Scrambling up a fixed ladder at the back of the stand, Howard Wilkinson would watch Notts County from his lofty perch on the TV gantry.
If he wanted to suggest a tactical amendment, he would scribble a note, wrap it round a pebble and lob it to his mentor Jimmy Sirrel on the touchline below. In his first assignment as a manager, Wilkinson's double act with Sirrel led the Magpies to the top flight 42 years ago – and his affection for them has never waned.
This weekend's National League play-off final against Chesterfield is arguably the biggest game in County's 161-year history, and certainly the most important since they slipped out of the 92-club mainstream four years ago.
