WHEN SAM’S NOTTS TIED UP THEIR RIVALS
NOTTS County fans frustrated with their side’s form this season may need cheering up – a book about the club’s exploits two decades ago might help. Magpies fan Paul Smith,
below, previously wrote Pie in the Sky, the tale of Notts County’s 2009/10 title victory.
Now, the author takes us back to a season that has special significance for him, as he stresses in Record Breakers – The Inside Story of Notts County’s Momentous 1997/98 Title Win.
“… The first year I truly recall games, incidents within them, great goals and the players who made it happen, is 1997/98 – Sam Allardyce’s record breakers,” he states. “The Third Division title was won by March, something no side has ever managed. This was a Notts County side that just won and won and won.”
The journalist also felt that County side hadn’t received the credit they deserved for their achievements.
So with the 20th anniversary of that remarkable season beckoning, he decided it was the perfect time to track down as many of the players as he could and get their take on things.
It helps that there were some decent names in that team – for example, Ian Hendon, Mark Robson, Shaun Derry, Andy Hughes, Ian Baraclough, Steve Finnan – and a manager in Allardyce who has gone on to have a highly successful career, including managing England, albeit briefly.
The glorious season Notts had in the fourth tier in 97/98 was all the more surprising given the disastrous campaign they had had the one before, finishing rock-bottom of the third tier.
Disastrous
Allardyce has become known as something of a relegation escape expert in recent years, but he was only able to win two games out of his 21 in charge having taken over mid-season.
It meant the pressure was on him – and the team – to get off to a flying start at the lower level.
Striker Gary Jones, who hit 28 goals in the rip-roaring title season, said: “Sam must have gone through our contracts with a magnifying glass because he brought us back on 1 June – I f**cking hated it!”
Yet what the players regarded as the toughest pre-season of their careers began to pay dividends as the results started to go their way. The book makes clear how close the bond was between all the players, a team spirit that made them put in that extra effort when the chips were down. There’s also the tension in the relationship between chairman Derek Pavis and Allardyce over money for signings and the sale of players.
One of the strengths of the book is that it’s not just a chronological account of what happens. It flits around and focuses on different aspects and individuals.
It’s well written and the contributions from so many of those involved bring it to life. With loads of stories and anecdotes, fans’ recollections and updates on what the players are doing now, this is a well-rounded book that Notts fans – or football fans in general – will thoroughly enjoy.