Donald Sanderson Masson, born Banchory, Scotland, August 26, 1946. Don Masson amassed over 400 Football League appearances for Notts County and etched his name into the memory of their fans.
Don Masson began his career with Middlesbrough in 1964. He was signed by Notts County manager Billy Gray in 1968 in a joint deal for £7000 along with defender Bob Worthington. Although a founding member of the Football League, Notts County had spent most of their life outside of the top flight. After several years of yo-yoing between the top two divisions, the once proud club found themselves in the Third Division at the end of 1929-30 season. They got promoted first time asking, only to go down four years later and then up again in 1950. Then, after spending eight seasons in the Second Division, they suffered relegation to the Third Division at the end of the 1957-58 campaign and disappointment followed disappointment as they slipped into the Fourth Division the very next year. They won promotion at the first attempt, but were back in the Division Four in 1964 after finishing rock bottom in the Third Division. With the coming of manager of Jimmy Sirrel, a former inside forward with Celtic, Bradford Park Avenue, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Aldershot, in November 1969, things were going to be different. Under Sirrel, Notts County won the Division Four Championship in 1970-71 and then gained promotion to the Second Division in 1972-73. Masson stayed at Meadow Lane for six years before joining Queens Park Rangers for a transfer fee of around £100,000 partly into the 1974-75 campaign.
A commanding midfield playmaker, Masson made his First Division debut for The Hoops in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United at Shepherd´s Bush on the 14th of December 1974 and was part of the team that came close to winning the First Division title 1975/76 season, being pipped by a point by Liverpool. After three years at Loftus Road, he moved on to Derby County in October 1977 in exchange for Leighton James. After a rather short lived managerial spell at Sheffield United, he returned to Notts County in September 1977 and guided them to promotion to the First Division in 1980-81. After a further spell at Notts County he played for a time in the United States. Don was voted Notts best player of all time by Notts County supporters and also has a lounge at Meadow Lane named in his honour. On returning to England he became the player-manager of Kettering Town, before retiring from the game. Masson won 17 caps for Scotland. He scored five goals including Scotland’s first goal in the 2–1 victory over England in 1976 which clinched their first British Home International Championship since 1967. He missed a penalty kick in the 3–1 defeat against Peru in the 1978 World Cup. Middlesbrough, Notts County, Queens Park Rangers, Derby County, Notts County, Minnesota Kicks, Bulova, Kettering Town.