Scot Bennett ends loan at Newport County, returns to Notts County

Notts County have decided to recall defender Scot Bennett from his loan at Newport County.

The 24-year-old was scheduled to play his final game for the Exiles on Saturday against Hartlepool, but could go straight into the Magpies' squad for their home game against Oxford.

Bennett, Newport manager John Sheridan's first signing when he joined them in October, has made 12 appearances for the Welsh club, and has played a crucial role in helping guide them away from the bottom of League Two and out of the relegation zone.

He was part of a team that went on a ten-game unbeaten run which, ironically, was ended by Notts earlier this month - a game in which he could not play due to the conditions of his loan.

He has made just two appearances for the Magpies after signing from Exeter in the summer, but returns to Meadow Lane at a time when Sheridan has been linked with the vacant manager's job after Ricardo Moniz was sacked on Tuesday.