During the 2022–23 English football season, Notts County competed in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system; this was their fourth season at this level following their relegation from EFL League Two in 2019. The team was involved in an intense race with Wrexham for the league title and the solitary automatic promotion place, with the two clubs dominating the 2022–23 National League season, together surpassing previous divisional records for points, wins and goals scored. Though Notts earned 107 points over the campaign, Wrexham claimed the title by a four-point margin, requiring the former to enter a six-team play-off to determine the second promoted club. Here, the team overturned a 0–2 deficit to defeat Boreham Wood 3–2 in extra time in the semi-final. It then gained a place in the English Football League (EFL) by beating Chesterfield 4–3 on penalties in the 2023 National League play-off final following a 2–2 draw at Wembley Stadium. The team fared less well in cup competitions, losing to Coalville Town in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup and to Maidstone United on penalties in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.
Led by first-year head coach Luke Williams, Notts County played 51 competitive matches, winning 34, drawing 13, losing four, and breaking numerous club records. Macaulay Langstaff scored 42 goals during the campaign, setting new club and league records for the most goals scored by a player in a single season, while Matt Palmer made the most appearances, featuring in all 51 games. The necessity of a team with such a high points tally having to win promotion via the play-offs prompted discussion about increasing the number of promotion and relegation places between the National League and EFL, while the team's rivalry with Wrexham featured in season two of the television programme Welcome to Wrexham. The season was affected by the sudden death of Jason Turner, the club's Chief Executive Officer, at the age of 50 on 30th March.
Background A founding member of the English Football League (EFL) in 1888, Notts County (nicknamed the Magpies) were relegated to non-League football for the first time in 2019. The 2022–23 season was the club's fourth consecutive season in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, with each of their three previous campaigns ending in defeat in the play-offs. Under the management of Neal Ardley, Notts had finished third in the 2019–20 season, losing the 2020 National League play-off final 3–1 to Harrogate Town. Ardley was dismissed during the 2020–21 season and replaced as head coach by Ian Burchnall. The team finished fifth, and reached the semi-finals of the play-offs, losing 4–2 in extra time at Torquay United. In 2021–22, Burchnall's only full season in charge, Notts again finished fifth. Rúben Rodrigues gave the Magpies a 1–0 lead in their home play-off quarter-final against Grimsby Town at Meadow Lane, Nottingham. However, Grimsby found an equalising goal in the final moments of normal time, and won the match 2–1 late in extra time.
Coach and player changes Out On 27 May, four days after the play-off defeat to Grimsby, Burchnall departed Notts to take the role of head coach at League One side Forest Green Rovers. His assistant Michael Doyle followed four days later. Several players also departed during the off-season: Dion Kelly-Evans, Alex Lacey and Tyreace Palmer were released, Kyle Wootton made a free transfer to Stockport County, and Lewis Knight and Callum Roberts were sold for undisclosed fees to Gateshead and Aberdeen respectively. The club also agreed to terminate the contract of forward Elisha Sam. There was one additional departure during the season, with Notts agreeing to terminate the contract of Joel Taylor on 13 March.
Several Notts players, who would make first-team appearances for the club during 2022–23, were also loaned to other clubs during the season. Frank Vincent was loaned to Aldershot Town in August, initially for one month, but then until January. In November, before his release, Taylor was loaned to Dagenham & Redbridge, originally for two months, and then for one month further. Before making his senior debut for the Magpies at Bromley in March, Tiernan Brooks spent time on loan at Hednesford Town and Boston United, while Kairo Mitchell was loaned to Eastleigh for the remainder of the season in February having found his playing time at Notts increasingly limited. Ed Francis was the final player to be loaned out, moving to Gateshead until the end of the season in March.
In
Burchnall was replaced as head coach by former Swindon Town manager Luke Williams, with Ryan Harley as his assistant. Notts County's first player signings came before Williams's arrival, with wing-back Tobi Adebayo-Rowling the first announced on 29 May. The Magpies added two other players to their defensive ranks during the off-season, with Aden Baldwin's signing announced on 23 June, and that of fellow centre-back Geraldo Bajrami coming the following day. Notts also made three attacking signings in the off-season, all of whom featured in the National League North's 2021–22 team of the season. Notts paid undisclosed fees for Gateshead duo Macaulay Langstaff and Cedwyn Scott, who had scored 28 and 24 league goals respectively in the 2021–22 season, with Langstaff also winning the National League North's player of the year award. Joining them from Kidderminster Harriers was winger Sam Austin. Notts made two further permanent transfers as the 2022–23 season progressed: John Bostock, who joined the Magpies on 7 December having been without a club since departing Doncaster Rovers in the summer, and forward Junior Morias, who joined the Magpies on 15 March from Dagenham.
Notts County brought in five players on loan during the 2022–23 season, starting with Leicester City goalkeeper Brad Young, who joined on 26 August. Intended as a season-long loan, an injury forced his return to Leicester in January. In Young's place, the Magpies secured the loan of Archie Mair from Norwich City. Midfielder Quévin Castro joined on a four-month loan from West Bromwich Albion in September. Following Castro's departure, Notts secured the loan of winger Jodi Jones from Oxford United for the remainder of the season. The club's final loan signing was midfielder Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, who joined on loan from Stockport in February. Though intended to be a loan until the end of the season, Lemonheigh-Evans was recalled by Stockport on 24 March.
Pre-season Notts County played a series of friendlies to prepare for the new season, defeating Basford United 5–1 in their first match. The Magpies then played a behind-closed-doors match against Leicester City at the latter's training ground on 9 July, coming from behind to win 2–1. After a 2–0 win at Alfreton Town on 12 July, Notts played two 70-minute matches against Cambridge United at St Neots Town's Rowley Park on 16 July. Notts lost the first match 2–0, but won the second 3–2 through a seven-minute hat-trick from Langstaff. Following a 1–1 draw at Boston United on 20 July, Notts County played Nottingham Forest in their only home game of pre-season. Forest, fielding a "youthful starting XI", took 1–0 and 2–1 leads, but Notts levelled twice, and the match finished 2–2. In their final pre-season match, Notts played at fellow National League side York City, with the Magpies winning 1–0.
Key
In result column, Notts County's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match
pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal
Results
DateOpponentsResultNotts County goalscorersSource5 July 2022Basford United (A)5–1Langstaff, Scott, Rodrigues, Cameron, Tait (o.g.)9 July 2022Leicester City (A)2–1Mitchell, Baldwin12 July 2022Alfreton Town (A)2–0Roberts (pen.), Francis16 July 2022Cambridge United (A)0–2 3–2 Langstaff (3)20 July 2022Boston United (A)1–1Cameron27 July 2022Nottingham Forest (H)2–2Langstaff, Austin30 July 2022York City (A)1–0O'Brien
National League
The 2022–23 National League season saw 24 teams play 46 matches each: two against every other team, with one match at each club's ground. Three points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for defeats. At the end of the season, the top-ranked team won promotion to EFL League Two. Unlike the divisions of the EFL, where the runner-up was also guaranteed to win promotion, the National League runner-up entered a six-team play-off, featuring the teams finishing between second and seventh place, to determine the second promoted club.
August–October
Notts County hosted Maidenhead United on the opening day of the season; Langstaff scored two goals on his debut in a 3–0 win. The first away game, a week later at Boreham Wood, ended 2–2, and was the first of three consecutive draws. Following a 1–1 draw at Gateshead, Notts hosted Chesterfield in their second home match of the season. After falling 2–0 down in the 55th minute, Luke Williams made a double substitution in an effort to salvage something from the game, with Austin and Scott coming on in favour of Jim O'Brien and Mitchell. The effects were immediate; Langstaff pulled a goal back in the 60th minute, and headed a second three minutes later from Austin's cross. The match finished 2–2, but Notts fell to tenth place in the league. The Magpies then won consecutive matches for the first time that season, with a 4–1 win at FC Halifax Town (which featured another brace for Langstaff) and a 1–0 home win over Solihull Moors. Notts County finished August in fifth place with twelve points from six matches.
September began with a 5–0 away win at Dagenham in which Langstaff scored a hat-trick. Notts were then due to play Bromley at home on 10 September, but this match was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. When football resumed on 13 September, the Magpies won a fourth consecutive match, this time defeating Aldershot 2–0 at Meadow Lane. Notts County's unbeaten start to the season came to an end four days later in a 3–1 loss at Dorking Wanderers, but Notts won away the following week, this time at York, with loanee Quévin Castro putting the Magpies 1–0 ahead after five minutes with a long-range free kick. Although Fraser Kerr equalised for the home side, Langstaff restored Notts County's lead against his former club shortly before half-time, and scored a second in the second half to seal a 3–1 win. September ended with Notts in third place, taking 21 points from 10 matches.
On 10 October, Langstaff was announced as the National League's player of the month for September. Having previously won the same award for the month of August, Langstaff became the first player to win consecutive National League player of the month awards. His prolific early-season form was receiving increasing media attention, including favourable comparisons to Manchester City's Erling Haaland. Langstaff joked that friends were sending him messages every week to remind him that Haaland was closing in on his goal tally. He told Paul Taylor of The Athletic that comparisons with the City forward were a "massive, massive privilege" and that he hoped "to stay ahead of him", but continued "...it is about Notts; about winning promotion and nothing else. If you asked me whether I would rather get more goals than Haaland this season or, alternatively, win promotion – I would pick promotion without hesitation."