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Kevin Nolan sacked as Notts County manager after four straight defeats

Former West Ham and Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan has been sacked as manager of Notts County with the club bottom of League Two.

Nolan initially joined as player-manager in January 2017, but a 3-1 loss to Lincoln on Saturday signals the end of his career at the Magpies.

A statement from Notts County confirmed Nolan, as well as assistant manager Richard Thomas, had been dismissed.

"This is a decision we've made with the best interests of Notts County at heart," owner and chairman Alan Hardy said. "While the beginning of our 2018-19 campaign has been bitterly disappointing, the board and I believe results and performances throughout 2018 have not been good enough overall.

"The last eight months have seen us win only eight of our 28 Sky Bet League Two matches, a run which saw us surrender our position in the automatic-promotion places before suffering defeat in the playoff semifinals.

"Our away form has also been a continuing concern, with only two league victories recorded on the road since the turn of the year.

"Ultimately, a continuation of this form would not allow us to meet our targets for the season and, having conceded 16 goals in our last five matches and being without a win in our last 10 competitive games, we feel now is the time to move forward with a new manager at the helm."