James Belshaw reflects on Notts County’s turbulent history ahead of the League Two play-off final

Belshaw’s arrival at Meadow Lane in January has brought a fairytale element to Notts County’s bid for promotion this season.

He is the hometown player from a family that has supported the Magpies for generations.

He spent time on the books as a youngster, and while he did not progress with them on the pitch, he remained a loyal follower in the stands – celebrating their successes and bemoaning their failures like every supporter around him.

Like any fan, there are players he idolised, and he has been able to go on and meet some of them to talk at length about the day job.

Just his week, he has received advice from his “first hero” Darren Ward, who now works as the goalkeeper coach for the England women’s team.

“Being a goalkeeper, he was the first person that I saw and was like ‘wow, it’s Darren Ward’ when I was a mascot on my sixth birthday here [at Meadow Lane] in a game against Bristol Rovers,” Belshaw said.

“He reached out over the weekend on Instagram and said ‘look if ever you want to go for a coffee, let me know’. And I was I was like, ‘oh, do I!’.

“So I went for a coffee with him the other day. It was just a two-and-a-half, three-hour chat about football processes, how the Lionesses do things, how we do things, and stories.”

And the offers of help have kept on coming.

Steve Cherry, who started in back-to-back play-off final wins at Wembley for Notts under Neil Warnock in 1990 and 1991, was the latest to touch base with Belshaw this week.

“He wanted to have a chat to me before Wembley,” Belshaw said.

“So it’s like I have all these people that I grew up watching, and ones that I remember getting promoted, and now I’m in that position.

“I’d like to leave a legacy at this football club, to give something back to the club that’s given so much joy, particularly to my dad over his 60 years. That would be very humbling and a nice way to finish the season.”