O’brien to leave Magpies’ nest ‘as iconic figure in club’s history’
JIM’S FIVE-YEAR STAY TO END AS FOUR MORE PLAY-OFF WINNERS NOT OFFERED NEW DEALS, WHILE RAWLINSON IS TRANSFER-LISTED
FIVE members of the squad which helped Notts County return to the Football Leave are to leave the club this summer, the Magpies have confirmed.
Club stalwart Jim O’brien, who took charge of the side on a temporary basis earlier this year in the wake of Luke Williams’ departure to Swansea City, heads the contingent of players not being offered new deals upon the expiration of their contracts.
Following the midfielder out of the Meadow Lane exit door will be Richard Brindley, John Bostock, Aden Baldwin and Tobi Adebayo.
Defender and captain Connell Rawlinson, meanwhile, has been made available for transfer by boss Stuart Maynard.
A statement from the Magpies’ board said: “We’d like to place on record our immense gratitude to Jim O’brien, Richard Brindley, Connell Rawlinson, John Bostock, Aden Baldwin and Tobi Adebayo for their tremendous efforts in their time at the club.
“Jim is the only member of the squad who pre-dates our arrival, having joined the battle against relegation in January 2019.
“He went on to be an integral part of our efforts to restore our EFL status and, having helped us achieve that in 2022-23, has this season recorded his highest number of club appearances (43).
“That fact is made all the more impressive when you consider his playing duties took a back seat in the wake of Luke Williams’ departure, when he accepted the huge challenge of managing team affairs.
“Jim applied himself to that role with the same level of dedication we have seen from him on the pitch week in, week out – and proved why he will go on to have an outstanding coaching career.
“Despite his strong performances this season, we feel now is the right time to part ways – but he moves on having firmly established himself as an iconic figure in the history of the world’s oldest professional club.
“Connell and Richard were two of our earliest signings, joining shortly after our takeover as we were assembling the squad which went on to reach the play-off final in the club’s first season in the National League.
“They were mainstays of our team as we continued to push for promotion in the years that followed – and fittingly were both on the pitch as our winning penalty ensured their efforts were rewarded in last season’s Wembley final.
“Their fellow defender, Aden Baldwin, can also take immense pride in what he’s achieved in his time at Meadow Lane.
“As well as being an outstanding performer in our promotion season, we would never have reached Wembley without his two heroic goals in the semi-final against Boreham Wood.
“John and Tobi are two players who have established themselves as huge characters at the club.
“We know our supporters will always hold the aforementioned players in extremely high regard for playing huge roles in the club’s progress to this point.
The club also announced Luther Munakandafa will be leaving Meadow Lane, with Aidan Stone and Will Randall joining Rawlinson on the transfer list. County, though, have offered new terms to Geraldo Bajrami, whose contract is due to expire, while the option to extend Cedwyn Scott’s stay by another year has been activated.