Alan Hardy has revealed how Notts County have already identified "three or four" January transfer targets and admits that Meadow Lane is proving a much sought after destination for players.

The Magpies' season is going from strength to strength with the club sitting top of League Two and in the second round of the FA Cup.

It's a far cry from previous seasons, which have tended to degenerate into relegation struggles, and Hardy says the difference in form and club infrastructure has led to much more interest from agents ahead of the new year.

In his weekly Nottingham Post column, the Notts owner wrote: "It’s no surprise to me the manager’s phone has been red hot with agents asking us if we would like to sign their clients. I think it underlines the amazing progress we have made.

"Our position in the league table has undoubtedly helped. People can see we are building something special here and want to be part of our journey.

"It’s a completely different scenario to what we experienced in the last January window, when we missed out on players because of our perilous league position.

"One player who slipped through our grasp is now playing for our league rivals Mansfield Town.

"Having been made aware of his availability, we were hoping to sign him before Mansfield picked up the phone late on.

"You cannot lay any blame at the player’s door because we were second from bottom.

"We had suffered 10 straight losses and could have been playing non-league football this season, whereas Mansfield were safe.

"I would like to think now, if he was making the same decision, he would choose us.

"That is a prime example of how your league position can affect a player who has a couple of clubs to choose from.

"But now, sitting top of the league, a position we hope to be in come the New Year, we have a great platform to see who is out there.

"We have already identified three or four we would like to bring in and, while it’s alright wanting them, it’s whether their clubs will let us have them."

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Notts County assistant manager Richard Thomas has stressed that the club's players and staff have not forgotten last season's hammering at Stevenage and will be eager to put things right tomorrow.

On 4 March 2017, the Magpies travelled to Broadhall way and were beaten 3-0, with Matt Godden bagging a brace in a result that kept the visitors just five points from the drop zone.

Notts are an entirely different proposition this season, currently sitting top of the table, but Thomas insists the heavy beating there has not been forgotten and hopes his players will put in a performance to make up for it.

"We were walloped 3-0 down there last season and we've not forgotten that," Thomas told the Nottingham Post. "We want to get a bit closer to them this time around.

"I know Darren Sarll well, we've been friends for a long time. He will want to combine unbelievable hard work with good football, which is not a good combination to come up against.

"We've watched plenty of footage and I know they're a good side with plenty of threats."

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Stevenage manager Darren Sarrl has claimed that his side's League Two encounter against Notts County at Broadhall Way will be a tight affair.

The hosts currently sit 11th in the table but with things as tight as they are they are just three points off the playoffs.

Notts, meanwhile, top the standings and will be eager to build on their impressive wins over Newport County and Bristol Rovers.

“Notts County are a very decent side in League Two," Sarll told the official Stevenage site. "It will be a tough game and they will have a strength about their play, just like I hope Kevin has identified a strength about our play.

"On the day if we are as good and enthused as we were on Tuesday night, we will have no problems. I still state we are a very good side in this league and we are playing against another.

"These games should be quite tight with very few opportunities. It is very much like that and there has obviously been a big improvemnt at their football club and their stability under new ownership that makes them very competitive."

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Terry Hawkridge has claimed that Notts County will need to be smart and strong to remain top of League Two, while every player, from the indispendables to the back-ups, must play their part.

The Magpies' league campaign was put on hold as the team competed in the FA Cup and EFL Trophy, but on Saturday it resumes with a trip to Stevenage.

“We just have to be smart,” Hawkridge told the Nottingham Post. “We know teams are going to want to beat us just because we are top of the league.

“It’s all about being professional in your job and taking each game as it comes. We have to do our own thing and be strong.

“Obviously I have been there with Lincoln and we dealt with it really well.

“The manager there told us we were only as good as our last game. And I just think the squad here is going to have a major part to play.

“You need to be able to rotate and we’ve got that. We’ve had players coming off the bench scoring winners and I think the squad is big enough to do the job.”

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Notts County loanee Ryan Yates has claimed that scoring four goals in his last five games has been beyond his wildest expectations and is hoping to weigh in with more contributions.

The 19-year-old's brace was crucial in the FA Cup first-round turnaround against Bristol Rovers and also chipped in with goals against Barnet and Carlisle United in November.

"Since the start of the season I've been telling Mark Crossley, who organises our set-pieces, to get me in the box!" Yates, speaking to the Notts official site, joked.

"My role is about keeping things simple but I'm still young, raw and learning. I would like to add goals to my game and keep chipping in with them.

"To get four goals in five games has been beyond my wildest expectations but I just have to keep having the knack of being in the right place at the right time.

"I have to give credit to the balls being put into the box. They're unbelievable. I've never known a team to be so good at set-pieces - we've scored so many goals from them already this season.

"When Carl Dickinson is standing over a free-kick I know it's going to be worrying for the goalkeeper but there are six or seven of the lads who put them in the top corner on a regular basis in training. It's unbelievable."

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Kevin Nolan has urged Notts County not to take Oxford City lightly when they meet in the FA Cup second round because the non-league side has "absolutely nothing to lose".

The Magpies navigated a tricky first-round encounter against League One outfit Bristol Rovers in marvellous fashion and were rewarded with a seemingly kind tie against the National League South side.

However, City claimed the scalp of Colchester United in round 1 and the players were excited to be drawn away at Meadow Lane, with Nolan insisting that they will be a tough nut to crack.

“They have absolutely nothing to lose,” he told the Nottingham Post. “They are going to come here, enjoy the day out, work hard and play the best game of their lives.

“What we have to do is make sure we are on top form because if we start underestimating them then we will receive a big bite on the backside.

“They have already given one to Colchester, so we will be as professional as we can be.

“We are going to make sure they are watched and we will set up as if it was a League Two game.

“The lads will be focused and ready. They will be told of all their strengths and weaknesses and hopefully we can perform on the day and get through to the next round.

“All the big boys come in then and you are hoping you draw one of them either home or away.”

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What's been happening in League Two over the last week?

Here is Pride of Nottingham's round-up of the biggest League Two news from the last seven days.

- Newport County won their appeal against Dan Butler's red card for his elbow on Matt Tootle in the 3-0 loss at Notts County last weekend.

- All 72 EFL clubs agreed to implement three-year bans for supporters found using smoke bombs, flares and fireworks in a bid to “put an end to the dangerous use of pyrotechnics”.

- Chesterfield goalkeeper Tommy Lee has been forced to retire at the age of 31 because of a long-term shoulder injury.

- Newport were told new signing Paul Hayes cannot play until January 2018 due to registration regulations, the EFL saying the application cannot be formally processed until the opening of the transfer window.

- Port Vale signed midfielder Chris Regis - a former youth player with Arsenal and Southampton - on a contract to the end of the season.

- Forest Green Rovers striker Shamir Mullings joined National League side Macclesfield Town on a two-month loan deal.

- Luton Town boss Nathan Jones reached 100 games in charge of the club during Saturday’s home defeat to Coventry City.

All news stories sourced from BBC Sport and Sky Sports.

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Kevin Nolan has confirmed that discussions will be taking place between Notts County and the club's fringe players following the Magpies' EFL Trophy exit.

The much-maligned competition has given the Notts boss the chance to give his lesser-used players some much-needed game time.

However, Tuesday night's 2-1 loss at Lincoln City saw Nolan's charges eliminated from the competition with a total of two defeats and one win.

“Now we are out of this competition, the games won’t be coming thick and fast like they have been doing,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.

“We will be sitting down in the next couple of weeks and discussing who can go out on loan and who can’t.

“I am sure we will have the agents and players asking about moves if they are not getting game time.

“That’s going to be coming in the next few weeks so we will see what will happen.”

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Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has thrown his support behind young defender Pierce Bird and exonerated him from his mistake against Lincoln City.

The 18-year-old made his competitive Magpies debut in Tuesday's EFL Trophy tie at Sincil Bank and impressed alongside Haydn Hollis at the back.

However, Bird was unlucky to concede an own goal when Josh Ginnelly's cross caused havoc in the box and it was diverted into the County net, on the way to a 2-1 defeat.

“I thought he did really well,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.

“He was with three lads who have had a lot of experience, he won a lot of headers and did everything right.

“He made the right decisions more often than not and looked a composed figure at the back.

“I was delighted with him, but we have to get him fitter and used to this tempo and playing at this tempo for a long time.

“He’s a young boy who has stepped up, but he should be delighted and his family should be so proud of him.

“He has proven how much he has come on in leaps and bounds in just the few months he has been here.

“It’s the next step for him now and we have to make sure we keep working hard. He has to learn the game and make sure he stays around us if he does go out on loan."

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Kevin Nolan has slammed the decision not to award a free kick to Alan Smith in the lead-up to Lincoln City's killer second goal in their EFL Trophy encounter at Sincil Bank.

The Magpies had to beat the Imps to secure a top-two place in Group G and it seemed like it was going according to plan with Jonathan Forte's opener.

However, a dangerous Josh Ginnelly free kick was unfortunately diverted by Pierce Bird into his own net, before the Lincoln man struck a long-range winner for a 2-1 home win.

“I am very disappointed, because I thought there was a blatant foul on Smudge (Smith) leading up to the second goal,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.

“We knew we had to win to go through, and maybe we showed them too much respect in the second half.

“But overall I was pleased with a lot of performances, especially Pierce Bird. We shouldn’t have given the free-kick away which led to that goal.

“Nicky Hunt gave the free-kick away and he is big enough, old enough and ugly enough to know that is not the way to defend.

“We gave too many of them away on the night and Lincoln will always make it difficult for you as they throw the big men up.

“But what disappointed me is that we do not get that free-kick on Smudge and they score the second.

“I was disappointed but, in saying that, there were some good positives to come from the game.

“We wanted to get through to the next round. But we gave too many free-kicks away and Lincoln will always make it difficult for you.”

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Notts County have, to the indifference of many, been knocked out of the EFL Trophy following Tuesday night's 2-1 defeat at Lincoln City.

The hosts were brighter in the opening exchanges of the Group G encounter at Sincil Bank, but the Magpies' first opportunity of the game led to the opener.

Liam Walker spotted Jonathan Forte into space and threaded a neat through-ball into the path of the striker, who bore down on goal, rounded goalkeeper Josh Vickers, and slotted into the unguarded net.

With just under ten minutes of the first half remaining, the Imps drew level through an unfortunate own goal from Notts debutant Pierce Bird.

Josh Ginnelly swung in a free kick from the left which caused havoc in the Notts back line and the 18-year-old got a head onto it but diverted the ball beyond Branislav Pindroch.

The second half saw Lincoln push forward determined to kill the game off, with Ollie Palmer, Elliott Whitehouse and Billy Knott all weighing in with dangerous chances.

Kevin Nolan was eager for his side to make it through to the next round and brought on top goalscorer Jorge Grant in a bid to get the goal necessary to claim second place in the group.

However, Notts could not add to their opening strike, while the Imps found the winner in spectacular fashion through Ginnelly's 30-yard rocket into the far top left-hand corner of Pindroch's net.

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Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has praised young defender Pierce Bird ahead of his competitive debut against Lincoln City in the EFL Trophy tonight.

The 18-year-old, previously at non-league club Dunkirk, quit his job to go on trial at Meadow Lane in the summer and was rewarded with his commitment and skill with a deal.

“He’s a down to earth kid. His family are right behind him,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post ahead of the trip to Sincil Bank.

“He left his job just to come here on trial so it shows how much he wanted it.

“He’s been magnificent since he came in. He’s been brilliant since we spotted him at the end of last season.

“I’m positive he’ll perform well. It’s about him enjoying the experience. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him in the future but I feel this was the right time to bring him in after the progress he’s made.

“If it doesn’t work we’ll go back to the drawing board with him to get him to where we feel he belongs. There’s no pressure. Pierce Bird will be at this club for a while.”

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Kevin Nolan has suggested that he will make changes to his Notts County starting XI ahead of Tuesday night's EFL Trophy trip to Lincoln City.

The Magpies currently sit third in Group G on three points but a win would see them edge into the top two and through to the next round.

Although Nolan insists it's a big game and wants momentum to be built, he's also eager to give some of his fringe players some minutes.

"It's a big game," he told the official Notts site. "We've got lads who need game time, it's a derby and if we win we go through.

"We're trying to build momentum. It always helps when you're winning games - it breeds confidence around the club and city.

"In the last couple of games we've been back to the intensity and tempo that earned us our six wins on the spin.

"After our fantastic win on Friday we want to carry that forward, and then take it on to Stevenage.

"It's a great opportunity for the lads who haven't had the minutes. They can put themselves in the forefront of my mind and show me they're ready.

"The lads are really going at it in training and we're really looking forward to this week."

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Notts County have been drawn against Oxford City in the second round of the FA Cup.

The National League South side shocked Colchester United in the first round with a 1-0 win at the Colchester Community Stadium to go into the hat for round two.

Notts, meanwhile, cruised into the second round thanks to their impressive 4-2 win over Bristol Rovers, coming from behind to overcome and eventually knock out their League One opponents.

The tie will take place at Meadow Lane on the weekend of 2 and 3 December.

Second round draw in full

Woking or Bury v Tranmere Rovers or Peterborough United

MK Dons v Maidstone United

Newport County v Cambridge United

Wycombe Wanderers v Leatherhead or Billericay Town

Port Vale v Yeovil

Shrewsbury Town v Morecambe

Doncaster Rovers v Northampton Town or Scunthorpe

Slough Town v Rochdale

AFC Wimbledon v Charlton Athletic

Stevenage v Swindon Town

Mansfield Town v Accrington Stanley or Guiseley

Gateshead v Luton Town

Bradford City v Plymouth Argyle

Blackburn Rovers v Crewe Alexandra

AFC Fylde v Wigan Athletic

Gillingham v Carlisle United

Notts County v Oxford City

Forest Green Rovers v Exeter City

Chorley or Fleetwood v Hereford

Coventry City v Boreham Wood

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Matt Tootle has praised Notts County's fans for spurring the players on in their FA Cup victory over Bristol Rovers at Meadow Lane.

The visitors led 2-0 after the first 15 minutes thanks to goals from Liam Sercombe and Stuart Sinclair to seemingly set up a long, torrid evening for the Black and White Army.

However, the Magpies rallied round as a quickfire brace from Ryan Yates edged them level by the break, setting up a second half in which the hosts had their opponents under siege.

Ultimately a further two goals, from Jon Stead and Jorge Grant, saw the League One side knocked out of the competition, while Notts are in the hat for round two.

“Obviously, the game didn’t start the way we wanted,” Tootle told the official Notts site.

“But our fans stuck right behind us and spurred us on to turn the game around. There was such a positive atmosphere inside the stadium.

“Even at 0-2 we were still confident of winning the tie due to the home form we have built under the gaffer. The patience and support of the fans played a massive part.

“They have been brilliant home and away all season and, as players, we’re determined to repay that by continuing to compete at the top of the table and by going as far as we can in the cups.”

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Carl Dickinson has claimed that Notts County have got back some of their mojo following impressive wins in their last two games.

The Magpies endured a mixed October in terms of results and performances, but they finished the month with a 3-0 victory over Newport County.

That result was followed up by a 4-2 win over Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup first round, overturning a two-goal deficit in exhilarating fashion.

“Over the last few weeks I think people have seen that we have got a bit of our mojo back,” Dickinson told the Nottingham Post.

“Sometimes we get labelled a long ball team, but if you had come to watch the last two games you would see how much quality we have got.

“You would see how many chances we created and how we put teams under pressure here at Meadow Lane.

“It doesn’t hurt our feelings when people talk about long balls because at the end of the day it’s all about scoring goals and winning.

“Some might call it a long ball, we call it a long pass. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”

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Bristol Rovers striker Tom Nichols has admitted that his side deserved to lose in their FA Cup first-round encounter at Notts County.

The Magpies found themselves two goals down within the first quarter-hour but spectacularly turned it round through strikes from Ryan Yates, Jon Stead and Jorge Grant for a 4-2 final score.

“It was very disappointing after how we started,” Nichols told the Bristol Post.

“I think we got what we deserved in the end. We got 2-0 up and just stopped playing, I don’t really know what went wrong to be honest.

“As a team we didn’t defend well enough, and you can’t have to score five goals to win a game. We had chances and should have taken them, and we ended up getting punished for missing them.

“We didn’t deal with their threats, I don’t know how to explain it. It just went to pot.”

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Carl Dickinson has claimed that Notts County could have easily scored "five or six" goals against Bristol Rovers in their FA Cup first-round meeting on Friday night.

The clash at Meadow Lane began in the worst possible way for Notts, who found themselves two goals down by the quarter-hour mark.

However, Ryan Yates struck a quickfire brace - assisted by Dickinson for both goals - to edge the hosts level, before Jon Stead and Jorge Grant completed the turnaround by full time.

“It didn’t feel a memorable night in the first 15 minutes, I was gutted,” Dickinson told the Nottingham Post.

“But after that I thought we showed what we were all about. We showed togetherness, our spirit and quality as well.

“Once we got it back to 2-2 there was only going to be one winner.

“In the second half some of the football we played and the chances we created, it could have been five or six.

“The boys were fantastic and to beat a team that are comfortable in League One shows how far we have come.”

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Carl Dickinson has described Notts County's 4-2 win over Bristol Rovers as proof of how far the Magpies have come in a short space of time.

Friday night's FA Cup first-round encounter at Meadow Lane began in the worst possible way for Notts, who found themselves two goals down by the quarter-hour mark.

However, Ryan Yates struck a quickfire brace - assisted by Dickinson for both goals - to edge the hosts level, before Jon Stead and Jorge Grant completed the turnaround by full time.

"We were gutted with the first 15 minutes but we showed what we are all about after that," Dickinson told the official Notts site.

"We showed our togetherness, our spirit and our quality. It was fantastic from the boys. We reacted brilliantly.

"Once we got it back to 2-2 there was only going to be one winner. With some of the football we played in the second half and the chances we created, it could have been five or six.

"To beat a team from the league above, who will be comfortable at that level, shows how far we've come.

"If we can take that type of performance into the league I don't think many teams will beat us.

"We had a couple of results which didn't go too well for us but in the last few weeks we have got our mojo back.

"Sometimes we get labelled as a long-ball team but if you look at our past two games you will have seen how much quality we have."

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Darrell Clarke has claimed that his "weak" Bristol Rovers players were "bullied" throughout their 4-2 defeat to Notts County in Friday night's FA Cup first-round tie.

The Magpies found themselves two goals down within the first quarter-hour but spectacularly turned it round through strikes from Ryan Yates, Jon Stead and Jorge Grant.

“That 90 minutes sums up our whole season, we are so inconsistent,” Clarke told the Bristol Post.

“We were weak and bullied – we caved in and they got back into the game. It’s not good enough.

“It was just weak, collectively as a group we were weak, and we were bullied against a physical team that do what they do very well.

“Obviously they’re doing well in League Two but for me that sums up our season and there has to be things that change, and things will change.

“I am a ruthless person, and at the end of the day they’ve [the players] got a big few weeks to keep showing me that things will turn around. Because I will make changes, there will be big changes.”

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Kevin Nolan has claimed that there is more to come from Notts County in terms of performances following their exhilarating 4-2 win over Bristol Rovers.

Although the Pirates powered into a two-goal lead early on in Friday's FA Cup first-round encounter at Meadow Lane, the hosts turned it around in swashbuckling style.

Ryan Yates' quickfire brace brought Notts level in the first half before Jon Stead and Jorge Grant completed the turnaround, though it could have been more for the Magpies.

"We were disappointed to lose the goals in the way we did but the reaction, attitude and application showed the camaraderie we have," Nolan told the official Notts site.

"Some of the football we played shows how much hard work we have been putting in on the training field.

"My lads are now starting to hit the heights I believe they can get to and I still think there is a lot more to come.

"We have to make sure we keep our feet on the ground. We can enjoy it because these nights are magical when you win against a team in a league above.

"Sometimes you win these games because you have held in there with grit and determination but tonight these lads deserved what we got and I am delighted for them.

"We're still learning but what we have got is guts and determination - and that is massive.

"All I want now is a home draw in the next round because if we get that, we feel we can take anyone here."

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Terry Hawkridge is optimistic about Notts County's chances of overcoming Bristol Rovers in the first round of the FA Cup tonight.

The 27-year-old was part of the Lincoln City team last season that went all the way to the quarter-finals of the competition, the first non-league team in 103 years to reach the last eight.

"Anything can happen in this competition - that's the magic of it," Hawkridge told the official Notts site.

"Playing against Arsenal was massive. For a non-league side to get to the quarter-finals was big, but the whole cup run was special.

"It was a big part of my career and I made a lot of happy memories, so I'm looking forward to making more here.

"We've got a good enough squad to go on a cup run but we have to take it one game at a time. We have to get past Bristol Rovers first and then see what happens.

"We played Scunthorpe earlier in the season and lost on penalties, which was unlucky. This will be another big test for us tonight but it's one I think we can get through."

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