A new era for Notts County kicked off in front of a bumper crowd at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
The gate of 11,328 for the League Two tie with Mansfield Town under new owner and chairman Alan Hardy saw him get his wish – an end to a miserable run of ten straight defeats.
New manager Kevin Nolan lead the Magpies to a spirited 0-0 draw, the side recording their first clean sheet since October.
Ticket prices had been reduced for the game with an adult ticket costing £20 and under-twelves attending for free.
At his first press conference, Hardy had told the media that he aims to keep the prices for match day tickets low as long as it is financially viable for the club.
There was a spirited atmosphere around Meadow Lane and defender Richard Duffy, who spoke to the media after the game, said: “I think that’s what we needed – to grind out a result.”
A minute’s applause was held for Nottinghamshire-born Graham Taylor, who died a few days earlier.
During the match several smoke bombs were thrown onto the pitch, which halted play for a few minutes while stewards removed them – but no arrests were made.
On the pitch, County put on a combative defensive performance to keep Mansfield off the score sheet.
The Magpies enjoyed spells of good attacking football and came close several times to creating something dangerous.
Chairman Alan Hardy has been keen to strengthen the academy system at County and has brought in Russell Hullett from Premier League side West Bromwich Albion to be the club’s new academy manager.
The long-term aim of the club is to develop and integrate youth players into the first team, and a new state-of-the-art, multi-million pound training ground is also being discussed with Nottingham City Council leader Jon Collins.
The ambitions for the club are high and Hardy hopes to steer the Magpies in to the Championship in the space of three seasons.
The club are facing a winding-up petition brought by HM Revenue & Customs and have until February 6 to settle any outstanding debts.
The club is currently under a transfer embargo because of this, but Hardy hopes that it could be lifted with a week to spare before the transfer deadline so new players can be brought in.
Regarding the embargo, Hardy called the situation “complex” and said: “My lawyers and accountants will now start negotiations to understand what needs to happen.”
New manager Kevin Nolan will be hoping to build on the positive result against Mansfield and lead the Magpies out of the relegation battle they are currently in.
Really enjoyed myself yesterday, the atmosphere was great and to pick up a crucial point was a massive bonus @Official_NCFC@Bigalanh5pic.twitter.com/JPuMt2r6RK
— Unavox (@Rhys_NG) January 15, 2017
The Magpies next game is away to Grimsby Town where they will be hoping to build on the positive performance from last weekend and come away with all three points.
