Notts County made history with £2.5m Derby County deal | OneFootball

Notts County's best piece of transfer business remains the sale of Craig Short in 1992

Notts County are back in League One after earning their promotion through the play-offs this season.

The Magpies haven’t competed in the third tier of English football since 2015, and were a non-league side as recently as 2023.

But Martin Paterson’s side achieved promotion in just his first season in charge, and he will now be looking to build a competitive enough team to survive at that level long-term.

The summer transfer window will prove a crucial period for the club, with plenty of transfer activity on the cards.

It’s clear that Notts County are on a positive trajectory after beating Salford City in the play-off final, although it’s unlikely they’ll be breaking any transfer records just yet.

Their record signing is the £685,000 paid to bring Tony Agana to the club, while their record sale remains the £2.5 million earned for Craig Short over 30 years ago.

Craig Short is Notts County’s finest ever piece of transfer business

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Notts County signed Short in a deal worth just £100,000 in 1989 from Scarborough, and he made a strong first impression in his first campaign with the club.

He proved worth the cost of the move quite quickly, helping the Magpies earn promotion to the Second Division as the team finished third in the table.

And a year later, Notts County were able to replicate that success with an incredibly impressive campaign, with Neil Warnock overseeing back-to-back promotions.

While Notts County were unable to remain in the First Division, thus missing out on the start of the Premier League in 1992, Short still stood out as a key part of the side.

The defender made 128 appearances for the club over three seasons, which earned him a big money move to Derby County.

He signed for the Rams in a £2.5 million deal, making the move to the Second Division side, but he was unable to enjoy the same success as he achieved at Notts County.

However, he was not only a then-record sale for a player outside of the top flight, he was also a record sale for a defender as well, highlighting just how strong of a move it was for the club.

The defender went on to play for Everon, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United in the Premier League before retiring in 2008.

Notts County need to replicate Craig Short success

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Notts County are back on their way up after a tumultuous few years out of the EFL, and they will be hoping to replicate the kind of success they once enjoyed with Short in the near future.

Their record sale being set over 30 years ago is a sign of how little progress the team has made since their last top flight campaign.

The club haven’t competed in the second tier of English football since 1995, having been relegated just a few years after Short’s exit for Derby.

Paterson will have his sights set on ending that 30-plus year wait for second tier football, and it will require business like Short’s signing for £100,000 back in 1989.

His arrival remains the best piece of business Notts County have ever completed given the cost of his arrival and the size of the fee received from his sale.

The centre-back became a proven Premier League level talent, and the major profit from his sale is the exact kind of business the Magpies have to achieve in order to build a sustainable model that can compete with the top teams they’ll now face in League One.