Notts County found what Nottingham Forest had been looking for in free agent | OneFootball

John Bostock brought a huge level of quality to the Notts squad.

Summary

Notts County were able to find what Nottingham Forest never could with their signing of John Bostock back in December 2022.

Bostock had spent time across the Trent with Forest earlier on in his career, but the move never really worked out for either him or the club. He made just nine appearances for the Reds and struggled to find his feet at the City Ground. However, at Notts he was able to provide the quality that Forest had previously hoped he would.

The midfielder became a vital part of Luke Williams’ side as they sealed a remarkable promotion at Wembley, before helping the club consolidate themselves back in League Two last term.

The former Tottenham man produced several massive moments for the Magpies and arguably surpassed all expectations after signing midway through the season as a free agent.

John Bostock provided a huge amount of quality for Notts

Although he was only at the club for around 18 months, during his time at Meadow Lane, Bostock was able to achieve what he never could at Forest.

The midfielder cemented himself as one of the key players in Notts’ squad and produced several moments of huge quality, often in situations when it mattered the most.

He will forever be synonymous with the world’s oldest Football League club regaining their treasured EFL status, having produced two of the most memorable moments in the club’s recent history.

First, he curled a delicious free-kick into the top corner in the pivotal late-season clash to put Notts ahead at title rivals Wrexham, a goal that, at the time, looked like it could hand the title to Williams’ men.

Then, just a handful of weeks later, he dragged the Magpies back from the brink with a relentless display under the Wembley arch. Notts had been behind from as early as the fifth minute thanks to an Andrew Dallas penalty for Chesterfield, but Bostock hauled them back into the game with a tireless, commanding display.

He capped off his man of the match performance with what is likely the most important goal of his career. His 88th-minute free-kick snuck in at the near post to hand the Magpies a lifeline, when it looked like they had fallen at the final hurdle.

Even his miss in the subsequent shootout will go down in club folklore, with the then 31-year-old dinking his effort against the underside of the crossbar with promotion on the line.

Age eventually caught up with him in the 2023/24 season, but not before he turned in several typically classy displays in the middle of the park during Notts’ promising start to the campaign.

While it was sad to see his form gradually decline towards the end of his time at the club, Bostock will forever be remembered as a player who brought a level of quality rarely seen in the lower leagues.

John Bostock found a home at Notts County

It’s fair to say that Bostock has enjoyed a fairly unusual career.

Having been tipped for superstardom at a very young age at Tottenham, the career at the game’s top table that was outlined for him as a youngster has never really materialised.

In reality, he has had a nomadic and varied career. Having represented no less than 16 clubs, Bostock’s time in the game has taken him to France, Canada, Belgium and Turkey, and he has also made appearances across several levels of the English pyramid.

As you would expect from a man who has represented so many different clubs, the midfielder has never really stayed anywhere for a prolonged period of time. This was also the case with Notts, but despite only staying for a year-and-a-half, Bostock seemingly found a home at Meadow Lane.

He built a genuine connection with the fanbase, who adored him for the moments of magic he produced, but also the level of care that he showed for the club and its fans.

This was highlighted by the way Bostock used to regularly walk along the touchline away from home, shaking hands with travelling Notts fans. There was a genuine mutual respect between him and the fanbase.

Now 33, Bostock is back in the National League with Solihull Moors and is still going strong, having made 27 appearances in the league so far this season.

Only time will tell whether the Moors end up being his final club, but it is almost certain that he won’t build the same connection to another club like he did at Notts.

The former Forest man ended his time with the black and white side of Nottingham having made 62 appearances in all competitions, more than he made for any other club in his career.