Notts County got £700k but so much more from Macualay Langstaff | OneFootball

Macualay Langstaff was an incredible striker for Notts County, before joining Millwall for £700k

As a founding member of the English Football League, Notts County have a proud EFL past, but one of the finest moments in the club's recent history came when they won promotion from the National League in 2023.

The Magpies accumulated a stunning tally of 107 points following a 2022/23 fifth tier campaign, but remarkably, that was not enough to win the title as eventual champions Wrexham won an even more impressive 111 points.

Consequently, the Meadow Lane outfit had to navigate their way through the play-offs, and went on to defeat Chesterfield on penalties in the final at Wembley.

Notts County got £700k but so much more from Macaulay Langstaff

The Magpies signed striker Macualay Langstaff from Gateshead during the summer of 2022, after his impressive goalscoring exploits fired the North East club from the National League North to the National League.

Meanwhile, the beginning of the 2022/23 season marked County's fourth consecutive season at fifth tier level, and they were hopeful that, with Langstaff among their ranks, it could finally be the year they returned to the EFL.

And so it transpired, as the Englishman notched a simply incredible tally of 42 National League goals, which spearheaded the Magpies back to League Two for the first time since their relegation from the fourth tier back in 2019.

But after earning promotion back to the EFL, the East Midlands outfit were not intent on stopping there, and fancied their chances of landing a League Two play-off spot.

Langstaff subsequently provided exactly the sort of attacking service any top-six chasing side would want during the 2023/24 fourth tier season, as he scored 28 goals in 46 games.

However, the Magpies ultimately finished in 14th position last term, and nine points shy of the play-off places, largely due to the fact that highly successful boss Luke Williams left for Championship Swansea City midway through the campaign.

But Langstaff's highly respectable efforts clearly did enough to impress second tier outfit Millwall, who paid £700k to land his services during the summer of 2024.

While £700k was a handsome transfer sum for a player who has spent the majority of his career in non-league, having plied his trade for the likes of York City and Blyth Spartans, it is his prolific ability in front of goal that the Magpies will always remember.

The National League title race between Notts County and Wrexham will never be forgotten

When Magpies supporters look back on Langstaff's incredible career at Meadow Lane, they will also remember the thrilling title race their side had with Wrexham, albeit they ultimately missed out on the main prize, and had to earn promotion via the play-offs.

The fact that, back in 2022/23, two teams not only eclipsed, but smashed the 100 points barrier was absolutely incredible, and was a feat which no future fifth tier season may go on to emulate.

While the Red Dragons' rise through the leagues has been well documented, the Magpies also deserve a great deal of credit for the role they played in an unprecedented, highly gripping title race, and such quality entertainment would not have been possible without the goals of Langstaff, who the Meadow Lane crowd will always remember for his footballing ability, as opposed to his eventual transfer fee.