Notts County On This Day: History, Facts & Figures from Every Day of the Year

By Tim Evershed

Notts County On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's rollercoaster past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable black-and-white diary—with an entry for every day of the year. From founder members of the Football League through to the recent battles for the club's survival, the County faithful have witnessed a record number of promotions and relegations, breathtaking cup runs, and Wembley triumphs—all featured here. Timeless greats such as Tommy Lawton, Don Masson, and Albert Iremonger, Les Bradd, Tommy Johnson, and Jackie Sewell all loom larger than life. Revisit March 31, 1894, when the Magpies became the first Division Two team to win the FA Cup. May 2, 1980: Division One again after an absence of over 50 years! Or May 27, 1990: County's first ever victory at Wembley secured promotion via the play-offs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Jan 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781785310935

Book preview

2015

FRIDAY 1st JANUARY 1892

Notts County forward John Sharpe took five wickets on the opening day of the first Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. Sharpe, who made three League appearances for Notts at outside-left in the 1889/90 season, went on to take his best Test figures of 6-84 but could not prevent Australia winning the match by 54 runs. Sharpe, a right-arm medium pace bowler, played three Tests for England taking 11 wickets and scoring 44 runs. He is one of three Notts footballers to win an England cricket cap, along with William Gunn and Mordecai Sherwin.

SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 1910

After 15 years and seven attempts Notts County won a match on New Year’s Day for the first time. A seven-goal thriller at Burnden Park saw the Magpies overcome Bolton Wanderers thanks to two goals from Billy Flint and one apiece for Jimmy Cantrell and Jerry Dean. The 1909/10 season was Dean’s benefit year and two years later the wingman emigrated to Canada.

SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 1955

Inside-forward Jimmy Jackson scored four goals in a game for the second time in his Notts career. The Scot inspired County to a 5-1 victory over West Ham United at Meadow Lane that kept the side in contention for promotion from the Second Division. Jackson scored his first with a low shot after just eight minutes and got a second from an unlikely position. He completed his hat-trick just after the hour and added a fourth after the Hammers had pulled a goal back through a penalty. Albert Broadbent completed the rout with a penalty for the home side in the final minutes of the match.

SATURDAY 2nd JANUARY 1960

County started the new decade with a 7-1 thumping of Crystal Palace at Meadow Lane. It was the biggest League victory achieved by the free-scoring promotion side of 1959/60. Former Forest forward Chris Joyce, who had arrived at Meadow Lane the previous August on a free transfer, scored a hat-trick against the Eagles, while Peter Bircumshaw struck twice. Forwards Bobby Forrest and Don Roby were also amongst the goals as Palace were put to the sword.

SATURDAY 3rd JANUARY 1959

Just two days after he celebrated his 17th birthday former England Schoolboy international Keith Brown made his debut for Notts in a 4-4 draw with Halifax Town. The youngster marked his County bow with a goal while Roy Horobin got two and Bert Loxley rounded off the scoring. Despite the promising start to his football career Brown would only make seven more appearances for Notts. He was released on a free transfer to Rotherham United where he failed to make a first team appearance.

SATURDAY 4th JANUARY 1930

Over 21,000 were at Meadow Lane to see the Trentside derby end with honours even for the second time in the 1929/30 season. The visitors enjoyed the best of the early action with Noah Burton firing into the side netting in the first minute while Magpies stopper Jimmy Ferguson had to be at his best to deny Leo Loftus. At the other end Tom Keetley and Harold Andrews kept Arthur Dexter busy but found the Forest keeper also in excellent form to keep the match goalless.

SATURDAY 5th JANUARY 1957

Cheshire League minnows Rhyl embarrassed Notts by sending them crashing out of the FA Cup in front of their own fans. The Welsh side ran out convincing 3-1 winners at Meadow Lane in a third round tie played on a difficult, heavily sanded pitch. Peter Bircumshaw scored on his Notts debut to level the scores after Harry Williams had put the visitors ahead from a free kick. Rhyl regained the lead on the hour through Hughes’s twice taken penalty and completed the upset with six minutes left when Meakin headed in. The result led to the dismissal of manager George Poyser 48 hours later.

THURSDAY 5th JANUARY 1989

Neil Warnock was appointed as County’s new manager replacing John Barnwell who had been sacked the previous month. Warnock had made his name by guiding Scarborough into the League for the first time in its history two seasons earlier. His reign at Meadow Lane proved an eventful one. During his four years in charge the club would enjoy successive promotions via the play-offs and a season in the top flight.

TUESDAY 5th JANUARY 2010

HM Revenue and Customs issued Notts County with a winding-up petition over an unpaid tax bill of £600,000. The order came in the aftermath of Munto Finance’s ownership of the club, which saw high expenditure on transfers and salaries backed by the promise of an investment that never materialised. The winding-up order also caused the club to be hit with a transfer embargo during the January transfer window and led to a High Court appearance later in the month.

FRIDAY 6th JANUARY 1893

Star forward Harry Daft had his Notts County contract cancelled on the eve of the club’s trip to Everton. The club acted after Daft pulled out of its Scottish New Year tour. The outside-left had withdrawn after injuring his toe against Blackburn Rovers on Christmas Eve. He had been persuaded to play through the pain in a friendly against Forest on Boxing Day and a League fixture versus Aston Villa on New Year’s Eve but differing diagnoses from the club doctor and Daft’s local doctor caused friction as he withdrew from the Scottish trip. After initially asking him to travel to Merseyside the club sent the following telegram: To Harry Daft, Radcliffe on Trent. You must not go to Everton tomorrow, as the directors have decided that as you refused to go to Scotland your agreement is ended. Daft returned to the club during the off season and helped Notts to win the FA Cup in 1894.

SATURDAY 7th JANUARY 1922

Tommy Deans was born in Shieldhill, Scotland. In June 1949 Notts County manager Eric Houghton brought Deans south from Clyde in a £6,500 deal. The full-back would be a key member of the Magpies side for the next seven seasons, eventually captaining the club. He was part of the Third Division (South) championship winning team in 1949 and in total played over 250 matches for the club without either receiving a booking or scoring a goal.

SATURDAY 8th JANUARY 1881

The club recorded double figures for the first time as the team thrashed Newark 15-1 at the Castle Cricket Ground. England internationals Harry Cursham and Ernest Greenhalgh lead the rout, the former scoring five goals while the latter got a hat-trick.

SATURDAY 8th JANUARY 1910

Notts rose to second place in the First Division table after equalling its best victory in a Trentside derby with a 4-1 win over Nottingham Forest. The win at Meadow Lane avenged a 2-1 loss in the season’s previous derby fixture. Albert Walker opened the scoring with a volley for Notts after quarter of an hour. Two goals in two minutes midway through the first half, one each for Jimmy Cantrell and Fred Jones, put the Magpies firmly in charge. Cantrell added another in the second half before the visitors got a late consolation.

FRIDAY 8th JANUARY 1999

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger broke the transfer record for a trainee when he signed Notts County’s Jermaine Pennant for £2 million. Although Pennant scored a hat-trick on his full debut for the Gunners in 2003 he was unable to claim a first team place at Arsenal and spent much of his time on loan at other clubs. The England Under-21 international has since played for Birmingham City, Stoke City, Real Zaragoza and Liverpool. He was a member of the Liverpool side that lost 2-1 to AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League Final.

SUNDAY 9th JANUARY 1938

David Calderhead died in Fulham, London at the age of 73. The defender joined Notts in August 1889 from Scottish side Queen of the South Wanderers and played 321 times during a ten-year stay. A move into management took him first to Lincoln City and then to Chelsea, where he was in charge for a record 26 years and 966 games. In May 1922 Calderhead was awarded the Football League’s Long Service Medal, the first ex-professional footballer to receive the honour.

SATURDAY 10th JANUARY 1920

After nearly a decade as Notts County’s home Meadow Lane finally hosted its first FA Cup tie. The Magpies had played their first League game at the ground in August 1910. However, six away draws and the First World War had combined to ensure the club had not hosted any home cup games since the move from Trent Bridge. Millwall were the visitors in the first round and a crowd of 30,000 saw Notts progress, thanks to goals from Harold Hill and Billy McLeod.

SATURDAY 10th JANUARY 1970

Richie Barker scored for Notts as they were held 1-1 by Exeter City in a Fourth Division clash. Making his debut in goal for the Magpies was Barry Watling, who had arrived on a free transfer from Bristol City the previous July. Watling would go on to keep a remarkable 21 clean sheets in just 65 matches for Notts and was a key member of the side that won promotion the following season.

FRIDAY 10th JANUARY 1992

Chairman Derek Pavis told fans he had no choice but to sell striker Paul Rideout to Rangers less than 24 hours before Notts were due to visit Nottingham Forest. The Scottish giants had threatened to pull the plug on the deal unless it went through in time for that Saturday’s League fixtures on both sides of the border. The transfer fee of £500,000 saw cash-strapped Notts double its money on a player signed from Southampton only four months earlier.

SATURDAY 10th JANUARY 1998

Notts County became the first club to reach the milestone of playing 4,000 Football League matches. The landmark achievement arrived at Spotland as Notts beat Rochdale by 2-1 with goals from Gary Jones and Phil Robinson. Celebrations continued the following week at Meadow Lane when Cardiff City were also beaten by a 2-1 scoreline.

SATURDAY 11th JANUARY 1992

The Magpies crossed the Trent looking for revenge after they had received a 4-0 drubbing from Forest at Meadow Lane earlier in the season. There were over 30,000 at the City Ground, with hundreds more locked outside, to witness what transpired to be the last top flight Trentside derby to date. With County still reeling from the departure of Paul Rideout 24 hours earlier, Forest threatened a repeat of their away win taking the lead through Kingsley Black after just four minutes. The home side rained in another 16 shots in the first half alone but found County keeper Steve Cherry in superb form. After the break Richard Dryden made Forest pay for their inability to extend the lead as he headed in from Phil Turner’s corner to earn the Magpies a point.

SATURDAY 11th JANUARY 1997

The managerless Magpies scored three goals for only the second time in a low scoring season that was destined to end in relegation from the Second Division despite Sam Allardyce’s arrival later in the month. However, three goals were not enough to give Notts victory as Wrexham came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at the Racecourse Ground.

SATURDAY 12th JANUARY 1957

After replacing George Poyser earlier in the week new County boss Frank Broome inspired the team to its best win of the season, as Stoke City were thrashed 5-0. Broome took over as acting manager until the end of the season when he became Tommy Lawton’s assistant. Broome’s decision to reshuffle the Magpies frontline, giving Bobby Bulch his first start of the season, moving Johnny McGrath forward from right-half and Ron Wylie to inside-left, paid dividends. McGrath gave Notts a half-time lead before Jimmy Jackson’s flying header on 49 minutes opened the floodgates. Wylie struck twice and Jackson rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute.

SATURDAY 13th JANUARY 1996

Both sides scored in a thrilling finish to Notts County’s first ever match at Adams Park, which ended 1-1. Welsh goalkeeper Darren Ward had been Notts’ hero as he foiled the Wycombe Wanderers attack time and time again. And Notts looked to have stolen the points against the run of play when Paul Rogers scored with only four minutes remaining. However, Ward was finally beaten in the final minute of the match by Wanderers sub John Williams.

THURSDAY 14th JANUARY 1993

County boss Neil Warnock was sacked after a third round exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Sunderland. That defeat followed a dismal run of just one win in 13 League matches. Sheffield-born Warnock had engineered back-to-back promotions but paid the price for falling out of the top flight, just before it was renamed the Premier League, and then struggling in the newly-christened First Division. Mick Walker, who had overseen the development of the likes of Brian Kilcline, Mark Draper and Dean Yates while in charge of the youth system at Meadow Lane, replaced him.

TUESDAY 14th JANUARY 2003

Against the backdrop of a mounting financial crisis at the club around 300 County fans attended a preliminary meeting, which explored the possible setting up of a Supporters’ Trust to help the situation. Two months later the Trust was established on a formal basis.

WEDNESDAY 14th JANUARY 2004

Defensive midfielder David Pipe arrived at Meadow Lane on loan from Coventry City. Despite playing in a struggling side, that was relegated from Division Two, the 20-year-old did enough to impress manager Gary Mills and was signed permanently the following April. Over the next three years Pipe played in 154 Notts matches and scored four goals for the club.

SATURDAY 15th JANUARY 1887

Notts reached double figures in a match for the second time during the 1886/87 season with an 11-0 victory over Lockwood Bros at Trent Bridge. Harry Jackson scored a hat-trick while Harry Cursham and Harry Daft got two apiece. Charles Dobson and Edward Harker got one goal each, as did J Spibey while Lockwood’s Salkeld scored an own goal.

SATURDAY 15th JANUARY 1910

Notts County travelled to Valley Parade for the first round of the FA Cup despite being drawn out of the hat first. The club sold the ground rights for the match to Bradford City for £1,000. Fred Jones scored twice for County, but the Bantams made the most of the home advantage they had purchased with a 4-2 victory.

SATURDAY 15th JANUARY 1949

Jackie Sewell and Tommy Lawton scored four goals each as Newport County were put to the sword 11-1. It was the third time Lawton had scored four in a game for the club and the result remains a record League victory for Notts. The Welsh side had arrived at Meadow Lane on the back of a six-match unbeaten run, but were simply blown away by a Magpies side that would go on to score 102 League goals in 1948/49. Outside-left Tom Johnston struck twice, while winger William Houghton also found the back of the net.

SATURDAY 15th JANUARY 1955

Notts County’s Second Division fixture at Ewood Park survived a snowstorm that caused 41 other fixtures to be cancelled across England and Scotland. The team made it 18 goals from their last four matches as they beat Blackburn Rovers 5-4 to go third in the table and raise hopes of promotion to the top flight. Rovers had led after just five minutes and