Notts County are an English professional football club based in Nottingham, England, playing in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 season. The club was founded in 1862,[1] and has played its home matches at Meadow Lane since 1910. Notts County first entered the FA Cup in 1877[2] and in 1888 became one of the 12 founding members of the Football League.[3] Notts County have been promoted 14 times, relegated 17 times and have played in each of the top 5 divisions of English football.[4] The club's highest overall league finish is third; conversely, the team were relegated to non-League football in 2019,[5] where it spent four years.[6]
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The record for most games played for the club is held by goalkeeper Albert Iremonger, who made 601 appearances between 1904 and 1926. Les Bradd is the club's record goalscorer, scoring 137 goals during his Notts County career. Kevin Wilson holds the most international caps while a Notts County player, having made 15 appearances for Northern Ireland. The highest transfer fee ever reported to be paid by the club was £750,000 to Sheffield United for Tony Agana in 1991, and the highest fee received is the £2,500,000 paid by Derby County for Craig Short in 1992. The highest attendance recorded at Meadow Lane was 47,310 for the visit of York City in 1955. One of the club's players holds an FA Cup record, with Harry Cursham being the competition's leading goalscorer with 49 goals.
Honours and achievements
edit
Notts County have won two cup competitions in their history; the FA Cup in the 1893–94 season (becoming the first Second Division club to win the FA Cup),[7] and the Anglo-Italian Cup in the 1994–95 season.[8] The club's highest overall league finish is third,[9] achieved in the 1890–91 and 1900–01 seasons.[10][11] Notts have won eight league titles in total; they have been second tier champions three times, third tier champions twice, and fourth tier champions three times. Their most recent championship was the League Two title won in the 2009–10 season. Notts have won six other promotions,[4] most recently by beating Chesterfield 4–3 on penalties in the 2023 National League play-off final following a 2–2 draw at Wembley Stadium.[6]
League
edit- Second Division (level 2):
- Third Division South / Third Division (level 3)
- Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4)
- National League (level 5)
Cup
editPlayer records
editAge
edit- Youngest first team player: Kameron Muir, 15 years 32 days (against Burton Albion, 24 September 2024).[26]
- Oldest first team player: Albert Iremonger, 41 years 320 days (against Huddersfield Town, 1 May 1926).[27]
Appearances
editThe following are Notts County's leading players by number of appearances.[28]
| # | Name | Years | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Iremonger | 1904–26 | 564 | 37 | – | – | 601 |
| 2 | Brian Stubbs | 1968–80 | 426 | 21 | 24 | 15 | 486 |
| 3 | Pedro Richards | 1974–86 | 399 | 19 | 39 | 28 | 485 |
| 4 | David Needham | 1965–77 | 429 | 17 | 21 | 4 | 471 |
| 5 | Don Masson | 1968–74 1978–82 |
402 | 17 | 23 | 13 | 455 |
| 6 | Les Bradd | 1967–78 | 395 | 22 | 17 | 8 | 442 |
| 7 | Percy Mills | 1927–39 | 407 | 20 | – | – | 427 |
| =8 | Billy Flint | 1909–26 | 376 | 32 | – | – | 408 |
| =8 | David Hunt | 1977–87 | 336 | 22 | 29 | 21 | 408 |
| 10 | Dean Yates | 1987–95 | 320 | 20 | 24 | 30 | 394 |
Goalscorers
edit
- Most goals in a season: Macaulay Langstaff,[29] 42 goals in the 2022–23 season.[30]
- Most goals in the FA Cup in a season: 10, Harry Cursham, in the 1886–87 season. Cursham is the FA Cup's all-time leading goalscorer, with 49 goals in total.[31]
- Most goals in a competitive match: 6, Harry Cursham (against Wednesbury Strollers, FA Cup, 10 December 1881).[31]
- Most goals in a league match: 5, Bob Jardine (against Burnley, Football League, 27 October 1888); Dan Bruce (against Burslem Port Vale, Second Division, 26 February 1895); Paddy Mills (against Barnsley, Second Division, 19 November 1927).[32]
- Fastest goal: six seconds, Barrie Jones (against Torquay United, Third Division, 31 March 1962). This also stood as the Football League record at the time.[31]
- Fastest hat-trick: two minutes 45 seconds, Ian Scanlon (against Sheffield Wednesday, Second Division, 16 November 1974).[31]
Top goalscorers
editThe following are Notts County's leading goalscorers.[33]
| # | Name | Years | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Bradd | 1967–78 | 125 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 137 |
| 2 | Tony Hateley | 1958–63 1970–72 |
109 | 4 | 1 | – | 114 |
| 3 | Jackie Sewell | 1946–51 | 97 | 7 | – | – | 104 |
| 4 | Tommy Lawton | 1947–52 | 90 | 13 | – | – | 103 |
| 5 | Tom Keetley | 1929–33 | 94 | 4 | – | – | 98 |
| 6 | Don Masson | 1968–74 1978–82 |
92 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 97 |
| 7 | Tom Johnston | 1948–57 | 88 | 4 | – | – | 92 |
| 8 | Ian McParland | 1981–89 | 69 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 90 |
| 9 | Harry Daft | 1885–95 | 58 | 20 | – | 3 | 81 |
| =10 | Trevor Christie | 1979–84 | 63 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 79 |
| =10 | Gary Lund | 1987–95 | 63 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 79 |
| =10 | Mark Stallard | 1999–2004 2005 |
69 | 3 | 7 | – | 79 |
International caps
edit- First capped player: Harwood Greenhalgh for England on 30 November 1872[34]
- Most international caps while a Notts County player: Kevin Wilson, 15 for Northern Ireland[35]
- Most England caps while a Notts County player: 8 for Harry Cursham[35]
Transfer fees
edit- Record transfer fee paid: £750,000 paid to Sheffield United for Tony Agana in January 1991.[36] The fee paid by Notts to Manchester City for Kasper Schmeichel in August 2009 was reported to exceed this, but the sum was not disclosed.[37]
- Record transfer fee received: £2,500,000 paid by Derby County for Craig Short in September 1992.[36]
Club records
editGoals
edit- Most league goals scored in a season: 117 in 46 games, National League, 2022–23.[4]
- Fewest league goals scored in a season: 28 in 38 games, First Division, 1912–13.[4]
- Most league goals conceded in a season: 97 in 42 games, Second Division, 1934–35.[4]
- Fewest league goals conceded in a season: 31 in 28 games, Second Division, 1893–94, 31 in 42 games, First Division, 1924–25, and 31 in 46 games, League Two, 2009–10.[4]
Points
edit- Most points in a league season:
- Two points for a win: 69 in 46 games, Fourth Division, 1970–71.[4]
- Three points for a win: 107 in 46 games, National League, 2022–23.[4] This is a record points tally for a team finishing second in its division.[38]
- Fewest points in a league season:
- Two points for a win: 12 in 22 games, Football League, 1888–89.[4]
- Three points for a win: 35 in 46 games, Second Division, 1996–97.[4]
Matches
editFirsts
edit- First recorded match: Notts County 0–0 Trent Valley, friendly, 8 December 1864.[39]
- First FA Cup match: Notts County 1–1 Sheffield, 3 November 1877.[40]
- First league match: Everton 2–1 Notts County, 15 September 1888.[41]
- First Football League Cup match: Notts County 1–3 Brighton & Hove Albion, 20 October 1960.[25]
Record wins
edit- Record league win: 10–0 against Burslem Port Vale in Second Division, 2 February 1895, and 11–1 against Newport County in Third Division South, 15 January 1949.[42]
- Record FA Cup win: 15–0 against Rotherham Town on 24 October 1885.[42]
- Record Football League Cup win: 6–1 against Bolton Wanderers on 30 October 1984.[42]
Record defeats
edit- Record league defeat: 9–1 against Aston Villa in the Football League, 29 September 1888, against Blackburn Rovers in the Football League, 16 November 1889, and against Portsmouth in Second Division, 9 April 1927.[42]
- Record FA Cup defeat: 8–1 against Newcastle United, 8 January 1927.[42]
- Record Football League Cup defeat: 7–1 against Newcastle United, 5 October 1993 and against Manchester City, 19 August 1998.[25]
Attendances
edit- Highest home attendance: 47,310 against York City, FA Cup sixth round, 12 March 1955.[43]
- Highest home league attendance: 46,000 against Nottingham Forest, Third Division South, 22 April 1950.[43]
Notes
edit- ^ Promoted as runners-up.[15]
- ^ Finished fourth in the Second Division, promoted by beating Brighton & Hove Albion 3–1 in the 1991 Second Division play-off final.[16]
- ^ Promoted as runners-up.[19]
- ^ Finished third in the Third Division, promoted by beating Tranmere Rovers 2–0 in the 1990 Third Division play-off final.[20]
- ^ Promoted as runners-up.[24]
- ^ Finished second in National League, promoted by beating Chesterfield 4–3 in a penalty shootout after a 2–2 draw in the 2023 National League play-off final.[6]
References
editGeneral
- Betts, Graham (2006). England: Player by Player. Swindon: Green Umbrella Publishing. ISBN 1-905009-63-1.
- Brown, Tony (1995). Notts County F.C: The Official History, 1862–1995. Harefield: Yore Publications. ISBN 1-874427-61-5.
- McVay, David (1988). Notts County Football Club: The World's Oldest Football League Club. Manchester: Archive Publications. ISBN 0-948946-37-7.
- Warsop, Keith (1984). The Magpies: The Story of Notts County Football Club. Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure Press. ISBN 0-86023-214-X.
- Warsop, Keith; Brown, Tony (2007). The Definite Notts County F.C.: The Oldest League Club in the World. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 978-1-899468-99-7.
Specific
- ^ Warsop 1984, p. 15.
- ^ Brown 1995, p. 12.
- ^ Brown 1995, p. 16–17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Notts County". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Swindon 3–1 Notts County: Magpies relegated from Football League". Sky Sports. 5 May 2019. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Aloia, Andrew (13 May 2023). "Chesterfield 2–2 Notts County". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b Brown 1995, p. 21.
- ^ a b Brown 1995, p. 57.
- ^ McVay 1988, p. 18.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 76.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 86.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 82.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 99.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 108.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 66.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 178.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 116.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 135.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 158.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 176.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 156.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 185.
- ^ "Darlington 0–5 Notts County". BBC Sport. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 145.
- ^ a b c Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 23.
- ^ "Youngest Notts County player Muir a 'special talent'". BBC News. 27 September 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 9.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 10.
- ^ "Macaulay Langstaff: Notts County goal record 'means the most to me'". BBC News. 29 March 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ Gholam, Simeon (21 November 2023). "Macaulay Langstaff interview: Notts County striker on Erling Haaland, Jamie Vardy and being Wrexham's antagonist". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 27.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 28.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 30.
- ^ Betts 2006, p. 114.
- ^ a b Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 38.
- ^ a b Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 59.
- ^ "Magpies snap up keeper Schmeichel". BBC Sport. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "Luke Williams: Notts County boss questions what makes Magpies play-off favourites". BBC Sport. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 63.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 20.
- ^ Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 21.
- ^ a b c d e Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 31.
- ^ a b Warsop & Brown 2007, p. 11.