Notts County v Grimsby Preview

Who are they?

Notts County are quite simply the oldest professional football club in the world, having been formed way back in 1862. But the real fun stuff began only this summer when rich Middle Eastern company Qadbak Investments bought the club and promised to bring Premier League Football to Meadow Lane in the not-too-distant future. They began to put their money where their mouths are, bringing in former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson on a £100,000 per week five-year contract as Director of Football. A short time later, England defender Sol Campbell was snapped up for a mere £60,000 a week, although he left after just one game with the club, a defeat by Morecambe.

In December of this year, the owners sold their shares to Executive Chairman Peter Trembling, who became overall Chairman. Swedish coach Hans Backe was brought in as County’s manager replacing Ian McParland in October, and he too went the same way as the owners in December. County are currently without a manager, but have received some 40 applicants for the job, although the club have confirmed that an appointment will not be made until the New Year.

Looking back slightly further into the past, Notts County’s achievements include an FA Cup Final win in 1894, and a losing finalist appearance three years prior. They also hold the prestigious honour of being the most promoted and relegated side in England, having won promotion 12 times and suffered relegation on 15 occasions. Famous ex-managers include Sam Allardyce, Neil Warnock and Jimmy Sirrell. Fascinatingly, Italian giants Juventus took the design of their black and white stripes not from the Mariners, but from Notts County.

County began the season in blistering form, and threatened to run away with the title. They thrashed Bradford City 5-0 on the opening day, and went on to earn convincing wins against Macclesfield, Dagenham and Northampton before the middle of September. Throughout the season their home form has been top notch, with six wins and only one home defeat thur far. Away form has been problematic however, with only three wins to their name this season, and defeats at Rochdale, Morecambe and Barnet have left County in 6th place in League Two on 34 points. Still, they are 17 places and 17 points above the Mariners in the league, and look on course for a play-off finish at least. Strike pairing Lee Hughes and Luke Rodgers have 21 league goals between them so far this season.

County legends include Les Bradd (137 goals) Tony Hately (114 goals) and Albert Iremonger (601 appearances) but perhaps the most famous player to have worn the black and white shirt is Tommy Lawton. The England international played over 150 games for the club shortly after the Second World War, writing his name into Notts County folklore during his spell. Throughout the war Lawton served as a training instructor in the army, before signing for County from Chelsea in 1947. The striker netted 103 times in 166 appearances and scored an incredible 22 goals in 23 games for England. Interestingly, Lawton played despite having ‘flat feet’ and being forced to wear orthotics during games, but his pace and finishing ability meant he became a hero for County fans in the lat 1940s.

28 year old midfielder Ben Davies was snapped up on a free from League Two rivals Shrewsbury Town in the summer. Davies came to the club with a reputation for scoring goals from midfield in the past, and since signing for County he has already netted five times. Despite spells with Walsall and Kidderminster in his younger days, Davies made his name with Chester City where he played over 150 games for the club. He moved to Shrewsbury in 2006, scoring 12 goals in his first season at the club before being named club captain in 2008, although he was stripped of the role when he turned down a new contract later in the campaign. Davies admitted it was a tough decision to leave Shrewsbury, but he soon put the departure behind him with a goal on his debut against Bradford City. Town fans may remember it was Davies who scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury last season.

Mariners 4-0 Notts County – 27th September 2005

Town earned an impressive win against ten-man County with two goals either side of half time. The Mariners went ahead mid-way through the first half when Rob Jones nodded in an Andy Parkinson cross, and the lead was doubled when Martin Gritton scored a diving header on the stroke of half-time. Just seconds after the break, Jean-Paul Kalala thumped in a 25 yard thunderbolt that smacked the crossbar before crossing the lane to make it 3-0. County went down to ten men shortly after when Lewis McMahon was judged to have elbowed Paul Bolland. Town wrapped up the points when Gary Cohen raced clear to rifle home Tom Newey’s cross with ten minutes left to ensure a comfortable victory and move the Mariners to the summit of League Two.

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Head to Head

Of the 76 games the two clubs have played against each other, the Mariners edge the head-to-head with 32 wins to Notts County’s 26. Town have a decent record against County in recent seasons, with only three defeats in the last the last ten games, but have only won one of the last six. A 2-0 win at Meadow Lane last season all but confirmed the Mariners’ survival in League Two, and a battling 1-0 win in March 2006 courtesy of a Michael Reddy goal was Town’s final away triumph of the campaign

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Head-to-Head (31st The Opposition Ladder)

Last Meeting

Notts Co 0 Grimsby 2 (Sat 13th Apr 2009)

One of the most memorable games of last season. Grimsby had to win after relegation rivals Chester had won in a lunchtime kick off. Town responded superbly and backed by over 1000 vocal fans they went away from Meadow Lane with an extra spring in their step and three invaluable points.

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