Stuart Maynard: Notts County appoint Wealdstone boss as new head coach

Stuart Maynard was a youth player on the books at Watford and went on to have an extensive non-league career

League Two promotion-hopefuls Notts County have named Wealdstone boss Stuart Maynard as their new head coach.

The 43-year-old replaces Luke Williams at Meadow Lane after the National League promotion-winning head coach left Notts to take charge of Championship side Swansea on 5 January.

Maynard leaves mid-table National League side Wealdstone after three years at the helm.

Notts said they had been "tracking his progress for a long time".

A statement from the Notts board of directors read: "We have huge respect for the outstanding job he's done at Wealdstone on limited resources.

"We believe he will thrive in a full-time environment and is an excellent fit for us in terms of his playing philosophy, which puts him in a strong position to settle in quickly and lead our continued push for promotion to League One."

His assistant at Wealdstone, Matt Saunders, and first-team coach Craig Saunders will join him at Meadow Lane.

"Alongside Matt and Craig, he has formed a formidable and dedicated coaching team who will integrate seamlessly into our existing set-up as we look to build on the foundations we've laid during our adaptation to life back in the EFL," the statement added.

"With Stuart in place, we're also now in a stronger position to help the squad with additions before the end of the transfer window."

Maynard first stepped up as Stones caretaker boss in February 2021 and has guided the semi-professional London club to back-to-back mid-table finishes in the past two seasons.

The former midfielder, who started on the books at Watford and went on to have an extensive non-league career that included a stint with Wealdstone, led the club to their highest league position for 36 years last term as they finished 13th.

He leaves Wealdstone in the exact same position after 25 games this season, with his last match being Saturday's 1-0 FA Trophy fourth-round win against Chelmsford City.

Last season he hailed Williams' Notts side as the best he had ever seen in the National League.

Maynard now takes charge of a team that is chasing a second successive promotion, having reclaimed their status as the world's oldest football league club by winning the National League promotion final last May.

The Magpies are sixth in the table after their thrilling 5-5 draw at Grimsby in their first match since Williams' departure earlier in the month.

His first match in charge will be Saturday's home game against League Two leaders Stockport.