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Notts County |
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| Bob 70-71 | 1970/71: A SEASON TO REMEMBERBy Paul Belshaw This season was the one responsible for shaping my football destiny.Prior to this I had watched the odd game with my Dad at both Notts and Forest with no particular allegiance to either. My family had been traditionally County fans but with Notts languishing at the bottom reaches of the Fourth Division and Forest in the first there was only the insistence of my maternal Grandfather pushing me towards Meadow Lane. This was to change in one glorious season. Notts had finished the previous season in 8th place after the appointment of our messiah,a previously unknown Scottish manager called Jimmy Sirrel and the signs looked good at the start of the season with a promising start I attended the first few home games of the season was soon totally committed to the Black and white cause. A few weeks into the season WE (I had by now taken ownership of the team) made a major signing, a famous centre forward called Tony Hately. He had started his career at Notts and had gone on to play for many Big clubs including Liverpool,Aston Villa and Birmingham.He proved to be the last piece of the jigsaw and in 33 appearances that season he scored 23 goals breaking the clubs League goal scoring record along the way. He was joined up front by either Les Bradd, who later went on to break Hateleys record or Richie Barker affectionately known as Dobbin. Width was provided by Jon Nixon on the right and Charlie Crickmoore on the left both of whom weighed in with their fair share of goals.In midfield there was our greatest ever player Don Masson who later won full Scottish honours after leaving Notts and returned later on in his career to captain us to promotion to the First division after doing the same this season.With him in the middle of the park was Mick Jones whose one job was to get the ball and give it to Masson. The centre of defence was made up of an impregnable partnership of David Needham and Brian Stubbs two tall players with very different attributes who complimented each other perfectly.Needham was skilful with a good turn of pace and Stubbs was Hard with a capital H. They were both brilliant in the air and a constant danger to the opposition from any of Massons perfectly flighted set pieces. Both of them went on to make over 400 appearances for Notts,many of them in partnership. The full backs were Bill Brindley and Bob Worthington who were both reliable and steady performers. In goal was another record breaker called Barry Watling who in this season saved a recordbreaking number of penalties. We ended the season with a then record points total for the division of 69,9 points clear of Bournemouth in second place. NOTTS COUNTY 1970/71 TOTAL LEAGUE RECORD PLAYED=46,WON=30,DREW=9,LOST=7(None at home),GOALS FOR=89, GOALS AGAINST=39,POINTS=69 This season was not only the start of my love affair with the club but the beginning of an era of unprecedented success which saw us end the decade in the First division with the same Chairman,Manager and Captain as we had begun it. PAUL BELSHAW. Return to Notts County
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| Bob Dunning 16 August 2001 |
Click for Soccer headlines at www.bobdunning.net |
