Ben Turner has revealed Neal Ardley was the key to him becoming Notts County’s first signing of the summer.
Turner, who played against the Magpies for Mansfield Town last season, penned a deal at Meadow Lane on Wednesday and will go straight into the squad for Saturday’s National League opener at Eastleigh.
The 31-year-old knows Ardley well and admits following last weekend’s takeover, the chance to come and play for Notts, albeit in non-league, was an opportunity too good to turn down.
“I was with the manager at Cardiff when I was a player there and I liked him then and have monitored his managerial career since,” said Turner, who has played in all four of England’s top leagues.
“When I spoke to him I just got a good feeling about coming to work with him. He’s my kind of guy – a good man who I’d like to help climb the ranks again.
“Everything here has come together to produce something that I really fancied getting involved with. I like the idea of a fresh start under new ownership.
“Hopefully there will be a few others who will be coming in and we can get together as a tight group.
“Let’s hope we can produce something which makes everyone at the club happy again.”
Turner has racked up nearly 300 appearances throughout a career which has seen him turn out for clubs including Coventry, Cardiff and Burton Albion, as well as a solitary appearance for England’s Under-19s.
And given his upbringing with the Sky Blues, Turner revealed just what Magpies’ fans can expect from the 6ft4 centre-back, something which was badly lacking in their doomed relegation campaign last season.
“I’m a bit more old-school than most centre-backs that are coming through academies now," he said.
“I’m probably the last of a generation of big, solid guys who keeps it simple and wins headers and tackles.
“If I’m winning them, I’m playing well – and that’s what I’m aiming to do.”
