Notts Alumni

Born on 14 April 1972 in Erdington, Birmingham, Paul John Devlin carved out an impressive football career that spanned two decades.  Known for his versatility as a midfielder and forward, Devlin made over 500 appearances across the Football League, Premier League, and League of Ireland, earning ten caps for the Scotland national team along the way.  His journey from non-league football to the top tiers of English football is a testament to his determination, skill, and love for the gam

Born on May 13, 1942, in the small Nottinghamshire mining town of Eastwood, Jeffrey Astle would become one of the most beloved footballers in the history of Notts County and West Bromwich Albion. Astle grew up in a family of seven, with three brothers and three sisters, and his childhood was far from easy. But from an early age, he showed a talent for football that would eventually lead him to play at the highest levels of the game. Astle began his career with Notts County, signing his

Born on May 27, 1981 in Birmingham, England, Benjamin James Davies, a Welsh football coach and former professional player, played as a right back and midfielder between 2000 and 2021.  Davies began his career with the youth system at Stoke City aged 15 before joining Walsall's youth setup in 1999. He had spells with Kidderminster Harriers and Chester City, where he won a Football Conference championship medal in 2004.  During his time at Chester, he was made club captain.  Da

Born on 16 November 1898 in Derby, Tom Keetley was a legendary English footballer who played as a centre forward. He was part of a footballing family, with several of his brothers, including Arthur, Harry, Joe, Frank and Charlie, playing professionally as well. Keetley started his career with Bradford Park Avenue before joining Doncaster Rovers in 1923. He played for Doncaster for a decade and became their all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 180 goals in 231 appearances. Keetley's impressi

Born on October 22, 1970, in Barking, England, Ian Richardson was a former professional footballer and caretaker manager.  He played as a midfielder or centre-half in 260 games in the Football League for Birmingham City and Notts County, where he spent most of his professional career. Before embarking on his football career, Richardson worked as a meat-porter at Smithfield Market in London, where he learned to work hard and work well with others.  He played football part-time, showca

Born on 23rd May 1954 in Boston, England, Mick Vinter began his footballing career at local club Boston United before joining Notts County's youth setup.  He made his professional debut for the Magpies in 1970 and went on to become a key player for the club. In his first four seasons, Vinter only made 50 senior appearances, debuting in a goalless draw against Shrewsbury Town in the 1972-73 season.  However, in 1976-77 he became a more regular scorer, netting 12 goals in 36 appeara

The relationship between a great player and the football clubs he plays for is one of the most diverse aspects of football. Some players spend most or all of their career at one club - Jamie Carragher, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville come to mind. Some players will transfer between clubs multiple times, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Nicolas Anelka. And some are in between, who have played for just a few clubs but made enough of an impact at each of them to be loved by each set of fans. Michae

Born on July 25, 1986 in Sheffield, England, Jonathan Forte is a former professional footballer who played for several notable clubs during his career, including Notts County.  Forte began his football journey as a schoolboy at Rotherham United's Academy, but later joined the Sheffield United Academy, where he played alongside Billy Sharp.  During his youth career, he also featured for England at youth level. He made his professional debut for Sheffield United in 2005, playing in

As a football fan, it’s always a pleasure when a born-and-bred local lad is nurtured at your club, before making it to the upper echelons of the game. It’s all the better when said player supports and loves that team too, and continues to give to the club and the community even after their playing career is over. Mark Draper fits in this category one hundred per cent. Born on the 11th November 1970 in Long Eaton, Draper was scouted by the Notts County academy as a youngster and pr

Young people often follow in their parents' footsteps. A person's behaviour, opinions and actions will doubtlessly filter through to their children, and the same can be said about a person's career - as they have inside knowledge of their chosen field, this will influence the son or daughter, and the likelihood of them entering the same field is high. This is also the case in football, with professional players' kids often getting into the sport, where they can benefit from the parent's knowledg

Over the years, many football clubs with a proud history and tradition have found themselves staring into the abyss. Manchester City, Portsmouth FC, Luton Town, Leeds United, Southampton FC, Sheffield United, and in recent times Swindon Town. Many more have come close to extinction because of problems, financial or otherwise. Notts County in the mid-2000s were one such club, administration and near-liquidation on the verge of condemning the club to a long spell outside the football league and po

Pedro Richards was born on 11 November 1956 in Edmonton, London, to a British father and a Spanish mother. When he was young, he was taken with his mother to live in the northern Spanish town of Laguardia until the age of 11, when they moved to Nottingham. Richards's footballing skills were noticed by the Notts County scouts and he was duly taken on as an apprentice by the club before signing professional papers in November 1974. His debut for the then-Second Division side came sh

In theory, footballers will play at clubs which befit their abilities, skills and talents. The top players will obviously turn out for the most lucrative, competitive, highest-profile teams, while average players will wear the shirts of average teams, or play in average leagues. However, this theory has been confounded many times. Who could have predicted that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, having just had a great World Cup campaign with Argentina, would end up being signed by struggli

Football is a sport of many styles, many methods, many tactics, many demographics. It’s one of the most inclusive sports in the world, which adds to its global appeal. You can carve out a career if you’re a skinny 5’5’’ tactician and you can become a star if you’re a 6’6’’ giant built like a brick outhouse. You can be elegant and refined, or you can be uncompromising and sturdy. Lionel Messi, Nobby Styles, Yaya Toure and Peter Crouch have all been capped multiple times for their respec

Many notable players have turned out for Notts County over the years. Some, who turned out for the club in the decades following its creation have been virtually committed to folklore, with the occasional grainy black-and-white photo. The club's longest-ever serving player, early 20th century goalkeeper Albert Iremonger, falls into this category.  Some, like post-war prodigy Tommy Lawton, may be remembered by the likes of our grandparents or parents. The further we go through

As we know all too well, a footballer's credentials for his club do not always translate into international recognition. And the England squad is littered with such examples over the years. Take Matt Le Tissier. One of the most talented players the nation has ever produced, he simply wasn't given the chance to do for the Three Lions what he did with Southampton. Likewise Chris Sutton, one half of the SAS strike partnership at Blackburn Rovers, was not really considered by England and only w

In the lower reaches of the Football League, the turnaround of players at football clubs is generally quite high. Contracts tend to be one or two year deals, and players who fail to make the grade are shipped out or let go before long, while better players are more inclined to make the step up to bigger clubs in higher divisions who can offer better wages and challenge for honours.  Mike Edwards, however, bucks that trend. Over two spells, the combative defender has been on the books o

The 1960s. A truly exciting time to be in Britain. After the post-war hardship and belt-tightening of the 1950s, the 60s were the decade of social change in Britain. Contraception became available, fashion became more risque, hedonism, optimism and the feeling of being able to change the world was on the agenda for many youngsters. On the footballing side, England officially became the greatest team in the world in 1966. George Best was thrilling crowds (and ladies) on and off the pitc

Notts County has seen plenty of star players grace the Meadow Lane pitch over the years, from the vintage icons of the early 20th century like Billy Flint through to the ones still professionally active such as Kasper Schmeichel and Alan Judge. However, one player is in the annals thanks to a prestigious statistic, confirming his status as one of the club's all-time greats for decades to come. That man is Les Bradd, Notts County's all-time leading goalscorer. Born in Buxton, Derbyshire

Tommy Johnson, born in Gateshead on 15 January 1971, knew he wanted to play for Notts County from his first trial at the club as a teenager. In a 2013 interview at the annual Notts County Former Players' Association dinner, where he was presented with an Achievement award, he spoke of how he fell in love with the Magpies. “I was 13 and I came down for trials and the first training session was with Jimmy Sirrel and that was the sort of club it was,” he said. “All the players made y

With Notts County having such a rich history, there are dozens of illustrious former players for every generation over the last 150 years, with some individuals having excelled for the club so far back that nobody currently alive will have seen them play. This is the case of James "Jimmy" Logan, who was born in a time when Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Queen Victoria were still alive. Born on 24 June 1870 in the Scottish town of Troon, Logan began his career at Ayr United, j

When Don Masson was a child, he knew then that all he ever wanted to was to play football. Born on 26 August 1946 in the Aberdeenshire town of Banchory, he'd spend hours kicking a tennis ball against the wall and would refuse to go back to school if his mother did not play football with him when he came home for his lunch break. Masson's talent and hard work paid off when he was scouted by Middlesbrough, the 12-year-old kid impressing for his school football team. As he grew up he also