During the 1949–50 English football season, Notts County competed in the Third Division South, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the 86th season in Notts County's history and their 51st as members of the Football League. The team was captained by the centre forward Tommy Lawton, an England international who had signed for the club in 1947. Notts lost their second game of the season, but they were in first place by 10 September, a position they did not relinquish thereafter. The team went 18 League and Cup matches unbeaten, a run that culminated in a 2–1 away win against Nottingham Forest in the season's first Nottingham derby, a match remembered for Lawton's powerful headed goal.
The unbeaten run came to an end in the following match and injuries began to affect the team. By the end of January, its lead at the top of the Third Division South had been reduced from five points to one. The return of players to the team coincided with an upturn in form and, although they then won only one of their first five matches of April, Notts County secured the championship and promotion to the Second Division with a 2–0 home win over Forest on 22 April. Notts entered the FA Cup in the first round and won two matches before being eliminated in the third round by First Division side Burnley.
Managed by Eric Houghton, Notts County played 45 matches, winning 27, drawing eight and losing ten. Two players, Harry Adamson and Roy Smith, played in every game, while Lawton was the top scorer with 33 goals. The season was the highpoint of the "Lawton Era", a notable period in Notts County's history where large crowds came to watch Lawton and his teammates. An average of 35,176 people attended the club's 21 home League games, while a new Meadow Lane attendance record of 46,000 saw Notts County's title-clinching win in the Nottingham derby; the former remains the club record, and the latter remains Notts County's largest home League attendance.
Background In November 1947, Notts County (nicknamed the Magpies) broke the British transfer fee record when they paid Chelsea £20,000 for the centre forward Tommy Lawton. The move of Lawton, an England international regarded as one of the best players of his day, to a Third Division South club was "one of the sporting shocks of the age". The transfer was the beginning of the "Lawton Era", one of the most notable periods in Notts County's history. In the 1948–49 season, three players, Lawton, Jackie Sewell and Tom Johnston, each scored 20 goals or more, and the team 102 altogether, but nevertheless it finished 11th in the table, with strong form at the club's Meadow Lane ground offset by a poor away record. In February 1949, the Notts manager Arthur Stollery, who had played an important part in convincing Lawton to join the club, resigned on the grounds of ill health.
A permanent replacement for Stollery was not appointed until after the 1948–49 season's conclusion, with Eric Houghton appointed manager in May 1949. The team reported for pre-season training on 20 July, with the forward and new recruit Billy Evans among them; he had signed for Notts in June from Aston Villa for a nominal fee. The team played two trial matches in preparation for the new season. The first was a "leisurely" match at Meadow Lane on 6 August, where Billy Evans nevertheless "showed himself a thrustful forward". The second, played between the first team and a team of trialists, saw Lawton score a hat-trick, and the first team won 5–1. Houghton was questioned on his team's promotion prospects before the season began: "We may be thereabouts ourselves", he replied.
Third Division South August–October The season opened on 20 August with a home game against Southend United. The match was played in "intense heat", and won 2–0 by Notts despite missing two first-half penalties. Lawton gained his first goal of the season in Notts County's first away match, though it was not enough to prevent the Magpies losing 4–3 at Norwich City, a scoreline that left commentators worrying that this was to be a repeat of the previous season. Lawton scored a brace in the following game at Bristol Rovers, helping his side to a 3–0 win, before Notts played Norwich again in the first match of September, this time winning 5–0 with Fred Evans earning two goals. After consecutive clean sheets, the Nottingham Journal opined that "the much-maligned defence department is a vast improvement". Notts were temporarily reduced to nine men within the first four minutes of their next game, played at home to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on 3 September, following a collision between Billy Baxter and Harry Chapman; the former returned to the field with his knee heavily bandaged, the latter after an absence of 16 minutes. Despite this, Notts won 2–0 with another brace from Lawton.
The Magpies were at home to Exeter City in their next game, with England selectors present to watch Lawton. He and Johnston had given the home side a 2–0 lead after 22 minutes, but Exeter led 3–2 before the hour mark, and it required a second Johnston goal nine minutes from the end to earn a 3–3 draw. The result left Notts in second place, level on points with but behind Southend, but the team took top spot following a 2–1 win at Crystal Palace, a position they would occupy for the remainder of the season. Notts won 1–0 in both of their next two games, against Watford and Reading respectively, before hosting Leyton Orient on 1 October. England selectors were once again present to watch Lawton, and they saw him, Sewell and Billy Evans each score two goals as the Magpies prevailed 7–1. "This was the County at their best", the Football Post said. "The speed of the forwards was pleasing to see."
In October, Notts announced the signing of two new players. The first was that of centre-half Alec Simpson, who joined for a £7,500 fee from Wolverhampton Wanderers on 4 October. Two days later, Notts signed the defender Tommy Deans, also for a £7,500 fee, from Clyde. The latter made his debut two days later at Newport County before what was their largest crowd since the end of World War II. The Magpies, who had not been "displaying that form expected of League leaders", found themselves 1–0 down, but Sewell's 85th-minute equaliser salvaged a point for the away team. A 4–1 home win over Bristol City followed, with Sewell earning a brace, before Notts played at Brighton & Hove Albion in their next game. The match was played in hail and rainstorms, and Brighton led 2–0 in the 22nd minute. However, two goals from Lawton had made it 2–2 by the 53rd minute, and an 89th-minute goal by Johnston gave Notts a 3–2 win. On 28 October, Notts announced the signing of the winger Frank Broome from Derby County, who made his debut at home to Walsall the following day. The Magpies required another late goal, this time an 89th minute penalty from Lawton, to secure a 1–1 draw. Notts County ended October in first place, with 23 points from 14 matches.
November–February Notts County's first match of November was a 3–1 win at Millwall in which Sewell scored twice. Lawton scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win against Swindon Town at Meadow Lane the following week, including two penalties, before the team played out a goalless draw at Torquay United. On the same day as the Torquay match, Notts County's city rivals Nottingham Forest defeated Bristol Rovers 2–0 to move into second place in the Third Division South. This meant that the season's first Nottingham derby would between first and second. The match, the first League meeting of the two clubs since February 1935, was played before an all-ticket capacity crowd. Notts took a 1–0 lead through a Lawton goal described by A.J. Turner of the Nottingham Journal as a "jet-propelled" header "of the type to be talked about for years". "No other forward could have... folded in mid-air like a pen-knife, and headed a goal with the power and accuracy of a man taking a penalty", Desmond Hackett of the Daily Express wrote. Broome made it 2–0 Notts with nine minutes left and, although Forest pulled a goal back five minutes later, the Magpies held on to win 2–1.
Notts lost 2–0 at Southend in their next match, their first defeat in 18 games, but the team swiftly returned to winning ways, defeating Bristol Rovers 2–0 on 24 December. The Magpies then faced Ipswich Town in consecutive games on 26 and 27 December, winning both times. The first, played at Meadow Lane, saw a 2–0 home win which brought the team to 50 goals for the season. The following day, Notts had a first-half reprieve when George Perrett of Ipswich appeared to have scored for the home side, only to find the referee had already awarded his team a penalty, which was easily saved. It took until the 60th minute for the Magpies to score, but they eventually prevailed 4–0, with two goals for Lawton. Notts were one of only two Football League teams to secure three wins from their three matches over the Christmas period, but Broome and Deans both sustained injuries during this time, keeping them out of the next game, a 3–0 loss at Bournemouth. Broome returned for the next match, a home game with Crystal Palace, but Lawton and Baxter were absent, the former through injury and the latter through flu, and Notts were defeated 1–0.
After a further defeat, this one 2–1 at Watford, Notts County's lead at the top of the Third Division South had been reduced from five points to one. Two days afterwards, the Nottingham Evening Post reported that Deans was expected to return to the team in its next game, and expressed hope that Notts would be able to field a full-strength side for the first time since beating Forest. In the event, Lawton remained absent for Notts County's final match of January, but the team nevertheless beat Aldershot 3–1. The Magpies then defeated Reading 4–0 at Meadow Lane, with Lawton back in the side and among the goal scorers. A.E. Botting of the Nottingham Journal described the match as "a return to the type of football which characterised their [Notts County's] form earlier in the season". Notts next won 4–1 at Leyton Orient, with Johnston scoring two, before the team hosted Newport in the final match of February. Notts had won the previous season's corresponding fixture 11–1, and Newport fared little better this time; Sewell scored a hat-trick, Lawton a brace, and the Magpies won 7–0. Notts ended February in first place, with 44 points from 29 matches.
March–May Notts County were beaten 4–0 at Bristol City in their first game at March. Sewell sustained an injury during this match, keeping him out of the team in its 4–2 win over Brighton on 11 March. Notts were 3–0 down after 63 minutes of their next game at Walsall and seemed destined to lose; this was the score until the 80th minute, when a Lawton header reduced the home team's lead to 3–1. Johnston scored a second header two minutes later to make the score 3–2 and, two minutes after that, Alec Simpson ran through and equalised for the Magpies. "It was the most thrilling finish of any match this season", the Football Post said. "They [Notts] staged a ...rally so strong it overwhelmed the Walsall defence." Simpson, who was deputising for the still injured Sewell, scored again in the final game of March, with two goals in a 2–0 home win over Millwall.