Ince gets top marks – and Magpies job – after impressive homework

The League One club yesterday announced Ince as the new man in charge, only four days after Craig Short was sacked just five months into a three-year deal.

Ince has signed a contract until the summer of 2014 having previously managed Macclesfield, MK Dons and Blackburn.

The 43-year-old, who has been out of work since ending his second stint in charge of MK Dons in May, is thought to have beaten off competition from an impressive list of canidates, including former Barnsley boss Paul Hart, former Hull City manager Phil Brown, Kevin Blackwell and Jim Magilton to land the job.

He becomes Notts County's fifth manager in the last 12 months following a turbulent time at Meadow Lane in the wake of the Munto Finance debacle that almost saw the club go into administration.

Trew, who helped wrestle the Magpies away from the Swiss-based Middle East consortium, said: "There were a number of high-calibre applications for the position.

"It was encouraging to see just how attractive a proposition managing Notts County remains to some very prestigious names in the world of football management.

"However, when we met Paul it quickly became clear that he was the ideal candidate. He'd done his homework, had some big ideas and was ready to get stuck in straight away.

"Paul has a wealth of experience as a player and a solid track record as a manager in the Football League, making him the obvious choice for me."

West Bromwich Albion striker Luke Moore will remain on loan at Derby County for a second month.

The 24-year-old's initial month-long stay at Pride Park ended following the defeat at Millwall last weekend.

Derby agreed a deal in principle to extend Moore's loan prior to the game against the Lions. That has now been finalised and the player will remain with Nigel Clough's side until November 20.