The Magpie Circle: Calverton-born goalkeeping legend Steve Cherry recalls days when both Forest and County were in top flight of English football

Gedling resident Paul Mace produces a regular Notts County podcast featuring former club players and managers.  This week it’s the turn of club legend Steve Cherry – who hails from Calverton.

Each week at Gedling Eye we’ll be sharing the podcasts with our readers.

Calverton-born Steve Cherry became one of Notts County’s all-time goalkeeping greats.

But he could quite easily have followed in his family’s footsteps and worked in one of Nottinghamshire’s many coal mines.

Cherry was initially rejected as a young lad by the Magpies.

But after a detour via Derby and Plymouth, Cherry became Neil Warnock’s very first signing in 1989.

He went on to make 328 appearances for the Magpies and become a vital component of the double promotion-winning team in the early 1990s.

In this week’s edition of the Magpie Circle podcast, Cherry recalls wonderful times at Meadow Lane.

The club’s working class values and culture was aptly summed up by a visit to Manchester United.

“It was our first game back in the top flight.  We got beat 2-0 – Peter Schmeichel was making his debut – and we did ok.”recalls Cherry.

“After the game, we all went into the players bar and I went to buy a round of drinks.

“The lady said, it’s free.  We never had a free bar at Notts.

“So we had a quick couple, back on the bus and a few tins courtesy of our sponsor at the time, Home Ales.

“We got dropped off back in Nottingham and a couple of fans gave us a lift to the local pub. We had a few more … and I didn’t get home till about 1am.”

Relive an era when both the Magpies and Nottingham Forest were in the top flight of English football.