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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 owner Alan Hardy has admitted that he still has to pinch himself to check he isn't dreaming. Hardy, a Nottinghamshire businessman and staunch Magpies fan, took over at Meadow Lane in January from the previous owners, and has led the club upwards in a short space of time. Successfully overcoming a transfer embargo, bringing in reinforcements in the squad at short notice, increased gates thanks to offers and improved optimism, and arresting a freefall towards the bottom of L

Alan Hardy has outlined his plans to set up a girls' academy at Notts County with a view to forming a sustainable Lady Pies outfit which will work its way up to the Women's Super League. The Magpies owner and chairman took the decision to fold the original Notts County Ladies side last month due to it being unsustainable and "financial suicide" to keep afloat. He was roundly criticised for the decision, but he insists that, as a business model, it simply did not work out, and this week

Alan Hardy has paid a heartfelt tribute to former Notts County chairman Derek Pavis, who sadly passed away last week aged 87. Pavis, who has the west stand at Meadow Lane named in his honour, guided the Magpies through their most successful period in their recent history. He also oversaw the redevelopment of the stadium before stepping aside after 13 years at the helm at the age of 70. In his Nottingham Post column, Hardy wrote: "I was deeply saddened to learn of Derek Pavis' deat

Alan Hardy has paid tribute to the Notts County fanbase in an end-of-season message following the playoff defeat to Coventry City. A total of 17,615 people were in attendance at Meadow Lane on Friday night to watch the Magpies fight for a place in the final at Wembley. It wasn't to be unfortunately, with the Sky Blues instead winning the chance to go up in the showpiece event on Bank Holiday Monday, with Exeter City in their way. Nonetheless, Hardy was delighted with the Black &am

Alan Hardy has revealed that he plans to speak to the EFL about certain aspects of the Notts County fixture list. On Wednesday, all 72 clubs found out their fixtures for the 2018/18 League Two season, with the Magpies starting with a trip to Coventry City followed by a home game with Chesterfield. Despite the tough start against two League One relegation sufferers, Hardy is relishing those games, but was left unhappy with having an opening away game for the seventh consecutive season a

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

Alan Hardy has described Notts County's FA Cup fourth-round draw against Swansea City or Wolverhampton Wanderers at Meadow Lane as "the next best thing" to a Premier League giant. The draw was made on Monday evening and the Magpies were handed a home tie against the winner of the game between the top-flight's bottom side or the Championship's runaway leaders. “We were hoping for the big plum tie against a top six Premier League side away from home,” Hardy is quoted by the Nottingham Po

Alan Hardy has praised Matt Tootle after the defender opened up about his mental health struggles and pledged to do more to ensure players are supported at Notts County. The 26-year-old spoke about his battles with anxiety and depression earlier on in his career, admitting he "thought about ending it" and receiving treatment at the Priory Clinic. "It takes a lot of guts and it was very brave of him to speak about it," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "To a degree, I've got a lot of

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

Alan Hardy has provided more details on his plans to set up a girls' football academy at Notts County. The Magpies owner came under criticism for folding Notts County Ladies earlier this year but he has reiterated his desire for a sustainable model of a women's football team. In his weekly Nottingham Post column, he wrote: "The previous ladies team was just an entity on its own and there was no pathway from any junior programme that would have ultimately provided its players. "The

Alan Hardy has revealed how Notts County have been the subject of interest from a group of investors looking into buying the club, just a few months after his own takeover. Writing for the Nottingham Post, Hardy suggested that the sort of numbers they were thinking of to purchase Notts was high, but the answer was "a very firm no". He wrote: "As the date was April 1, I suspect many believed I was on a wind-up, but I can confirm that this wasn't the case and the offer was bonafide and g

Alan Hardy has set a target for Notts County to finish either in the playoffs or very close to them next season. In addition, he revealed that he has given manager Kevin Nolan a 10 percent increase on last year's playing budget in a bid to hit that target. Hardy has already overseen the signing of Lincoln City winger Terry Hawkridge and is expecting seven or eight further additions in the transfer window. "Our playing budget last year was about the seventh or eighth highest in the

Alan Hardy has revealed how Notts County are in talks with non-league players, free transfers from the Football League and Premier League youngsters as he looks to forge a winning team for next season. Only five players are contracted to the club past the summer and, although he says contract negotiations are under way with some of them, he suggests a need to rebuild. With League Two boasting quite a few teams from the Midlands or otherwise not too far away from Nottingham, Hardy is al

Alan Hardy has thanked Notts County's fans for getting behind the new owner and increasing the Meadow Lane gates by almost 70 percent since his arrival. Writing in an exclusive column for the Nottingham Post, Hardy said: "Securing our Football League status has been my ultimate focus since assuming ownership at Notts County. "But bringing the crowds back to Meadow Lane has been a huge, huge part of that objective. "I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am that Kevin Nolan and the

Alan Hardy has issued a heartfelt thank you to Notts County fans for the bumper attendance at Meadow Lane for the derby against Mansfield Town. The attendance for Saturday's game was above 11,000 as the Magpies played out a goalless draw against the Stags which gave them their first point after 10 defeats on the trot. Hardy wrote on the official Notts website: “I would like to place on record my thanks to everyone who supported Kevin and the players on their way to a much-needed point

Notts County chairman Alan Hardy has tipped Kevin Nolan to become manager of England in the future. The former Leyton Orient boss has seen his stock rise since arriving at Meadow Lane a year ago, leaving the Magpies out of relegation trouble by the end of the 2016-17 season. Since then, Notts have risen to second place in League Two on goal difference, having held top spot on several occasions, and have the best home record outside of the Premier League in 2017. Nolan also scooped

New Notts County owner Alan Hardy has revealed that he is looking to complete his takeover of the Magpies in just over a week. The deal, which sees the club change hands from Ray Trew to Hardy, is expected to reach its completion on January 9. The Nottingham Post revealed that there had been a delay in the formalities due to the complexity and timing of the negotiations over the festive period. Hardy confirmed the latest news on his takeover on Twitter, writing: "Contracts hopeful

Alan Hardy has confirmed that he will be ordering a review of ticket prices at Notts County. The Nottinghamshire businessman, who will take full control at Meadow Lane from Ray Trew on January 9, has also decided to cap ticket prices for the first game of his tenure, against Mansfield Town. "It is vitally important that between now and the end of the season every man, woman and child firmly get behind the club," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "It is my intention to make following

Notts County owner Alan Hardy has penned a further statement wishing to update fans on his reasoning for Kevin Nolan's dismissal and looking ahead to bringing in a new manager. The former Premier League midfielder was let go on Sunday after Notts fell to their fourth League Two defeat in a row at Lincoln City. Notts have also confirmed that board member Jon Enever has quit the board, but the main focus as stated on the Notts website was to do with Nolan's departure. "In light of r

Alan Hardy has urged "everyone" - Notts County fans, both committed and lapsed, Nottingham Forest fans, and whoever else - to get down to Meadow Lane today and take advantage of the £10 tickets for the Colchester United game. The Magpies remain within touching distance of top spot in League Two and, should they win against the U's and better Luton Town's result, they will go back to the summit. In his weekly Nottingham Post column, Hardy wrote: "We come into the fixture joint-top on po

Notts County owner Alan Hardy has urged families across the region to head down to Notts County during their community day on Saturday. The Magpies host Forest Green Rovers at Meadow Lane this weekend as part of a special day which will see a wide range of activities take place. Among them will be games, face painting, the chance to look at an ambulance and fire engines while there will also be singing choirs. Tickets for the game are just £10 for adults, while under-18s’ tickets