It’s been all quiet on the Notts County front following the covid-hit sides forced withdrawal from the FA Cup last month which also lead to two of the clubs league games being postponed.

This Saturday see’s the Magpies return to action at last after what would have been 21 days since they lost against Maidenhead at Meadow Lane when a number of Notts players were forced to drop out with illness.

With the first team now back in training Manager Neal Ardley has said all the while his side have had strict protocols in place stating “We are covering every base we can and we’ve reviewed it, but there’s nothing else we can do”.

Ardley said believing his players contracted covid through playing a football match “I’m not confident it’s not going to happen again because when you put your own team in a bubble and come up against opposition who have not been tested for months, how can you be confident”

When asked by BBC Nottingham correspondent Charlie Slater a recent question on whether testing should be mandatory for National League clubs Ardley said “Yes, at the moment money is more important it seems than the health of the footballers on the pitch” which is something that has angered his Manager as his club continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safe environment for their playing staff.

This weekend Notts travel to Aldershot Town in a re-arranged fixture at the EBB Stadium with County now tenth in the National League table with two games in hand on most of the teams around them but now worryingly nine points behind leaders Torquay United who have won six of their seven matches played so far this season.

The Shots are 21^st in the table having been beaten by Torquay 4-1 last time out on Tuesday so they’ll be looking to put things right against a side that will not be up to match speed having spent over two weeks without playing a game.

Notts had won three matches in a row following opening day of the season defeat at Dover and after impressing against Altrincham and Barnet before beating Sutton with a late winner they were hit on the eve of the home match with Maidenhead by a covid catastrophe that saw a number of star players forced to isolate.

Ardley made no excuses in the defeat to the Berkshire based side saying “That team was good enough to win a game of football” but was let down by the manor of which the side lost having twice taken the lead and will no doubt want to put that right against opposition this weekend that has so far struggled this season.

Whilst a win would push Notts closer towards the playoff places anything less and that gap to table topping Torquay could widen. Neal Ardley’s side will be hungry to make up for lost time and will hope that a fully fit squad of players will be good enough to do the job down in Hampshire that will bring home all three points.

*Main image @Official_NCFC Neal Ardley will be hoping to return to league matters with a win.