How Notts County's wage bill compares to the rest of League Two as Stuart Maynard eyes promotion | OneFootball

We looked at how Notts County's wage bill compares to the rest of League Two as they continue their promotion push.

After a disappointing end to last season, it has been a much-improved campaign for Notts County in League Two this term.

Notts County made a strong start to life back in League Two last season after their promotion from the National League, and they even sat top of the table in October, but their campaign was derailed by the departure of head coach Luke Williams to Championship side Swansea City in January.

The Magpies appointed Wealdstone manager Stuart Maynard as Williams' replacement, and having never managed in the EFL before, it took the 44-year-old time to find his feet at Meadow Lane.

Maynard won just five of his first 19 games in charge of Notts in the second half of the season as his side dropped out of promotion contention, finishing in an underwhelming 14th place, and some sections of the fan base called for him to be sacked in the summer, but owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz have been rewarded for sticking with him.

Stuart Maynard has inspired Notts County's promotion push this season

After making it clear that they still had full faith in Maynard, Notts provided their head coach with strong backing in the summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Alex Bass, Jacob Bedeau, Matty Platt, George Abbott, Jack Hinchy, Kellan Gordon and Nick Tsaroulla among others.

The Magpies suffered a big blow when star striker Macaulay Langstaff left the club to join Millwall, but his absence has not been as damaging as many feared due to the goals of Alassana Jatta, and after a strong first half of the campaign, Maynard's men sat third in the table at the turn of the year.

As the club attempted to consolidate their place in the top three, Maynard was again supported in the January transfer window, with Zak Johnson, Charlie Whitaker, Will Jarvis and Mai Traore all arriving at Meadow Lane, but it has been a tricky few months for Notts.

The Magpies have won just four of their last 12 games, and after a 1-0 defeat at Colchester United on Saturday, they are sixth in the table, four points behind third-placed Walsall with just five matches remaining.

However, Notts do at least look to be guaranteed a place in the play-offs, and given the ongoing poor form of the Saddlers, who have won just two of their last 16 games after previously being the runaway leaders of the division, they will still be optimistic that they can catch Mat Sadler's side.

As the Magpies face a season-defining few weeks in their pursuit of a return to League One, we looked at how the club's wage bill compares to their League Two rivals.

Considering their lofty position in the table and the quality of their squad, many would expect Notts to have one of the bigger wage bills in League Two.

However, according to Capology, the Magpies only have the 12th-highest payroll in League Two, with a weekly wage bill of £71,350 and an annual wage bill of £3,710,000, although it should be stressed that those figures are an estimate.

It will come as a surprise to many to learn that Carlisle United, who currently sit bottom of the table and look destined to suffer back-to-back relegations, have the biggest wage bill in League Two, paying out a huge £104,212 per week to their squad, while fellow underachievers MK Dons, who currently sit 19th, are next on the list with a weekly payroll of £97,750.

League leaders Bradford City (£93,012 per week) and play-off hopefuls Salford City (£87,950 per week) and Chesterfield (£85,050 per week) complete the top five, and those figures underline how sustainably Notts are run these days under the ownership of the Reetdz brothers, who have been able to build an incredibly competitive squad for what is essentially a mid-table wage budget.

At the other end of the spectrum, Accrington Stanley, who sit just one place above the relegation zone, are estimated to have the lowest weekly wage bill in League Two at just £39,727, followed by newly-promoted Bromley (£44,250 per week), Harrogate Town (£47,577 per week), Newport County (£48,258 per week) and promotion-chasing Crewe Alexandra (£52,050 per week).