40 years ago today

[upthemaggies]

Top flight football returned to Meadow Lane after a 55 year gap. That seemed an impossible length of time back then. Will we equal that absence this time around? We'd need to get back in the Premier League before 2047 to avoid a repeat.

2047 looks a crazy amount of time into the future at first glance, but it's only 26 years away - same as 1995 (when Murphy and Thommo took charge) to today.


Notts County 1
Christie 39

Manchester City 1
McDonald 80

HT 1-0

Attendance :- 14,493

NOTTS COUNTY
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League position before match:- 7th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel

1. Raddy Avramovic
2. Tristan Benjamin
3. Ray O'Brien
4. Rachid Harkouk
5. Brian Kilcline
6. Pedro Richards
7. John Chiedozie
8. Iain McCulloch
9. Trevor Christie
10. David Hunt
11. Paul Hooks *

Sub: Mark Goodwin *

MANCHESTER CITY
Colours:- All Sky Blue
League position before match:- 6th/22
Manager:- John Bond

1. Alex Williams
2. Ray Ranson
3. Bobby McDonald
4. Nicky Reid
5. Paul Power
6. Tommy Caton
7. Martin O'Neill
8. Gerry Gow
9. Phil Boyer *
10. Tommy Hutchison
11. Kevin Reeves

Sub: Tony Henry *76

[countygump]

Top flight football returned to Meadow Lane after a 55 year gap. That seemed an impossible length of time back then. Will we equal that absence this time around? We'd need to get back in the Premier League before 2047 to avoid a repeat.

2047 looks a crazy amount of time into the future at first glance, but it's only 26 years away - same as 1995 (when Murphy and Thommo took charge) to today.


Notts County 1
Christie 39

Manchester City 1
McDonald 80

HT 1-0

Attendance :- 14,493

NOTTS COUNTY
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League position before match:- 7th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel

1. Raddy Avramovic
2. Tristan Benjamin
3. Ray O'Brien
4. Rachid Harkouk
5. Brian Kilcline
6. Pedro Richards
7. John Chiedozie
8. Iain McCulloch
9. Trevor Christie
10. David Hunt
11. Paul Hooks *

Sub: Mark Goodwin *

MANCHESTER CITY
Colours:- All Sky Blue
League position before match:- 6th/22
Manager:- John Bond

1. Alex Williams
2. Ray Ranson
3. Bobby McDonald
4. Nicky Reid
5. Paul Power
6. Tommy Caton
7. Martin O'Neill
8. Gerry Gow
9. Phil Boyer *
10. Tommy Hutchison
11. Kevin Reeves

Sub: Tony Henry *76

I was there UTM but it just seems like a crazy, impossible dream now. Even getting back into the EFL seems a monumental task. Sad, really.

[the_anticlough]

Top flight football returned to Meadow Lane after a 55 year gap. That seemed an impossible length of time back then. Will we equal that absence this time around? We'd need to get back in the Premier League before 2047 to avoid a repeat.

2047 looks a crazy amount of time into the future at first glance, but it's only 26 years away - same as 1995 (when Murphy and Thommo took charge) to today.


Notts County 1
Christie 39

Manchester City 1
McDonald 80

HT 1-0

Attendance :- 14,493

NOTTS COUNTY
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League position before match:- 7th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel

1. Raddy Avramovic
2. Tristan Benjamin
3. Ray O'Brien
4. Rachid Harkouk
5. Brian Kilcline
6. Pedro Richards
7. John Chiedozie
8. Iain McCulloch
9. Trevor Christie
10. David Hunt
11. Paul Hooks *

Sub: Mark Goodwin *

MANCHESTER CITY
Colours:- All Sky Blue
League position before match:- 6th/22
Manager:- John Bond

1. Alex Williams
2. Ray Ranson
3. Bobby McDonald
4. Nicky Reid
5. Paul Power
6. Tommy Caton
7. Martin O'Neill
8. Gerry Gow
9. Phil Boyer *
10. Tommy Hutchison
11. Kevin Reeves

Sub: Tony Henry *76

That brings back memories. They had just played in the FA Cup final and replay (the Ricky Villa game). My main memory was before the match. It was a beautiful summer's evening. We arrived about a hour and half early and a large gang of Man City fans surrounded us at the back of the County Road stand. They were friendly enough though, mainly amused that they'd been to Wembley and we hadn't. Happy to let them have that one and they went away.

You notice it was 1 sub back then, can't remember Jimmy, Wilko or anyone complaining about it....

[upthemaggies]

I was there UTM but it just seems like a crazy, impossible dream now. Even getting back into the EFL seems a monumental task. Sad, really.

If offered a divine intervention or pact with the devil of no top flight football again in your lifetime but you will be guaranteed Championship football. I'm guessing we'd all take it.

[upthemaggies]

That brings back memories. They had just played in the FA Cup final and replay (the Ricky Villa game). My main memory was before the match. It was a beautiful summer's evening. We arrived about a hour and half early and a large gang of Man City fans surrounded us at the back of the County Road stand. They were friendly enough though, mainly amused that they'd been to Wembley and we hadn't. Happy to let them have that one and they went away.

You notice it was 1 sub back then, can't remember Jimmy, Wilko or anyone complaining about it....

Their number 6, Tommy Caton, dead less than eight years later at the age of 30.

[the_anticlough]

Yeah, was a big signing for Arsenal if I remember correctly...
Kevin Reeves was another 1 million pound flop. God knows how Bobby McDonald got the equaliser, he can't have scored many.

[upthemaggies]

Yeah, was a big signing for Arsenal if I remember correctly...
Kevin Reeves was another 1 million pound flop. God knows how Bobby McDonald got the equaliser, he can't have scored many.

I think we were interested in Bobby McDonald at one point, around the LLoyd-Barker period. City star Dennis Tueart turned us down just before that 1981/82 season started after we'd agreed a £100,000 fee (he was 32 at the time), so I'm assuming we wouldn't have gone for Chiedozie had Tueart agreed to come. We were trying to get Mick Ferguson from Coventry as well summer 81, who ended up going to Everton and his career petered out quite badly, so it probably worked out for us that we spent all available funds on Chiedozie instead.

[the_anticlough]

I remember the Mick Ferguson interest, he wouldn't have offered more than TC and Mac. Didn't TC finish second only to Ian Rush in the top flight goal scorers chart one season?
Ferguson and Wallace were a great duo for Coventry, but didn't do much at their next clubs. Wallace was like Kevin Reeves (and Fash) a 1M flop, kind of finished off Rushclffe as a contender

[60YearsAPie]

Interesting to see John Bond was City’s manager (he’d taken over from Malcolm Allison), bringing back memories of the rivalry between Notts and his Bournemouth side, a decade earlier.

[SmiffyPie]

As a kid first game 1959. Lived at the place, played and grew up at The Lane. Never missed a home game and went to as many away as I could afford. Joined t'Army in '70 and was posted to Germany. Apart from a weeks leave here and there stayed in Germany until '92. Missed all the Div1 years ffs!!! A lifetime supporting Notts and never got to watch them at the top. Makes you want to cry.