'Final push' for Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler statue at Notts County
- Published
Sculptor Andrew Edwards has used the picture above of Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler as the model for the statue that is due to be unveiled later this year
A statue of two men considered to be Notts County's greatest ever management team could be installed by the autumn.
Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler led the Magpies to a number of achievements including promotion to the First Division in 1981.
The football club's supporters have raised about £80,000 but an extra £25,000 is still required.
Lisa Black, from the Jimmy and Jack statue fund, said a final push should help them hit their target by June.
Jimmy and Jack
Andrew Edwards, who has been working on the statue for the past two years, was also responsible for the statue of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor at Pride Park in Derby
Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler began working together at Notts County in 1969 and in their second season they won the Division Four championship
Two seasons later they secured promotion to the second division before Sirrel left for Sheffield United in 1975
He returned to Notts County two years later and achieved promotion to the top flight, the first time since 1926
Sirrel had a stand named after him in 1993 and died aged 86 in 2008, Jack Wheeler had a banqueting suite named after him at the club's Meadow Lane stadium
Wheeler died a year after Sirrel at the age of 89, in Nottingham
Mr Edwards worked on his sculpture of Jimmy Sirrel first before moving on to Jack Wheeler
Fundraising began in May 2010, following the deaths of both Sirrel and Wheeler, in 2008 and 2009.
Ms Black, who is chair of the fund, said: "Both Jimmy and Jack were special football people, both equally loved by generations of Notts County supporters.
"They worked in tandem in spearheading some of the club's greatest post-war achievements."
The statue, created by sculptor Andrew Edwards, will be located on the pavement south of Ashling Court, in Meadow Lane, near the entrance of Notts County's stadium.
Ms Black said it was hoped after a "final push" the remaining funds would be raised by the end of May and the statue in place during autumn.
She said: "The families of [Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler] are thrilled that both men are being recognised in this special way."
Jimmy Sirrel is considered to be the most successful manager in Notts County's history