Football Season Guide

Notts County will be looking forward to the new season having endured a wretched 2015/16 campaign. The Magpies endured five years of struggle in League One before being relegated at the end of the 2014/15 season. The gamble of replacing Shaun Derry with Dutch manager Ricardo Moniz in mid-March failed and he was given significant funds last summer with the intention of winning promotion at the first attempt. He built a huge squad of almost 40 players, utilising his knowledge of the European market with several more additions, none of whom were successful. Striker Izale McLeod signed from Crawley Town for a six-figure sum at the end of the August transfer window but an indifferent start to the season lurched downward following an ignominious 2-0 defeat to non-league Salford City in a televised F.A. Cup first round tie in November. Moniz won just one of his next seven and was sacked in December. Respected coach Jamie Fullarton was named as his successor but was never given a chance and was sacked after just 69 days, winning three of his 12 games in charge. Manager Mark Cooper was given an incentive based contract but a dismal 5-0 defeat away at local rivals Mansfield Town spelt the end with Cooper choosing to join ambitious non-league side Forest Green Rovers instead. Owner Ray Trew put the club up for sale in March and they are desperately in need some stability. They may have found it following the appointment of experienced boss John Sheridan and he has strengthened his squad this summer with several players from League One including Port Vale trio defenders Carl Dickinson and Richard Duffy and midfielder Michael O’Connor. If he can arrest the downward spiral at the club the Magpies will have plenty of cause of optimism that they can challenge at the top end of the table this time around.