We take a look at how the watching press from both camps viewed our 3-0 loss at Bradford City on Saturday afternoon.
Peter Thorne's hat-trick secured the home win for the Bantams, their biggest win for three years on home turf, while Ian McParland's men were condemned to a fourth defeat in five games.
Nottingham Evening Post Report by James Pallatt
It is too easy to use an obvious pun and say Notts had a Thorne in their side at Valley Parade.
But the irony is, of course, that if they did have a striker like Peter Thorne in their side, one who demonstrated ruthless opportunism in front of goal, it could have been a very different story against the Bantams - and of their season so far.
Magpies' boss Ian McParland conceded the same at the end, in the heat of frustration at more wasteful attacking from his side.
Undisciplined defending cost them dearly, too, with Thorne's opening two goals both coming from corners. His third was borne from, to use McParland's own words, sheer naivety on the part of Felix Bastians who never reached the same height of impact he did on his debut against Stockport in a new-look Notts midfield.
Gavin Strachan and Ali Gibb were both handed their debuts by McParland, in the midfield places of Neil MacKenzie and Andy Parkinson.
Both produced competent and encouraging, if unspectacular, displays. But both were thrown in at the deep-end. Spectacularly so. Strachan had two training sessions with Notts and Gibb only one, following their moves to Meadow Lane. Gibb admitted it gave him little time even to learn his new team-mates' names, let alone their system of play. It was a midfield thrown together quickly by McParland and it showed.
Keeper Kevin Pilkington might have had to pick the ball out of his net on three occasions, but he was again outstanding. Terribly exposed at times, he pulled off some extraordinary saves to deny the Bantams further goals and spare the Magpies more despair, if that is at all possible.
They are now only four points above the relegation zone in League Two in 20th place, with one victory - the 2-1 success against Shrewsbury - in 11 league games. That is form for only one thing. Their need for a new striker has become critical now and so too has their situation. They must start winning points, and quickly.
The loss of defender Krystian Pearce is also a shattering blow for Notts. The youngster has shown great form during his loan spell at Meadow Lane and his return to Birmingham will leave a big gap at the heart of the Magpies' defence, one Mike Edwards is not yet fully fit to fill.
Pearce and Adam Tann, switched back into the centre of defence after playing at right-back against Stockport, were both involved in the opening exchanges at Valley Parade, making full-bloodied interventions to stem an early onslaught from the Bantams before Notts launched a route-one reply on seven minutes.
Left-back Stephen Hunt lifted a ball forward down the wing that proved awkward for Bradford right-back Darren Williams to defend. He miscued a back-header, intended for his keeper Donovan Ricketts, into the path of Hector Sam but he skewed his effort wide under pressure from David Weatherall in the penalty area.
Omar Daley fired wide at the end of a quick counter-attack from the home side minutes later before they went close to breaking the deadlock on 13 minutes.
Thorne made an intelligent run to the near post to meet a low free-kick from Paul Heckingbottom and made a certain connection, but Pilkington showed incredible instinct to block his close-range effort out for a corner.
The Bantams continued to press and midfielder Lee Bullock headed over the crossbar from Evans' measured corner a minute later. Pilkington was again called into acrobatic action on 18 minutes, with a save from Daley, after poor marking had allowed the winger far too much space.
The Magpies struggled to gain any kind of foothold in the game. Every time they went forward, they were hurried and harassed into misplacing their passes. The home side showed greater poise and purpose. McParland admitted his side rode their luck at times.
Still, it was Lawrie Dudfield who cleverly crafted a chance to put Notts ahead on the half-hour mark. He capitalised on some poor defending, turned cleverly past Weatherall inside the penalty area and rifled an effort at the near post that Ricketts blocked. It was a glorious opportunity.
It then took a brilliant last-ditch tackle from the recalled Lee Canoville to thwart Bullock, after the midfielder raced into the box to meet a cushioned header from Thorne. The cost was a corner but the Magpies quickly paid a heavier price.
Hunt did well to head Weatherall's header off the goal-line, after the defender met Evans' flag-kick, but his team-mates were slow to react as Thorne pounced and headed the ball past Pilkington from close-range.
Bradford then came close to doubling their lead before the half-time interval, following another counter-attack. The ball was fed to Conlon but Pilkington pulled off a fine save.
They started the second half brightly and Dudfield nearly prodded the ball past Ricketts in the opening minutes after a Richard Butcher free-kick caused havoc in the penalty area. Bastians dragged a shot wide and had an effort blocked on 49 minutes, after cutting inside Williams.
But they fell 2-0 behind on 58 minutes when Thorne guided Evans' corner past Pilkington and into the bottom corner of the net. It was poor defending to leave the striker unmarked, and it was a killer blow to the Magpies. Spencer Weir-Daley, who was on loan at Bradford last season, replaced Sam on 64 minutes as McParland tried to inject some pace into his attack.
But he failed to make any impact, and after Butcher dragged a free-kick tamely wide of Rickett's right-hand upright in the closing stages Thorne completed his hat-trick in the final minute.
The attacker seized on to the ball from a Bastians throw-in, burst forward and fired a first-time effort past Pilkington from the edge of the area. It was a piece of outstanding and clinical opportunism - the kind Notts desperately need.
Bradford Telegraph & Argus Report by Simon Parker
Peter Thorne added a seventh hat-trick ball to his personal stash and then promised: There's room for more yet.
Thorne's treble sunk Notts County as City enjoyed their biggest home league win for nearly three years.
The veteran striker doubled his scoring tally for the club in one game - and admitted he was desperate to make up for lost time.
Thorne said: "I'm not feeling sorry for myself but it's been hard because I've been out of football the last couple of years with the injuries. It took me a long time to start feeling right again.
"I've missed that many games that I need to start catching up - but I've got a decent record with hat-tricks during my career and hopefully I can get a couple more.
"I always get the balls signed and put them in my mum's cupboard. There's quite a few now but it's not full up."
Thorne, plagued by problems at Norwich, suffered a hip injury in pre-season and then damaged a rib against Accrington in October but, since recovering from that blow, he has started 11 of the last 12 games and netted six goals.
He said: "The gaffer kind of let me know I wasn't going to play all the games over the Christmas period because of my age and I'd missed quite a lot of early season.
"But I ended up playing them all and I think I've benefited from that. As the games have been coming along, I've just felt better and better."
Thorne also heaped praise on strike partner Barry Conlon after the pair made it two wins from two starts together.
He said: "It makes a difference playing up front with someone like that who's quite big and physical. It takes a lot of pressure off me.
"It's only been a couple of games and nobody's getting carried away but I really enjoy it and so does Baz and we think it can work.
"We got a good win on New Year's Day and then followed it up. Now I'm looking at the fixtures coming up and thinking they are all games in which we've got a good chance.
"It's all about getting a little run going and see where that takes us."
