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Kevin Nolan has revealed that Alan Smith left Notts County because he wanted a break from football. The former Leeds United and Manchester United man spent four years at Meadow Lane as a player, coach and even caretaker manager, before being released at the end of last season. Nolan also stated that Smith is looking to make a return to the game in several months and could hopefully assist on coaching and scouting duties. “We had Smudger who was a fantastic servant to this football

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has admitted that he wants to sign an experienced midfielder to replace the departed Michael O'Connor. The former Magpies captain left Meadow Lane earlier this week to join Lincoln City, and now there are just three over-30s in the current squad. Nolan was saddened by O'Connor's exit but said it was largely due to personal reasons. “Now we’ve lost Michael to Lincoln we’ve got to look at that position,” he told the Nottingham Post. “We’ve got to look a

Kevin Nolan has admitted that Notts County’s FA Cup run ended up having an adverse effect on the team's league campaign last season. The Magpies made it all the way to the fourth round and held Swansea City to a draw at Meadow Lane in the first game, before losing 8-1 to the then Premier League side at the Liberty Stadium. County's form stuttered around that time and Nolan says he will address the issues of tiredness for the upcoming season. “I thought the FA Cup played a major fa

Kevin Nolan has spoken of how Notts County want to make the playing squad younger and turn the team's youth players into assets. The Magpies signed several highly rated young players this summer, with the likes of Tom Crawford and Will Patching joining from Chester FC and Manchester City respectively. Nolan also says he wants up to six or seven Under-19s training with the first team by this time next year. He admits he is excited about the prospect of working with talented youngst

The 2018/19 League Two fixture list has been published, and Notts County will begin next season with a home clash against Colchester United. The U's, who finished lucky 13th in the table last season, will travel to Meadow Lane for their opener on Saturday 5 August. It is the first time Notts have opened the season at home in eight years when they faced Huddersfield Town. The Magpies will then travel to Cambridge United a week later before rounding off the month with games against

Notts County have announced the return of Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben Hall on loan for the entirety of the 2018-19 season. The Northern Ireland Under-21 international impressed at Meadow Lane last term in a six-month loan spell which yielded 11 appearances. "I can't wait to come back. My time at Notts so far has been an amazing experience," Hall told the Notts website. "Meadow Lane is definitely the best place for me right now. "I feel like I improved so much during my

A plaque commemorating the foundation of Notts County has been unveiled at Nottingham's Mercure Hotel. Previously known as the George Hotel, the location was where "Notts Foot Ball Club" became official following a committee meeting within its walls in December 1864. Colin Slater, who has reported on the club for more than 50 years as part of BBC Radio Nottingham, revealed the tribute outside the hotel in George Street on Sunday. "The fact the plaque is here and the meeting took p

Alan Hardy has claimed that Notts County's EFL Cup game at Middlesbrough will be a "great test" for both teams. The Magpies will make the journey to the Riverside Stadium in the week commencing August 13 and will take on a side which reached the Championship playoffs last term. Notts played Boro away in the League Cup in September 2006 and famously won 1-0 in front of 11,148 fans. "It will be a great test for both teams," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "Boro will naturally b

Notts County have been handed an away trip to Middlesbrough in the first round of the 2018-19 EFL Cup / Carabao Cup. The Magpies will make the journey to the Riverside Stadium in the week commencing August 13 and will take on a side which reached the Championship playoffs last term. Notts played Boro away League Cup in September 2006 and famously won 1-0 in front of 11,148 fans. The 2018/19 draw took place at the Independence Palace, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and 70 clubs went

Notts County goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons has admitted he needs to improve his temperament but says he will not have a moment of madness like he did in the Crawley Town game. The Magpies stopper, who has penned a new two-year contract, lashed out at Mark Connolly near the end of that game in January. Fitzsimons picked up a red card and gave the visitors a match-winning penalty as Kevin Nolan’s side lost 2-1, before being hit with a three-match ban and losing his first-team place to Adam

Pierce Bird has thanked fellow defenders Richard Duffy and Shaun Brisley for aiding his development at Notts County. The young centre-back, who joined the Magpies last year, is hoping to break into the first team at Meadow Lane this season after signing a two-year deal earlier this month. “They’ve been great with me and I could not have asked them to do a better job,” he told the Nottingham Post. “They help me when I need it and they tell me when I’ve done something wrong. They co

Former Notts County manager Sam Allardyce says he is "jealous" of Gareth Southgate and believes it should be him leading England at the World Cup in Russia. The 63-year-old left his post as England coach by mutual agreement in September 2016 after only one match in charge, following claims by a newspaper that he gave advice on how to "get around" player transfer rules. In a BBC documentary to air on Sunday, Allardyce said of his departure: "That decision was made very hastily. "Je

Alan Hardy has revealed that one in three Notts County season ticket holders renewing this summer are now under the age of 21, after analysing crowd data from last season. In addition, there has been an increase of more than 62 per cent in young fans buying tickets for matches. "This is tremendous news for the long term development and prosperity of the club," he told the Nottingham Post. "I have often listened to people telling me that the club has an ageing fan base. Well, not a

Notts County chairman Alan Hardy has confirmed that the club will look into reducing the size of the matchday programme but is unlikely to get rid of them completely. EFL clubs recently voted to end their compulsory publication as a result of declining sales and the costs involved in production. “Like the fans I love a good programme, but the truth is the sales are declining every year,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post. “A tremendous amount of work goes into them and they are a cos

Notts County have confirmed they will be hosting a breakfast event at Meadow Lane to find out the release of the 2018-19 League Two fixtures. The event (and the draw) will take place on Thursday 21 June, with doors opening at 8am, and costs £10. Notts chairman Alan Hardy, manager Kevin Nolan and director Darren Fletcher will be present as the club finds out their fate in terms of who they'll play in the league and when. To book, email [email protected] or call 011

Alan Hardy has spoken of the signings of Tom Crawford and Will Patching as testament to how far Notts County have come and how promising their future appears. The Magpies paid an undisclosed fee to Chester for midfielder Crawford last week, and followed it up on Monday with a free transfer move for Manchester City’s Patching. “I am very excited with the arrival of Tom and Will,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post. “There were clubs further up in the food chain looking at both of them,

Richard Thomas has spoken of how important it is for Notts County's players to not only recuperate after the rigours of last season but also to begin getting back into the swing of things in early June. The Magpies saw their season prolonged due to the playoffs and are set to report back to training in three weeks' time. “First thing is to rest and recuperate,” assistant manager Thomas told the official website. “Get yourself some mental space, just relax, switch off and spend tim

Alan Hardy has revealed that he has held talks with EFL and FA officials in hopes of improving the quality of refereeing at lower-league level. League Two was beset by officiating errors ranging from the minute to the critical, such as the ones in the Coventry City games that saw the Magpies miss out on progress to the playoff final. "I have met with Dave Cookson, the Football Services Director at the EFL, as well as Andy Ambler, the head of professional game relations at the Football

Notts County have confirmed that goalkeeper Branislav Pindroch has signed a new two-year deal at Meadow Lane. The 26-year-old, who became the first Slovakian to play for the Magpies when he joined the club last summer, made four appearances last season and was third choice behind Adam Collin and Ross Fitzsimons. “I have really enjoyed my first season at the club,” he told the official website. “Learning from the likes of Mark Crossley and the manager has been an amazing experience

Notts County defender Richard Duffy has signed a new contract with the club. The 32-year-old, who stood in as captain for the previously injured Michael O'Connor, made 50 appearances for the Magpies. Duffy joined Notts in the summer of 2016 and has made 97 appearances in total for the club. "The club has come on leaps and bounds in the last 18 months," the Welshman told the official website. "We've given ourselves a really strong foundation to build from in 2018-19 and I want

Notts County assistant manager Richard Thomas has described Dan Jones's new contract as "great business for the club". The left-back put pen to paper on a two-year deal on Wednesday, joining goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons and defender Pierce Bird in committing his future to the club. Jones was impressive towards the end of last season and ended the campaign with four goals, and Thomas praised him for his attitude and skills. “We’re delighted DJ will be with us again next year," he tol

Dan Jones has signed a new two-year contract at Notts County. The 31-year-old left-back, who joined on a free transfer a year ago scored four goals in 33 games last season, helping the Magpies reach the playoffs. Jones was one of several players to be offered a new deal by boss Kevin Nolan when the 2018 retained list was announced last month. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Meadow Lane so far and there was only one place I wanted to be next season,” Jones told the official clu