Notts County have parted company with their Manager Neal Ardley and his assistant Greg Abbott in an announcement today after the side could only draw at Yeovil Town last night, the Magpies boss had been under growing pressure in recent times having had over 100 games in charge of a club who’s aim is to return to the football league.

Pre-season favourites for the title, Notts are currently sixth in the National League and are fourteen points behind leaders Sutton United in the promotion race.

The recent run of results and performances in those matches have led to some fans asking for a change whilst others would have been happy to stick with Ardley who has stuck by the club through a change of ownership, relegation and some really tough times including a year of covid which has totally destructed this season and last, but the clubs patience has now run thin with Ardley departing only hours after his post-match outburst and annoyance of his teams performance against Yeovil yesterday, when they came back from 2-0 down to rescue a point, which in the end was not enough to save his job.

Notts have Hornchurch in the FA Trophy Semi-Final on Saturday and will look to replace Ardley with immediate effect with no invitations for applications accepted, building rumours that the Directors have already found their replacement to lead the club forward.

A club statement on the Notts County website reads “We wish to place on record the huge respect we have for Neal both as a manager and a man.

“He stuck by this club through some of its darkest hours and has played a leading role in stabilising us following a devastating relegation, helping to maintain a close connection between the players, staff and supporters in the most trying of circumstances.

“We will never forget the job he did in guiding us to last season’s play-off final at Wembley and some of the excellent performances he has extracted from the team during our time at the helm.

“It has also been pleasing to see an upturn in recent results, including another spirited fightback last night, and we understand, therefore, that this announcement may come as a surprise to our supporters, who we know share our view that Neal is an excellent ambassador for the club.

“We do not, however, apply short-term thinking to decisions of this magnitude. We consider many factors which far outweigh our results in the last few matches and these deliberations have ultimately led us to conclude that we can be better, and that a change is needed to take us to the next level.

“Neal has always said that when the time comes for him to depart Meadow Lane, he will leave having helped to create a far better footballing environment than he inherited. He has undoubtedly achieved that and we will forever be grateful to him for his efforts in rebuilding a platform for the club to go on and achieve success.

“We would also like to express our gratitude to Greg, who has been a terrific support to Neal and a valuable member of our backroom team since his arrival last year. He and Neal depart with our very best wishes.”

*Main image @Official_NCFC Ardley managed Notts during three seasons with over 100 matches in charge.