3rd tier* League fixture
*Then known as Division Three

Notts County 2     Fulham 3
McParland 59                                        Achampong 35, 40
Thompson 87                                         Coney 73
 
 

Attendance:- 4,452
Referee:- J. M. Key (Rotherham)
 

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 8th/24, after match 10th/24
Manager: Jimmy Sirrel

1.   Mick Leonard
2.   Paul Smalley
3.   Darren Davis
4.   Tristan Benjamin
5.   Steve Sims
6.   Dean Yates
7.   Ian McParland
8.   Mark Goodwin
9.   Mick Waitt *
10. David Hunt
11. David Clarke

Sub: David Thompson *
 

Fulham
Colours:- ? Probably all red ?
League Position:- before match 17th/24, after match 11th/24
Manager: Ray Lewington (as player manager)

1.   John Vaughan
2.   John Marshall
3.   Keith Oakes
4.   Brian Cottington
5.   Shaun Gore
6.   Paul Parker
7.   Gary Barnett
8.   Kenny Achampong
9.   Dean Coney
10. Wayne Kerrins
11. Ray Lewington *

Sub: Kevin Hoddy *

Video of the match:- Notts probably had their own video camera at the match, but I'm not aware of a goals report being shown on TV.
 

Up the Maggies note:
News that Notts were in danger of going out of business and that a crisis meeting had been arranged at the Astoria nightclub on Monday 15th September 1986 seemed to come out of the blue. I think the first I really knew of it was on the evening of the meeting when I saw the reports on local TV news bulletins - and I don't remember them relaying chairman Jack Dunnett's promise to keep the club going until the end of the season either. The Evening Post was not being delivered to my household at the time (and this was more than a decade before Joe public had access to the internet) so I didn't really know what the hell was going on, I actually feared the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth (played a week or so earlier) would turn out to be my last ever match! Fortunately, the storm had calmed by the time Fulham arrived at Meadow Lane, although the crisis appeared to have knocked Notts out of their stride following a two match winning start. I can't say I remember much about this fixture, other than my Dad deciding that we should leave 5 minutes early with Notts apparently destined to lose, I therefore missed David Thompson (a tenacious and popular forward) pulling a goal back. I believe Notts then had the ball in the net again with the last kick of the game - but the ref blew for time before it crossed the line! Can anybody confirm this to be the case? Notts were soon back to winning ways however, and were in an automatic promotion spot by the end of December (The Play off system came into being this season). Fulham's no.6 went on to play in a World Cup semi-final with England in 1990.
 

BLACK & WHITE - JACK DUNNETT
An interview with the Chairman published in the matchday programme

MONDAY'S crisis meeting was an emotional event for everyone connected with Notts County but that especially applied to chairman Jack Dunnett. Inevitably, after 19 years as the man in charge at Meadow Lane, it was with some sadness that he announced his intention to resign at the end of this season. But Mr Dunnett was relieved and delighted to discover during the course of the evening that where there was lifeline, there was hope.

He said: “Naturally we were apprehensive about how many people would turn up for the meeting and how they would respond to our ‘Blueprint for Survival'. In the end, though, we could hardly have asked for a better response. Notts County supporters showed that they do care about what happens to the club and if they all stand by their pledges and get a few more people to join them in the scheme, the problems can be solved. Although I had already guaranteed to keep the club running until the end of this season, I have to admit that I was worried about what would happen then. It has always been my intention to retire from football when I reach the age of 65 and come what may, I will stand by that. But Notts County have played a considerable part in my life and I shall rest a lot easier if I can leave Meadow Lane knowing that the club is in good order.”

It’s easy in the situation we have found ourselves in during recent years to forget the good times but there have been plenty of those, of course. during Mr Dunnett's reign. He masterminded the club through a similar crisis in the early-70’s, bringing Jimmy Sirrel to Meadow Lane and providing the financial support for two promotions in the space of three seasons. The chairman’s dream was fulfilled when the job of taking the club into the First Division was completed in 1981 but as the final leap was the root cause of the current problems, does Mr Dunnett now regret spending three years among the elite?

He added: “I always had misgivings about going into the first Division because I didn't think we would command the attendances to sustain us. Unfortunately, I was proved right - At the time when we won promotion, we had £150,000 in the bank and everything at the club was in apple-pie order. Obviously I've had cause to wonder whether it was right for the club but I don't really regret the fact that we got to the top and stayed there for three years. Hopefully Notts County will get there again at some time in the future but for the moment, the limit of our ambitions must be to survive. I was very touched by the response to Monday's meeting and I sincerely hope the scheme takes off because it could not only keep the club alive but lead to a resurgence. The problem with all football clubs is that although we know roughly what our annual expenses will be, there's no way of knowing how much income we will get. With this scheme we will have a much clearer idea about what income we can expect and that will make a vast difference to the financial situation.”
 

No match reports available
 

Notts County Season 1986/87
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