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him finish four clear of Wrexham’s Paul Mullin the race for the Golden Boot and is made all the more remarkable for the fact that none of them came from the penalty spot.
For Langstaff, though, it is ending the Magpies’ four-year exile from the EFL that means the most.
Notts County went toe-totoe with Wrexham in a titanic tussle for the title and though they eventually finished second on 107 points, promotion was secured with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Chesterfield at Wembley.
“I always say that personal accolades are the icing on the cake of team success,” said Langstaff, who also became the first player in National League history to win consecutive Player of the Month awards.
“We’ve gained promotion and I’ve gained some personal recognition along the way, so it has been a great season.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster and to finish it off with promotion is unbelievable. To win it at Wembley in a penalty shoot-out – I don’t think there is a better way to do it. It is going to be a season I look back on for years to come.”
Now, Langstaff is targeting a well-earned break before starting life as an EFL player.
“It has been an incredible season and to win this award means a lot,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of drinks, seen some old faces and met some new people. It’s been a great afternoon and now I’m going to have a mental break, take a couple of holidays and reflect on everything that’s happened.”
IAN Burchnall left big boots to fill when he left Notts County to join Forest Green Rovers last summer.
But the 40-year-old was barely missed as successor Luke Williams took the Magpies to incredible new heights.
Previously on the coaching staff at Swansea, Bristol City and MK Dons, former Swindon manager Williams turned County into a winning machine.
His slick, high-tempo team pursued Wrexham to the bitter end, scoring 117 goals and clocking up 107 points – a total that would have won the title in any previous National League season.
Many feared play-off heartbreak after such a relentless pursuit. But after hitting a dramatic last-minute winner to see off Boreham Wood in the semis, the Magpies twice came from behind at Wembley before edging a tense penalty shoot-out against Chesterfield to seal a richly-deserved promotion.
Williams was named Sports Ground Development Manager of the Year in recognition of an incredible season.
And though the 42-yearold couldn’t be there in person, his award was collected by England C goalkeeping coach – and Williams’ former school coach – Mick Payne.
“When you see a manager go to the very top, people don’t always see the foundations and the groundwork that he has had to go through to get to where he has got,” said Payne, inset left. “I have known Luke since he was ten and I feel so privileged to be connected.
“I think he was always destined to be a coach and be a manager. He has worked tirelessly to get to where he is and I believe there are going to be big things for him down the line.”