

"I'm not expecting Sascha to be a world class goalkeeper at this minute.

"He has potential to be frightening and to play at the highest level.

"I thought the kid was excellent in every facet of his game, but his kicking is something we need to work with him on."

At the other end of the pitch, Cox was pleased to be able to deploy a target man in debutant Vadaine Oliver.

The striker joined last week on loan from Crewe Alexandra as Mansfield look to cope with injuries to Alex Fisher, Matt Rhead, Ollie Palmer and Liam Hearn. And he put in a fine performance at Bootham Crescent.

"If you look at this league, everybody has got a big, strong front man," said Cox.

"He was out of this world.

"Everything he did, in terms of leading the front line, was excellent.

"We only brought him off at the end because he had cramped up.

"I thought going forward we were excellent. We just needed that second goal."

EVERY day, chefs at Nottingham's City Hospital create dishes calculated to provide a mammoth 4,000 calories for patients.

Cystic fibrosis patients often struggle to retain their weight, as their stomachs can be filled with excess mucus, preventing nutrition from food being absorbed into the body.

But at Nottingham's swanky new cystic fibrosis centre – unveiled in April this year – a team of three chefs has produced an extensive menu to help their patients.

"Hospital food has a bad name but we've designed a menu especially to help patients here," said chef John Edwards.

"It's 4,000 calories a day they need, compared to someone else who might need 1,800. Only half of the 4,000 calories will digest into their system, so they lose a lot of weight if we don't pack the calories in."

"We use high-calorie foods such as double cream and extra butter – and they have three proper cooked meals a day."

The state-of-the-art centre allows up to 16 patients to stay for two weeks when they suffer complications associated with the condition – for instance, struggling with a chest infection.

For John, who has worked in the catering side of operations at the hospital for ten years, the job can be very rewarding.

He explained: "Quite a lot of the patients say they don't eat this well at home.

"It's a very rewarding job because we do get reports back saying the majority of patients who come in have actually gained weight, and hearing that makes you think you are doing your job properly.

"It can be a bit of a struggle sometimes. Normally, the first couple of days are quite difficult for them to eat. But we try to build up a relationship where they trust us and like what we produce."

The team has a three-week menu with up to ten options available for each meal. A typical day's food might be:

Breakfast: Full English breakfast

Lunch: Lasagne with chips and vegetables followed by syrup sponge.

Dinner: Chicken balti with rice and potatoes followed by chocolate fudge cake.

In between the feasts, patients are allowed to have high-calorie snacks, including crisps, baguettes and pizza, up to six times a day.

Thirty-three-year-old John, of Basford, said: "It does keep us busy – but if it means the patients are going to eat the food, it's not a problem.

"There are always empty plates now.

"It's really rewarding – I think we're playing a vital role in their care."

Fran Corton, of Carlton, a specialist cystic fibrosis nurse at the centre, said there was clear evidence that the food made a difference.

She said: "It's very difficult for the patients to meet their calorie requirement, so it's down to the appetising menus and snacks and maximising their weight gain, which will lead to better health.

"There's a very definite link between weight and lung function."

"It makes a massive difference to patients and it's all very positive."

Mrs Corton, who has worked at the hospital for more than 20 years and has been a specialist in the field for more than 15 years, added: "Patients are generally in for two weeks plus, and it's repeated admissions, so patients will come back regularly.

"Part of the aim of the unit was to create a place that they would feel comfortable in and make it more like a home – and the food is part of that as well as clinical treatments."

Chris Rossell, of Cotgrave, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth and has spent the past two weeks in the centre.

The 20-year-old said: " I have been dealing with it all my life. It's more of an inconvenience and I don't let it interrupt my life too much.

"It's just one of those things I've got to deal with. I came in because my lung function was low."

He added: "The food has been great and the chefs are really friendly and nice and I've made friends with one of the chefs.

"It's better than normal hospital food, a lot better, and there's a personal touch with the chefs."

The team also offers to cook with patients to make them feel involved, change dishes to their taste and add new dishes.

Its work has been so appreciated by patients and colleagues that it has been shortlisted for an award.

The NUHonours awards 2014 recognise the best of care and compassion at Nottingham's hospitals and the team has been shortlisted in the final three for the estates and facilities category.

The person who nominated them anonymously said: "There aren't words enough to say how wonderful these three men are.

"They work tirelessly to promote good nutrition on the cystic fibrosis unit.

"Nothing is too much trouble.

"If a patient wants it, they go out of their way to try to provide it for them.

"They anticipate patients' needs, providing a totally patient-centred service.

"All the patients have praised them for their amazing food and can-do attitudes.

"Not only do they cook the food but they serve it, collect up the dishes and wash all the pots as well, with a smile on their faces."

IN April, the standard of care given to patients with cystic fibrosis at Nottingham hospitals was transformed from "rags to riches".

After years of campaigning and planning, a shiny, new £6.6 million centre offering treatment for 150 patients was unveiled.

Cystic fibrosis is a disease predominantly of young people. It damages many organs and its main effect is repeated chest infections, leading to scarring in the lungs. This results over time in respiratory failure, and the average survival currently is 42 years.

Now, patients with the condition will be treated in a "home in hospital", where 16 in-patient beds are available and patients can carry on as many aspects of normal life as possible while receiving the best clinical care.

Cystic fibrosis consultant Jane Dewar, who led the campaign for a new state-of-the-art centre, said: "When I was appointed as a consultant and head of service for the cystic fibrosis unit here, our nurses were in portable buildings and our patients had nothing in the way of facilities at all.

"I've spent the last ten years moving towards this moment, building up facilities, and in the last years we have developed the project, doing the fundraising to deliver it.

"It's been a huge piece of work as well as what we do every day.

"The service has gone from rags to riches; it's completely transformed the way we can work as a team with those patients and it's completely transformed the patients' experience."

ROBERT Tesche says Nottingham Forest should be delighted to see Michail Antonio and Britt Assombalonga romping up the scoring charts in the Championship – and shouldn't worry about who gets the goals for the Reds, as long as somebody is.

Antonio's tally for the season is seven in the Championship and eight overall, while Assombalonga continues to lead the way in the division, along with Derby County's Chris Martin, having scored nine league goals so far, since his £5.5m move from Peterborough.

And Tesche says the Forest players see it as a massive boost to have two players in such rich form – and says that there is no need to panic about other players finding the net, as long as the duo continue to.

The rest of the Reds squad have scored only seven goals between them in the Championship – but the Reds' tally of 23 goals overall is still only bettered by leaders Derby (24), second-placed Watford (26) and Bournemouth, who bolstered their goal difference with their incredible 8-0 battering of Birmingham.

Tesche, along with Henri Lansbury, Chris Burke and Jamie Paterson, has scored once this season, while Matty Fryatt has found the net three times, following his goal in the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Blackburn.

"Britt has nine goals and Michail has seven and it feels as though they can score whenever they want. That is good for us, because we need goals," said Tesche, a summer signing from Hamburg.

"I do not mind if they score a lot of goals between them. We have lots of players who can score goals, but they are on a run of form and we are happy with that. If they keep scoring, it is not a problem, is it? We need good deliveries into the box as well, but we are getting that.

"It does not matter who is scoring the goals, as long as we are scoring."

Antonio himself is unconcerned about who gets the Forest goals – as long as somebody is finding the back of the net.

"It was good to see somebody else get a goal, but it really isn't a big issue, it is about getting goals as a team," said the winger, after seeing Fryatt net on Saturday.

"Anyone who scores to get us three points – I will be happy. It is about what we do as a team, not as individuals. It does not matter who gets the goals, as long as we do.

"We know we just need to get that win, to get us going again."

In the meantime, Tesche is impressing after pinning down his place in midfield and helping to fill the void left by injuries to Chris Cohen and Andy Reid with encouraging performances.

"I am happy to have the chance to play, I am a team player and I play for the team," said Tesche. "I am happy with the way things are going. But now we must be ready for the next game."

A TAXI driver who was also a chart-topping Indian musician has become the second cabbie this month to be jailed for a sex attack on a passenger.

Dhanraj Singh, of Greythorn Drive, West Bridgford, was taking a young woman home when he kissed and touched her.

The 24-year-old was told he breached his passenger's trust because she was in his care and had been drinking.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Singh was a bhangra singer and was due to fly to Bombay to film a music video after topping the Asian music charts.

But instead, the father-of-two was sent to prison for nine months yesterday after being found guilty earlier this month of sexual assault.

Judge Gregory Dickinson said: "You are a talented, award-winning musician. You have put all of that in jeopardy.

"You were responsible for her safety and well-being.

"You took advantage of a lone female passenger who had been drinking."

The judge said the effect on the victim had been "very serious".

The court was told that the woman had made a statement saying she was "still raw" and was having ongoing counselling.

She had lost weight as a result of the attack on April 1, which had also affected her studies and left her feeling "vulnerable".

For Singh, Mark Achurch told the court: "He is a family man with two children who had been working anti-social hours to support his family.

"It was a short-lived incident. He lost his taxi driver's licence immediately and has been out of work and on benefits since."

The case comes less than two weeks after another Nottingham taxi driver was jailed for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in the back of his cab.

Jamil Ahmed, chairman of Nottingham Licensed Taxi Owners' and Drivers' Association, said steps were being taken to keep passengers safe.

He said: "All the hackney cabs that are operating in Nottingham have been licensed by the city council.

"They have been through official checks so that there are no allegations of dishonesty, sexual or any type of offence.

"From the association's point of view, if you spot any person you're uncomfortable with, you can pass that information on to the association, who can then pass it on to the council.

"In all hackney cabs, the person is totally separate in their own environment.

"It's a lot safer in their own hackney cab as opposed to a saloon car. That's what we would suggest – to catch a hackney."

The city council said that Singh was not licensed by the authority.

Pete Mitchell, the authority's head of licensing, permits and regulation, said: "In terms of enforcement, we have staff out in the city centre checking taxis most nights of the week. In addition to this, we run multi-agency operations with the police."

DRIVERS face delays on the roads around East Midlands Parkway after a crash.

The congested roads around the travel hub are causing delays of up to an hour after the incident.

A tweet from East Midlands Trains said: "Allow extra time if travelling to East Midlands Parkway, local road diversions and an accident is causing delays up to 60 minutes."

For more transport news click here. 

A SINGLE mother assaulted her former friend on three occasions after getting into arguments, a court heard.

Shannon Faherty, 23, of Sydney Gardens, Newark, pleaded guilty to committing the assaults on September 17, September 18 and October 2.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard yesterday that the victim, who used to be Faherty's friend, was now dating Faherty's ex-partner.

During the altercations, where there was hair-pulling, pushing and shoving, the victim suffered bruising.

In mitigation, Leanne Splaine said Faherty was a single mother of a two-year-old son and had no previous convictions. She said: "Miss Faherty is embarrassed by her actions and upset to be here. She is very aware of the situation she has put herself in."

Magistrates gave Faherty a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered her to pay a victim surcharge of £15.

She must also pay £50 prosecution costs.

NOTTINGHAM Forest hope to land Tom Ince in the next 24 hours, in time for him to face Huddersfield on Saturday.
Stuart Pearce has already made contact with Hull City boss Steve Bruce, who is willing to let the winger out on loan to gain some match fitness.
Any deal would initially be for a month, but the Championship club could look to extend it beyond that, to up to 93-days.
The 22-year-old will be well known to Pearce, having been part of the England under-21 set up.
Ince, who had a spell on loan at Notts County early in his career, only joined the Tigers in the summer, but has struggled to pin down a regular first team place, starting only four games for the Premier League club, the last of which was in the Capital One Cup last month.
Ince remains part of Bruce's long-term plans, but the Tigers' boss is willing to allow the player to join Forest to gain match fitness.
Ince's best spell came at Blackpool, where he scored 31 league goals in 100 appearances for the club.
Hull are actually yet to agree a fee for the player, who joined them on a Bosman transfer in the summer, upon the expiry of his contract.
As he is only 22, Blackpool will be due compensation over the move.
But, in the short-term, Ince's future seems likely to be at the City Ground, as boss Pearce looks to bring an end to a frustrating run of seven Championship games without a win.
Forest's players are not set to train tomorrow, so there is no pressure to get the deal done immediately.
But the club do hope to tie up the move in time for Ince to be involved in a pre-planned open training session at the City Ground on Thursday.

POLICE have appealed for witnesses after three masked men robbed a convenience store at knife-point.

The incident happened at the Spar store in Upminster Drive, Nuthall on Friday.

Nottinghamshire Police were called just after 10.15pm to reports of three men wearing balaclavas who brandished knives and threatened staff at the Spar store in Upminster Drive.

After assaulting staff, the group made away with cash and a black Renault Clio belonging to a member of staff. No-one was injured, although staff were left shaken following the incident.

The men are all described as black and as wearing black balaclavas, dark navy blue jackets and bottoms. Two of the men were wearing dark-coloured trainers, whilst the third man wore light grey trainers.

The men made away in the stolen Renault Clio along Mornington Crescent towards Mornington Primary School. The vehicle was found abandoned shortly afterwards on the same street at its junction with Colindale Gardens.

If you have any information or think you can help, you can contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 978 of 24 October.

BRAVE mum Melissa Hunt has battled to raise more than £45,000 for her son to have a life-changing operation.

Four-year-old Theo has cerebral palsy which means he can only crawl without using a frame and splints and could end up in a wheelchair if he does not have treatment soon.

He was due to have an operation to reduce tightness in his muscles at the Queen's Medical Centre earlier this year, but funding was cancelled just weeks before the treatment date by health body NHS England.

After the Post intervened, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital – forked out £100,000 for 19 children to have operations, but Theo missed out.

But in March, Ms Hunt – who lives in Underwood - said she would do "whatever it takes" to raise the money and the miraculous mum-of-two has smashed her target in just six months.

She said: "I feel quite emotional about it all but I don't see I've done anything different to what any other mother would do. I just love my children so much and I wasn't going to stop until I had done it. "I am just fighting for Theo. I want to give him the most independent life we possibly can – the best chance I can give him."

In the space of just six months 29-year-old Ms Hunt has organised countless events including fun days, bag packs at supermarkets, wall climbs, haunted sleepovers, being featured in the Nottingham Forest programme and fun runs.

Theo's grandmother Jo Hunt said she hoped to see the four-year-old given a new lease of life.

She said: "I'm very proud of Melissa and her achievements and I'm very thankful and grateful to the amount of support that she's had from everyone, from strangers as well that have made individual donations.

"It's a big opportunity for Theo – it's going to be a chance for him to gain more independence and freedom and be like other children in a physical way. Hopefully it's going to be life-changing."

Theo is due to travel to Leeds on Sunday and will have the £19,000 surgery next Tuesday before a month of intensive physiotherapy at the Leeds General Infirmary.

The youngster will then return to Nottinghamshire and Ms Hunt hopes the rest of the £45,000 raised will pay for him to have three years of therapy – five times a week.

The selective dorsal rhizotomy operation involves cutting nerves in the lower spinal column, which can relieve leg stiffness, but children have to learn how to re-control their leg muscles again after.

Cerebral palsy is a general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. Neurological conditions are caused by problems in the brain and nervous system. Cerebral palsy is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain responsible for controlling muscles. The condition can occur if the brain develops abnormally or is damaged before, during or shortly after birth.

SHANNON Bowley was one of 19 children whose selective dorsal rhizotomy operations were rescheduled after The Post contacted Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. The eight-year-old from Top Valley could only shuffle about on her bottom or take a few steps with the aid of a frame before the treatment but is now recovering well and physiotherapy is helping her learn to walk. Shannon had the operation just days after The Post got involved in the story. At the time her grandmother Samantha Jones said: "I'm absolutely over the moon," she said.

"My body is really hurting from all the stress. But when they phoned and said we are going ahead I was just crying and we all hugged each other."

New tram lines may not open until after Easter as the project faces further delays.

Sources have told the Construction Enquirer that an Easter handover date is expected from construction firm Vinci once final testing is complete.

The lines, which will go through Clifton and Beeston, were originally due to be open by the end of 2014, but contractors Taylor Woodrow Alstom admitted it would be early next year before they were running. 

The deputy leader of Nottingham City Council, Graham Chapman, told The Post, there had "been rumours" about the delays and the council "best get out a statement" to clear up the timeline. 

But speaking on BBC Radio on Tuesday morning, he said: "All I know is that it [the delay] is going to be lengthy. We are not very happy about it. The contractors are ultimately responsible for it."

We contacted Taylor Woodrow Alstom but had not received a response at the time of publication. 

CONTRACTORS responsible for the new tram network have refused to comment on rumours that the lines will not be up and running until at least Easter.

Sources from within the building trade told the Construction Enquirer the project would not be "handed over" to the operators until the April bank holiday, after completed work on the lines running through Beeston and Clifton had to be ripped out and redone, and with several subcontractors dropping out of the job.

This will leave the building firm Vinci out of pocket, as it will face paying liquidation damages that could run into tens of millions of pounds, as well as additional labour and material costs.

But Taylor Woodrow Alstom, the contractors responsible for the tram construction, said it is "pure speculation."

Phase two of Nottingham's tram network was due to be completed by the end of 2014.

But in June, Taylor Woodrow Alstom confirmed the £570 million project had been hit by "unforeseen" hold-ups – including moving water pipes and power cables – and would not be ready until "the first part of 2015."

In response to the fresh rumours on even more delays, a spokesman said: "We are aware of reports suggesting a specific timescale for the launch of the Phase Two network but these remain pure speculation.

"Construction work is nearing completion and the contractors are working to fully undertake the testing and commissioning phase as soon as possible.

"Some months ago we said the launch would take place during the first part of 2015 and this remains the case."

The firm would not clarify how many months "the first part" would account for.

Graham Chapman, deputy leader of Nottingham City Council, said he was pushing for the work to be done as soon as possible, but wanted to reassure the public it would not cost any extra money.

"Neither the council nor the contractors know when the tram is going to be finished," he said.

"We are very unhappy about it. However, it won't cost the public anything. In fact, quite the opposite, as they [the contractors] will have to pay liquidated damages for the delay.

"We are now trying to put as much pressure as possible on them to make sure at least the sites get cleared up so people can gain access to shops, even if the trams aren't running."

Vinci said they had nothing to add to the comment from Taylor Woodrow Alstom. 

SCOUT leader Stewart Robinson did not tell anyone he had cancer for two weeks after he was diagnosed and went back to work the same afternoon.

The news had come purely by chance, having had a diabetes test at his GP surgery which revealed a small amount of blood - invisible to the human eye - in his urine.

"At the time I didn't tell my wife, Moira, about my cancer because she teaches and I knew that knowing of the diagnosis would make concentration difficult," 71-year-old Stewart said.

"Generally, I was fairly confident that my cancer would be cured because it had been caught early."

As November begins, men all over the world will take part in the Movember campaign – growing a moustache throughout the month to raise money and awareness for testicular health and prostate cancer.

The Movember initiative has raised £346 million to date and funded over 800 programmes in 21 countries. This work is saving and improving the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.

And Stewart of Troutbeck Crescent, Bramcote - who has had a prostatectomy to remove his prostate gland and has been cancer free for fourteen years - will be among them and has urged others to join him because the disease can devastate lives.

The locum optician and assistant scout Leader of the 2nd Bramcote Scout troop: "Cancer doesn't affect just the patient, it affects the family too.

"Forty five per cent of men with prostate cancer have no symptoms at the time of diagnosis like me.

"I really want men to realise that. And, unlike breast or testicular cancer, there's no way to check for lumps. One of the aims of the group is to get men to be diagnosed early.

"You may not want to think about the possible side effects of prostate cancer, but anything is better than wearing a wooden overcoat."

And anyone suffering with prostate cancer can find help in the city in the Nottingham Prostate Cancer Support Group, which Stewart is chair of.

He said: "I didn't find out about it [the group] until after I was clear, but it would have been so helpful at the time to know other people who had been or were going through what I was. Being diagnosed with cancer makes you think that you're on your own. But you don't have to be."

The Nottingham Support Group has about 200 members and meets every two months at the Maggie's Centre in the City Hospital, with events including speakers, discussion groups and meals out.

And support is important, according to Ray Sylvester, who is one of the group's committee members and a survivor of both prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

He said: "It's so important to have places like Maggie's and NPCSG so you know you're not alone and men don't feel embarrassed.

To join the group email npcsg@live.co.uk or call 0115 911 1162.

Are you getting involved in the charity cause? Let us know and send us your pictures. Email newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

FOUR-YEAR-OLD Phoebe Taylor's powerful performance of a song from Disney's Frozen has melted the hearts of the Post's judges.

Dressed as Elsa, the main character in the hit animated film, the budding singer belted out Let It Go as her mum recorded her on her mobile phone.

The rendition was enough to win the Post's competition, which asked readers to send in videos of their performances of Frozen musical numbers, with a top prize of £50 of Disney store vouchers up for grabs.

Talented singer Phoebe said she would spend her prize money on "a lollipop, a princess dress and a teddy."

"I'm really happy," she said.

"The Let It Go song is my favourite. I love singing. I sing in mummy's car."

The youngster heard she had won when her mum Kate Taylor, 32, picked her up from Secret Garden Day Nursery in West Bridgford yesterday.

"All her friends were really excited for her and gave her lots of hugs," said Mrs Taylor, of Swindale Close, West Bridgford.

Mrs Taylor, a singer with the Nottingham Operatic Society, said she was extremely proud of Phoebe, who could be following in her footsteps as a singer.

"She loves singing. I sing quite a bit in musical theatre in Nottingham so she has grown up singing," she said.

"She's got a very powerful voice and she stays in tune so it's really nice for me to hear her sing like that."

The Post launched the competition after revealing that a video of nine-year-olds Millen Davies and Mairead Morrissey, of Arnold, singing Let It Go, would be screened on the X-Factor last weekend. They responded to a request from producers of the show to send in video clips of themselves singing to be featured before performers took to the stage.

Frozen, released last year, was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Snow Queen and tells the story of a princess who sets off to find her estranged sister, whose powers have trapped the kingdom in a constant winter.

The Post's editor Mike Sassi said all of the entries to the competition were a high standard and it was difficult to choose a winner.

"We are delighted to see the breadth of talent in Nottingham and show our support. Let's hope we have unearthed a star of the future and Phoebe goes on to great things," he said.