The Football Association has agreed to a rebalancing of the number of teams in FA WSL 1 and FA WSL 2 for the 2017-18 season in the wake of Notts County Ladies folding.

The decision has been made to continue with 10 FA WSL 1 teams for the forthcoming 2017-18 season, which begins in September, ensuring there is even numbers in both divisions.

FA WSL 2 clubs are now able to apply for the remaining place in FA WSL 1.

The application process will require clubs to demonstrate how they will meet the additional licence criteria, financial and staffing requirements of FA WSL 1.

The decision, which will be made in June, will be based on the applicant clubs' skills in business management, youth development and marketing, as well as the quality of their facilities and their performances on the pitch in the past 12 months.

Before the Lady Pies' liquidation, there would have been 10 teams in WSL 1 for 2017-18, and 11 in WSL 2.

Everton can win the WSL 2 Spring Series title on Saturday, but there is no promotion and relegation between the top two tiers at the end of the one-off competition.

One of either Blackburn Rovers or Tottenham Hotspur, who face each other in a promotion play-off at the end of May, will join WSL 2 for the 2017-18 campaign.

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New Worcester City joint-manager Lee Hughes has claimed that Notts County owner Alan Hardy has agreed to a pre-season friendly encounter between the two clubs.

Hughes remains a fan favourite at Meadow Lane, having netted 65 goals in 144 games in three-and-a-half seasons between 2009 and 2013.

The 40-year-old was appointed at the Victoria Ground earlier this month to work alongside John Snape at the seventh-tier club.

He told Worcester News: “I was on a question and answer at Notts County with supporters.

“The new owner was there and I asked him for a friendly game. He said yes, so he is going to bring a team down to play us in pre-season.”

The former West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City striker insists he is keen to boost cash-strapped Worcester financially.

“If the clubs want me to do questions and answers and forums I will do that,” Hughes added.

“I will try to generate a bit of money as I just want to help the club get into a better situation.”

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Matt Tootle has claimed that Notts County are more than capable of challenging for promotion from League Two next season.

The former Crewe Alexandra man had suggested last summer that the Magpies could have been up in the playoffs, but the season ended up being a slog for safety in the end.

Tootle told the Nottingham Post: "When I signed here last summer I probably looked a bit of an idiot to some people because I said we would get promoted.

"We were third at the start of the season even though we weren't playing very well.

"But the class we had in the team, and the players we had, we knew we weren't playing to our ability.

"But we were winning games because we had that experience and that bit of quality was coming out now and then.

"Then something went wrong over Christmas and I don't know what it was.

"I believe if we still had something to play for then we wouldn't have lost two out of the last three.

"The Pompey game would have been different too if we had been closer to the play-offs.

"So looking at next season with the right additions I think we will be up there.

"I won't look stupid this time by saying it. Every team we played, the opposition would say that our team on paper was ridiculously good.

"If we can continue what we were doing and keep sticking to how the gaffer wants us to play, we will challenge I am sure of it."

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Notts County have released their end-of-season retained list, with nine players being released and another nine offered new contracts.

The out-of-contract players who have been offered new deals are Jon Stead, Shola Ameobi, Richard Duffy, Curtis Thompson, Elliott Hewitt, Haydn Hollis, Rob Milsom, Alan Smith, and Mike Edwards.

Meanwhile, the players who have been told they can leave Meadow Lane are Thierry Audel, Adam Campbell, Mark Yeates, Scott Loach, Jack McMillan, Luther Wildin, Wes Atkinson, Montel Gibson and Jordan Richards.

The last three in the above list have however been given the chance to impress Kevin Nolan during pre-season training.

Nolan told the official Notts site: "This is the toughest time of the season for a manager and I haven't enjoyed it one bit. I am, however, confident we have made the right decisions and put fair offers on the table.

"It's never nice to see lads go but it's my responsibility to put what I think are the correct foundations in place for next season.

"I can't fault the efforts of any of the players since I walked through the door and we wish those who are moving on all the best."

Notts chairman and owner Alan Hardy added: "I can't thank this group of players enough for keeping us in the league.

"They all contributed to what was a remarkable turnaround and those who are moving on to pastures new leave with our best wishes and immense gratitude."

Michael O’Connor, Adam Collin, Carl Dickinson, Matt Tootle and Jonathan Forte have contracts beyond the end of the season.

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Notts County defender Matt Tootle has opened up on his battles with anxiety and depression, saying nobody is immune from mental health struggles and urging people to seek help.

The 26-year-old revealed how he had enjoyed a superb season at Crewe Alexandra going into the summer of 2014, but "something then just triggered" in his mind while he was on holiday in the off-season.

Speaking during Mental Awareness Week, Tootle told Leigh Curtis of the Nottingham Post: "I was on top of the world. There was talk of a move to Blackburn, Burnley and Nottingham Forest and as any player who has been at Crewe will tell you, and given the club's history, it's all about 'that' move.

"I went on holiday and something then just triggered in my mind. I was reading the newspapers and there was so much bad news happening to good people. Then I just started thinking deeply about life and how you can be happy at one moment but knowing it can all change in an instant.

"It hit me a bit and I just started panicking, thinking I hope that doesn't happen to me. Those thoughts then become obsessive and they snowball. Anxiety took hold and in the end you keep on recycling those thoughts over and over and over again. It was the worst week of my life.

"After that I returned back to Crewe for the following season and I played 16 or 17 games and just wasn't at it. What was going on in my mind was just too important. I was sweating, hiding in my own house and it just got ridiculous. It got to the stage where it was affecting my reputation. Crewe fans were probably thinking 'why is he rubbish all of a sudden?'.

"I eventually told my mum and she said I just needed to give myself a break. I told Steve Davis, who was the manager, and the physio about what I was going through.

"The fans had no idea what was going on and they probably thought I was trying to force a move because it was the end of November and I just stopped playing.

"But I went to the Priory Clinic and they then sent me for cognitive therapy. If you have any kind of anxiety or anything like that, if you can begin to understand it then you can deal with it."

"We should be talking about this every day let alone one week of year. The problems with mental health is that you can't see it.

"If you see some guy with a broken leg in casualty and there's another just sat there with his head in his hands, you think the guy with the leg is worse because you can see he's in pain. But people suffer in silence and this is what we've got to address."

Read the entire Matt Tootle interview on the Nottingham Post by clicking here.

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Scott Loach has confirmed that he is leaving Notts County.

The 28-year-old goalkeeper will see his deal at Meadow Lane expire in the summer, and he will not be offered a new contract by the club.

Loach spent the latter part of the season on loan at York City in the National League, with the Minstermen suffering relegation on the final day of the season.

He is quoted by the Nottingham Post as saying: "I have loved every minute of my time at the club and it's been a pleasure to play for them.

"The fans have been different class with me and I wish the gaffer and the lads all the best for next season.

"Given the way they ended the season, I expect them to really kick on. It's a great club.

"But it's going to be a new challenge for me somewhere else. I am 28 and I do need to be playing."

Thank you to everyone at notts who has made me welcome since my arrival, wasn't meant to be and time to move on.I wish everyone involved 1/2

— Scott Loach (@S1goalkeeping) 12 May 2017

All the best, and hope the club now kicks on and moves forward! #youpies pic.twitter.com/KVjD2Y6v0P

— Scott Loach (@S1goalkeeping) 12 May 2017

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Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has admitted that he wants a word with the EFL over the standard of refereeing in League Two.

The Magpies boss claims the Magpies were denied clear penalties against Crewe Alexandra and Portsmouth, and feels Newport County's spot-kick on the final day of the season shouldn't have been given.

"I am not really happy about it," he told the Nottingham Post.

"If we keep moaning about it, will anything get done? It's something I am going to have to think about.

"I will see if I can speak to somebody at the league to get some clarity because I just feel there have been a lot of major decisions that have gone against us.

"Had those decisions gone in our favour who knows where we could have finished in the league?

"I can accept human error, but there's been too many. I am not one to keep harping on about referees because I know it's a difficult job.

"But I just think over the last month we've come unstuck over some bad decisions and it's affected us."

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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 also hoping to come out on top of the "Midlands mini-league".

He wrote in the Nottingham Post: "As a football fan and as the chairman and owner of this wonderful football club, I cannot wait for next season.

"It will be a fantastic division next year with a lot of local games and we will strive to ensure we come out on top of the Midlands mini-league!

"Mansfield, Lincoln, Chesterfield, Grimsby and Port Vale are not big journeys to undertake so I am expecting big crowds with big atmospheres.

"We have a lot of work to do moving forward but it is tremendously exciting as we look to put our squad together.

"We only have five players contracted to the club, one of those is the captain Michael O'Connor who will be out for most of the season, so in essence we only have four.

"We have new contracts to negotiate with members of the existing team and have already started discussing transfer targets. Some are non-league players and others have been released by clubs further up the pyramid.

"We also have our eyes on two to three seriously talented young Premier League players and we are discussing moves for them with their parent clubs.

"They do say a loan player only ever comes into his own when he is on his second or third loan spell away from their club.

"The players we are talking to have already been out on loan before and wouldn't it be great to have them here next season."

To read the rest of Alan Hardy's weekly Nottingham Post column, click here.

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Notts County owner and chairman Alan Hardy insists he has not ignored the fans' opinions after the club voted to retain the current EFL Trophy format.

The competition has found itself boycotted over the last year after a shake-up which saw academy teams included, and with lower-league teams sanctioned if they played weaker teams.

Despite the uproar from fans, the Magpies nonetheless voted for its continuation, which seemingly flew in the face of nearly 95 percent of Notts supporters not being in favour of retaining the under-23s teams next term.

"We have by no means ignored our supporters – nor has that ever been our intention," Hardy told the Nottingham Post.

"Their views on this matter were taken seriously, reviewed in detail and passed on to the EFL at club meetings.

"As chairman, however, I have to take every factor into consideration when making these decisions. Unfortunately, as much as I would like it to be, it isn't always as simple as giving every supporter what they want.

"My greatest concern is that some people are being misled by the idea that our chosen format of the Checkatrade Trophy is providing a pathway for 'B-teams' to be inducted into the EFL.

"This, quite simply, will never happen. We would certainly never vote in favour of it.

"Perhaps once this scaremongering ceases we will all be able to see that the competition provides an opportunity to generate significant revenue for the football club through prize money, while offering our supporters, players and staff the chance to enjoy a trip to Wembley.

"I understand fans' frustrations and respect their passion. This subject has always divided opinion and has been a point of controversy.

"But the responsibility falls on me to do what I believe is best for the club and I would ask all our supporters to stick by us as we move into what I'm sure will be a very exciting summer."

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Notts County have confirmed that they have voted for the EFL Trophy to remain in its current 64-team format.

The EFL had asked clubs eligible for the competition to vote for one of four options to establish their preference for how they want the tournament's format.

The options were to keep a 64-team format with 16 "invited" teams, a 48-team straight knockout setup, a 48-team format with a group stage followed by knockout rounds, or the scrapping of the competition altogether.

On Tuesday, Notts confirmed they have picked the first option, adding that SLO surveying of fans showed "more than 50% of participants wanted to see the competition continue in some form".

In addition, the club said any "option one" voters were asked to choose between enhanced prize money per win/draw and an increased participation fee, with Notts opting for the former.

Chairman and owner Alan Hardy told the official club site: “From both a competitive and financial point of view I am confident we have voted in the best interests of the club.

"The prize money on offer is vastly increased, presenting us with an opportunity to generate significant revenue to help us move the club forward.

“The results of our survey showed the majority of Notts fans see a future for this competition and, in light of the amendments proposed by the EFL, we believe we have opted for the best way forward.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank supporters who took the time to give us their views. Our chief executive, Jason Turner, has passed on their feedback at EFL meetings.

“We look forward to learning the result of the vote and giving the competition our best shot next season.”

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Kevin Nolan has admitted that he wants Jorge Grant to stay at Notts County as post-season contract talks with players begin this week.

The Nottingham Forest loanee scored his sixth goal of the campaign in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Newport Town and is highly regarded among Magpies fans and club staff alike.

Grant's contract at the City Ground expires in the summer, although the Reds do have the option of extending it by a further year, but Nolan will try and recruit him to the black and white side of the Trent.

"Jorge has been absolutely first class for me," the gaffer told the Nottingham Post. "He's a great kid and I am hoping I can keep him next year.

"Whether the money determines otherwise, we'll have to see. But he's a top lad and I love working with him. I feel that if he does stay here with us then I can make him better and improve him."

On the subject of contracts among the club's players, he said: "There is a lot of work to be done, but at the minute, the first thing we have to do is talk with the current players this week. Once we have done that then we will then look at our targets.

"There is a lot of negotiating to do not just with new players, but also with the current squad and whether the players we want to sign put pen to paper.

"We have a budget and what we will offer players will be at the top end anyway, so if they don't accept it they will have to move on somewhere else. But I am confident we will get the quantity and the quality right come July and August."

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Kevin Nolan has poured cold water on suggestions that Notts County can be considered title challengers in League Two next season.

Sky Bet has put the Magpies joint-fourth to win the championship outright, while promotion is at a mere 3/1.

This is following the resurrection of the club following Alan Hardy's takeover and Nolan's shrewd management, culminating in a 16th-placed finish just weeks after being on the brink of relegation.

However, Nolan insists that there is a lot of work to be carried out at Meadow Lane after a tough couple of seasons.

"It's about managing expectations and I can't get carried away with people thinking that I have a team that is worthy of finishing in the promotion places or winning the league," he told the Nottingham Post. "This club has been in disarray for a long, long, time.

"Yes we have had three months in which there has been a massive lift and everybody gets carried along the crest of the wave. But there will be some bumpy waves along the way and we have to be ready for that.

"That could be for the first couple of the months of the season when we don't have a good start or so on. But we are hoping it won't be like that because we want to ride the crest of the wave for as long as we can.

"However, you would be mad, silly or stupid not to expect a rocky patch, and it's how we handle that between myself, Thommo (Richard Thomas) and Norm (Mark Crossley). It's been a great few months, but it's nothing to get carried away about.

"We finished the season in 16th in League Two. Just because we had a decent end to the season, because we needed to by the way or we would have got relegated, doesn't automatically mean we will be one of the top teams in the division.

"We would be naïve to think I will come in next year and think everything is fine, but because of the mentality we have, we'll make sure our standards never slip."

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Kevin Nolan has hit out at his Notts County players for conceding at the death in their 2-1 defeat at Newport County, their final League Two game of the season.

The Magpies fell behind to a contentious Mickey Demetriou penalty but drew level through Jorge Grant's sixth goal in Notts colours.

However, Mark O'Brien struck a winner in the 89th minute to set off wild celebrations in the Rodney Parade stands as the Exiles secured Football League safety.

Despite their supporting role in one of the greatest escapes of recent times, Nolan remained pragmatic about how his side fared - and he was not happy.

"The way we conceded the goal was very disappointing and I was not happy with it at all," he told the Nottingham Post. "I told the lads that in the dressing room afterwards.

"I didn't want to end the season with a loss, and that's going to bug me for a long, long time.

"We made the substitutions in the second half because we felt we needed to change it as we were not getting any success.

"The lads who came on were brilliant, but in my mind we gifted them that goal.

"People who know me, know that I am never happy when we give goals away, especially when it is through our own sloppiness.

"It has made me feel very disappointed because I wanted to end the season on a high going into next season."

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Rob Milsom has expressed his delight with putting a frustrating first season for Notts County behind him.

The 30-year-old has impressed in midfield in 2016-17 and was rewarded with the Fans' Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year awards.

Milsom is happy with having secured the accolades, but more so because of redemption after an indifferent, injury-disrupted maiden season at Meadow Lane.

"I've come a long way because I struggled in the first season," the 2015 signing from Rotherham United told the Nottingham Post.

"That was down to the injury which happened just a month or two after I signed. It never really went away and I was playing through a knock half the time.

"But I wanted to come back determined to make an impression this season and show people what I can do.

"I know it wasn't good enough in the first season so I was really champing at the bit. It was really frustrating, but it's all behind me now. Everything is fine and I just want to keep kicking on."

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Kevin Nolan has urged Notts County to finish the season on a high with a win at Newport County and get momentum going into the 2017-18 campaign.

The Magpies have the luxury of not having to worry about their League Two future at Rodney Parade, while the hosts need to win to make sure of a place in the Football League.

However, Nolan insists that he does not want the players to mentally be on their holidays and warns that a lot of them may not see each other again, so must make the most of it.

The Notts manager told the official club website: "I'm really looking forward to it. We've got to go out with a bang.

"We did it last week, beating Blackpool when a lot of people thought we'd be on our holidays. I don't want it to get to that 'end-of-season' feel.

"A lot of these lads might not see each other again, so they have a duty to each other to go to Newport and give it their all - and hopefully come away with another win to give us momentum going into next season.

"It's really important they don't let themselves down after doing so well since I walked through the door."

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Rob Milsom has expressed his desire to "put down roots" at Notts County after enjoying an impressive and award-winning season at Meadow Lane.

The 30-year-old midfielder was voted the club's 2016-17 player of the year as well as the players' player of the year for his consistency in the middle of the park.

His contract is up at the end of the season but manager Kevin Nolan has publicly declared that he wants to keep Milsom at the club.

Now the former Rotherham United man says the feeling is mutual, telling the Nottingham Post: "I have really enjoyed it this season and hopefully I can put down roots here.

"I've really enjoyed playing under the gaffer and I think the club is going places.

"The fans have turned out and got behind us and it's been really enjoyable to play in front of them.

"I'd like to be part of a club that is going forward next season. I expect the talks to be straight forward and hopefully we can come to an agreement."

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Alan Hardy has vowed to keep using Twitter to interact with Notts County fans, but insists that abusive messages sent to him on the platform are not acceptable.

The Magpies chairman often tweets updates about the club and engages with supporters, though he has sometimes come under criticism for doing so rather than using the official club site.

He wrote in the Nottingham Post: "As the chairman and owner of Notts County, I am a firm believer that engaging with the fans is essential to make them feel part of what we are trying to achieve at Meadow Lane.

"Twitter is my chosen tool for communication because I believe it's a terrific way to interact with the supporters on a one on one basis especially if they have any questions.

"I firmly believe our success will heavily rely on engagement with the fans which is why I put myself out there on Twitter.

"It would be wrong of me to suggest that it has all been plain sailing and over the last week or so I have had to block a number of accounts.

"I have no problem whatsoever with people having a different opinion to me, but it's how that opinion is delivered.

"Some people have been nothing but abusive and the last thing I want when fetching a drink is somebody giving me gratuitous abuse.

"I just won't stand for it. I don't need it in my life because it adds nothing to it. If somebody has a different opinion, then fine.

"I welcome that because it's about debate, challenging viewpoints and being able to consider other perceptions.

"I always think of Twitter as being in the pub having a debate with your mates. But if somebody comes up to me, calls me an idiot and headbutts me then it's not acceptable.

"Likewise, somebody being abusive on Twitter is not acceptable. I encourage people to have different opinions not only on Twitter but in the workplace too.

"Fortunately, 95 percent of the people who do engage with me are polite, appreciate the interaction and leave me sometimes looking at my own thought process."

To read the rest of Alan Hardy's column on the Nottingham Post, click here.

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Richard Duffy has praised Kevin Nolan for helping improve his game and says he wants to remain at Notts County past the end of the season.

In January, the defender agreed to waive a clause in his contract that would have automatically triggered a one-year extension at Meadow Lane, with the club's League Two future in the balance at the time.

His contract now runs out at the end of the season, but his performances improved since Nolan's arrival, helping the club survive in the Football League.

Now Duffy insists he is hoping to be granted a new deal, telling the Nottingham Post: “I would like to stay.

“When I agreed to the clause being removed from my contract earlier in the season, and while it wasn't something I wanted, it's something I had to sacrifice for the sake of playing and the team.

“But it's down to the club, the manager and chairman as to what happens next.

“I feel as if I have picked up since the manager has come in and, like everybody here, played to a standard I know I can."

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Kevin Nolan has praised Rob Milsom after the midfielder picked up two Notts County awards last week, admitting that he would like to keep him at Meadow Lane next season.

The 30-year-old collected the Players' Player of the Year and the Fans' Player of the Year awards before Saturday's 1-0 win over Blackpool as a reward for his impressive and consistent form.

Milsom is one of many players out of contract at the club in the summer, but his manager is hoping to keep hold of him for the 2017-18 campaign.

"Rob has been brilliant since I came in," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "He is an honest and hardworking lad. That's why he has all of those accolades.

"I am hoping he can kick on further now after having a torrid few years before that.

"He should go away feeling very proud of himself, and he should have a good rest before he comes back ready and raring to go in July.

"He hasn't played this many games in a long time, but we will manage it and see where we go with the contract talks. I would love to keep him if we can get the contract right."

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Richard Duffy has echoed Kevin Nolan's comments in being delighted about Notts County's winning home finish on Saturday.

The Magpies fans, who have put up with a lot of grief this season, were treated to a victory in the club's last home game of the season, a 1-0 win over Blackpool.

Duffy, the club's stand-in captain as Michael O'Connor recovers from injury, named several players who he thought stood out and admitted the dressing room is happy at present.

He told the official Notts side: "Haydn was superb today. He did everything and more. If you hang a ball up for him, hes going to eat everything up. He's just getting better and better.

"Everyone put a shift in. You wouldn't say we had a bad player. Carl Dickinson was someone who maybe got a bit of stick earlier in the season, but since he's come back into the team he's been superb.

"To finish the way we have, especially at home, is pleasing. The fans turn up and expect you to perform to your best and we weren't doing that.

"But since the new manager has come in we have done that, picking up some good wins against teams who are pushing for promotion, as you've seen today.

"We've finished on a good note at home and it's a happy dressing room."

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Kevin Nolan has claimed that Saturday's League Two fixture at Meadow Lane between Notts County and Blackpool could have gone either way, but is happy to have capped off their home programme on a high note.

The Magpies edged the encounter 1-0, Richard Duffy scoring on the rebound after Jorge Grant had forced the Tangerines goalkeeper into a save from a free kick.

Nolan told the Notts website after the game: "I don't think it was a great spectacle and it could have gone either way.

"We haven't played well but we've come out with a 1-0 win and a nice clean sheet, which I'll enjoy just as much as I did the Colchester game the other week.

"Hopefully we can finish on a high next week at Newport, which is going to be tasty because they've got to win to stay up and we want to go out with a bang. We're looking forward to that now."

When Nolan took the reigns at Meadow Lane they were just one point adrift of safety, but since then he has steered them to 16th in the fourth tier.

And after guiding the Magpies to a win on their last home game of the season, Nolan said he was thrilled to send the Black and White Army away from Meadow Lane happy.

"This showed how far we've come," Nolan said. "The fans are coming out in force and it would be magnificent if we can keep sending them home happy week in week out.

"When we first came in home crowds were only about 3,000 some weeks, so to get where we are is a great achievement from everyone.

"Alan Hardy and all his backroom staff deserve so much credit because their hard work has come to fruition, making it easier for us on the pitch."

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Kevin Nolan has played down suggestions that Notts County are to make a move for Dover Athletic striker Ricky Miller, claiming that he costs a lot of money and could invest his budget more wisely.

The 28-year-old has scored 37 goals this season to top the National League goalscoring charts and was also named the division's player of the year.

Notts were quoted with an interest in the player both in January and heading into the summer, but Nolan says he could get "a lot of good players" with the money quoted for Miller.

"We have a long list of players who we are looking at and who we are considering," Nolan told the Nottingham Post.

"I have a meeting with Alan (Hardy, Magpies owner) this week about the budget and Ricky Miller is going to cost a lot of money.

"We were quoted a lot in January when we enquired about him, as we did with many others.

"But whatever budget Alan decides to give me, we have to get the best out of it. For the money you would pay for Ricky Miller you could get a lot of good players."

Nolan also hinted that he would be looking to the Premier League again for loan signings after Marc Bola, Josh Clackstone and Tahvon Campbell contributed to the Magpies' 2017 revival.

He said: "All of the loan signings we have brought in have been a success in their own way, not just for the impact on the field but in the dressing room or training pitch.

"We will definitely look to bring in players on loan and use that system because I think it's a great system.

"And I think a lot of Premier League clubs will look at us and be happy to send their players here because they know they will get a chance."

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