Notts County promotion would raise Alassana Jatta, Macaulay Langstaff, Lee Hughes debate | OneFootball

If Notts were to get promoted to League One this season, it would surely move Alassana Jatta into elite company in club folklore.

Alassana Jatta could cement his cult hero status at Meadow Lane if he can fire Notts County to promotion back to League One this season.

If Jatta can haul the Magpies back into the third tier for the first time since 2015, it would stand him amongst elite company with the likes of Macaulay Langstaff and Lee Hughes as the strikers to have powered the club to promotion in recent years.

Jatta almost left the club in January, with the board knocking back a bid of £750,000 from Championship side Plymouth Argyle (according to The Guardian). Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers were also reportedly interested in his services, but he remained a Notts player as the window shut.

The Gambian now has the opportunity to force his way into the debate surrounding the club’s best strikers in recent years, of which the likes of Langstaff and Hughes would also be part of.

Hughes and Langstaff are the current benchmark

Notts have had their fair share of top-quality strikers throughout their history, but in recent times, Langstaff and Hughes’ successes surely stand them a cut above the rest. The duo are the only frontmen to have supplied the goals for a successful promotion charge in the last 20 years.

Hughes struck 30 goals from just 39 league games as the Magpies raced to the League Two title by 10 points in what was a chaotic 2009/10 season. Having joined the club on the same day as the late Sven-Goran Eriksson, the former West Brom and Oldham Athletic man became a legend at Meadow Lane across four years of service.

A controversial figure among opposition fans for his past, Hughes followed up his golden boot campaign with consecutive double-figure efforts as Notts established themselves in League One.

In September 2011, he netted a memorable late equaliser against Juventus, after Martin Allen’s men had been invited over to Italy by the Old Lady to open their new stadium with a friendly between the two sides.

Although his time at Nottingham ended by mutual consent in January 2013, he remains a legend at the club for the role he played in the remarkable promotion campaign.

Similarly, Langstaff cemented his place in club folklore for his scarcely believable 42-goal season during Notts’ recent National League promotion back in 2022/23. The Teessider broke both the league and club record (which had stood for 92 years) for goals in a single season and, incredibly, every single one of his strikes came from open play.

His goals were crucial in ensuring Luke Williams’ side pushed Hollywood-backed Wrexham right to the end in what was arguably the most dramatic title race the National League has ever seen.

He went on to notch 28 league goals in League Two last term, in what was his first ever taste of the EFL. After claiming consecutive golden boots, he was named club captain ahead of this season, but just weeks later departed the club to join Championship outfit Millwall.

Although there was an air of disappointment when the 28-year-old made the move, he will always be fondly remembered by supporters and his 42-goal effort is unlikely to ever be beaten by a Notts man.

Jatta has the chance to force his way into that debate

Jatta has been a revelation since moving to Nottingham and, with Stuart Maynard’s side firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion, he has his own chance to force his name along with the likes of Hughes and Langstaff.

Last season’s introduction to the Football League was impressive enough with five goals and two assists from just 10 league games. But Jatta has taken that form and improved even further this season.

He has become a vital and irreplaceable part of this Magpies squad, and they look a shadow of themselves when the Gambian is absent. His impressive performances have also dragged him onto the radar of his national team, who handed him his first ever call-up back in November.

While he is nowhere near as prolific in front of goal as the likes of Langstaff and Hughes, Jatta brings pace, direct running and a crucial physical presence that is particularly important at League Two level.

If he can score the goals to lift Notts into League One for next season, it would surely force his name into the conversation surrounding the club’s best strikers in recent years, even if his long-term future may ultimately lie elsewhere.