Delroy Facey: Who are ya?

Last updated : 08 August 2008 By Rob Davies

Name: Delroy Facey

Date of Birth: 22nd April 1980

Position: Striker

Previous Clubs: Huddersfield Town, Bolton, Bradford (loan), Burnley (loan), West Brom, Hull City, Oldham, Tranmere, Rotherham, Gillingham, Wycombe (loan).

For those of us who have kept tabs on the NCM messageboard over the past few years, this summer has seen us witness something of a drastic change of approach.

In recent years, the NCM messageboard will have probably found itself rock bottom of the place that Notts County players should stumble across, as few - if any - escaped fierce criticism from the notoriously short-fused bunch of regulars.

And right at the top of the list of whipping boys have been the targetmen who have tried, and largely failed, to lead the Magpies' strikeforce over the past few miserable seasons.

Clive Platt, Mikael Antoine-Curier, Andy White, Jason Lee and, probably most infamously of all, Gavin Gordon were all baited mercilesssly by the Notts faithful, even though Platt and Antoine-Curier would eventually be destined for bigger things and Lee managed to net 16 times in his maiden season.

But, despite a relatively impressive pre-season, it is this 'big lump' of a targetman that was so badly criticised in the past, that Notts fans have come to accept is the final piece of the jigsaw if Ian McParland's side are to improve at the acceptable rate this season.

Heady heights: Playing in the Premiership for Bolton
And so, as 28-year-old Delroy Facey is unveiled as a Notts County player, he may hope - and perhaps expect - a longer stretch of patience from the Notts support that eluded almost all of his predecessors, as fans have come to realise what a fruitless exercise it is watching McParland's new brand of passing football is without a big striker to be there at the end of it all.

As the man who is likely to be given first shot at the targetman role, Facey arrives at Meadow Lane keen to revitalise a career that has gone somewhat off the boil in recent years.

After impressing in his early years at Huddersfield Town - he was arguably the best player on the pitch in Notts' famous 'Great Escape' win in 2002 - the striker earned a move to the Premiership, signing for Sam Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 2002.

Though Facey's stint in the Premiership was ultimately an unsuccessful one - after two league goals in 10 appearences he moved to West Brom - it would have been hard to predict then that this talented young striker would have turned into something of a footballing nomad before he was even out of his 20's.

Since leaving West Brom, he has failed to stay at a club beyond a solitary season, with his loan spell at Wycombe at the end of last season meaning he has now appeared in all four of football's professional divisions.

Though his ability has never been in question, it is now up to Facey to try and lose the 'Journeyman' tag and prove his worth here at Meadow Lane. Especially as, for the first time perhaps since dropping to football's fourth tier, Notts now have real competition for places up-front.

As previously mentioned, Notts' style of play should be tailor-made to his needs, with wingers Myles Weston and Matt Hamshaw in highly impressive form throughout pre-season.

Should McParland be able to succeed where other managers have failed and find the hunger inside the burly frontman, Notts have a player on their books who is way above this level.

And Facey himself will be desperate to prove the doubters - including his most recent manager, Mark Stimson, wrong - and illustrate his worth here at Meadow Lane.

After this summer at least, he should have the supporters on his side.