Notts County F.C.

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Notts County Football Club is a football club based in Nottingham, England, and the oldest of all the clubs that are now professional. The club currently plays in Football League Two of the Coca-Cola league section of the English football league system. "The Magpies" play their home games at the Meadow Lane stadium in black and white striped shirts, which were the inspiration for Juventus's strip of the same design, after an English player at the club brought over some Notts County shirts from England.

The club have had several spells in the top division of English football, the most recent in 1991–92, when they played in the last season of the old First Division before creation of the Premier League.

Well-known former managers of Notts County include Jimmy Sirrel, Neil Warnock, and Sam Allardyce.

History

Formation and early years

Notts County were formed in 1862. The club pre-dated The Football Association and initially played a game of its own devising, rather than association football. At the time of its formation, Notts County, like most sports teams, were considered to be a "gentlemen-only" club. Notts County are considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern game, even being credited with the invention of the offside trap. Notts County are the oldest of the world's professional association football clubs (There are older professional clubs in other codes of football.)

The club initially played at Park Hollow in the grounds of the old Nottingham Castle. In December 1864, the decision was made to play games against outside opposition, and it was decided that the club needed to find a bigger venue. After playing at several grounds, The Magpies settled at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in 1883.

Football League

In 1888, Notts County, along with eleven other football clubs, became a founding member of The Football League. They finished their first league season in 11th place, but avoided the dubious honour of the wooden spoon, which went to Midlands rivals Stoke City. However, Notts County did achieve their highest ever league finish of 3rd in 1890-91, an achievement they repeated ten seasons later.

FA Cup finals

On March 25, 1891, Notts County reached the FA Cup final for the first time. The Magpies were defeated 3–1 by Blackburn Rovers at The Oval, despite having beaten the same side 7-1 in the league only a week earlier.

Notts County made up for this on 1894-03-31, when they won the FA Cup at Goodison Park for the first and thus far only time in their history. The Magpies defeated Bolton Wanderers 4-1 in a game in which Jimmy Logan scored the first hat-trick in FA Cup final history. This achievement is also memorable for Notts County becoming the first club outside the top division to win the FA Cup: Notts County finished 3rd in Division Two that season.

The Italian football club Juventus F.C. derived its famous black-and-white striped kits from Notts County. Juventus originally played in pink shirts with polka dots (pink being the cheapest material available) with a black tie, but continual washing faded the colour so much that in 1903 the club sought to replace them. The club asked one of their team members, Englishman John Savage, if he had any contacts in England who could supply new shirts in a colour that would better withstand the elements. By coincidence, his friend back home lived in Nottingham, and being a Notts County supporter, shipped out the black and white striped shirts to Turin. Juventus have worn the shirts ever since.

Notts County were relegated in 1926 in what was to be their last season in the English top flight for over half a century. The 1925–26 season was the last season that famed goalkeeper Albert Iremonger played for the club. Legend among Notts County supporters has it that 'his hands were as big as frying pans.'

World War II through the 1950s

The club suspended all fixtures during the 1941–42 season after Meadow Lane was hit by enemy bombing. In the 1946–47 season, the ground was used temporarily by Nottingham Forest F.C. (Nottingham Forest or Forest) after the River Trent flooded both Meadow Lane and the City Ground. Forest again used Meadow Lane in 1968, after fire destroyed the main stand at the City Ground. The 'golden age' of the club came just after the end of World War II. County stunned the footballing world by signing Tommy Lawton from Chelsea for a then-record fee.

Lawton's arrival increased crowds by over 10,000. One incident during this period saw 10,000 fans locked outside the ground. In the 1949-50 season, Notts County clinched the Third Division (South) championship. Crowds averaged 35,000 as The Magpies held off Nottingham Forest in a thrilling championship race. The 1950–51 season was to be the last season in which Notts County would compete in a higher league than their city rivals.

As the 1950s drew to a close, Nottingham Forest replaced Notts County as the city's biggest club. After the 1957–58 season, the two clubs would not play each other again for sixteen years.

1960s to 1990s

Jimmy Sirrel era

The Magpies struggled during the 1960s, being on the brink of financial ruin and striving to avoid the indignity of having to apply for re-election to the league. This situation continued until Jack Dunnet, a local Member of Parliament, took control of the club. He appointed Jimmy Sirrel, a charismatic Scot who had once played for Celtic F.C., as manager in November 1969. In the 1970–71 season, The Magpies clinched the Fourth Division title in record-breaking style, remaining unbeaten at Meadow Lane.

Two seasons later, Notts County were again promoted, this time to Division Two. It marked an amazing turnaround in form under Sirrel and would also renew meetings with old adversaries Forest. Sirrel departed for Sheffield United in October 1975 but returned two years later.

Sirrel completed the remarkable transformation of Notts County in May 1981. He had turned The Magpies from Fourth Division strugglers to a top division side in little over a decade, ending an absence of fifty-five years from the top flight. This achievement was with the same chairman (Jack Dunnett), captain (Don Masson), and trainer (Jack Wheeler) throughout the decade.

In one of the most famous moments in the club's modern history, Notts County visited newly crowned champions Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. The Villa team had paraded their League Championship trophy to an expectant crowd before kickoff, but against all odds, County came away with a 1–0 victory. Notts County were relegated three seasons later, but not before reaching the FA Cup quarter-final, which they lost to Everton. Sirrel also retired at the end of that season. He came out of retirement a few months later in an unsuccessful attempt to save Notts County from a second consecutive relegation. Sirrel finally retired in 1987, bringing to a close one of the most successful and memorable periods in Notts County's history.

Neil Warnock era

In late 1988, a new manager arrived. Neil Warnock had previously led Scarborough into the Football League as champions of the Football Conference. At the end of his first full season, Warnock had led Notts County to promotion back to Division Two. The club anthem The Wheelbarrow song originated during this season, stemming from the club's historic first game at Wembley Stadium in a 2–0 win over Tranmere Rovers. Warnock continued to deliver: the 1990–91 season is considered by many County fans to be one of the club's greatest. A famous 1–0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup booked them a place in the quarter-final, which they lost to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur. Notts County also booked their second successive visit to Wembley and their second successive promotion. The Magpies defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3–1 in front of 60,000 spectators, 25,000 of which were Notts County fans.

The following season was disappointing, seeing Notts County relegated from the top flight. With the introduction of the Premier League, County were relegated from the old Division One to the new Division One. Warnock quit in January 1993 and was succeeded by Mick Walker. Walker successfully averted a second consecutive relegation.

Mick Walker era

Walker's first full season as manager was memorable for Notts County fans. The Magpies narrowly missed the play-offs for promotion to the Premiership. The season is most remembered for a 2–1 victory over arch rivals Nottingham Forest in which Charlie Palmer scored the winning goal with just four minutes remaining. This has become a celebrated event among Notts County fans, who have dubbed February 12 (the anniversary of the game) Sir Charlie Palmer Day. This game was the last competitive Nottingham derby fixture to date. In March 1993 Notts County lose Anglo-Italian Cup against Brescia.

Walker was surprisingly sacked in September 1994. This event triggered a dramatic decline in the club's fortunes that has persisted to the present. Notts won the Anglo-Italian Cup at Wembley in March 1995, but ended the season relegated to Division Two. County made another visit to Wembley Stadium in the 1996 play-offs, but missed the chance of a return to Division One with a 2–0 defeat to Bradford City.

Sam Allardyce era

The following season ranks among the club's worst, as they managed just seven victories all season and finished in the bottom position of the league table. Relegation to the league's basement division happened just six years after promotion to the top flight. However, success followed relegation under Sam Allardyce. The Magpies secured the Division Three title in March 1998 by a record margin of seventeen points. They became the first side since World War II to win promotion in mid-March, with six games still remaining.

2000s

Financial crisis and relegation battles

Allardyce left in October 1999 to join his old team Bolton Wanderers. In September 2003, Notts County faced the real possibility of dissolution. Crippling debts and an increasingly impatient Football League board combined to leave the future of the league's oldest club in doubt. However, the considerable efforts of a group of local businessmen and the club's loyal and upbeat supporters helped save the club from extinction But despite new ownership, the club were unable to avoid relegation back to the bottom division in 2004. In a similar circumstance as their relegation in 1992, due to the rebranding of the Football League, County went from Division Two to League Two.

The 2004–05 season was a season of highs and lows for Notts. Despite high levels of expectation about promotion, it soon became apparent that Notts County would not be challenging. Fans would have to wait until October before the club recorded a home win; County even occupied bottom place in September.

Player Ian Richardson relieved Gary Mills as manager in November 2004. Richardson managed to guide the club away from the relegation zone with little experience at football management. He held the manager's job until the end of the season in January 2005, and the club announced in April that Richardson would not be the manager during the following season. On May 17 2005, former Iceland manager Gudjon Thordarson became the club's sixth manager in five years.

The 2005–06 season began promisingly for the Magpies. Thordarson and assistant manager Ross MacLaren instituted a strenuous fitness regime, including double training sessions. These actions ensured that the Notts County squad were fitter than the rest of the league at the start of the season.

The club won or drew their first seven league games and were top of the table in September. Fans began to speak cautiously of promotion. But soon the fitness of other squads matched that of the Magpies, who stumbled and lost or drew the next fourteen games. A strong January with just one defeat saw talk of promotion re-emerge, but a disappointing stretch in February included five consecutive defeats and one draw, ending all talk of promotion. The club managed to win just thirteen points out of a possible forty-eight in their last sixteen games, and again faced relegation.

On the final day of the season, Notts were just two points above the relegation zone as they faced Bury, another side in danger of relegation. A season high attendance of 9,817, of which 8,594 were home supporters, watched the game. The Magpies at one point trailed by a score of 2–0. With Oxford United and Stockport County drawing their games, the club were only one Oxford United goal away from relegation. But a late rally saw Notts level the score at 2–2, and Oxford's 3–2 defeat ensured the Magpies' safety.

Despite avoiding relegation, Notts County finished in 21st place in League Two and in 89th place overall, the lowest position the club had ever finished. The state of the club seemed worrisome as a number of issues had become apparent. This situation resulted in the departure of both the chairman and the manager, the cessation of a long-standing youth squad program, and many of the players out of contract or nearing contract maturity.

Thompson returns

The announcement of Steve Thompson as the club's new manager on June 12 stirred strong emotions in the fan base. Thompson had previously been assistant to Colin Murphy, who was widely blamed for the relegation in the 1996–97 season. Thompson's only real success as a manager had been with Southend over ten years previously. Notts County's new boss signed fourteen new players, including former Nottingham Forest player Jason Lee.

However, the club lost only twice in their first fifteen games and became a promotion contender. But a blip in form and inconsistency plagued the team over the rest of the season, resulting in a 13th place finish.

In the 2007–08 season, Thompson's second as manager, pre-season transfers added Neil MacKenzie from Scunthorpe United, Adam Tann from Leyton Orient, Hector Sam from newly promoted Walsall, Paul Mayo from Lincoln City, Tim Sandercombe from Plymouth Argyle, Myles Weston from Charlton Athletic, Richard Butcher from Peterborough United, Lee Canoville from Boston United F.C., and Spencer Weir-Daley from local rivals Nottingham Forest. The pre-season also saw the exit of David Pipe to League One newcomers Bristol Rovers. Before his transfer, Pipe was the current longest-serving player at Notts County, with 141 appearances and four goals scored.

The Magpies bowed out of both the Carling Cup and theJohnstone's Paint Trophy in the opening weeks of the season and made a poor start to their league campaign. These events saw disappointed fans chanting at Thompson during games and displaying banners calling for his removal. Thompson was finally sacked on 2007-10-16. Former player Ian 'Charlie' McParland replaced him two days later on October 18.

Ian 'Charlie' McParland

Steve Thompson left the club a few days before one of the season's biggest fixtures, an away game at local rivals Mansfield Town. At first, the club announced that Thompson's assistant manager John Gannon would take charge of the first team, but hours after the press conference was held to announce McParland as Thompson's successor at Meadow Lane, the press were told that Gannon (and Thompson's ex-Sheffield United teammate and recently appointed Notts kitman Paul Beesley) had followed the ex-manager out of the club, leaving McParland in charge for one of the biggest games of the season only two days after taking the managerial reins at the club. McParland then appointed former Notts players David Kevin as his assistant and Tommy Johnson as coach.

Club grounds

Various, 1867–1883

The most regular venues during this period were the Meadows Cricket Ground and later the Castle Cricket Club. Home games were occasionally played at Trent Bridge.

Trent Bridge, 1883–1910

Notts County moved into the Trent Bridge cricket ground after it was vacated by their rivals Nottingham Forest in 1883. The club remained at Trent Bridge until they moved to their own purpose-built football stadium at nearby Meadow Lane. When Trent Bridge was needed for cricket matches, Notts played home games at the Castle Cricket Ground and then on Nottingham Forest's grounds, Town Ground and City Ground.

Meadow Lane, 1910 to the present

In 1910, County moved to their current home, Meadow Lane. The first game there was a 1–1 draw with old rivals Nottingham Forest, played in front of 28,000 fans.

Notts County's Meadow Lane and Nottingham Forest's City Ground are the two closest grounds in England, situated only 330 yards apart, though the River Trent flows between them. Meadow Lane lies to the north of the river, the City Ground to the south. Notts County is the only fully professional football club based within the boundary of the city of Nottingham, as the City Ground stands in West Bridgford in the Borough of Rushcliffe.

Rivalries

Notts County have a long-standing rivalry with city rivals Nottingham Forest. During recent stints in the lower levels of the Football League, rivalry has increased with Nottinghamshire neighbours Mansfield Town. Other clubs sharing local rivalries with Notts County are Derby County, Leicester City, Lincoln City, and Chesterfield.

Current squad

As of 31 January 2008. first team squad numbers

Honours

With a total of fourteen promotions and fifteen relegations, no club has moved between the divisions of the Football League on more occasions than Notts County.

FA Cup Winners 1893–94 FA Cup Finalists 1890–91

Second Division Champions 1896–97, 1913–14, 1922–23 Runners-Up 1894–95, 1980–81 Play-off Champions 1990–91

Third Division Runners-Up 1972–73 Play-off Champions 1989–90 Third Division (South) Champions 1930–31, 1949–50

Fourth Division Champions 1970–71 Runners-Up 1959–60

Third Division (Modern) Champions 1997–98

Anglo-Italian Cup Winners 1994–95 Runners-Up 1993–94

Records

Highest Attendance 47,310 vs York City, FA Cup 6th Round, 1955-03-12

Highest Gate Receipts £124,539 vs Manchester City, FA Cup 6th Round, 1991-02-16

Record League Victory 11-1 vs Newport County, Division Three South, 1949-01-15

Record Cup Victory 15-0 vs Rotherham Town, FA Cup 1st Round, 1985-10-24

Most League Points (2 for a win) 69, Division Four 1970–71

Most League Points (3 for a win) 99, Division Three 1997–98

Most League Goals 107, Division Four 1959–60

Highest Scorer in One Season Tom Keetley, 39, Division Three South1930–31

All Time Top Scorer (League) Les Bradd, 124, 1967–78

All Time Most Appearances (League) Albert Iremonger, 564, 1904–26

Most appearances

	Name	Career	Appearances
1	Albert Iremonger	1904–26	601
2	Brian Stubbs	1968–80	486
3	Pedro Richards	1974–86	485
4	David Needham	1965–77	471
5	Don Masson	1968–82	455
6	Les Bradd	1967–78	442
7	Percy Mills	1927–39	434
8=	Billy Flint	1908–26	408
8=	David Hunt	1977–87	408
10	Dean Yates	1985–95	394

Most goals

	Name	Career	Goals
1	Les Bradd	1967–78	137
2	Tony Hateley	1958–63, 1970–72	114
3	Jackie Sewell	1946–51	104
4	Tommy Lawton	1947–52	103
5	Tom Keetley	1929–33	98
6	Don Masson	1968–82	97
7	Tom Johnston	1948–57	92
8	Ian McParland	1980–89	90
9	Harry Daft	1885–95	81
10=	Mark Stallard	1999–2004, 2005	79
10=	Trevor Christie	1979–84	79
10=	Gary Lund	1987–95	79