Chris

The recent League Two playoff games between Exeter City and Carlisle United, and Luton Town and Blackpool, have highlighted the narrow gap for error within this division. Exciting as they may be to watch, the playoffs aren’t easy, nor are they straightforward as people may think. Promotion at the end of the day can reap rewards for any club that is successful enough to clinch it - the evolution and step forward can ultimately turn around a club's fortunes too. League Two teams on their day can beat anyone, just look how Hartlepool United managed to claim a victory over the champions on the final day, so success on the field involves hard work and a lot of perseverance. Whilst some fans will argue that the standard of football is dire, it’s improved a lot over the years and is certainly difficult. I feel any lower tier division usually is this way, as the National League is about the hardest of them all – yet League Two is no easy street. Clubs have to earn their promotion and if Notts hadn’t lost all those games in a row, we may have been able to turn things around. When we were in the drop zone, I never felt we would push out and be on the verge of mathematically pushing up the higher end of the division. This alone shows you how quickly things can change in League Two. The league won’t be any easier next season, we will welcome the return of Lincoln City – who I feel will have a culture shock after how a portion of their fans have reacted in the past few days (well done for your promotion lads, but focus - you’re not champions of League Two yet). Yet they will give the majority of teams a good game on their day. Forest Green Rovers are rather unknown but I expect them to invest and to be more successful than most of the smaller League Two teams – i.e the sides like Newport County, Morecambe and Cheltenham Town. Other clubs falling down the pyramid will add further depth to the competition already found, with Port Vale being no push over. Swindon Town and Chesterfield are also sides that should be able to put aside the woes of relegation in order to focus on a new campaign. I am aware from various comments that Chesterfield are in some financial difficulty, yet I fully expect them to be pushing for the top half of the table. Coventry City may go on to replicate what we did in 1998 or lead the division like Doncaster Rovers did this campaign – I wouldn’t expect them to slip up at all. There will be more than 10 teams who are all capable of pushing for the top positions, so League Two won’t exactly be there for the taking for any club – let alone us. Whilst we may be able to watchfully cast an eye on the playoffs in terms of realistic expectations, all of this will depend on the type of signings we make and how Kevin Nolan can further gel his squad together. I would love Notts to push for automatic promotion, yet I would say that stability usually takes a few seasons and at this early stage it’s looking like we will be just another decent League Two team. A handful of exciting signings could easily change this, whilst a ‘real’ togetherness on the pitch and impact from us fans in the stands in terms of support may encourage a hard-working Notts County to exceed expectations. I noticed a friend's comment recently on Facebook which got me thinking. Byron Webster, the Millwall defender, had been quoted as saying: “Going up this way is the best way to it” – referring to his side's League One playoff final win over Bradford City at Wembley. There’s no denying that a trip to Wembley can't be an historic and grand occasion, yet if you aim to be one the division's best, you can’t rely on them. Notts fans who recall our own playoff final forays just need to cast their memories back to Brighton & Hove Albion - we know that they’re joyous occasions but on the other hand we then have the 2-0 defeat to Bradford back in 1996. Our track record in the playoffs stands at two wins (1989-90 and 1990-91) and two defeats (1987-88 and 1995-96), which pretty much sums up the 50/50 nature of the beast. Therefore, I would personally hope that we could recruit in strength and build to gain promotion automatically. However, if Notts were to find themselves in the playoffs, I know we would give it a good shot. We just shouldn't have to rely on them in order to return to League One. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

New signing Terry Hawkridge undergoes his medical at Meadow Lane before putting pen to paper on a deal with Notts County.

Elliott Hewitt has accepted Notts County's offer of a new contract, signing a two-year deal at Meadow Lane. The 22-year-old joined the Magpies in 2015 from Ipswich Town and has made 74 appearances for the club, turning out at right back, central defence, on the wing and in central midfield. This season, Hewitt made 29 appearances in League Two as Notts finished 16th in the table, and scored twice. He told the official Notts website: "I would like to say a big thank you to the manager and chairman for the faith they’ve shown in me. "This is where I want to be and I’m looking forward to what I hope will be a great 2017-18 season for the club.” Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Terry Hawkridge speaks to Magpie Player HD after joining the Magpies from Lincoln City.

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. Share your thoughts about the retained list on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts fans.

Highlights from the final game of the 2016-17 season as Notts took on Newport County at Rodney Parade.

Newport County fans invade the Rodney Parade pitch on Saturday 6th May after their 2-1 win over Notts County, whose players applaud the travelling fans. Visit us on: Website: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/ Community: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/community/ Watch the ending of the final away game of the 2016/17 season - credit to Nick Holmes for the footage!