Notts County History Watch.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

What a win this was against Manchester City.

What a match this was. Steve Cherry the hero. 

I was privileged to be there.

 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

This was a really great match. It was end to end stuff from beginning to the end. Manchester City had a good side and Clive Allen led their line.

Manchester City hit the woodwork 3 times and I call this match a Steve Cherry masterclass, he was absolutely brilliant that day, saving several shots at point blank range and winning one on one battles too  Notts had their chances too, Kevin Bartlett missing two excellent opportunities in the first half & Phil Turner too .

Phil Turner & Kevin Bartlett found themselves clean through in the 2nd half but couldn't put it away.

And we come to the drama two minutes from time when Gary Lund stroked the winner What drama, and the scenes at the end. Unforgettable 

 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

Just imagine Notts County going out to Spain to play Barcelona for 3 games in 1914, pre War.and coming back with three wins.

 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

A Notts County Historical Great.

William Eric Houghton, (Eric) 

Born 29/06/10 was an English footballer, Manager, & Cricketer.

Football Career.

Houghton signed for Aston Villa in 1927 as a seventeen-year-old & played in the Villa side until 1946, scoring 170 goals in 392 games (The total including wartime matches was over 200 goals.) He also won 7 caps for England. 

Houghton scored 30 goals in the 1930-31 season for Villa, in which Villa scored 128 league goals, a First Division record.

Houghton transferred to Notts County in 1946 & over a three year period, he scored 10 goals in 55 games for Notts.

Managerial Career

In 1949, Houghton became Manager of Notts County & Eric is regarded as being the Manager of Notts who guided them through their first golden age, with players in the side including Tommy Lawton, & Jackie Sewell, who helped their side win the Third Division South Title in Eric's first season as Manager, in front of record attendances. Eric remained Notts County Manager until 1953.

In 1953 Eric Moved to Aston Villa as their Manager, guiding Villa to a FA Cup triumph in 1957. He left Villa in 2958. He later returned to Villa as a director.

Cricket Career.

Houghton played seven first-class matches as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler for Warwickshire County Cricket Club (1946–1947) and also minor counties cricket for Lincolnshire County Cricket Club. He also played club cricket for Sleaford, Aston Unity and Olton Cricket Clubs.

Houghton died in Sutton Coldfield on 1 May 1996, aged 85. (Source Google)

Legacy.

William Eric Haughton will be remembered at Notts County as Managing & guiding a great side that won the Third Division South Title. Eric is a Notts Managerial great and legend.

 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

A Notts Country Historical Great 

James Cantrell: Centre Forward 

(7 May 1882 – 31 July 1960)  was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Aston Villa, Notts County, Tottenham Hotspur and Sutton Town.

Football Career.

Cantrell began his professional career at Aston Villa. The inside forward played in 48 matches and found the net on 22 occasions for the club between 1904 and 1907.

He moved to Notts County in 1907 where he was converted into the centre forward position. Top scorer in his three seasons at County he maintained a goal every other match ratio in 131 matches and scoring 64 goals in his time there.

Tottenham Hotspur impressed by his goal scoring paid a substantial sum for his services in 1912. In a career interrupted by the First World War Cantrell lead the Spurs forward line that won the Football League Second Division in 1919-20 with a then record 70 points. He went on to collect a winner's medal in the 1921 FA Cup Final at the age of 38. He played his last match against Birmingham City just short of his 40th birthday making him the oldest Spurs player to feature in a League match. This record lasted until 6 May 2012 when Brad Friedel appeared for Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa in the Premier League. Cantrell remains the oldest outfield player to appear for Spurs. Cantrell played 176 times and scored on 84 occasions in all competitions between 1912 and 1922.

He joined Midland League club Sutton Town on 8 October 1923, retiring in 1925.

Honours.

James won a 2nd Division Championship medal 1919/20

FA Cup winners medal 1920/21

After Football.

Cantrell returned to Nottingham where he became a golf professional. He died in Basford in 1960.

Source Wiki.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

A Notts County Historical Great.

Thomas Keetley 

(16 Nov 1898 to 18 Aug 1958) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward.

He scored 284 Football League goals between 1919 and 1934

Tom Keetley played for Notts County between 1929 & 1933 scoring 98 goals from 110 appearances including FA Cup, a phenomenal number at nearly a goal a game.Tom held the record for most goals in a season for Notts till Macaulay Langstaff beat Tom's record in the 2023/23 season.

Life and Career.

Keetley was one of eleven brothers and one sister he was born in Derby and came from a footballing family with several other brothers who played professionally including Arthur, Harry, Joe, Frank and  Charlie.

The first Football League side he played for was Bradford Park Avenue, and he first played in the league for them in 1919–20, going on to make 22 league appearances for them over a four-season period.

In 1923–24 he first played league football for Doncaster Rovers, a club which three of his brothers (Harry, Joe and Frank) played for in their careers.

He remains the all-time top scorer for Doncaster with 180 league goals. He also holds the club record for scoring six goals in one game, against Ashington in the Third Division (North) on 16 February 1929.

In 1929  he moved to Notts County for £750, where he scored his first hat-trick for the club on his debut, in a 3–1 win against Bristol City on 30 August 1929. Keetley scored 39 league goals for Notts during the 1930–31 season, a record that would stand for 92 years until surpassed by Macaulay Langstaff in 2023. He left Notts in 1933 to join Lincoln City, having scored 94 goals in 103 league appearances and four goals in seven FA Cup ties.

He played just ten games for Lincoln in 1934 before briefly moving onto non-League Gresley Rovers in 1934, and then Heanor Town.

He is 29th in the all-time top scorers list in league football in England and Scotland having the 9th highest goals per game ratio of 0.75. As of June 2005 he was ranked 19th in the all-time list of highest scoring players scoring in English league football, having scored 284 goals between 1919 and 1934.

After his professional career ended he was landlord of the Rose and Crown in Chellaston, Derby.

(Source Wiki)

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

A Notts County Historical Great.

John George Peart 

(3 October 1888 – 3 September 1948)

Was an English footballer who played centre forward for 13 different teams, in a career which spanned World War I. After he retired he became a football manager until his death in 1948.

Peart was a centre forward who had a nomadic career. He played for eight league clubs in a career which spanned 19 years and every division of the English Football League. He also played non-League football in the Southern and Welsh leagues, as well as guesting for other clubs during the First World War. Peart was known as the 'most injured man in football', his worst injury being a broken leg in 1910 at Stoke which kept him out of football for two seasons.As a manager, he spent a further 25 years in the Football League, and took charge at Rochdale, Bradford City, and Fulham. He won two minor league titles with Stoke, won the Second Division with Notts County in 1913–14, and led Rochdale to second place in the Third Division North in 1923–24 and 1926–27.

Playing Career

Peart left Adelaide South Shields to sign with First Division side Sheffield United in 1907. He scored 50 goals for the reserve team in the 1907–08 season.He hit eight goals in 27 league appearances, and helped the "Blades" finish 17th in 1907–08 and 12th in 1908–09. He then left Bramall Lane for Stoke in the Birmingham & District League in 1910. He spent two years at the Victoria Ground and made an impressive contribution, scoring 34 goals in 23 matches in 1910–11, his run being ended by a broken leg against Crewe Alexandra on 10 December 1910. He claimed hat-tricks against Dudley Town, Wolves Reserves, Treharris Athletic, and Kettering Town, and finished as the club's joint top-scorer (with Alf Smith) despite only playing in the first half of the season. His goals helped the "Potters" to secure the Birmingham & District League title and second place in the Southern League Division Two. After his recovery Peart scored seven goals in 24 games in 1911–12, before the directors decided to cash in on their most profitable player.

He left the Potteries in March 1912 to return to top-flight football with Newcastle United, signing for a fee of £600. Peart made 17 competitive appearances for the "Magpies", all in the Football League, comprising nine in 1911–12 and eight in 1912–13, and scored three goals in each of those seasons. His first appearance for the club came at St James' Park on 16 March 1912 against Middlesbrough, and he scored his first goal the following week against Notts County.

He was sold to Notts County in February 1913, and finished as the club's top-scorer in 1912–13 with just seven goals, as County were relegated into the Second Division. He hit 28 league goals in 1913–14 to fire the club to promotion as divisional champions – he was also the division's joint top-scorer, with Sammy Stevens. He scored 11 goals in 1914–15, to again finish as the club's top-scorer. In his six years at Meadow Lane he scored 51 goals in 82 league appearances. In total he scored 52 goals in 84 appearances for Notts. During World War I he served as a corporal in the Army and also guested for Rochdale, Leeds United, Stoke and Barnsley. He scored 71 goals in 107 appearances at Elland Road.

After a time with Leeds City, he played three Second Division games for Birmingham in the 1919–20 season, before moving on to Derby County in January 1920. He scored one goals in nine league games, before departing the Baseball Ground.

In 1920 he joined Ebbw Vale Steel & Iron Company as player-manager, though he resigned his post in January 1922, returning to the English Second Division with Port Vale.Injury limited his contribution to the Vale's 1921–22 campaign to just seven appearances and he was released from his contract at The Old Recreation Ground in the summer.

At 34 years old, Peart joined Norwich City in the Third Division South for the 1922–23 season. He was appointed player-manager of Rochdale in March 1923, retiring as a player in the 1923–24 season with a Rochdale tally of 10 goals in 22 senior games. In his career Peart scored a total of 126 goals from 241 appearances.

Style of Play

Peart was only 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), but was physically imposing and was known as "the nightmare of goalkeepers". However, he was also skilful, adept at flicking the ball on to his teammates despite his tendency to lose the ball by attempting to beat the entire defence by himself. Despite his physique he was prone to injury.

Managerial Career

Rochdale

Peart spent a short period as player-manager at Ebbw Vale, before managing Rochdale from 1923 to 1930. He took the "Dale" to a second-place finish in the Third Division North in 1923–24; they were one point behind champions Wolverhampton Wanderers, but only Wolves were promoted. Rochdale then finished sixth in 1924–25, before finishing third in 1925–26, just two points behind champions Grimsby Town. They again narrowly missed out on promotion in 1926–27, after ending the campaign in second place, five points behind champions Stoke. The Spotland club then dropped to 13th in 1927–28, 17th in 1928–29 and tenth in 1929–30.

Bradford City

He left Rochdale to become manager of Bradford City, taking over from the club's most successful manager, Peter O'Rourke, in July 1930. During his five years at Valley Parade he maintained the club's position in the Second Division but he had offered to resign at the end of 1933–34 before agreeing to see out the final two years of his contract. They tallied 44 points in 1930–31, 45 points in 1931–32, 41 points in 1932–33, and 46 points in 1933–34. With the club struggling above the relegation zone in 1934–35, he left the "Bantams" in March 1935, and was replaced by Dick Ray.

Fulham

In 1935, he joined Fulham as manager, replacing Jimmy Hogan. He took the club to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1935–36, where a 2–1 defeat to Sheffield United at Molineux cost them a place in the 1936 FA Cup final. He then led the "Cottagers" to mid-table finishes in the Second Division in the 1936–37, 1937–38, and 1938–39 campaigns. He remained in charge at Craven Cottage throughout World War II, and led the club to two further mid-table finishes in 1946–47 and 1947–48. He was still manager at the time of his death in September 1948, a month before his 60th birthday. The team he built went on to win the Second Division championship in the same season under the stewardship of director Frank Osborne.

Personal life 

Peart was married to Margaret Joan Fraser; their son was the doctor and clinical researcher Sir Stanley Peart.

(Source Wiki)

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

Notts County Historical Great.

Albert William Fisher 

(Feb 1881 – 4 Dec 1937)

Footballing Career

Was an English professional footballer who scored 23 goals from 56 appearances in the Football League playing as an inside forward for Aston Villa, Bristol City & Manchester City. He also played for Southern League clubs Brighton & Hove Albion, Bradford Park Avenue, Queens Park Rangers, Coventry City & Merthyr Town.

Managerial Career

As player-manager, he led Merthyr Town to the Southern League Second Division title in 1911/12.

Albert joined Notts County as Secretary Manager, (that's what they called Managers then), succeeding the previous Manager, Tom Harris in Aug 1913 & Managed the club through World War 1 till May 1927. He guided Notts to the Division 2 title in the 1913/14 and 1922/23 seasons.

In all Albert Managed Notts over 444 matches, winning 167, drawing 114, & losing 163 with a win percentage of 39.62% (source Google)

Legacy

Albert is another Notts County great that got us promoted twice into the top tier of English Football, & thus cementing his legendary status at our club.

Edited February 19 by Robbie

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

Notts 3 Southampton 2

Sept 1974, featuring Don Masson, Brian Stubbs and Kevin Randall.

 

[JustLikeJuve]

I thoroughly enjoy delving into Notts’ past. It’s crucial to safeguard and respect the heritage left behind, ensuring it’s not lost to the upcoming wave of fans.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

In Notts County's 3500th league match, Ian McParland scored a hat trick to help Notts to a 4:1 win.

 

[liampie]

i love this @Robbie, i always keep an eye out for pon's otd and other historical things. we have a popular facebook group where i used to post about former players connected with important dates or upcoming games. it was nice to learn about the history of the club.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

Notts 1 Man U 0, April 1984

Ian McParland the provider for Trevor Christie, for the only goal.

 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

A blast from the past. Plenty of goals to enjoy against Crewe over the years.

 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

Notts County 0 Aston Villa 3

We were soundly beaten by Villa on that day but it was great to be there with such a big crowd. 

The old meadow lane ground didn't look at it's best at that time but a little bit of history was made that day with the size of the crowd.