Notts County Manager Luke Williams Praises Striker Macaulay Langstaff for Scoring 30 Goals

Magpies' manager Luke Williams has stated that Notts County striker Macaulay Langstaff has proven his worth by being the first player in England's top five leagues to score 30 goals this season.

Langstaff's hat-trick against Yeovil made him only the third Notts player in 73 years to achieve this feat. Langstaff has been likened to Manchester City's Erling Haaland this season and dubbed the "non-league Haaland" for matching his accomplishments.

Williams praised Langstaff, stating that "He's just brilliant" and that "It's pretty impressive, and he deserves it because he has scored every type of goal."

Langstaff scored the opening goal against Yeovil in the fourth minute on Saturday. However, it took two injury-time goals from Langstaff and a late penalty from Ruben Rodrigues to win the game.

His two goals in the 94th and 95th minute marked his 30th goal of the season, with 13 league games remaining.

Williams jokingly remarked that he would have preferred Langstaff to score earlier so that he could have been substituted. However, he praised the striker's performance, stating that "He was fantastic and that is why you leave him on the pitch when it's tight, because in the blink of an eye, he can change a game."

Langstaff stated that he was "buzzing" to reach the 30-goal milestone but added that he did not set targets for himself. He said, "I don't set targets. I just look at the end of the season and see where my goals are and see if I'm happy or not. As a striker, the normal target is 20, so if you get that you are really happy. To have 30 with 13 games left, I'm buzzing with that return."

The last Notts County player to score over 30 goals was Lee Hughes, who scored 33 in the 2009-10 season, while Tommy Lawton scored 33 in the 1949-50 season. Langstaff said it was an "unbelievable feeling" to match these highly-regarded players.

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