The best Notts County XI using players from the last decade ft Ruben Rodrigues | OneFootball

Notts County look set for an unfamiliar outcome to a season of finishing mid-table upon their return to the Football League this term.

The Magpies had started strongly to life back in League Two and looked contenders to achieve back-to-back promotions, however results of late have seen them fall further behind the top seven since Luke Williams' departure for Swansea City in January.

Indeed, survival in their first season back in the Football League is something to build on for next term, but there are sighs of 'what if' following their excellent start to the campaign with some of the best players to have played for the club in recent years within their ranks.

With that in mind, a number of exceptional players have featured in the famous black and white strip over the last decade, but who has been the best? Football League World take a look at the best players to play for the Magpies over the past 10 years.

The best Notts County XI since 2014

Albeit not the usual formation traditionally used by the Magpies, to fit the players into this team, we have gone with a 4-2-2-2, with five of the current Notts squad featuring in the team of the decade.

Sam Slocombe - GK

The first player to feature on the list, and one currently at the club, is Sam Slocombe. The 35-year-old joined the Magpies in 2019 and has asserted himself as the number one in previous seasons, despite being challenged in almost every campaign for that spot.

Statistically this decade, he has been the best keeper at Meadow Lane, his career best clean sheets stats coming in last season's National League success, equalling his total achieved in the 2020/21 season with 15.

Under Luke Williams, Slocombe significantly improved with his ball distribution and has recently found himself back in the team, despite the club signing both Aidan Stone and Luca Ashby-Hammond this term, putting on one of his best displays in a Notts shirt in their recent defeat to Crawley Town.

Matt Tootle - RB

While most notoriously known for his infamous slug celebration during his time at Meadow Lane, Matt Tootle was also a solid player during his time at the club.

Having made over 200 appearances for Crewe Alexandra and Shrewsbury Town, the right-back walked through the Meadow Lane doors in 2016 on a two-year contract. He would prove to play an important role for County during the Alan Hardy era.

He featured 36 times during the 2017/18 season when the club finished fifth in League Two but would lose out to Coventry City in the semi-finals, ending his Meadow Lane career with 106 appearances, four goals and eight assists. A solid option for the right-back spot.

Mike Edwards - CB

A player who has more appearances than anyone on this list, is former defender, Mike Edwards, who enjoyed two spells at Meadow Lane. Having left the club in 2012, having been named the club's Player of the Season award for 2006–07 and being made captain, Edwards would return to Nottingham in 2014.

Although his second stint was not as memorable as his first, Edwards was a key figure for the Magpies at the back, demonstrating his versatility by operating in central midfield and his aerial dominance at the back.

He was released by Notts at the end of the 2017–18 season and retired shortly after, but will be fondly remembered as one of the best defenders to play for the club in recent times.

Shaun Brisley - CB

Partnering Edwards at the heart of defence is Shaun Brisley, who can now be found turning out for local side, Alfreton Town in the National League North. Brisley signed a two-year contract with League Two side Notts County in a move that reunited him with former Leyton Orient boss, Kevin Nolan.

He quickly found good form in a centre-back partnership with Richard Duffy, making 46 appearances in the 2017/18 campaign, helping Notts to reach the play-offs, where they were beaten by Coventry City at the semi-final stage.

He was played in a holding midfield role by new manager Harry Kewell in October 2018, and would fall out of favour under Neal Ardley. That being said, Brisley was an excellent defender on his day, and forms a solid partnership alongside Edwards at centre-back.

Jodi Jones - LB

Albeit playing slightly out of position, the second player to feature in the current squad is new signing, Jodi Jones, who has been in superb form since re-joining Notts in the summer after a successful loan spell during the Magpies’ promotion from the National League.

He has been a player reborn this term, breaking the assist record in League Two in February by notching up 20 for the season, including four in one match in a 5-5 draw against Grimsby in Jim O’Brien’s only game in charge.

Jones has also shown his defensive abilities in his new wing-back role, and would bring pace, power and precision to this side from the left-hand side.

Matty Palmer - CM

Oh, how the Magpies have missed this man since his season-ending injury back in November. Matty Palmer was once described as a ‘tennis ball machine’ by his former manager, Luke Williams, and to be honest, he wasn’t wrong.

The midfielder’s array of passing and his ability to dictate the tempo of games has been crucial in the way Notts have played over the past three seasons, and his absence from the team has perhaps been one of the contributing factors to Notts’ recent slump down the table.

A number of impressive midfielders have pulled on the black and white shirt in the last decade, but none seemingly as important as the Magpies’ current number 18.

Mr Notts County himself. It would be difficult to leave Jim O'Brien out of this team, providing that bite in midfield with the possibility of a goal or a hat-trick in midfield - his time at Meadow Lane has proved that there is no in between.

Having joined from Bradford City in 2019, O'Brien was part of the side who saw the Magpies drop out of the Football League, making it his mission to get them back. He was one of four current Notts players who tasted defeat in the play-off final against Harrogate Town in their first season in the National League.

And last season he turned his dream into a reality, playing a pivotal role in Notts' promotion-winning season last term. His respect at the club is immense, and was even put in charge of the club following Luke Williams' departure to Swansea City, seeing his only game produce a 5-5 draw away to Grimsby Town. A player who leaves it all out on the pitch.

Jorge Grant - CAM

A first professional loan move from Notts' noisy neighbors saw midfielder Jorge Grant cross the River Trent from Nottingham Forest, for the first of two spells at Meadow Lane.

His first season with Notts saw the midfielder score in his second game in the 93rd minute against Exeter City and would finish the season with six goals in 17 games to help the Magpies survive relegation from League Two, earning himself a new three-year deal at the City Ground.

Grant would return the following season and continue his sensational scoring form, netting 19 times in 56 appearances in all competitions as Notts reached the play-off semi-finals but would lose out to Coventry City. A class act who has since failed to rediscover that goal-scoring touch.

Ruben Rodrigues - CAM

Arriving from Dutch side Den Bosch in 2020, midfielder Ruben Rodrigues would become one of the most talented players to wear the black and white shirt in recent times, with fans having to wait a year to see their ‘Portuguese magnifico’ live in the flesh.

Once fans were able to feast their eyes in the Meadow Lane stands, Rodrigues would soon become a fans' favourite for his robust, yet skillful displays, with the sprinkle of the odd nutmeg just for good measure.

His departure for Oxford United was an opportunity the supporters felt his talents deserved, with his final contribution for the Magpies seeing him level the scores at Wembley in the National League play-off final.

Macaulay Langstaff - ST

It would be difficult to leave out the Magpies’ leading marksmen from their National League triumph last season. The striker has been a revelation since walking through the doors at Meadow Lane, with goal-scoring records tumbling in front of his talented feet.

41 goals in 45 games in the fifth tier and has already surpassed the 20-goal mark in his first season in the Football League. Need there be anymore explaining?

He has become one of the most prolific strikers Notts fans have seen in recent years, with many hoping they will continue to see his exploits for years to come.

Jon Stead - ST

The man tasked with knocking down the ball for Langstaff will be veteran striker, Jon Stead. Having joined the club at the age of 32, many questioned the thinking behind the signing, but he would go on to score 19 goals, nine of which were assists.

Stead would go on to become a dependable striking option for 12 different managers during his four-year stay in the East Midlands, hitting double figures in every season in all competitions, his lowest coming in his final campaign before joining Harrogate Town.

A number of potential options could have been preferred to the towering striker, but based on sheer consistency, he has to be worthy of a spot in the side.