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May 4, 2019 at 3pm UK at The Energy Check County Ground (Swindon, Wiltshire)
Attendance: 8,676
SwindonSwindon Town
3-1
Notts County
Woolery (69'), Robinson (74', 92')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Hemmings (52' pen.)

Notts County relegated: Interesting facts about Football League's oldest club

Notts County relegated: Interesting facts about Football League's oldest club
© Reuters
County suffered the heartbreak of relegation from Sky Bet League Two.

Notts County have been relegated from the Football League for the first time in their history after a 3-1 defeat at Swindon on Saturday.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at some things you may not know about County.

Oldest club

Notts County are the oldest English Football League club
Notts County were formed in 1862 (Nick Potts/PA)

Formed in 1862, Notts County was universally recognised as the oldest Football League club. Although its official formation followed two years later as the 'Notts. Foot Ball Club'. In 1888, the Magpies became one of 12 founder members of the Football League, having previously played a game of its own devising rather than association football. If County are relegated, the mantle of oldest Football League club passes across the River Trent to Nottingham Forest, who were founded in 1865. Some claim it is Stoke but even the club's own website admits "many details remain sketchy" about their formation, purported to be in 1863.

Kit

Notts County were a black and white striped kit
Notts County were a black and white striped kit (Mike Egerton/PA)

Notts County have not always played in black and white stripes, having started out in black and amber hoops. The club switched to a chocolate and blue combination before adopting its trademark design. In 1903, the Magpies answered the call of a Juventus player, an Englishman named John Savage, to send a set of the club's black and white striped shirts to replace the old pink ones worn by the players of the Italian side since their founding by a group of students six years earlier. And that is why Juventus play in black and white stripes today.

Juventus' new stadium

Lee Hughes equalised for County against Juventus in 2011
Lee Hughes equalised for County against Juventus in 2011 (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The Italian giants never forgot the gesture with the shirts and remembered their roots when it came to the inaugural game to open their new stadium in September 2011. Juve could have opted to play Real Madrid or Barcelona or Manchester United, but Notts County were invited due to the 108-year link between the clubs since the 'Old Lady' decided to adopt the black and white shirts worn by the Magpies. The match to celebrate the opening of the 41,000-seater Juventus Arena, which is built on the site of the Stadio delle Alpi, ended in a 1-1 draw after Lee Hughes cancelled out Luca Toni's opener late on.

Jimmy Sirrel

Jimmy Sirrel, front left, is regarded as County's most successful manager
Jimmy Sirrel, front left, is regarded as County's most successful manager (PA)

Tommy Lawton, Howard Wilkinson, Neil Warnock, Sam Allardyce and Sven-Goran Eriksson have all managed Notts County, but Sirrel is widely regarded as the club's most successful boss. Sirrel led the Magpies from the depths of the old Fourth Division to the top tier, announcing their arrival on the opening weekend of the 1981-82 season by winning away against the champions Aston Villa. Stories of Sirrel's off-pitch antics are also intriguing, like how he used to lick the top of the sauce bottle clean during team dinners or travelling from his home in the village of Burton Joyce to use the communal bath.

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A general shot of Notts County stadium Meadow Lane in April 2015
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2Harrogate TownHarrogate37199961441766
3Notts County381712961382363
4Yeovil TownYeovil371791161441760
5Boreham WoodBoreham Wood371612955401560
6Halifax TownHalifax37177135049158
7Stockport CountyStockport391610135154-358
8Solihull MoorsSolihull3815101348371155
9Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool391413125650655
10Woking381510135055-555
11Barnet351412952421054
12Dover AthleticDover Athletic38159144949054
13Bromley381410145752552
14Sutton UnitedSutton381214124742550
15Torquay UnitedTorquay Utd36146165661-548
16Aldershot TownAldershot391210174355-1246
17Eastleigh371113134355-1246
18Dagenham & RedbridgeDag & Red371111154044-444
19Chesterfield381111165565-1044
20Wrexham371110164649-343
21Ebbsfleet391012174768-2142
22Maidenhead UnitedMaidenhead38125214458-1441
23Fylde37912164460-1639
24Chorley38414203165-3426

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