Kevin Nolan has given a positive update of pre-season at Notts County so far, with everyone reporting back in "fantastic shape".

The Magpies gaffer also spoke of how everyone in the squad is on the same wavelength, which bodes well for a potentially fruitful season in League Two.

Notts' pre-season began late last week and things will get up and running sharpish, with a fixture against a Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI the first of the friendlies.

After that, it's full steam ahead with at least a game a week going into the 2017/18 campaign.

Nolan told the official club site: "The players have reported back in fantastic shape and everyone is ahead of where we wanted them to be.

"Now we have to hold them back a little. We don't want to do too much too soon because that's when injuries can pile up.

"The good thing is that the players have bought into what we want to do. It speaks volumes that everyone we offered a new contract to decided to stay. It means everyone in the squad is on board."

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Kevin Nolan has confirmed that Notts County have made another offer for Forest Green Rovers captain Liam Noble and is hoping for "positive news".

The Magpies have been chasing their former player for a number of months but the newly-promoted Football League club is playing hardball.

Nolan says the matter is now out of his hands, but is hoping the club can seal the midfielder's return to Meadow Lane.

"An offer has gone in and we are waiting to hear back from Forest Green," said Nolan.

"Hopefully it will be positive news but if it's not, we will then see where we go.

"The negotiations have gone quite far, but I've given the club my target and hopefully the chief executive can get it over the line. That's all we are asking now.

"But I don't want to speak too much about him, because he's not our player and I want to respect Mark Cooper (Forest Green manager) and Forest Green."

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New Notts County recruit Dan Jones says he is glad to be with the club from the start of pre-season, saying he already feels like he's been with the Magpies a long time.

The former Chesterfield full-back penned a deal at Meadow Lane just two days ago, but was training with the squad from Friday, when pre-season began.

Jones told the official Notts site: "It gives me a long time to bed in before the start of the season and it means I can get to know everyone.

"I have been made to feel welcome since I came in - I feel part of it and it's like I've been here for a long time already."

Jones also spoke of working under strength & conditioning coach Mike Edwards and head of sports medicine John Wilson.

He added: "I played with Mike during my loan here from Wolves and I could see back then that he was into his fitness. The lads all respect him and we do as we are told. There are no shortcuts.

"The work we are doing is very relevant to football and we will feel the benefits. The days of distance running where you just plod along are long gone.

"We may be doing shorter runs but they are more intense, which actually makes it harder but it will stand us in good stead. We will be a very fit side this season.

"You can tell in the running and the things we have been doing in training that it is a good group here. You have lads pulling each other through and helping each other out. You can rely on your teammates, which is a massive thing."

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Alan Hardy has made it known that he wants Notts County to keep "pushing the boundaries" of everything they do from a marketing and PR perspective.

The Magpies owner said the club's home shirt unveiling video, in which manager Kevin Nolan visits the home of a young fan and gives him a first viewing of the kit, has received great feedback.

"I gave a presentation to the staff a week-and-a-half ago about how everything we do and everything we touch, we need to do with the best of our ability," Hardy told the Nottingham Post.

"While we can't match Bayern Munich, Barcelona and so on because of the resources, for League One and League Two it needs to be the absolute best.

"I've seen what other clubs have done with their kit unveiling and it's usually been a picture on the website.

"Compared to what they have done our release with Kevin visiting the young fan was world class.

"That now needs to be the standard whether it be a brochure for corporate hospitality or a promotional video.

"My message to the staff is always to push the boundaries and do it better than what everybody else is doing.

"I was delighted with the video and I was even more delighted by the response. I had hundreds of messages saying they love the kit, but also the journey we are on. That's more important to me than anything."

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Notts County have confirmed the signing of former Chesterfield left-back and ex-Magpies loanee Dan Jones.

The 30-year-old had been at the Proact Stadium since 2014 but was released at the end of the season following the Spireites' relegation to League Two.

Jones, who was on loan at Meadow Lane in 2009 for a brief period, won promotion with Sheffield Wednesday and Port Vale previously in his career.

He told the official Notts site: "As soon as I found out about the interest I got excited about coming back.

"I have been training with the lads for a few days and I've got a good feel of the place. There is a good energy here.

"When you see people like the gaffer, Alan Smith and Shola Ameobi around the place you want to impress them because of the level they have played at.

"With the plans the manager and the chairman have, the facilities we have and the stadium we play at it seems like a club built for success.

"The pitch is big and wide and I cannot wait to be out there playing on it and showing what I can do. It feels right to come here and I am absolutely delighted to be back."

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Pride of Nottingham goes over the biggest Notts County news stories of June 2017.

June 2

Alan Hardy has "completely transformed" Notts County since taking over the previously beleaguered club at the start of 2017, according to Paul Mace of Macesport, one of the new shirt sponsors.

June 6

Notts County chairman Alan Hardy confirmed the names that will make up the club's new board of directors, with BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher the most high-profile name to take up the role.

June 7

Alan Hardy provided more details on his plans to set up a girls' football academy at Notts County, with a few to setting up a sustainable senior women's team that can play in the WSL.

June 9

Derek Pavis, who had died the previous month, was laid to rest in Nottingham, with hundreds paying their respects to him.

June 13

Defender Richard Duffy penned a new contract at Notts County.

June 15

Notts County revealed the names of each of the team shirt sponsors for next season, with Nottingham musician Jake Bugg - who will sponsor November - the standout name.

June 16

Jon Stead rejected interest from clubs all over the world to sign a new deal at Notts County.

June 19

Curtis Thompson became the latest player to pen a new contract at Notts County.

June 20

Shola Ameobi joined his Notts County strike partner Jon Stead in extending his contract at Meadow Lane.

June 21

The EFL fixtures for 2017/18 were revealed, with Notts County set to take on Coventry City and Chesterfield in their first two games.

June 27

Former Notts County forward Peter Bircumshaw passed away aged 78.

Notts County revealed the kits that they will be wearing for the 2017/18 season.

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Alan Hardy has spoken of the new indoor training facilities at Notts County, describing them as Championship quality and hoping that they will play a part in attracting top talent to Meadow Lane.

The Magpies chairman has funded the construction of a 4G pitch, changing rooms, a gym and a medical department which sits in the Family Stand.

"I showed Kevin the facilities and he was absolutely blown away by what we have created," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "He said it is Championship standard and that was great to hear.

"Not only does it have a high performance gym and medical area, it's got one of the best 4G pitches in the country.

"In terms of size and quality, it's exactly the same as Arsenal's. The pitch is getting laid on Monday and it's nice to be able to say this is what Arsenal have and we also have it too.

"I think when you have these kind of facilities it can only help to attract players who will not only be blown away by our history, but the facilities we can offer them.

"We have goals that are on runners and can be positioned anywhere in the hall. Our first-team coach Mark Crossley said that, from a goalkeeping perspective, it was right up there with the Premier League.

"We are going to have four new goalkeepers coming in over the next two weeks for trials and they are England schools and youth internationals.

"Mark firmly believes that this could be a real centre of excellence in terms of goalkeeping.

"We want to be the best we can possibly be in every department both on and off the field. If you want to progress on the pitch, then you to need everything in place off it."

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Alan Hardy has claimed that Notts County may be in a position to announce their third signing of the summer on Monday, a defender.

The Magpies owner had previously announced on Twitter that a player was to have a medical on Friday, but no news as to the signing came through by the end of the day.

Hardy has however reassured fans that the signing is still very likely to go ahead, and also addressed worries about the club's seemingly slow pace in the transfer market.

In his weekly Nottingham Post column, he wrote: "Over the last week or so, I have been consistently asked about new signings and where we are in terms of building our squad for next season.

"A player had a medical on Friday and all being well, we should be in a position to announce our third signing sooner rather than later.

"We hope it will be Monday when the contracts are signed, but he has already trained with the squad and he is a defender who adds more strength to the back-four.

"What we are trying to do is make the back-four very agile and if we get the players in from the clubs we are negotiating with, then we should have one of the most agile back-fours in the league.

"Pace is going to be absolutely critical so with the wide men we have in Lewis Alessandra and Terry Hawkridge, we want quick full-backs to complement them.

"If we are successful in landing these targets then I will be delighted, but there is going to be some negotiating to be done.

"While a couple of players are free transfers, others are going to require a fee.

"We have started negotiations with two clubs and we are hoping to conclude those deals in the middle of next week.

"I know there is a demand for news and signings, which I understand, being a fan myself.

"But patience is absolutely paramount. Some of these players want to leave the clubs they are at, but they won't get released until replacements have been found.

"I can understand why the fans have become frustrated in some respects especially when they see Mansfield Town making their 13th signing earlier in the week.

"But we have our targets and we are still chasing them. Yes, we could take whoever is available, but we want to hold out for the people we want."

To read the column in full on the Nottingham Post, click here.

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Notts County academy manager Jon Goodman says first-team boss Kevin Nolan is supportive of the project that Goodman will be undertaking with the club's youngsters.

The former Nike Academy head arrived at Meadow Lane last month tasked with revamping the Magpies academy and ensuring the young players can prosper to the point of being first-teamers.

Flanked by assistant manager Richard Thomas, Goodman is now able to get to work with the academy players, now they've reported back to the club for pre-season.

He told the official site: "Our remit is to develop first-team players for Notts County.

"Richard will be a big help to us because he's got great experience as an academy manager at Leyton Orient and a wonderful relationship with Kevin Nolan, who is also very supportive of everything we're trying to achieve.

"The manager's eyes are on the first team but he is very aware of everything that's happening underneath.

"Over the years sports science has evolved enormously and I've been lucky to work with some really good support teams.

"If we look at every aspect of player development, there's a scientific rationale behind the best practices. That's what we're trying to implement while remembering there's a human factor.

"These are young men trying to find their way in life so everything we add to the programme is to empower them to make good decisions, have successful careers and be good people."

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Kevin Nolan has warned of a pre-season programme that will be tough from day one for the Notts County players, insisting that he wants to hit the ground running going into next season.

The Magpies players will report back to camp on Friday, with a host of tricky friendlies to come in July plus a difficult start in League Two in August with Coventry City and Chesterfield the first two opponents.

Nolan reminisced about how pre-season is a much more intricate - and kinder - affair to when he was starting out in the game, and also talked about how he's been unable to switch off now he's in the hotseat as opposed to just a player.

He told the official Notts site: "I wasn't liking the first few weeks, having to deal with agents and receiving a lot of texts and phone calls, but it's something I have to learn to deal with if I am to be a successful manager.

"It has been a strange summer because I have not been able to switch off, which I used to do as a player. There were usually three-to-four weeks I would spend away from football and not really think about it but it was constantly on my mind this summer.

"Since I have been back in, I have got the bug back and I'm really looking forward to the opening day of the season against Coventry. This will be my 19th pre-season but there is still plenty of life in the old dog yet!

"Comparing pre-season from when I started out at 16 with how it is nowadays, things are totally different. Usually on the first day people would be sick and, if you weren't, the coaches would work you until you were! Everything has changed now with sports science and so on.

"We have a great pre-season planned for the lads and I just hope they are doing their own work in the off-season so they can come in and hit the ground running because we don't have an awful lot of time. From day one it will be tough for the boys but I'm looking forward to seeing them again."

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Notts County have revealed the kits that they will be wearing for the 2017/18 season.

On Tuesday evening, the club released a video which showed manager Kevin Nolan visiting a young fan and showing him the new home shirt.

Later on in the evening, Notts published an article on their website which showcased the home, away, third, goalkeeper and training kits.

The first kit to go on sale will be the training kit, at 9am on Saturday 1 July.

Season ticket holders will have the opportunity to attend an exclusive launch event at the club shop, currently scheduled for Friday 7 July between 6pm-10pm (subject to customs clearance and timely arrival of stock).

A number of first-team players, along with manager Kevin Nolan, will be in attendance during the evening, and these fans will be able to get their hands then.

The home kit will then go on general sale at 9am the following day, enabling supporters to buy theirs en route to Notts’ first pre-season friendly, against Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI.

Notts’ away and third kits will go on sale later in the month.

As mentioned before, fans will be able to choose to either leave their shirt sponsorless or select from one of 10 logos.

A selection of the logos will be available when home shirts go on sale - the club will update supporters when new logos become available.

Home Kit

Away Kit

Third Kit

Goalkeeper Kits

Training Kit

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Former Notts County forward Peter Bircumshaw has died aged 78.

Born on 29 August 1938, Bircumshaw signed for the Magpies in 1956 and helped the club gain promotion from the Fourth Division in 1959-60.

Bircumshaw played as an inside-left and scored 18 goals in 22 games that season.

The following years brought even more goals, including his one club hat-trick in a 3-1 win against Port Vale in March 1961.

Overall, Bircumshaw scored 40 goals in 72 Notts appearances, before joining Bradford City in 1962.

A year later he signed for Stockport County before he moved into non-league football with Cambridge City.

Pride of Nottingham would like to extend its condolences to Bircumshaw's family and friends.

Notts County owner Alan Hardy has given his seal of approval to a number of changes being proposed by football's lawmaking body.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) are discussing a number of proposals to make the game quicker and more attractive for fans.

There are plenty of changes which will go up for discussion, with one of the more notable ones involving two halves of football at 30 minutes each, with the clock stopped when the ball is not in play.

Other suggestions include players being able to dribble from their own free kicks, penalties awarded to the opposition if a goalkeeper picks up a back pass, and "penalty goals" awarded if a defending player handles on the goal line.

"I think the changes that have been mooted are fabulous," Hardy is quoted as saying by the Nottingham Post. "I am all for progression and we need to give the fans excitement, value for money and more enjoyment.

"We have to eradicate diving, which is what they have done with retrospective action, and time wasting. Too often the ball gets kicked into row Z for no reason when it could just be tapped out of play. The ball then takes an eternity to come back. Anything we can do to reduce blatant time-wasting must be looked at.

"Everybody seems eager for the rule changes especially the self-taking free-kick which is just one way they are looking at speeding the game up. It's all about bringing pace into the game.

"For me, players being allowed to dribble straight from a free-kick is the most radical while I suspect most will say it's the 60-minute games. But I think the self-taking free-kick will speed it up and get the team in an offensive position much quicker than normal."

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Jon Stead has admitted that uncertainty over his future last season led to him taking his eye off the ball, but has reassured Notts County fans that there is "more to come" from him in 2017-18.

The veteran striker was considering a move to America in January, while the period directly after the League Two campaign finished saw him on the radar of clubs all around the world.

However, Stead has since put pen to paper on a new deal at Meadow Lane and, looking back over his time at Notts so far, conceded that he may not have been at his best from time to time.

"I've had some off games but I don't think I've had any stinkers," he told the Nottingham Post.

"For the best part, I think that shows in the offers that I had because I've had two decent seasons, which helps massively.

"But the uncertainty regarding my future led to me taking my eye off the ball and I don't like doing that.

"But there's certainly more to come from me and I just can't wait to get going again."

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Alan Hardy has reassured Notts County fans that the signings they have lined up will ensure that the team will "mean business" in League Two this season.

So far, the Magpies have only recruited two players, Terry Hawkridge and Lewis Alessandra, while the owner himself has claimed that four more players will be taken on before the deadline.

Some Notts fans have expressed concern over numerous issues, including the seemingly slow pace of recruitment and the desire for more than four players.

However, Hardy says the quality of signings he hopes to get over the line will make the fans' wait worthwhile.

"I will be disappointed if we don't make the play-offs," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "I think we will have a good chance knowing who we have signed and knowing who our targets are.

"We have some special players lined up and we are hopefully going to be getting those over the line. These players will make the fans go 'wow, Notts mean business this season'."

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Kevin Nolan has reassured Notts County fans that the squad will be strengthened with players who will not only make the team competitive in League Two, but who will be at Meadow Lane for the full season.

The Magpies have been relatively quiet in the transfer window so far, with Terry Hawkridge and Lewis Alessandra the only two acquisitions, although every player who was already on the books and offered a new deal has renewed their stay.

Some fans have expressed concern at the lack of new blood in the team, with local rivals Mansfield Town signing a glut of new players, but Nolan insists that there is a lot of hard work still to be done prior to the end of the window.

He told the official Notts site: "We are working hard to ensure we get a number of quality players in.

"We are trying to find out if certain people are available and if they want to come here but, like last season, there will be nobody here who does not want to be here.

"If someone does not want to be here then they will be shown the door and the players we bring in will want to come here, work with us and be a part of this fantastic football club which is going in the right direction.

"We have a few targets and hopefully a few gems up our sleeve but there is still a lot of hard work to do.

"We have a couple of lads coming in to be a part of the training squad so there will be some unknown faces but we are trying to get a squad which will be here for the season and be capable of making sure we compete in the division."

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Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has given his opinion on several current topics, including pre-season, the recently-released League Two fixtures, transfer window activity and higher-league loanees such as Jorge Grant.

It is low season within English football at present as many players and staff are on holiday, recuperating from the season just gone and with at least a week until pre-season gets underway.

However, plenty of work is being done behind the scenes, with contracts being signed (or turned down) by players already on a club's books, as well as thrashing out deals to bring new players in.

And this week, the EFL fixtures were released, giving fans the chance to begin planning their excursions on the road to follow their beloved teams (and cancel any other plans that may have got in the way of their beloved football).

Nolan is about to embark on his first ever full season as a manager, so for him it's relatively uncharted territory.

Speaking to the Nottingham Post, he touched on a number of topics.

On fixtures (and previous boss Sam Allardyce)

"I don't want to place too much emphasis on it, but I always believe in hitting the ground running.

"I've got that from Sam Allardyce. He massively believed in having a good start and that's why all that preparation will be going into the first game.

"It's not about beating Nottingham Forest in a friendly and then losing to Coventry and then losing to Chesterfield.

"They are the two games that matter so that Forest (pre-season friendly) game, while it will be a fantastic occasion, will be about the boys getting those minutes in and making sure they are good minutes too.

"We want to be ready, we don't want injuries and we want to make sure we keep moving forward, making sure that everybody is getting fitter.

"Then come August 5, we are ready to explode and hitting the ground running."

On the Carabao Cup first round clash at Scunthorpe United

"It is a difficult one but it will be a good test for our boys to see if they have the ability to match them.

"It is a game we will go and enjoy and hopefully give a good account of ourselves to get through to the next round."

On players and current transfer dealings

"We've kept everybody that we have wanted to retain from last season's squad.

"Now it's about looking at specific positions, particularly the spine of the team.

"We are also looking at signing a left-sider so we are talking to people and seeing if they want to come here.

"As I've always said I want people who want to play for this club and I don't want to be negotiating for £50 here or £100 there.

"I want a player who has a passion and a desire to play for Notts County."

On Jorge Grant

"I am absolutely delighted for Jorge (on his new Nottingham Forest deal).

"I've built up a great relationship with him and I think the boy is a special talent.

"He thrived in the environment that we created for him here and I spoke very well with his dad in the office and on the phone.

"He is going to be one of those boys that I will continue to speak to throughout my career I think.

"He knows what is expected of him. He's got a lovely family behind him, he's got a little bit of nice arrogance about him.

"It's what he needs to become a top player. He's got fire in his belly and you have to embrace that.

"But I am hoping if Jorge gets made available for loan again that he comes back here."

On other higher-league loanees

"We want people to come here and thrive so we can have that great relationship with Nottingham Forest.

"We've already built up good relations with Arsenal, Hull and West Brom after the loan signings we made from them last season.

"That's what you want, but for me Jorge was obviously the pick of the bunch.

"He's a lovely lad and I am hoping that he goes over the road and speaks highly of us.

"Anyone who is coming through at Forest and is sitting there wondering about us, then they can go to Jorge and ask him about us.

"I am sure he will say 'get yourself over there' because we will make players better."

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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 as well as some of the festive fixtures.

He wrote in the Nottingham Post: "Amid all the euphoria of the fixtures coming out, I have to say there were a couple of aspects I was very disappointed with.

"We are away on the opening day for the seventh consecutive season and I need to have a conversation with the Football League as to how that can happen.

"The Christmas holiday fixtures are also extremely disappointing.

"We play Morecambe on Boxing Day and leaving at 10am in the morning and getting home at 9pm isn't appealing at all.

"Christmas has always been about families and not spending seven or eight hours in the car travelling to a game.

"At the chairman's conference recently, I was talking to the fixtures secretary and said that it must take hours and hours of planning.

"But apparently it all goes into a computer allied to certain conditions that ourselves and Forest must not be at home on the same day for instance.

"There is also another that tries to cut down on the travelling for a midweek fixture, but we have Yeovil and Exeter away on Tuesday nights.

"It's disappointing the return games are not on a Tuesday either because at least it would have been fair to both sides.

"I just don't think the EFL have done a great job in terms of the scheduling and it's something I intend to raise."

To read the full column on the Nottingham Post website, click here.

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Kevin Nolan has earmarked the Mansfield Town derby as arguably the biggest League Two clash of 2017-18 for Notts County, but believes it will be an exciting season all round.

The Magpies boss began his tenure at Meadow Lane with a goalless draw with the Stags which stopped a 10-game losing run in the league.

This season, Notts will face Mansfield away in September, and will also take on National League champions Lincoln City in the same month.

"Everybody is talking about the Mansfield game because of the atmosphere the game generates," he told the Nottingham Post.

"That's no disrespect to the other teams in the league, but I think there is more hype about that game because of the amount of signings they have made. They have got a whole new team plus the team they had from last year.

"But I think it's going to be an exciting season. You look at some of the teams and think 'crikey, some were playing in the Premier League', like Swindon and Coventry.

"I've never had a first day of the season as a manager. Being back in amongst it and hearing the fixtures gives you that little tingle and butterflies in the stomach.

"I am looking forward to seeing the boys next week and looking to see if we can add a few quality additions to those we've already signed."

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Alan Hardy has spoken excitedly about the prospect of taking on Lincoln City this season in League Two and also of facing Coventry City in the very first game of the season, but was unhappy with the festive program.

The EFL fixtures for each of their three divisions were published at 9am on Wednesday, with Pride of Nottingham at Meadow Lane to cover the reveal as it happened.

The draw was not kind to the Magpies, however, as the Sky Blues and Chesterfield, both of whom were relegated from League One in 2016-17, would be first and second to take on Kevin Nolan's charges this season.

Hardy was happy enough with the initial set of games, but was even more excited about renewing rivalries with the Imps and with Mansfield Town.

He told the Nottingham Post: "The Mansfield game will obviously be massive with a big crowd, but I am really looking forward to playing Lincoln.

"Their boys will be cock-a-hoop after the season they have had and they will be full of confidence. I can't wait to get them here on our new pitch.

"But overall I can't wait. Coventry away for the first game is a top, top, draw. It will be tough, but how exciting?"

The post-Christmas fixtures are not kind either - Notts will travel to Morecambe on Boxing Day before a trip to Swindon just four days later.

"There are two disappointments for me and the first is that we play Morecambe on Boxing Day," Hardy continued.

"That means the fans are going to have to leave at 10am in the morning and is that really fair on their families?

"It's a poor fixture for us and that is then followed by another long trip to Swindon over the holiday period.

"It's also the seventh consecutive season we are away on the opening day and that can't be right."

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Notts County will begin the 2017/18 League Two season with a trip to Coventry City on Saturday 5 August.

As fixtures go, it is arguably one of the trickiest propositions for the Magpies, with the Sky Blues coming down from League One the previous season.

Things do not get easier either, with local rivals Chesterfield coming to Meadow Lane a week later in County's first home game of the campaign.

In terms of the other first local clashes of the season, Lincoln City will head to the Lane on 23 September, while Mansfield Town are the opponents at the One Call a week later.

The regular season will then finish with a home game against Luton Town on 5 May.

Here is a list of all the fixtures.

Edited 21 hours ago by Joe Jones (show revisions)

Shola Ameobi has joined Notts County strike partner Jon Stead in extending his contract at Meadow Lane.

The former Newcastle United marksman joined the Magpies in the January 2017 transfer window and quickly became a fan favourite.

Playing under former teammate Kevin Nolan, he flourished in the Notts team and played a big part in their revival, scoring four times in 17 games.

Ameobi told the official Notts site: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club so far and I'm excited for what next season holds in store.

"I've been taken aback by the support of the fans, who have welcomed me into their club with open arms, and I'm determined to help make the 2017-18 campaign an enjoyable and successful one for them."

Nolan, meanwhile, said: "Not only did Shola make a huge impact on the pitch and in the dressing room, but he is also a big hit with our supporters.

"When a player of his quality and experience decides he wants to stay, it shows you are doing something right as a football club.

"It's great that the players have bought into what we want to try and do here. We now have the rest of the summer to look at ways we can develop and improve the squad."

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