Proud Allen shocked by sack

Sacked Notts County boss Martin Allen has spoken of his surprise at his dismissal and insists he is proud of the work he did.

County were in 12th position when the board chose to terminate Allen's contract and they have since appointed Keith Curle as his replacement. Speaking in an LMA statement, Allen said: "To be told by telephone on the Saturday evening on the way home from the Hartlepool match that my contract was being terminated with immediate effect came as a complete and utter shock. I could not believe I was being relieved of my managerial duties at Notts County. "Now that the news has begun to sink in and I have had some time to reflect back on my time there, I leave Notts County very proud to have managed a club with such great tradition and passionate support and I can be very happy with the last 10 months' work." Allen continued: "The team made great strides forward; we reached the fourth round of the FA Cup and as high as third place in the league earlier this season - the club's highest position in 12 years. It was only September that I won the npower League One Manager of the Month Award. All in all, it's been a memorable experience. "I really would like to thank all the coaching staff, the staff at the ground, the whole playing squad and most of all the Notts County fans for the backing and camaraderie I enjoyed with them. It has been a very special time and I hope the club can push on to the play-off places this season."