Cedwyn Scott: Notts County striker on personal battle to get Magpies back to EFL
- Published
Cedwyn Scott has scored four goals for Notts County this season
Cedwyn Scott says trying to help Notts County back to the English Football League "means everything" to him as he continues to rebuild his own career.
As a teenager at Dundee he played three Scottish Premiership games in 2018, but just a year later he was playing in England's 10th tier with Dunston UTS.
Now with Notts at the National League summit, the 23-year-old is determined to continue his "way up" the leagues.
"I'm still battling for my life - my career - every day," Scott said.
"I'm not content to play at this level for the rest of my life. I want to take this club up to League Two and beyond."
Notts are looking to return to the EFL - and aiming to reclaim their mantle as the world's oldest football league club - after dropping into non-league for the first time in their history in 2019.
For Scott, promotion is a personal mission after plunging into the amateur game from the elite level at a young age.
Scott admits he thought he had it made as a footballer after getting a taste of the top-flight game in Scotland, aged 19, with three appearances off the bench for Dundee.
Loan moves to Berwick and Forfar in Scotland's lower leagues followed, before Scott found himself released by Dundee in the summer of 2019.
"It was really tough at the time," Scott said of the end of his stint in Scotland.
"I'd experienced a bit of first-team football in the Premiership, which is a good standard, and you think 'that's me, I'm going to kick on and develop'.
"After being involved, I went out on loan and in that time the manager who had brought me in charged, and I wasn't in the plans of the new manager.
"That's football sometimes and I felt a bit sorry for myself for a bit too long.
"At 19 you are bit naive, and looking back I should have been keeping myself in good condition knowing at the end of the season I would have to go again.
"After that I came home and found it difficult to find a club and ended up playing in the Northern League.
"That was a reality check. I got myself fit and thought 'if I can score goals, I can get my name out and climb the leagues'."
Partnering with the 'non-league Haaland'
Cedwyn Scott and strike partner Macaualy Langstaff, pictured celebrating a goal together, both joined Notts from Gateshead in the summer
With Dunstan UTS, the former Huddersfield Town academy player started again, then he moved to Hebburn Town, where he scored 22 goals in 17 appearances at the start of the 2020-21 season to attract the attention of Newcastle United, where he spent time on trial.
Eventually he moved to Carlisle United in League Two, but after just seven substitute appearances he dropped back to National League North to join Gateshead.
In his solitary season with the Heed last term, he scored 26 goals and formed a formidable partnership with Macaulay Langstaff, who netted 32 times in all competitions.
Both were recruited by Notts in the summer, and have helped fire them to the fourth best start to a league campaign in their history - which spans to the very first campaign of league football 134 years ago.
Langstaff has been a sensation with 15 goals in 12 games, earning himself the tag as the 'non-league Haaland', while Scott has chipped in with four of his own.
"At the start of training he will update me on our goal tally together from last season," Scott said.
"That brings a smile to my face, then we have the competition with each other as well and that helps us improve our tallies."