Notts County FC 1982/83
Match Line-Up's & Details

Newly promoted to the top flight this season
Luton Town, Watford and Norwich City
*Watford would be playing in the top flight for the first time in their history. Norwich City had won promotion back up to the top flight at the first attempt.

Pre-season friendlies

Saturday 14th August 1982
Sheffield Wednesday 5
Notts County 0

Tueday 17th August 1982
Barnsley 0
Notts County 1

Monday 23rd August 1982
Leicester City 2
Notts County 1

Swansea City 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 8,048

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- First game of the season, had finished 15th in 1981/82
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   Ian McParland *
8.   Rachid Harkouk
9.   Trevor Christie
10. John Chiedozie
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Aki Lahtinen *

Swansea City
Colours:- ?Change strip - All Blue?
League Position:- First game of the season, had finished 6th in 1981/82
Manager:- John Toshack

1.   Dai Davies
2.   Chris Marustik
3.   Dzemal Hadziabdic
4.   Colin Irwin
5.   John Mahoney
6.   Gary Stanley
7.   Leighton James
8.   Robbie James
9.   Jeremy Charles
10. Nigel Stevenson
11. Bob Latchford

Sub:

Wednesday 1st September 1982

Top tier League fixture

Sunderland 1
Rowell 89

Notts County 1
Christie 55

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 18,997

Notes:
Raddy Avramovi saved a 1st half penalty from Colin West.

Saturday 4th September 1982

Top tier League fixture

Luton Town 5
Walsh 16, 65, 67
Hill 42
Moss 50

Notts County 3
Kilcline 24
Chiedozie 33
Goodwin 68

HT 2-2
Attendance:- 9,071

Manchester City 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 9,369

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 17th/22, after match 12th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Rachid Harkouk
9.   Trevor Christie
10. Mark Goodwin
11. Gordon Mair

Sub not used: Ian McParland

Manchester City
Colours:- All Sky Blue
League Position:- before match 1st/22, after match 3rd/22
Manager:- John Bond

1.   Alex Williams
2.   Ray Ranson
3.   Bobby McDonald
4.   Graham Baker
5.   Kevin Bond
6.   Tommy Caton
7.   Aage Hareide
8.   Kevin Reeves
9.   David Cross
10. Asa Hartford
11. Paul Power

Sub: Dennis Tueart *

Notts County 1
Harkouk (pen) 58

Everton 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 9,188

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 13th/22, after match 7th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Rachid Harkouk
9.   Trevor Christie
10. Mark Goodwin
11. Gordon Mair

Sub not used: Paul Hooks

Everton
Colours:- Blue shirts, White shorts, Blue socks
League Position:- before match 10th/22, after match 14th/22
Manager:- Howard Kendall

1.   Neville Southall
2.   Brian Borrows
3.   John Bailey
4.   Mark Higgins
5.   Billy Wright
6.   Steve McMahon
7.   Alan Ainscow
8.   Adrian Heath
9.   Graeme Sharp
10. Andy King
11. Kevin Sheedy

Sub not used

Saturday 18th September 1982

Top tier League fixture

Arsenal 2
Rix
Hollins (pen)

Notts County 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 20,556

Ipswich Town 6
Mariner
Mariner
Brazil
Wark
Thijssen
McCall

HT 0-2
Attendance:- 8,475

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 12th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Rachid Harkouk
9.   Trevor Christie
10. Mark Goodwin
11. Iain McCulloch

Sub not used: Gordon Mair

Ipswich Town
Colours:- Blue shirts with white pinstripes, White shorts, Blue socks
League Position:- before match 22nd/22, after match 19th/22
Manager:- Bobby Ferguson

1.   Laurie Sivell
2.   George Burley
3.   Mick Mills
4.   Frans Thijssen
5.   Russell Osman
6.   Terry Butcher
7.   John Wark
8.   Steve McCall
9.   Paul Mariner
10. Alan Brazil
11. Eric Gates

Sub not used

Notes:
Notts worst home league defeat since the very first league season of 1888/89.

Saturday 2nd October 1982

Top tier League fixture

Southampton 1
Fashanu

Notts County 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 16,230

Wedneday 6th October 1982

League Cup 2nd Round 1st Leg

Aston Villa 1
Withe 22

Notts County 2
Chiedozie 74
Clarke 86

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 16,312

Aston Villa 1
Shaw

HT 2-0
Attendance:- 8,997

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 19th/22, after match 17th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt *
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. David Clarke
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Mark Goodwin *

Aston Villa
Colours:- Claret shirts with light blue sleeves and side panels, White shorts, Light blue socks
League Position:- before match 9th/22, after match 11th/22
Manager:- Tony Barton

1.   Jimmy Rimmer
2.   Mark Jones
3.   Gary Williams *
4.   Allan Evans
5.   Robert Hopkins
6.   Dennis Mortimer
7.   Des Bremner
8.   Gary Shaw
9.   Peter Withe
10. Gordon Cowans
11. Pat Heard

Sub: Tony Morley *

Saturday 16th October 1982

Top tier League fixture

Coventry City 1
Francis

Notts County 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 8,314

Saturday 23rd October 1982

Top tier League fixture

Tottenham Hotspur 4
Mabbutt 25
Crooks 45, ??
Brooke ??

Notts County 2
Christie ??
Chiedozie 60

HT 2-0
Attendance:- 26,183

Notes:
Notts came from 2-0 to level the scores at 2-2 on the hour, but Spurs scored twice more which saw Notts drop into the relegation zone for the 1st time this season. Observer gives the attendance as 25,783.

Tuesday 26th October 1982

League Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg

Notts County 1
Hunt 89

Aston Villa 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 6,921

Notts go through 3-1 on aggregate

Watford 2
Blissett
Barnes 30

HT 1-2
Attendance:- 9,158

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 20th/22, after match 18th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Mark Goodwin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt *
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. David Clarke
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Paul Hooks *

Watford
Colours:- Yellow shirts, Red shorts, Red socks, Black trim
League Position:- before match 6th/22, after match 8th/22
Manager:- Graham Taylor

Team to be added

Notes:
Notts came from 2-0 down to win this one against freshly promoted Watford.

Saturday 6th November 1982

Top tier League fixture

Norwich City 1
Deehan

Notts County 2
Mair
Christie

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 12,591

Notes:
The Observer gives the attendance as 13,472

Tuesday 9th November 1982

League Cup 3rd Round

Notts County 2
Christie (pen) 26
Hooks 45

Chelsea 0

HT 2-0
Attendance:- 8,852

Birmingham City 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 9,118

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 15th/22, after match 14th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Mark Goodwin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   Paul Hooks
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. David Clarke *
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Aki Lahtinen *

Birmingham City
Colours:- Blue shirts, White shorts, ?Blue socks?
League Position:- before match 22nd/22, after match 21st/22
Manager:- Ron Saunders

Team to be added

Liverpool 2
Johnston 52
Dalglish 54

Attendance :- 16,914
Referee:-  Clive Thomas (Porthcawl)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 14th/22, after match 16th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   Paul Hooks
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Mark Goodwin
11. Gordon Mair *

Sub: Aki Lahtinen *

Liverpool
Colours:- All Red with white pinstripes on the shirts
League Position:- before match 1st/22, after match 1st/22
Manager:- Bob Paisley

1.   Bruce Grobbelaar
2.   Phil Neal
3.   Alan Kennedy
4.   Phil Thompson
5.   Craig Johnston
6.   Alan Hansen
7.   Kenny Dalglish
8.   Sammy Lee
9.   Ian Rush
10. Mark Lawrenson
11. Graeme Souness

Sub not used: David Fairclough

No video/film camera was present.

Notes:
This was the first Notts match I ever went to. I stood at the front of the County Road stand towards the Kop, peering through the hooligan-proof perimeter fence. I remember the Liverpool fans starting up a chant of "We hate Nottingham Forest, we hate Forest too...." and an elderly County fan behind me said (in a very matter-of-fact broad Scottish accent) "Everybody hates Nottingham Forest!". So although I had come to see Liverpool that day, I realised I was in very good company in the home stand amongst people who disliked Forest as much as I did. I was back at Meadow Lane for all but two of County's remaining home league matches this season.

Bottom seven after the defeat to Liverpool (3 pts for a win)
                      P   GD  Pts
16. Notts County      15  -8   18
17. Brighton & H.A.   15  -17  18
18. Luton Town        15  -2   16
19. Southampton       15  -14  15
---------------------------------
20. Norwich City      15  -7   14
21. Sunderland        15  -11  14
22. Birmingham City   15  -15  13

Saturday 27th November 1982

Top tier League fixture

Brighton & H. A. 0

Notts County 2
McCulloch
McCulloch

HT 0-1
Attendance:- 9,971

Notes:
The Observer gives the attendance as 10,088

Nottingham Forest 2
Wallace 6
Young 45

Attendance:- 23,552
Referee:- David Scott (Burnley)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 13th/22, after match 12th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch  Sent Off 63
10. Paul Hooks
11. Gordon Mair

Sub not used: Mark Goodwin

Nottingham Forest
Colours:- Red shirts, White shorts, Red socks
League Position:- before match 3rd/22, after match 5th/22
Manager:- Brian Clough

1.   Steve Sutton
2.   Kenny Swain
3.   Bryn Gunn
4.   Colin Todd
5.   Willie Young
6.   Ian Bowyer
7.   Mark Proctor *
8.   Ian Wallace
9.   Garry Birtles
10. Steve Hodge
11. John Robertson

Sub: Colin Walsh *

Recorded by the BBC for highlights on "Match of the Day".

Tuesday 7th December 1982

League Cup 4th Round

Notts County 3
McCulloch 50
Christie (pen) 53
Hunt 87

West Ham United 3
Van der Elst 66, 74, 85

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 7,525

Saturday 11th December 1982

Top tier League fixture

Manchester United 4
Whiteside 24
Stapleton 54
Robson 56
Duxbury 87

Notts County 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 33,618

West Ham United 2
Dickens 6
Hunt (og) 15

Attendance :- 8,457
Referee:-  J. B Worrall (Warrington)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 13th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Trevor Christie
10. Paul Hooks
11. Gordon Mair *

Sub: David Clarke *

West Ham United
Colours:- Claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, White shorts, Sky blue socks
League Position:- before match 7th/22, after match 6th/22
Manager:- John Lyall

1.   Phil Parkes
2.   Frank Lampard
3.   Paul Brush
4.   Neil Orr
5.   Joe Gallagher
6.   Alan Dickens
7.   Frankie Van Der Elst
8.   Paul Goddard
9.   Sandy Clark
10. Paul Allen
11. Geoff Pike

Sub not used

No video/film camera was present.

Notes:
The Hammers were missing three of their biggest star names; Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds and Alan Devonshire. Justin Fashanu was making his debut for Notts and he had a goal disallowed. "Match" weekly magazine rated Fashanu as County's man of the match whilst West Ham 'keeper Phil Parkes was given 9/10 - so Notts must have forced some good saves out of him. Notts lost to West Ham again only 3 days later in a League Cup 4th round replay. The Hammers no.11 later played for Notts as captain.

Tuesday 21st December 1982

League Cup 4th Round Replay

West Ham United 3
Stewart (pen) 30
Clark 64
Allen 88

Notts County 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 12,906

West Ham went through to meet Liverpool away in the Quarter-finals

Monday 27th December 1982

Top tier League fixture

West Bromwich A. 2
Eastoe
Owen

Notts County 2
Fashanu
Goodwin

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 17,756

Stoke City 0

Attendance :- 11,591
Referee:-  D. J Axcell (Southend)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 13th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch *
10. Mark Goodwin
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Paul Hooks *

Stoke City
Colours:- All sky blue
League Position:- before match 12th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Richie Barker

1.   Peter Fox
2.   Derek Parkin
3.   Peter Hampton
4.   Paul Bracewell
5.   Dave Watson
6.   George Berry
7.   Ian Painter *
8.   Sammy McIlroy
9.   Brendan O'Callaghan
10. Micky Thomas
11. Mark Chamberlain

Sub: Chris Maskery *

No video/film camera was present.

Notes:
This was a Christmas Bank holiday Tuesday match that attracted a decent crowd and it was the first time I saw Notts win, quite a win it was too! With Notts attacking the Kop in the first-half, Gordon Mair set Notts on their way to victory with a 25 yarder, McCulloch headed in Chiedozie's cross for the 2nd, another header from Mark Goodwin made it 3-0 and McCulloch fired in number 4. Sirrel said afterwards "There are some days when a win is worth four points and that was one of them." John Chiedozie was rated 9/10 by "Match" weekly. Two season's later the Stoke manager (an ex Notts player) was manager of County, Stoke's no.5 (also an ex-Notts player) returned to the club as well.

Saturday 1st January 1983

Top tier League fixture

Liverpool 5
Rush 15, 78, 87
Dalglish 30, 72

Notts County 1
Fashanu 17

HT 2-1
Attendance:- 33,663

Notes:
Phil Neal missed a penalty on 40.

Sunderland 1
Cummins 29

Attendance :- 9,327
Referee:-  R. Bridges (Deeside)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 16th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Mark Goodwin *
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Paul Hooks *

Sunderland
Colours:- All red
League Position:- before match 22nd/22, after match 21st/22
Manager:- Alan Durban

1.   Chris Turner
2.   Jimmy Nicholl
3.   Nick Pickering
4.   Ian Atkins
5.   Gordon Chisholm
6.   Rob Hindmarch
7.   Barry Venison
8.   Mick Buckley
9.   Colin West
10. John Cooke
11. Stan Cummins

Sub not used: Ally McCoist

No video/film camera was present

Notes:
A disappointing New year bank holiday Monday result against bottom of the table Sunderland. Nigel Worthington struck the crossbar in the first half, Jimmy Sirrel claimed that "We dominated throughout" and 'Match' weekly made goalkeeper  Chris Turner Sunderland's man of the match (Pedro Richards was Notts best rated player). 1970's legend Frank Worthington, now 34, was with Sunderland at the time but - despite being included in the programme 1-11 team-check - he didn't play in this one (he would however make one final appearance at Meadow Lane for Brighton in April 1985).

Saturday 8th January 1983

FA Cup 3rd Round

Leicester City 2
Smith
Wilson

Notts County 3
Fashanu
Fashanu
McCulloch

HT 0-2
Attendance:- 18,384

Saturday 15th January 1983

Top tier League fixture

Swansea City 2
Gale
Latchford

Notts County 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 8,992

Arsenal 0

Attendance :- 9,731
Referee:-  R. A Banks (Manchester)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie *
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Mark Goodwin
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Trevor Christie *

Arsenal
Colours:- Red shirts with white sleeves, White shorts, Red socks
League Position:- before match 13th/22, after match 14th/22
Manager:- Terry Neill

1.   Pat Jennings
2.   John Hollins
3.   Kenny Sansom
4.   Stewart Robson
5.   David O'Leary
6.   Peter Nicholas
7.   Paul Davis *
8.   Alan Sunderland
9.   Vladimir Petrovic
10. Tony Woodcock
11. Graham Rix

Sub: Brian Talbot *

No video/film camera was present.

Notes:
A bullet header from Justin Fashanu at the Kop end in the 2nd half was worthy of winning any match, it was probably Fashanu's best ever moment at Meadow Lane - a real pity that no TV camera was there to capture it. I also have a memory of an Arsenal defender committing a blatant professional foul as a Notts striker broke clear, but the ref failed to send him off. A very satisfying win (Notts had also beaten the Gunners at Meadow Lane the previous season).

Saturday 29th January 1983

FA Cup 4th Round

Middlesbrough 2
Hankin 44
Beattie (pen) 65

Notts County 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 17,114

Saturday 5th February 1983

Top tier League fixture

Everton 3
King
Heath
Sheedy

Notts County 0

HT 2-0
Attendance:- 14,546

Southampton 2
Puckett 38
Wallace 75

Attendance:- 5,846
Referee:- R. Guy (Kirkby)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 16th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   David Clarke
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Mark Goodwin *
11. Gordon Mair

Sub: Paul Hooks *

Southampton
Colours:- Dark blue shirts with a light blue front panel, Light blue shorts, Light blue socks
League Position:- before match 15th/22, after match 13th/22
Manager:- Lawrie McMenemy

1.   Peter Shilton
2.   Reuben Agboola
3.   Mick Mills
4.   Steve Williams
5.   Chris Nicholl
6.   Mark Wright
7.   Nick Holmes
8.   David Puckett
9.   Steve Moran
10. David Armstrong
11. Danny Wallace

Sub not used

Notes:
This fixture had originally been scheduled to take place three days earlier (on Saturday 12th February) but was postponed well in advance due to freezing temperatures, which meant I had to miss this one.

Saturday 19th February 1983

Top tier League fixture

Manchester City 0

Notts County 1
Fashanu 80

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 21,199

Notes:
Notts were originally scheduled to play away at Aston Villa on this date but that fixture was postponed due to Villa's  involvement in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. With both Notts and Manchester City having been knocked out of the FA Cup and without a fixture, it was decided to move this game forward from Monday 2nd May.

Coventry City 1
Gillespie 79

Attendance :- 8,689
Referee:-  J. D Hough (Macclesfield)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 16th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Mick Leonard
2.   Mark Goodwin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Aki Lahtinen *
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Ray O'Brien
11. Paul Hooks

Sub: Ian McParland *

Coventry City
Colours:- All sky blue with white sleeves and a giant 'T' sponsor logo
League Position:- before match 5th/22, after match 6th/22
Manager:- Dave Sexton

1.   Les Sealey
2.   Danny Thomas
3.   Brian Roberts
4.   Ian Butterworth
5.   Paul Dyson
6.   Gary Gillespie
7.   Steve Whitton *
8.   Gerry Francis
9.   Mark Hateley
10. Jim Melrose
11. Steve Hunt

Sub: Keith Thomspson *

No video/film camera was present.

Notes:
It had been 5 weeks since the last Saturday home match, Notts had just won away at Manchester City and the Magpies were really flying versus 5th placed Coventry, who were not particularly popular with football fans at the time as they had been badgering the football league to allow them to change their name to 'Coventry Talbot' (as they were sponsored by Talbot car manufacturers) which would have opened the door to a flood of very tasteless sponsorship deals - Thankfully the league refused. Aki Lahtinen (the Finland international) scored Notts 2nd goal but was very badly injured in the 2nd half and had to be taken off on a stretcher and ended up in hospital with a fractured cheek-bone. Although Notts were still a lowly 16th, they were now 10 points clear of the drop and only 5 points behind 5th! Coventry's no.8 that day was the son of Magpies legend Tony Hateley, Mark went on to play for AC Milan and England in the World Cup and there was a strong desire to bring him to Notts in the early 1990's, but sadly it never happened.

Notts County 3
Hunt 8
Chiedozie 25, 43

Tottenham Hotspur 0

Attendance :- 11,896
Referee:-  D. H. Brazier (Northampton)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 14th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Mick Leonard
2.   Mark Goodwin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Ray O'Brien
11. Paul Hooks *

Sub: Ian McParland *

Tottenham Hotspur
Colours:- All sky blue
League Position:- before match 9th/22, after match 13th/22
Manager:- Keith Burkinshaw

1.   Ray Clemence
2.   Chris Hughton
3.   John Lacy
4.   Paul Price
5.   Ricky Villa *
6.   Steve Perryman
7.   Tony Galvin
8.   Gary Mabbutt
9.   Terry Gibson
10. Mark Falco
11. Garth Crooks

Sub: Graham Roberts *

ITV Midlands station Central Television recorded the match for extended highlights to be shown that night.

Notes:
Notts were 3-0 up at half time against the current holders of the FA Cup and the Magpies secured their 3rd successive league win. David Hunt had opened the scoring by stabbing in a corner on 8 minutes, Chiedozie prodded home on 25 after England goalkeeper Ray Clemence had failed to hold onto Worthington's low cross, Chiedozie then added his 2nd goal and put Notts 3-0 up on 43 by beating off the challenge of three Spurs defenders before finding the top corner of the net with a superb finish. Although it was fairly late in the season, the middle of the table was still very tight and Notts were now only 3 points off the top 6!!! Such was the high quality of both this and the previous weeks 5-1 thrashing of Coventry, fans left the ground seriously contemplating the possibility of European football at Meadow Lane the following season. This was only my 7th visit to Meadow Lane and on the way back to the car my Dad was wondering if we might soon get to see Real Madrid! Little did I know then that this would be as good as it would ever get. Ironically, it was Spurs who went on to grab one of the UEFA Cup places and win the trophy in 1984.

Top six (plus Notts) after the win over Spurs (3 pts for a win)
                      P   GD  Pts
1.  Liverpool         29  +46  66
2.  Watford           29  +19  52
3.  Manchester United 29  +16  51
4.  Nottingham Forest 29  +6   46
5.  Aston Villa       29  +4   45
6.  Southampton       30  -4   43

14. Notts County      30  -8   40

Tuesday 8th March 1983

Top tier League fixture

Aston Villa 2
Withe 30
Shaw 53

Notts County 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 17,452

Saturday 12th March 1983

Top tier League fixture

Watford 5
Blissett 10, 31, 55
Barnes 45
Callaghan 58

Notts County 3
Christie 2
Worthington 52
Fashanu 79

HT 3-1
Attendance:- 16,273

Notes:
John Chiedozie was sent off on 85 minutes for dissent.

Norwich City 2
Deehan (pen) 2
Bertschin 34

Attendance :- 8,064
Referee:-  K. Cooper (Pontypridd)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 14th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   Nigel Worthington
4.   David Hunt
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Justin Fashanu
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Trevor Christie
11. David Clarke *

Sub: Rachid Harkouk *

Norwich City
Colours:- Yellow shirts, Green shorts, Yellow socks
League Position:- before match 21st/22, after match 20th/22
Manager:- Ken Brown

1.   Chris Woods
2.   Paul Haylock
3.   Greg Downs
4.   Peter Mendham
5.   Steve Walford
6.   Dave Watson
7.   Mark Barham
8.   Dave Bennett
9.   John Deehan
10. Keith Bertschin
11. Dennis Van Wyk *

Sub: Ross Jack *

No video/film camera was present

Notes:
County's away form continued to hinder their chances of making a challenge for a place in the UEFA Cup, suffering two more away defeats prior to this match in which Notts came back from 2-0 down to earn a home point against relegation battling Norwich. The Canaries no.6 was NOT the same Dave Watson who begun and ended his career with Notts (although - like his namesake - he did play for England).

Saturday 26th March 1983

Top tier League fixture

Birmingham City 3
Ferguson
Ferguson (pen)
Harford

Notts County 0

HT 2-0
Attendance:- 11,744

Saturday 2nd April 1983

Top tier League fixture

Stoke City 1
McIlroy

Notts County 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 16,316

West Bromwich A. 1
Thompson 8

Attendance :- 8,692
Referee:-  K. Salmon (Barnet)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after mid-week matches 16th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   David Clarke
4.   Mark Goodwin
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Aki Lahtinen
11. Nigel Worthington

Sub not used: Ian McParland

West Bromwhich Albion
Colours:- Yellow shirts with green trim, Green shorts, ?Yellow? socks
League Position:- before match 9th/22, after mid-week matches 12th/22
Manager:- Ron Wylie

1.   Paul Barron
2.   Clive Whitehead
3.   Derek Statham
4.   Alan Webb
5.   John Wile
6.   Alistair Robertson
7.   Martin Jol
8.   Gary Thompson
9.   Peter Eastoe
10. Micky Lewis
11. Nicky Cross

Sub not used

No video/film camera was present

Notes:
Trevor Christie had yet to miss a penalty for Notts and it was his late trusty spot kick that ensured County took all 3 points from this Easter bank holiday Monday fixture. Justin Fashanu was missing because of a leg injury which would keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

Saturday 9th April 1983

Top tier League fixture

Ipswich Town 0

Notts County 0

HT 0-0
Attendance:- 15,945

Luton Town 1
Donaghy 90

Attendance :- 8,932
Referee:-  P. N. Willis (Durham)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 15th/22, after match 14th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   David Hunt
4.   Mark Goodwin
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Aki Lahtinen *
11. Nigel Worthington

Sub: Rachid Harkouk *

Luton Town
Colours:- Orange shirts with dark blue sleeves, ?Dark blue or White shorts?, Orange socks
League Position:- before match 19th/22, after match 19th/22
Manager:- David Pleat

1.   Tony Godden
2.   Kirk Stephens
3.   Richard Money
4.   Brian Horton
5.   Paul Elliot
6.   Mal Donaghy
7.   Ricky Hill
8.   Trevor Aylott
9.   Paul Walsh
10. Raddy Antic
11. David Moss

Sub not used

No video/film camera was present

Notes:
Stickers and paper hats promoting Apollo's "County Cola" cans were handed out to supporters in the stands before kick-off, the drink had been on general sale across Nottingham since the beginning of April and Notts received 1p for every can sold. This was the first time I ever left Meadow Lane feeling gutted after Luton had equalised with virtually the last kick of the game thanks to Mal Donaghy from a free-kick (he went on to play for Man Utd, team mate Paul Walsh later moved to Liverpool). Notts remained 9 points clear of the drop with 4 games remaining.

Bottom nine after the defeat to Luton (3 pts for a win)
                      P   GD  Pts
14. Notts County      38  -15  46
15. Coventry City     37  -9   45
16. Sunderland        36  -10  44
17. Manchester City   38  -19  44
18. Norwich City      36  -10  43
19. Luton Town        36  -14  41
---------------------------------
20. Swansea City      37  -13  37
21. Birmingham City   37  -20  37
22. Brighton & H.A.   36  -28  35

Saturday 23rd April 1983

Top tier League fixture

Nottingham Forest 2
Swain
Proctor

Notts County 1
Lahtinen

HT 2-1
Attendance:- 25,554

Tuesday 26th April 1983
County Cup Semi-final

Notts County 2
Mansfield Town 1

Brighton & H.A. 0

Attendance :- 7,349
Referee:-  N. Wilson (Morecambe)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 15th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   Tristan Benjamin
3.   David Hunt
4.   Mark Goodwin *
5.   Brian Kilcline
6.   Pedro Richards
7.   John Chiedozie
8.   Trevor Christie
9.   Iain McCulloch
10. Aki Lahtinen
11. Nigel Worthington

Sub: David Clarke *

Brighton & Hove Albion
Colours:- Blue shirts, White shorts, Blue socks
League Position:- before match 21st/22, after match 21st/22
Manager:- Jimmy Melia

1.   Graham Moseley
2.   Chris Ramsey
3.   Steve Gatting
4.   Tony Grealish
5.   Steve Foster
6.   Gary Stevens
7.   Neil McNab
8.   Gary Howlett
9.   Terry Conner
10. Gordon Smith
11. Neil Smillie

Sub not used

No video/film camera was present

Notes:
Notts' final pair of home fixtures this season turned out to be against the two teams who would contest the FA Cup final. First up were Brighton, currently next to bottom of the table and desperate for points whilst Notts were looking to avoid being dragged into trouble during the closing fortnight. It was a very important match, surprisingly watched by the 2nd lowest Meadow Lane crowd of the league season. There was a very bizarre incident in the game which occurred after the Seagulls captain Steve Foster was booked, Foster knew that the yellow card would mean he'd be suspended for the cup final but he also realised that a suspension would come into play sooner if he were to be sent off, so in a moment of total disregard for his club's relegation plight Foster intercepted a cross-field Notts ball by catching it in mid-air and then holding it up in front of him whilst looking at the ref, clearly inviting Mr Wilson to send him off. But the referee only gave a free-kick and Foster must have then come to his senses as he played out the rest of the game as normal, I remember the Brighton manager having a right old moan about the referee on BBC Radio's "Sports Report" afterwards but he really had no cause for complaint. Kilcline's winner left Notts looking reasonably safe with 2 games left to play (some clubs had more), whilst Brighton were now in very deep trouble (and they were ultimately relegated). Steve Foster went on to watch the Cup final from the sidelines which ended in a 2-2 draw, so Foster got his chance to play at Wembley in the replay - but they lost that 4-0!

Bottom eight after the win over Brighton (3 pts for a win)
                      P   GD  Pts
15. Notts County      40  -15  49   (To play west ham / MAN UTD)
16. Coventry City     39  -11  45   (To play everton / stoke / WEST HAM)
17. Luton Town        38  -13  45   (To play STOKE / EVERTON / man utd / man city)
18. Sunderland        39  -14  45   (To play WATFORD / arsenal / WBA)
19. Manchester City   40  -23  44   (To play brighton / LUTON)
---------------------------------
20. Birmingham City   39  -18  43   (To play BRIGHTON / SPURS / southampton)
21. Brighton & H.A.   39  -28  39   (To play birmingham / MAN CITY / norwich)
22. Swansea City      39  -15  38   (To play VILLA / man utd / FOREST)

Midweek results affecting the relegation zone (2nd/3rd May)
Birmingham City 1 Brighton & H.A. 1
Everton 1 Coventry City 0
Luton Town 0 Stoke City 0
Sunderland 2 Watford 2
Swansea City 2 Aston Villa 1

Saturday 7th May 1983

Top tier League fixture

West Ham United 2
van der Elst 5
Goddard 75

Notts County 0

HT 1-0
Attendance:- 17,534

Notes:
Our place in the top flight for a third consecutive season was now virtually secured, even though we lost this match. Luton Town were now the only current side left in the bottom three that could still save themselves and they had lost 5-1 at home to Everton today - Their game in hand (to be played on Monday) would be away to Manchester United followed by an away trip to relegation rivals Manchester City on the final day of the season.

Other results affecting the relegation zone
Arsenal 0 Sunderland 1
Birmingham City 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0
Brighton & H.A. 0 Manchester City 1
Luton Town 1 Everton 5
Manchester United 2 Swansea City 1
Stoke City 0 Coventry City 3

Bottom seven after the defeat at West Ham (3 pts for a win, 42 games to play)
                      P   GD  Pts
16. Notts County      41  -17  49    (To play MAN UTD)
17. Coventry City     41  -9   48    (To play WEST HAM)
18. Birmingham City   41  -16  47    (To play southampton)
19. Manchester City   41  -22  47    (To play LUTON)
---------------------------------
20. Luton Town        40  -17  46    (To play man utd / man city)
21. Swansea City      41  -15  41 R
22. Brighton & H.A.   41  -29  40 R
 

Midweek result affecting the relegation zone (9th May)
Manchester United 3 Luton Town 0

This result meant that Notts' top flight status was confirmed for 1983/84. Coventry were  now safe too.

Manchester United 2
McGrath 33
Muhren 79

Attendance :- 14,414
Referee:-  R. F. Lewis (Great Bookham)

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 16th/22, after match 15th/22
Manager:- Jimmy Sirrel & Howard Wilkinson

1.   Raddy Avramovic
2.   David Hunt
3.   Brian Kilcline
4.   Pedro Richards
5.   Nigel Worthington
6.   Tristan Benjamin
7.   Rachid Harkouk
8.   Aki Lahtinen
9.   John Chiedozie
10. Trevor Christie
11. Ian McParland

Sub not used: Ray O'Brien

Manchester United
Colours:- Red shirts, White shorts, Black socks
League Position:- before match 2nd/22, after match 3rd/22
Manager:- Ron Atkinson

1.   Geoff Wealands
2.   John Gidman
3.   Arthur Albiston
4.   Remi Moses
5.   Paul McGrath
6.   Mike Duxbury
7.   Ray Wilkins
8.   Arnold Muhren
9.   Frank Stapleton
10. Norman Whiteside
11. Alan Davies

Sub not used: Ashley Grimes

No video/film camera was present.

Notes:
Raddy Avramovic's last game for Notts who were 2-1 behind with only 2 minutes to go, but there was a late equaliser from Rachid Harkouk and then a spectacular last minute winner for Ian McParland, his first ever goal for the Magpies. This famous win also denied United the runners-up spot on the final day of the league season. United fans still went home happy however as news came through that Manchester City had been relegated having somehow lost at home to Luton Town (The hatters had occupied 3rd bottom at 3pm, one place below City), I remember hearing a big roar in the stands as Luton's goal came through on the transistor radio's. The red devils were also looking forward to an FA Cup final (v Brighton) which is why a few of their key players were rested, including goalkeeper Gary Bailey and Bryan Robson. 21 year old Alan Davies made a rare appearance for the reds and was then a surprise inclusion in the starting 11 in the cup final the following Saturday, but his life story was to end in tragedy - 9 years later he was found dead in his car having comitted suicide. Notts fans were denied access to the far end of the County Road stand nearest the kop for this game (my then regular position - so this would have been the first time I ever stood where block Z now is) but we were allowed back in the other end for the start of the following season.

Other results affecting the relegation zone
Manchester City 0 Luton Town 1
Southampton 0 Birmingham City 1

Bottom eight of the final table (3 pts for a win, 42 games to play)
                      P   GD  Pts
15. Notts County      42  -16  52
16. Sunderland        42  -13  50
17. Birmingham City   42  -15  50
18. Luton Town        42  -19  49
19. Coventry City     42  -11  48
---------------------------------
20. Manchester City   42  -23  47 R
21. Swansea City      42  -18  41 R
22. Brighton & H.A.   42  -30  40 R

Wednesday 18th May 1983
County Cup Final

Nottingham Forest 4
Notts County 3

For appearance stats, final table and at-a-glance results for season 1982/83 see here