Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAGPIES ON A MISSION
Boss Ardley and skipper Doyle’s personal crusade
NEAL ARDLEY and Michael Doyle are men on a mission.
And this time it’s personal for County’s manager and skipper. The Magpies boss was as understated as the situation allowed after a thumping victory over Eastleigh.
But there was no hiding his true feelings as County recorded their fourth win on the spin to close the gap on National League leaders Barrow to seven points.
Ardley (right) was in the dugout at Swindon last May when the oldest professional club in the world were relegated from League Two.
Astonishingly, in a sport where personal accountability is usually brushed over, the former Crazy Gang member feels to blame.
He said: “Is it personal? Yes, it is. It was a dreadful end to the season.
“Going out of the Football League was awful, the summer was horrible as we weren’t being paid, we couldn’t sign anyone. We had some really tough times.
“I thought the likelihood was I’d be asked to leave. Either by the old owner or the new ones. It was possible that we would go into administration.
“Whether people blame me or not, I take full responsibility for being relegated. I always have.
“I didn’t do well enough to keep us up last season and I’d love to turn that around.
“I had enough games to change it around last year. I had some difficult problems within that... but ultimately, I couldn’t.
“We started this season with no players, no budget, no anything. So it would delight me, it really would, if we could be successful at the end of the season.”
For Doyle, the situation is different. But there is common ground. He was part of the Coventry side that beat the Magpies in the 2018 League Two play-off semi-finasl.
It was a blow from which the club never recovered.
The veteran midfielder came in during the January window last year and suffered as the club slipped out of the Football League.
He said: “That night with Coventry was a great achievement, but being part of a Notts team that went down, I want to be part of a team that helps the club back into the Football League. “That is important to me. When I arrived, we were 10 points from safety. There were shockwaves afterwards with everything that went on.
“There’s been a lot of disappointment since I came last year. It’s turned 360 degrees since then. There is a buzz about the club.
“The way the team try to play, there’s an energy about the team, it’s great to be part of, that’s what I want. I want to help the club back into the Football League.”
Eastleigh boss Ben Strevens was upset afterwards and not just with the result. He said before the game it should not be played and accused the National League of playing fast and loose with people’s health.
Strevens said: “Should we have played? Of course we shouldn’t. There are things that are more important than football.
“The answer lies with the National League. I’m not stupid, I understand the pressure on people making those decisions.
“The reason this went ahead was because of money – it’s as simple as that.”