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Alan Hardy has stressed that Notts County are seeking to do their January transfer business early in the window to allow for players to be settled come the end of the month. So far, the Magpies have made one signing, Liam Noble registering as a player after returning to Meadow Lane from Forest Green Rovers in October last year. Hardy also mentioned that Notts are vying to sign two "highly valued players" on loan, one of which is also on the radar of League One leaders Wigan Athletic. “We’re in close negotiations with a couple of players to bring a couple of players in on loan,” he told the Nottingham Post. “It’s unfair to say who they are at this stage. Wigan are after one of them so it’s between us and them. “They’re top of League One so we’re working hard to sell Notts County to him. If it comes off it will be really exciting for the fans. “If not we’ll move on to the next target. The important thing is they’re both highly valued players. “We’re only going to bring people in who can make a real difference and we think these players can. “We’re not planning to leave it late. We want to get players in the team and settled in January as opposed to not playing until February.” 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. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Jorge Grant has expressed his delight at donning a Notts County shirt again and says he is close to peak fitness as the new season draws ever closer. The Nottingham Forest midfielder secured his second loan move at Meadow Lane on Thursday, and is hoping to build on his impressive spell in the second half of last season. Grant picked up a thigh complaint while training with his parent club but managed to get 45 minutes under his belt in the 2-1 defeat to Wigan Athletic on Saturday. “I was buzzing to be back out there and back in the shirt again,” the 22-year-old told the Nottingham Post. “It was minutes in the legs but it was just a shame about the result. “You want to win the game, but getting the minutes in is just as important especially for me as this was the first game for me. “I feel as if I get 90 minutes next week, I will be ready. I felt fit out there anyway. I’ve done a lot of hard work on the training ground. “There will be more to do this week and hopefully I will get a full game next week.” 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. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

Kevin Nolan believes his Notts County side "more than matched" Wigan Athletic, but admits work needs to be done regarding the Magpies' defending. Saturday's pre-season friendly at Meadow Lane saw Lewis Alessandra give Notts the lead in emphatic fashion, but a Richard Duffy own goal and a Callum Lang strike gave the Latics the win. Nolan told the official site: "Throughout the 90 minutes we more than matched them and made a lot of chances. "But the manner in which we gave away the goals was frustrating and the lads know that. "We are still two weeks away [from the start of the season] and there is a lot of work to do on the training pitch. "We have to keep reminding the players of what we have to do to be successful but there were a lot of positives to take away from the game against a good Wigan side who got more than they probably deserved today. "We have got quality in the final third and I have told the players they have to believe in themselves more. "They can all get better individually and collectively - and the signings we have brought in have taken us up another notch - but we will be a real handful once it all starts clicking into place." 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. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

Kevin Nolan has hailed each and every one of his players in the Notts County dressing room, saying they have been "absolutely fantastic since day one" of pre-season. The Magpies gaffer has overseen three pre-season games so far, with routine wins over Rolls Royce Leisure and Basford United followed up by a defeat to Nottingham Forest. Now preparing for his penultimate friendly of the 2017/18 programme, at home against Wigan Athletic this weekend, he aims to iron out the flaws in his side's game from the Reds clash. "They will be on the up there with Paul [Cook] and Leam [Richardson] going in," Nolan told the official Notts side. "It's another game we're looking forward to. "It will be a test for our lads to see where we are at not just in terms of quality - I feel we can handle that - but mentally too. I feel we got a little carried away with the occasion in the first 20-25 minutes of the Nottingham Forest game. "It's important to start as we mean to go on. Here [Meadow Lane] is our fortress and we have to make sure the opposition come and play to our tempo and what we want to do. We got it right in a lot of aspects against Forest but there is still a lot to work on. "We will try to get as many minutes into as many people as possible before we move on to the York friendly. We have two games and they are both decent contests. We have to make sure the players are all ready to go for 5 August against Coventry. "I cannot knock one person in the dressing room. They have been absolutely fantastic since day one. Their attitude and application towards everything we have thrown at them has been first class and that is how I want it to stay." 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. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

It's been a long two months since the end of the 2016/17 season, hasn't it? But fear not, because Notts County are in action again as of this weekend! The Magpies' pre-season preparations are fully underway and the players will take to the pitch for the first time in 2017/18 when they take on Linby Colliery Welfare at Rolls Royce Leisure tomorrow. Then there will be a pre-season friendly every following Saturday, after which the season gets underway on the first weekend - oh, plus the small matter of a fixture against a local team by the name of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday 19th July. Here is a factfile about each of the teams that Notts will face over the coming weeks. Rolls Royce Select XI (A): Saturday 8 July, 3pm This fixture is usually the first pre-season game of Notts County's season, given the partnership between the Magpies, the Rolls Royce Leisure Centre in Hucknall, and North Nottinghamshire College. The programme, also knows as the Notts County Pathway Academy, sees students study towards a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport and offers the chance to combine professional level football training with academic studies. Basford United (A): Saturday 8 15 July (3pm) Basford United play their football at Greenwich Avenue in Basford, a suburb of Nottingham, and currently ply their trade in the Northern Premier League - Division One South, where they finished 6th in the 22-man league last season to qualify for the promotion playoffs but lost to Coalville Town in the semi-finals. There are quite a few names at Basford that you might recognise - manager Martin Carruthers was born in Nottingham and played up front for the likes of Aston Villa, Stoke City, Peterborogh United, Southend United and Scunthorpe United. Former Notts players Saul Deeney and Kyle Dixon, plus ex-Forest man Eugen Bopp, are also on their books. Nottingham Forest (H): Wednesday 19 July (7:45pm) Never heard of them. Wigan Athletic (H): Saturday 22 July (3pm) One of the success football stories of the 21st century (except for the last couple years, mind), Wigan were only elected to the Football League in 1978. They were little more than a footnote in the English game until 1995, when JJB Sports owner Dave Whelan purchased the club, but within 10 years they were in the Premier League. The Latics enjoyed a total of eight seasons at the top table, but the greatest moment in their history ended up being rather bittersweet, as they won the FA Cup in 2013 but were relegated from the top flight in the same season. The last few years have been tumultous for the club, as they now find themselves in League One just a year after winning promotion back to the second tier from the third. Since 2013, Wigan have either been relegated or finished the season in the promotion places (automatic or playoff). York City (A): Saturday 29 July (3pm) The Minstermen have endured a rollercoaster few years, reaching the League Two playoffs in 2014 and winning two FA Trophies, in 2012 and 2017, but now play in the National League North after two successive relegations in 2016 (from the Football League) and the season just gone. York play at Bootham Crescent, a stadium near the city centre and just over a mile from the city's railway station which they share with rugby league club York City Knights. It was formerly known as KitKat Crescent for sponsorship reasons - why they didn't call it Yorkie Crescent is one of the great mysteries of life. 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.