Bristol Rovers' League Two promotion rivals sack manager after brutal play-off failure
Notts County have sacked Stuart Maynard after 16 months
League Two side Notts County have sacked manager Stuart Maynard after the club’s play-off semi-final defeat to AFC Wimbledon.
The 44-year-old replaced popular coach Luke Williams in January 2024 after his move to Swansea City and finished the season in 16th position after an initial strong start to the campaign. In his first full season in charge, he steered The Magpies to a much improved fifth place finish but ended the season poorly with six defeats from the last eight league matches - including two 1-0 defeats to Wimbledon in the League Two play-off semi-final.
County, who won promotion from the National League in 2023, have ambitions of winning promotion from League Two in the 2025/26 campaign and are expected to be one of Bristol Rovers’ leading competitors for an automatic promotion place.
Stuart Maynard sacked by Notts County
Stuart Maynard won 28, drew 16 and lost 29 games during his time at Notts County after joining the Meadow Lane outfit from National League side Wealdstone.
“After being unable to achieve our aim of winning promotion this season, we share the disappointment felt by everyone connected with the club,” said Notts owners Chris and Alex Reedtz in an official club statement. While football is a game of fine margins, and Stuart undoubtedly faced numerous challenges over the course of the campaign, neither results nor performances reached the levels we believe the team was capable of - particularly during the defining period towards the end.
"Stuart leaves with our very best wishes and gratitude for his considerable commitment and dedication to the role. In the near future we will provide a comprehensive update to supporters, offering more of our own reflections on the 2024-25 campaign while also outlining our approach to next season and beyond. Alongside our recently-appointed Head of Football, Roberto Gagliardi, our work is well underway to identify the correct coaching team and new signings to join us on these important next steps of our journey.
“We are highly optimistic about the club’s future and remain as committed as ever to helping Notts County achieve its immense potential.”
What next for Notts County?
Notts County find themselves in a similar predicament to Bristol Rovers as they look to find themselves a manager that can get the team promoted into the third-tier of English football. Rovers have Darrell Clarke back at the helm, who has already proven in the past he can win promotion with the club.
County could take a similar approach by reaching out to former boss Luke Williams after his departure from Swansea City. He helped the club climb out of the National League with a record-breaking points tally of 107 which remarkably still wasn’t enough for automatic with Wrexham winning the title.
However, he’s not the standout candidate for the club based on reports, with Portuguese coach Joao Alves being the favourite after working as an analyst and assistant coach with the Nottingham club.
Des Buckingham, formerly of Oxford United, is also linked with the role along with Thomas Cleverley and ex-Bristol Rovers boss Matt Taylor.