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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Oliver King

Every word Macaulay Langstaff said after winning historic National League award

It's been a brilliant month for Notts County and one player in particular.

Macaulay Langstaff was given the National League Player of the Month award for September, the first player in the league's history to win the accolade on consecutive occasions after scoring six goals in four games during that time.

The 25-year-old has been an integral part of the table-topping Magpies' team after 13 games this season, scoring 15 times for Luke Williams' side as they look to return to the EFL at the fourth time of asking.

READ MORE: Ruben Rodrigues makes Notts County goal claim as he settles into new role

Following the announcement of his record-breaking achievement, Langstaff sat down with Nottinghamshire Live reporter Oliver King to discuss all things Notts on what has been a brilliant start to life at Meadow Lane.

Macaulay, player of the month, how are you feeling?

ML: "Yeah, it is unbelievable. These individual accolades are massive for me, and I get massive pride from them.

"The last one was the first I have won since being in the National League so that was a proud moment because that was my first player of the month, but obviously to win it back-to-back you have seen the stories that it is the first time someone has done that in a league of the quality, to win one is a great feeling but to win it back-to-back, I get massive pride in that.

In that time, you have scored 15 goals, which one has been your favourite?

ML: "The Wrexham goal. I mentioned it to people at training this morning that the Dagenham hat-trick meant everything to me because it was my first professional hat-trick.

"But, to score in a game of that magnitude in what was the biggest game of the season so far, and being the only one to score in a 1-0 win, that goal means the most to me so far this season.

"I have probably scored better goals this season, but that is the goal when I came away from the game happiest because it meant everything to me and the team.

You have that knack of being in the right place at the right time, is there anyone you try and replicate as we have seen the Erling Haaland comparisons?

ML: "It is a bit of fun seeing those comparisons with Haaland, but when I watch him and watch City, I am almost on player cam and watching him and every move he makes in the box.

"We are a lot different in terms of our physical stature, but he scores a lot of tap-ins, I like to be in the right place at the right time to score tap-ins.

"I watch his movements and the way he gets away from defenders and stuff like that. I don't have the height or the power to win a header or bully a defender but, I can copy his movements and get away from a defender in the box.

"At the start of the season I wouldn't have said I watched Haaland and tried to replicate him, but the more the season has gone and the number of goals he is scoring, as a striker you would be stupid to not watch him and try and copy the things he does.

"The gaffer likes to show me videos of Haaland, and his movement and he tries to get his forwards in the right place at the right time and luckily I have been doing that."

Coming off the back of an impressive season with Gateshead, was it a difficult decision to join Notts when they came calling?

ML: "I don't think it was a difficult decision to join Notts, but it was a really difficult decision to leave Gateshead, I would be lying if I said that I was desperate to leave.

"I had an unbelievable season, I basically won the league with my best mates and a group of people who meant a lot to me so I finished the season, thinking yeah I would be back next season because I had another year left on my contract and I would be going away for the summer and come back to Gateshead.

"Then Notts came calling, and it was a case of I never wanted to leave Gateshead, but once I came and visited the stadium and the structure that they have got in place at the club, it was a case of I didn't want to leave Gateshead, but I wanted to join Notts.

"The tipping factor for me was that I came to the stadium and talked to people at the club, and they told me the reasons why they wanted me to play for the club and the way they wanted me to play, and it suited me down to the ground.

"I was already at an established National League club, but it is the ambition of getting promoted and going again and that ambition of getting out my comfort zone.

"I was living at home when I was at Gateshead, so it was comfortable for me, so to come out of my comfort zone and move away and test myself in a new environment, new dressing room and all these factors and that made my decision quite easy in the end to join Notts.

"There were a lot of clubs in for me, but none of them matched the ambition of Notts."

How big of an influence has the gaffer been on you?

ML: "I joined when there was no gaffer in place, so it was a strange one really.

"But when I met the people at the top of the club, they assured me that whatever manager is coming in is that they still wanted to play the same ways as last season with that possession-based football and attractive football.

"I believed in them when they said they would recruit off that basis, so I knew I wasn't coming to a team with no manager and then recruit someone who preferred to play long ball football that would not suit me.

"Obviously, you have seen the gaffer and he has been unbelievable, and I am so thankful that he is the one that got the job in the end because he has been massive in my success.

"I have learnt so much from him in a short space of time and that is a huge positive because I think we are forgetting we are 13 games in, I have delivered in terms of goals and performances, but I am still learning and nowhere near where I want to be.

"I want to continue to improve, and I think working with this gaffer and the ideas that he has, I can only get better and better.

Not on the scoresheet Saturday, but two goals for Cedwyn Scott, how pleased have you been with him since his move to Notts?

ML: "I am delighted, me and him spend a lot of time off the pitch and he went a few games without a goal and having played with him for the past 18 months, he has barely done that.

"We roomed together before the Woking game and he said to me he was desperate to get on the scoresheet, so for him to get a brace, I was delighted for him.

"We have this thing that when one of us scores after the game, or if we have both scored, we count our goals since the start of last season, I think it is 79 goals now since the start of last season and it's a way of keeping us motivated.

"We compare and say we need to get to 100 goals as soon as possible and things like that. His performances have probably deserved more goals but six goals is a good return because he missed the first few games through illness, but he will kick on and get better and better."

What do you do to relax and get away from football in a new city?

ML: "Like Cedwyn said at the start of the season, he is a keen golfer, but I am not, I can't really play, I would love to be able to, but I am not the most talented.

"Outside of that, going for food and just chilling with the lads. We have a good group and quite a few of us live in the apartments near each other so we have our own coffee club and then go and do that.

"Or we go for nice food after training and stuff like that. We are quite a close group and do a lot of things together, but I do socialise with the lads and go out and things like that."

Have you set any targets of this season?

ML: "I have said for the past four or five weeks that I don't like to set targets because you can become disheartened if you don't reach them.

"I set mini targets and if it takes five or ten games or whatever, I don't really mind, I just want to get there as quick as possible.

"I don't set big targets, I take each game as it comes and try to score in every game and when it comes to the end of the season, I will look at my tally and see whether I am happy with it or not.

"That is what I did last season and it worked so I will do the same this season."

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