Here’s an interview with Macca that again serves as a reminder of what a wonderfully down-to-earth guy he is - from 4-4-2 magazine’s awards supplement, where he was named Lower League Striker of the Year …


Last term you hit 42 league goals for County, smashing a National League record. What was your secret?
The big reason is the manager, Luke Williams. I was more of a wide player before I joined Notts County in 2022. I’d scored loads of goals at Gateshead in the National League North, but when I came here, the gaffer said he wanted me to be more of a No.9 and gave me tips on how to improve my goalscoring. My team-mates were also incredible last season, giving me brilliant service.

You were nicknamed ‘the non-league Erling Haaland’. What did you make of those comparisons?
I quite liked it. I was being compared to one of the very best strikers in Europe. It gave me added motivation to keep scoring and trying to stay ahead of him in the scoring chart [Haaland finished with 36 Premier League goals]. Some people asked if it put extra pressure on me, but no. In terms of playing style, we’re not that similar. He’s tall, powerful and rapid. He can score towering headers, acrobatic goals and bully defenders. That’s not really my game, but I’d say we both share that natural instinct for scoring goals.

You could have scored even more if you’d been on penalties. Was it frustrating not to be the designated taker?
No, not at all. We had a reliable taker in Ruben Rodrigues and I wasn’t going to take them off him for personal glory. He came up trumps for us many times and I wouldn’t necessarily have scored.

You won the National League Player of the Year award last season – what did that prize mean to you?
It really meant the world, because the National League is a big division with lots of top players, so to be recognised ahead of those brilliant professionals is an honour. Last season was amazing, and to have that individual prize after everything else is special – I’m proud.

The club’s battle with Wrexham for the league title, and one automatic promotion place, was intensified by their newfound fame under owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Did you feel that additional scrutiny?
Not so much – I think they’d have felt that pressure more than us. We knew Wrexham were going to be the main challengers for the title, and we ended up pushing each other to the wire. We wouldn’t have reached the number of points we did [107 to Wrexham’s 111] without them and they’d probably say the same thing about us. Paul Mullin and I also pushed one another all the way in terms of goalscoring [Mullin hit 38]. The rivalry between the two clubs, in the wake of Wrexham’s fame, shone a light on non-league football, and that can only be a good thing.

In the second series of Disney+ show Welcome To Wrexham, McElhenney joked that “Langstaff can f**k off”, while Reynolds said you were dishy enough to be in Peaky Blinders. Was that a bit surreal?
Listen, I’ll take that all day from Ryan Reynolds, and if Peaky Blinders are up for giving me a role, I wouldn’t say no. Obviously it was surreal having people like Ryan and Rob mentioning me. It was funny, and so many people were messaging me about what they’d said when the show aired. It was good fun.

Notts County lost 3-2 at Wrexham in April, with your team-mate Cedwyn Scott failing to convert a last-gasp spot-kick. Was that one of the most intense matches you’ve played in?
Wrexham had lost 3-1 at Halifax three days earlier, so it made our clash even bigger. Sadly, I had a quiet day and we didn’t get the result we wanted. They ended up sealing the title and we had to go up the hard way in the play-offs.

You came through two nail-biters in the play-offs against Boreham Wood and Chesterfield. How relieving was it to go up after the year you’d had?
Hugely. We feared we may have blown it when Wrexham pipped us to the title, so it was lovely reaching the Football League another way. The celebrations were crazy as we’re a tight-knit group. We partied for five or six days straight.

You ignored plenty of offers over the summer. Why did you want to stay?
Money is the most important thing for many footballers, and I support them in that. Our careers are short and we all have futures to plan for. But, for me, the feeling of being happy at a football club, like I am here, is worth more. Why would I leave? I love my team-mates, the gaffer and the staff. I’m at home.

David McGoldrick signed for Notts in the summer. How has it been playing with an ex-Premier League striker?
I’ve learnt so much from David on and off the pitch. You do worry, when you first meet someone who’s scored goals in the Premier League, if they’ll be a bit big time – but he’s been so humble. He works tirelessly and gives me advice to help me improve. I try to take it all in as he’s been to the very top and I haven’t. I’ll get better the more I play with him.

You’d netted 13 League Two goals by mid-November. How’s the step up?
I’ve enjoyed it. People have questioned if I can do it every year – at Gateshead in the National League North, then in the National League last term and now in League Two. I’ve focused on myself and kept proving the doubters wrong.

County started the season well, too. Is back-to-back promotions the aim?
A club of this size, with the structures we have in place and huge support, has to be aiming for promotion – we can’t shy away from it. If we went up again, do I back myself to continue scoring in League One? I don’t know as I’ve never played there, but I’d love to find out...

Wrexham are your rivals once again this term. Can we expect more jibes about you from Rob and Ryan on the next series of Welcome to Wrexham?
After 16 games we were second, they were third and we were on exactly the same points, so it’s shaping up to be another close rivalry. They’re a big club with huge support and a lot of financial backing behind them, and I’m sure that if we finish above them in April when all’s said and done, we’ll be in the mix for promotion. Let’s hope so, anyway!