Notts County: Luke Williams emulates Sam Allardyce with Magpies top at Christmas

Luke Williams' Notts County are four points clear of second-placed Wrexham, who have a game in hand

Notts County boss Luke Williams says he is surprised he has emulated Sam Allardyce by having the Magpies top of the National League at Christmas.

Tuesday's 2-0 win against Gateshead ensured Notts' place at the summit at the midway point of the season.

Allardyce - who would go on to manage England - was the last manager to have Notts in such a position, in 1997.

"It's brilliant to be spoken in the same sentence as Sam Allardyce," Williams said.

"What he achieved was incredible."

Allardyce went on to lead Notts to promotion as old Division Three title winners - now known as League Two - in 1998, before leaving a year later for Bolton Wanderers.

Allardyce went on to win promotion as Notts County boss in 1997-98

Williams is intent on seeing his side match Allardyce's Magpies of 25 years ago by going on to win promotion back to the English Football League.

"We will be very pleased to be top over Christmas, but it means nothing unless we stay top through to end of the season when it actually counts," Williams told BBC Radio Nottingham after admitting he had no idea he had equalled Allardyce's achievement.

"So for now, it's like a marker to say, 'OK, we have done plenty of things really well'.

"We should remember that and now it's about maintaining the high standards that the players have set and being able to do it when the winter months draw in and it's cold and the pitches are more difficult."

Williams message to the players now is "to keep going".

"It's important that we know we are on the right track - only because if we fail to produce in the second half of the season, you get no prize. No-one is going to present us with winning the first half.

"Everyone is aware of that. We have to use this marker as a reinforcement. Somehow we need to try to raise our standard."

Equalling what Allardyce was the last to do at Meadow Lane is the latest milestone achievement for a Notts side that has thrived under Williams.

Victory against Gateshead means they have now made the best start to any league campaign after 23 games in their history - one which started with the birth of league football in 1888.

Macaulay Langstaff, who is the top scorer in England's top five divisions, has netted 21 times already. He is the first Notts player to hit more than 20 goals for 12 years, and has done so in less than half the campaign.

While Langstaff left the field injured against Gateshead, Notts say the striker's ankle injury is not serious and he is expected to be back in "the near future".