Notts Alumni

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

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

Every Notts fan, young and old, will know about, or at least have heard of, Jimmy Sirrel. The Glaswegian is undisputably the greatest manager in the history of Notts County. Once asked who was the best player in his legendary team of the early 1980s, he nominated his goalkeeper, giving the following reason: "In my opinion, the goalkeeper is the number one man in your team. You start with a point, and if he doesn't lose a goal, you get that. So if you score one, you've won." The goalkeeper h

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 in Kilmarnock on 28 December 1954, Iain McCulloch began his footballing journey by coming through the ranks at local club Hurlford United. He impressed with the Ford and in 1973 was scouted and signed by the big club in the region, Kilmarnock FC, where he spent five years. A versatile player who could play on the wing and up front, he made 115 appearances and scored 14 goals for Killie. In April 1978, McCulloch became Notts County's then record signing when the Magpies parted ways

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

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 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

Over the years, Notts County have had some fantastic forwards on their books. From Tom Keetley in the early 30s to Mark Stallard in the 2000s via the likes of Jackie Sewell, Tommy Lawton, Tony Hateley and Les Bradd, every Notts fan you speak to will always have that one standout striker they remember bagging the goals for the Magpies. Without a doubt, the last of the great Notts strikers - as of 2017 - is Lee Hughes. In his four years at Meadow Lane, he elevated himself to cult status with

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

The one-club man. Uncommon even in the olden days, such an entity is now rarer than a unicorn. Though there have been some in recent years - Jamie Carragher, Francesco Totti - they are a dying breed, although you do get some who spend 99 percent of their pro career at one club and then have one final payday elsewhere - nobody could begrudge Steven Gerrard his swansong at LA Galaxy, for example. One example of a fully-fledged bona fide one-club man at Notts County is Brian Stubbs. Born on 8

A key member of the Notts County side that enjoyed a swift climb to the top flight of English football, Gary Lund was born on 13 September 1964 in Cleethorpes. He began his career at local club Grimsby Town and made his debut in September 1983, shortly after his 19th birthday, against Barnsley. Reminiscing about his debut, the forward  told independent GTFC site The Fishy: "I replaced the injured Kevin Drinkell (I think) and came close to scoring when I hit the bar. I was substituted w

Every remarkable Notts County team over the years has comprised of quality players in every position of the pitch, and as arguably the most important one in any squad, the goalkeeper slot has also been filled by some great names at Meadow Lane. From Albert Iremonger in the early 20th century to the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Bartosz Bialkowski in the 2010s, via Jimmy Sirrel's protege Raddy Avramovic in the early 80s, every generation of Notts fans will fondly remember at least one quali

The word "legend" is bandied around all too lightly nowadays. But if you ask any Notts County fan to name one individual and one individual only who deserves the tag of "legend", chances are they will name Jimmy Sirrel. Born on 2 February 1922 in Glasgow, James Sirrel's professional football journey began when he was 24, when he joined Celtic in 1946. He made just 13 appearances in three years before joining Bradford Park Avenue in 1949, where again he found game time limited, playing

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

Born in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on 24 September 1970, Gary McSwegan came through the ranks at Rangers, one of the city's - and indeed the country's - top clubs, joining as a child and becoming a professional in 1986, aged just 16. Although McSwegan struggled for game time at Ibrox, he nonetheless helped the club to one of its standout results of its history, scoring against Marseille - one of the marquee European clubs at the time - in the 1992-93 Champions League, a trophy which the F

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

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

Arthur Mann was born in Falkirk, Scotland on 23 January 1948 and began his footballing career at Heart of Midlothian in 1967. A versatile player who could line up in both defence and midfield, he played for Hearts in the 1968 Scottish Cup Final, although he ended up on the losing side as Dunfermline won 3-1. It was not long before his talents were spotted across the border and he moved to Manchester City for £65,000, then a record for a Scottish defender transferring to an English side

Since its inception, Notts Alumni has provided an interesting look at the careers of renowned football players who have at some point worn the black and white stripes of Notts County. Sometimes they’ve covered professionals who began or flourished at Meadow Lane and are currently still active (Kelvin Wilson, Kasper Schmeichel). Other examples regard veteran players who are in their professional twilights or even semi-retired (Mike Edwards), recent retirees (Mark Draper, Michael Johnson) or

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

Whilst some players are able to drag a team to the next level, others are able to stop a team from falling into the previous one, inspiring their team mates and excelling where others are failing. A rare shining light during two of Notts County's darkest seasons, Glynn Hurst's goals helped keep the Magpies safe when they were at their lowest ebb, when "previous level" meant "non-league" and possibly "extinction". The Barnsley-born player, much like a lower-league Dimitar Berbatov, delighted