2009–10 Notts County F.C. Season
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During the 2009–10 English football season,
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
competed in
Football League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...
, the fourth tier of the
English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...
. Shortly before the season began, the club was subject to a high-profile takeover by Munto Finance, purportedly a wealthy Middle East-based consortium with ambitions to take the club to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. The former
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
manager
Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...
was appointed director of football, and lavish spending began in apparent early efforts to achieve these ambitions. In reality, Munto Finance was controlled by the convicted fraudster Russell King, and the club had been acquired as part of an elaborate scheme to list a fake mining company on the stock exchange. The promised money did not exist, King fled when the scheme collapsed and Notts County were left deeply in debt. Eriksson resigned following a further takeover by Ray Trew, who prevented bankruptcy and oversaw a successful conclusion to the season, with the team winning the League Two championship and
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
to
Football League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...
. The team also fared well in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, reaching the last sixteen of the competition. The season saw four different owners, three permanent first-team managers and two spells of interim management. In total, the team played 54 competitive matches, winning 31, drawing 14 and losing nine.
Lee Hughes Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English former professional Association football, footballer. A strong Forward (association football), striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England national football C team, Engl ...
scored 33 goals across all competitions, becoming the first Notts County player to score 30 goals in a season since
Tommy Lawton Thomas Lawton (6 October 1919 – 6 November 1996) was an English football player and manager. Born in Farnworth and raised in Bolton, he played amateur football at Rossendale United, before he turned professional at Burnley on his 17t ...
sixty years earlier, while Ben Davies made the most appearances, featuring in 51 games. Munto Finance's takeover and the wider scheme of which it formed a part were investigated by journalists from the beginning. It was the subject of a 2011 episode of the
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show ''
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'' and a
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podcast series in 2022. Notts County continued to experience off-field problems over the following years, and the team were relegated to
non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
in 2019; coverage of the club's plight and subsequent attempts to recover often refer to the events of 2009.


Background


Notts County

In the 2009–10 season, Notts County (nicknamed the Magpies) competed in League Two, the fourth tier of the
English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...
, their sixth successive year at this level. The club's time in the fourth tier had been preceded by a serious financial crisis. Between 2002 and 2003, Notts County had spent a record 534 days in
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
. Bankruptcy was prevented in a takeover largely financed by supporter Haydn Green; as part of the deal, the Notts County Supporters' Trust also gained representation on the board of directors. In 2007, shortly before his death, Green sold his stake in the club to the Trust for £75,000, making the latter the majority shareholder. The Trust were not required to pay Green upfront; instead, the £75,000 would only be paid to Green (or his estate after his death) if the Trust sold their shares in the future. The years after exiting administration saw the team consistently struggle. It was relegated to League Two in 2004, and was in danger of relegation to
non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
before its final game of the 2005–06 season. In 2007–08, League Two safety was assured only in a 1–0 win over
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
in the penultimate game of the season, while the following season the team finished 19th. The sustained poor on-field performance resulted in supporters becoming progressively more unhappy under Trust ownership. There were rumours that the club had taken on large loans from unknown individuals in response to financial problems, and the efforts of supporters to find out more were resisted by officials. In April 2009, John Armstrong-Holmes (the club's chairman) and Eric Kerry, the Trust's representatives on the club's board, survived a vote of no confidence, with Armstrong-Holmes arguing that his and Kerry's removal would mean "potential investment may be jeopardised".


Russell King and associates

The Munto Finance takeover of Notts County was orchestrated by Russell King, who had first been convicted of fraud in 1991 after falsely reporting his
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...
had been stolen to claim £600,000 in insurance. Before his involvement in Notts County, King had stolen £671,000 from Belgravia Financial Services Group, and had acquired a 49% stake in the investment bank First London by falsely claiming he was managing billions of dollars for the Bahraini royal family. The others involved were Nathan Willett and his father Peter, of whom little is known; in 2022, the makers of a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
podcast series about the takeover were unable to locate even a forwarding address for the pair. Once the takeover was completed, Peter Trembling acted as executive chairman of Notts County; Matt Scott of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' would later describe him as Munto Finance's "mouthpiece". Following the takeover's collapse, Trembling maintained that he had been deceived, and that he had lost much of his own money as a result of the affair.


Pre-season events


Takeover

While preparing for the 2009–10 season, Notts County were approached by Trembling, who indicated that Munto Finance was interested in buying the club. At a meeting, Trembling told Armstrong-Holmes that Munto Finance were a Middle East-based consortium, and that unspecified royalty was involved. A further meeting took place in Bahrain between Armstrong-Holmes and Roy Parker (a shareholder in the club and its vice chairman) and representatives of the consortium. According to Armstrong-Holmes, King was in attendance, but played no part in the talks until Armstrong-Holmes demanded a
bank guarantee A bank guarantee is a kind of guarantee from a lending organization. The bank guarantee also signifies that the lending institution ensures that the liabilities of a debtor are going to be met. In other words, if the debtor fails to perform the o ...
as a condition of a sale, which King soon produced. Unbeknown to Notts County's representatives, the guarantee, which appeared to be from First London, was worthless. It had not been approved by the bank's board and came from a part of the bank that no longer existed. A deal was agreed, with the takeover announced in July 2009. Trembling was appointed as chief executive, and Munto Finance announced its ambition to see Notts County promoted to the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
within five years. As part of the deal, Munto Finance insisted that it be given ownership of the club for nothing, and the Trust pushed its members to approve the "gift" of the Trust's shares to the consortium. As this would not be a sale, no money would need to be paid to the estate of Haydn Green. Some supporters protested, questioning whether paying Green's estate would not be the "honourable thing" to do, but Armstrong-Holmes urged Trust members to back the deal, saying that "Haydn Green's position in the club's history is acknowledged and will be honoured by Munto". Trust members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the transfer of the shares, and Munto Finance consequently acquired the club for free. Chris Porter, who discussed the takeover in a study of fan ownership of football clubs, says that the sale "amounted to an up-front outlay from the would-be recipient of promised future riches", and that the Trust failed to ask why supposedly wealthy investors were unwilling to make a relatively modest initial outlay to buy the club. The identity of those who would be financing the club was shrouded in secrecy, but the journalist and Notts County supporter Simon Goodley was soon tipped off about the involvement of King, and he began to investigate. Also soon investigating was Matt Scott, who was encouraged to do so by a source after noting in his column that the takeover had not yet been approved.


Player transfers, arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson

Notts County had already begun signing players for the 2009–10 season before the takeover, with these players either being from League Two or non-League clubs or joining on loan. Midfielders
Neal Bishop Neal Robert Bishop (born 7 August 1981) is an English football manager and Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He previously played in the Football League for Barnet F.C., Barnet, Notts County F.C., Notts County, Black ...
, Ben Davies and Ricky Ravenhill joined from
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
,
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
and
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
respectively, while
Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Latimer Park. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in 1976, and have ...
striker
Craig Westcarr Craig Naptali Westcarr (born 29 January 1985) is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker for Eastwood. He began his career at Nottingham Forest, becoming the youngest player ever to play for the club when he made his f ...
had joined on a one-year deal. Also signing pre-takeover were defenders Graeme Lee, who joined the club for an undisclosed fee from
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
, and Brendan Maloney, who joined on a six-month loan from
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
. In the week after Munto Finance took control of the club, the Magpies announced the signing of two strikers,
Lee Hughes Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English former professional Association football, footballer. A strong Forward (association football), striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England national football C team, Engl ...
and Luke Rodgers, on free transfers from
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
and
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...
respectively. On 22 July, Notts announced the appointment of the former
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
manager
Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...
as director of football in what Stuart James of ''The Guardian'' described as "one of the game's most staggering moves of recent times". Despite Munto Finance's initially-stated target of seeing Notts County promoted to the Championship, Eriksson said he wanted to see the club promoted to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. Eriksson said he was "particularly attracted to this role and the unique opportunity to help build a club over the longer term". With Eriksson's appointment, Notts began to target, or were linked in the press with, much more high-profile players. At one point, reports suggested the
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
international and
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
winner
Roberto Carlos Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes ''RC3'', is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the ...
might join the club. On another occasion,
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
was asked by a radio journalist about the possibility of working with his old England manager. The club's final pre-season signing was that of striker Karl Hawley from
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
for an undisclosed fee.


Friendlies

To prepare for the new season, the Magpies played a series of friendlies. The first match after Eriksson's arrival, the game against Nottingham Forest at Notts County's
Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...
stadium, attracted nearly 13,000 spectators, and saw Eriksson "paraded" before the crowd prior to kick off.


Match details

Key *In result column, Notts County's score shown first *H = Home match *A = Away match Results


League Two


August–October

Notts started the season strongly. Hughes scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
on the opening day as the Magpies defeated Bradford 5–0 at home with over 9,000 spectators in attendance. The team won 4–0 at
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
in its first away game, but then suffered its first defeat, losing 2–1 at Chesterfield. During August, the club used its apparent new-found wealth to strengthen its squad. The signing of goalkeeper
Kasper Schmeichel Kasper Peter Schmeichel (born 5 November 1986) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic F.C., Celtic and the Denmark national footb ...
from
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for an undisclosed fee believed to surpass the club record was announced on 14 August. That of Johnnie Jackson from
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
(also for an undisclosed fee) followed two days later. Schmeichel made his debut in a 3–0 home win over
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...
on 22 August. Three days later, Notts announced the signing of England international
Sol Campbell Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player. Widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, he spent 20 years playing in the Premier League and had a ...
on a five-year contract: "there were offers from the Premier League but that would have been short-term. I'm thinking of the future", he told the BBC. In their final match of the month, Notts were beaten 1–0 at
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
. Early in September, Notts County strengthened their squad further, bringing in winger
Matt Ritchie Matthew Thomas Ritchie (born 10 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or wing-back for club Portsmouth. Ritchie represented the Scotland national team from 2015 to 2018. Prior to joining his first club Portsmouth ...
on loan from
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
until the end of December. The month began with two home games, a 1–1 draw with
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
and a 5–2 win over
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
in which Hughes scored his second hat-trick of the season. Campbell made his debut the following week at
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
, but he could not prevent the Magpies from losing 2–1. It proved to be Campbell's only game for the club, as he left by mutual consent four days later. He had grown suspicious that the club's supposed wealth was not real; defender Mike Edwards later said that, shortly before leaving, Campbell had warned his teammates of his doubts. Despite losing Campbell, Notts ended the month with two victories, a 3–1 home win over
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
and a 3–0 win at Lincoln City in which Rodgers scored a hat-trick. On 21 September, the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
confirmed they were investigating the takeover. It had still not been approved by the league, who were demanding to know the identity of the new owners. The same week, King's involvement in the takeover was made public by Goodley in ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', though King maintained he had acted as an advisor on only "strategic and media issues" and had relinquished his role after Notts County had appointed a new communications manager. On 27 September, in an effort to satisfy the league as to the identity of the new owners, Notts named two Middle East-based families as among the club's new investors, a move soon undermined when a member of one of the families denied involvement. Scott also questioned whether King really had ceased to be involved, noting the latter's continued close connections with the companies and individuals linked with Munto Finance. October began with two draws, the first 1–1 at
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
, the second 2–2 at home to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
, a result which left the Magpies in fifth place, four points from top spot. The day after the latter, Ian McParland was sacked as manager, replaced on an interim basis by
Dave Kevan David John Kevan (born 31 August 1968) is a Scottish football coach and former player. A midfielder, he made his debut in the English Football League for Notts County in February 1986. He spent the next four years at the club, also enjoying a b ...
and Michael Johnson. Kevan and Johnson ultimately took charge for two matches, a 0–0 draw at
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
and a 2–0 home win over
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
. In the meantime, on 20 October, the Football League approved the takeover, accepting Notts County's new owners as fit-and proper persons despite still not knowing who they were. With the takeover now sanctioned, Notts moved to appoint their new manager. Eriksson and Trembling held talks with
Roberto Mancini Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for h ...
, who was keen on the job, but Eriksson was by now growing concerned about the lack of investment being made in the club, and warned Mancini to wait. Ultimately,
Hans Backe Hans Roland "Hasse" Backe (; born 14 February 1952) is a Swedish football manager and former player who most recently led Finland's national team. Prior to this he managed the New York Red Bulls. He has coached clubs in Sweden, Norway, Greece ...
was appointed instead. Backe took charge of Notts County's final match of October, a 1–1 draw at home to
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
.


November–January

In early November it was revealed that Notts County's parent company was subject to a
winding-up Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as wound-up or dissolved, although di ...
petition due to £400,000 of unpaid debt. This was despite assurances to the Notts County Supporters' Trust, made when the takeover was agreed, that the debts would be settled quickly. The club narrowly avoided a court hearing on the issue on 12 November, two days before the team's first league match of November, a 3–3 draw at Bury. This match saw an unusual first-half incident, when
Daniel Nardiello Daniel Antony Nardiello (born 22 October 1982) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career with Manchester United and made several first team appearances in the EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League. He went on ...
of Bury beat Schmeichel and fired the ball towards an empty net, only to see the ball become stuck in mud before it had crossed the goal line, allowing Schmeichel enough time to run back and gather. After a 0–0 home draw with
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
, Notts travelled to
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
in their final league match of the month, where they fell to a 2–1 loss. Shortly after the Rochdale match, it was revealed that the Football League had renewed its investigation into Notts County's ownership. The club's off-field position was by now deteriorating rapidly, with King seemingly having vanished, and with creditors visiting the club frequently to demand payment. Despite the mounting problems, the Magpies won their first two games of December, 4–0 at home to
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
and 2–0 at
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
. In the days following the latter, it was reported that Trembling was planning a management buyout of the club, and that Eriksson was on the verge of resigning. Armstrong-Holmes also told ''The Guardian'' that he now felt he had been "hoodwinked" into handing the club over to Munto Finance. Trembling completed his takeover on 12 December, promising to look for fresh investment for the club. The same day, Notts were beaten 2–1 at home by
Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
. This proved to be Backe's final game; he resigned shortly afterwards, with Kevan resuming temporary charge. In their final match of the month, the Magpies won 4–1 at Burton with Hughes scoring a hat-trick. Notts County's financial problems continued in the new year. Early in January, the club was served with a new winding-up petition issued by
HMRC His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (commonly HM Revenue and Customs, or HMRC, and formerly Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) is a Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the UK government responsible for the tax collectio ...
. The situation was not helped by the unusually cold winter forcing the postponement of matches and denying the club much-needed income. Trembling claimed Notts needed investment of £25 million to retain Eriksson and sustain the ambition to reach the Premier League, but the required investment had not been found by the week the club was due in court in connection with the winding-up petition. The day before the hearing, the Magpies played their first league match of the month, a 3–0 win at Dagenham. On 27 January came news that the court had been granted a 28-day extension to the club to settle its debt with HMRC, though the latter requested that this be marked as final; no further extensions would be forthcoming. The team played its final match of the month on 30 January, defeating Barnet 2–0 at home.


February–May

In their first match of February, the Magpies won 1–0 at
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
. A 2–1 defeat at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
followed in the next game, before the team played Grimsby again, this time a 1–1 draw at Meadow Lane. On 11 February, news came that Ray Trew had agreed to buy the club. In a statement, Trembling said Trew was "not of the £25m+ ilk", but did have sufficient funds to prevent the Magpies from going bankrupt. As a result of the takeover, Trembling and Eriksson both departed their posts, though Eriksson was given the "non-active" role of joint life president of the club. Though Notts had been saved, Trew warned supporters that the club's position remained precarious and administration could not be ruled out. Notts County's first league match following the takeover was a 1–1 draw at Aldershot, a result which left the Magpies in seventh place, fourteen points from top spot. Three days later, on 23 February, Trew announced that administration would not be necessary, and that he had appointed
Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English coach and former player who is currently the manager of National League side Forest Green Rovers. Cotterill, a striker, had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albio ...
as manager for the remainder of the season. Cotterill took charge for the first time in the final game of February, a 5–0 home win over Hereford in which Westcarr scored a hat-trick and Rodgers a brace. March began with consecutive wins over Macclesfield, Accrington, and Chesterfield; the last of these saw Notts County move up to fourth place, three points behind Bournemouth, their next opponents. A Hughes brace gave Notts 1–0 and 2–1 leads, but an injury-time equaliser for the away team earned Bournemouth a 2–2 draw. Despite the concession of a late goal, the result moved the Magpies into the top three. There then followed two away matches, the first a 1–0 win at Crewe, the second a 0–0 draw with Bradford which extended the team's unbeaten run to nine. Now in second place, Notts hosted third place Rotherham in their final match of the month. The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw entering the final minute, but a 90th minute goal from Rodgers gave the Magpies a 1–0 win, allowing them to end March in second place, with 68 points from 36 matches, 10 points behind top spot. April began with a 5–0 home win over Bury, with five different goal scorers for the Magpies. That same afternoon, the league leaders Rochdale were beaten 2–0 at Chesterfield; these results meant Notts had reduced the gap between themselves and first place to seven points, having played a game less. Rochdale were held to a draw in their next game, allowing Notts to move within five points with a 1–0 win at Shrewsbury. Rochdale would then lose their next two matches, and Notts took first place after a 1–0 win at Northampton and a 3–1 home win over Lincoln. Promotion to League One was confirmed on 17 April with a 4–1 home win over Morecambe, before Notts played Rochdale at Meadow Lane on 20 April. The match attracted 10,536 spectators, and was won 1–0 by the home team through a 30th minute goal by Hughes. The victory put the Magpies four points clear of second with a game in hand, and was described by Paul Fletcher of the BBC as "a huge step towards sealing the League Two title". Notts lost their next match at Port Vale, but then clinched the title on 27 April with a 5–0 win at Darlington. The team were presented the trophy after their final home game, a 5–0 win over Cheltenham, before the season concluded with a 0–0 draw at Torquay.


Match details

Key *In result column, Notts County's score shown first *H = Home match *A = Away match *pen. =
Penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
Results


Partial league table


Cup competitions


FA Cup

Notts County's FA Cup campaign began in the first round with a home match against fellow League Two club Bradford. Karl Hawley and Johnnie Jackson scored shortly before and after half time, and the Magpies won 2–1. Notts defeated League Two opposition again in the second round, this time coming from 0–1 down to win 2–1 at Bournemouth, and so earned a home tie with
Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...
of the
Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...
in the third round. As the match was due to be played in the midst of Trembling's efforts to find a new buyer for the club, he had reportedly hoped to use the tie as an opportunity to host potential investors; the match, however, was postponed due to freezing weather conditions. The tie eventually went ahead on 20 January and was won 2–1 by the Magpies, who consequently reached the FA Cup's fourth round for the first time in 15 years. Notts County's next opponents were Premier League side
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
, who visited Meadow Lane on 23 January. A crowd of 9,073 saw the Magpies take a 2–0 first half lead through goals from Hughes and Davies, but Wigan fought back in the second half, and a late goal from Ben Watson meant the match finished 2–2, meaning a replay would be required. With speculation ongoing about the club's future, Davies welcomed the replay as a "chance to get in the headlines for the right reasons". In the replay, a 75th minute goal from Stephen Hunt, followed shortly afterwards by an own goal from Wigan's
Gary Caldwell Gary Caldwell (born 12 April 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach who is the manager of Exeter City. Caldwell played for Newcastle United, Darlington, Coventry City, Derby County, Hibernian, Celtic, Wigan Athletic an ...
, gave the Magpies a 2–0 win over their Premier League opponents. The victory meant Notts County progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1992. Here, the Magpies were drawn away to another Premier League club, this time
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. The match, coming shortly after Trew's purchase of the club, resulted in a 4–0 defeat for Notts, who were consequently eliminated from the competition.


Match details

Key *In result column, Notts County's score shown first *H = Home match *A = Away match *pen. =
Penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
Results


League Cup

As a League Two team, Notts County entered the League Cup in the first round, where they were drawn at home to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
of the Championship. The Magpies lost 1–0 and were thus eliminated from the competition.


Match details

Key *In result column, Notts County's score shown first *H = Home match *A = Away match *pen. =
Penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
Results


Football League Trophy

In the first round of the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
, a competition for League One and Two teams, Notts County were drawn away to Bradford. The match finished 2–2, requiring a
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
to determine the winner. Bradford won this 3–2, and the Magpies were eliminated from the competition.


Match details

Key *In result column, Notts County's score shown first *H = Home match *A = Away match *pen. =
Penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
Results


Players

Before Trew's takeover, Notts County had been penalised for breaking League Two's salary cap, which required wages exceed no more than 60% of revenue. Though Trew claimed to have rectified this, the club nevertheless spent much of the season under a transfer embargo, unable to sign any further players. A total of 24 players made at least one appearance for Notts County during the 2009–10 season. Of these, Ben Davies played in the most games, featuring in 51 of 54 matches. Eight other players – Neal Bishop, Mike Edwards, Lee Hughes, Ricky Ravenhill, Luke Rodgers, Kasper Schmeichel, John Thompson and Craig Westcarr – made a minimum of 40 appearances, while three players (Sol Campbell,
Sean Canham Sean Thomas Canham (born 26 September 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Gwelup Croatia. Career After an unsuccessful trial with Charlton Athletic, Canham signed for Notts County in early August 2008, for the start of the 2008–09 ...
and Nathan Fox) played only once, the latter two's appearances coming as substitutes. Hughes scored 33 goals across all competitions during the campaign. In doing so, he became the first Notts County player to score 30 goals in a season since
Tommy Lawton Thomas Lawton (6 October 1919 – 6 November 1996) was an English football player and manager. Born in Farnworth and raised in Bolton, he played amateur football at Rossendale United, before he turned professional at Burnley on his 17t ...
in 1949–50. Davies (16), Rodgers (13) and Westcarr (11) were the other players to reach a minimum of 10 goals. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel kept 24 clean sheets in his 43 league appearances, setting a new club record for the most in a season.


Player statistics

;Key Pos = Playing position Nat. = Nationality Apps = Appearances GK =
Goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
DF = Defender MF =
Midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
FW =
Forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
''Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.'' Source:


Aftermath and legacy


Investigations of the takeover

Investigations of the Munto Finance takeover, and the broader scheme of which it was part, continued after its collapse. One was undertaken by the BBC journalist
Peter Marshall Peter Marshall may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Marshall (entertainer) (1926–2024), American game show host of ''The Hollywood Squares'', 1966–1981 * Peter Marshall (author, born 1939) (1939–1972), British novelist whose works include ' ...
, whose investigation was broadcast in an episode of ''
Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...
'' shown on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
in April 2011. More than a decade later, the journalist (and Notts County supporter) Ben Robinson, the radio presenter (and
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
native)
Alice Levine Alice Levine (born 8 July 1986) is an English radio and television presenter, writer, narrator and comedian. Early life and education Levine was born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. Levine studied English at the University of Leeds, where she me ...
and the producer Nick Southall uncovered further information for a
BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is an Over-the-top media service, over-the-top audio streaming media, streaming and download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, Streaming media, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide ...
podcast series. These investigations, together with the reporting of Matt Scott, confirmed King's central role. Eriksson gave an interview to Scott shortly after the former's departure from Notts, in which Eriksson said that King had played a pivotal part in convincing him to join the club. Meanwhile, Marshall found evidence of King giving orders and approving finances at Meadow Lane, and Trembling told Marshall that King had been his boss. The investigations revealed a complicated network of companies. Munto Finance was a subsidiary of Qadbak Investments, which was in turn closely connected to a third company, Swiss Commodity Holding (SCH), the sole directors of which were Nathan and Peter Willett. Eriksson had been promised a shareholding in SCH, and Campbell handed a £33,000 per week "ambassadorial" contract (in addition to his contract with Notts County). The company's logo was even incorporated into Notts County's badge. King was preparing a fraudulent stock market floatation of SCH, which presented itself as a mining company with reserves of $1.9 trillion and the rights to extract the mineral wealth of North Korea (despite lacking the means of doing so). The takeover of Notts County, together with a similar attempted takeover of the
BMW Sauber The German automobile manufacturer/brand BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s (often under Form ...
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
team, was intended to lend positive publicity to SCH and drive interest in its floatation. Had King succeeded in getting SCH listed, it would have resulted in "a fraud on a colossal scale". King and Nathan Willett visited North Korea in October 2009, taking with them Eriksson and Abid Hyat Khan, a man introduced to Eriksson as a Bahraini prince, but in fact an alleged fraudster hiding from British police. During the visit, Eriksson was asked by North Korean officials to fix a favourable
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
group for the North Korea team. King and his SCH colleagues held meetings with North Korean officials during the visit, during which he handed out certificates to his hosts for shares in SCH supposedly worth $2 billion. However, the delegation's departure from
Pyongyang International Airport Pyongyang International Airport () , also known as Pyongyang Sunan International Airport (), is the sole international airport serving Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea and located in the city's Sunan District. History Early years During ...
was considerably delayed, with the North Koreans apparently having grown suspicious. Eriksson described a tense wait before the flight was allowed to leave, with King and Willett "panicking and sweating". King's scheme effectively collapsed, and he fled to Bahrain. Marshall would later track him down and confront him there, but King closed the door on Marshall without speaking. Nathan Willett also disappeared. While still in Bahrain, King launched another fraudulent scheme, this time creating a magazine which he passed off as a Middle East-based edition of the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' to obtain the advertising revenue and barter deals. In 2018, King was extradited from Bahrain to Jersey to stand trial in connection with still another fraud, this one perpetrated in Jersey in 2008. He was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to six years imprisonment. At a later hearing, Jersey authorities ordered that he pay £322,212 in connection with the case or face additional time in prison. Released in 2021, he was confronted again by Levine at his home in the course of her and Robinson's investigation. He refused to come to the door, and even denied that he was Russell King.


Consequences for Notts County

"We expected it to be bad, but probably not this bad", Jim Rodwell, Notts County's new chief executive, said of the club's finances a month after Trew's takeover. At that point, the club was thought to be £6.9 million in debt. Trew later said that the final debts were in fact £7.3 million, including a six figure sum owed to a law firm and £250,000 owed to Campbell for his solitary appearance. The situation would have been worse had Eriksson not agreed to forgo £2.5 million owed to him by the club. There was considerable anger towards Notts County from other League Two clubs, who felt that the Magpies had not been punished sufficiently for breaking the salary cap. Trew dismissed this in an open letter, claiming the club's FA Cup run and his investment had brought it within the salary cap, though he acknowledged this had not been the case before his arrival. Nevertheless, Notts were required to release Schmeichel, reportedly earning £15,000 per week, following the season's conclusion, with Trew explaining that retaining and attempting to gain a transfer fee for the goalkeeper would have been a huge risk for a club with such precarious finances. Notts County remained in League One for five years until returning to League Two in 2015. Interest in the Munto Finance takeover has continued in the years since, particularly as the club continued to experience off-field problems. In 2016, with the club once again subject to winding up petitions, and Trew looking to sell, Harry Reardon of ''
These Football Times ''These Football Times'' is a leading independent association football magazine and online publication that emphasizes long-form journalism. Each bi-monthly print issue aims to focus on a specific area of the sport or an individual club, with Th ...
'' wrote of the "bizarre" takeover, hoping that a proposed sale to overseas investors would "go a little better than last time". Trew sold the club to Alan Hardy, a Nottingham-based businessman, in December 2016, but by 2019 the Magpies were not only once again in the midst of a severe financial crisis but also relegated to non-League football for the first time in their history. Coverage of the club's plight at that time referenced the events of 2009. During the 2022–23 season, some journalists framed the club's efforts to win promotion back to the league as an attempt to recover from the off-field problems of the previous two decades, the 2009 takeover among them.


Notes


References

Infobox kits *Home colours: *Away colours: General * * * * Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 Notts County F.C. Season Notts County F.C. seasons
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...