Jamie Turley was pleased with the battling display Notts put in during the goalless draw with Northampton Town on Saturday.
The new signing played in the heart of the defence as the Magpies kept their second clean sheet of the season after starting at right-back on his debut against Stevenage last weekend.
And Turley says he and his teammates had to dig in to earn a second draw on the bounce.
“We had to get ugly,” he explained. “Away from home you know it's going to be tough so we had to work hard to limit their chances.
“We’ve been a bit too nice at times but now we all have the bit between our teeth and we’re determined to do well.
“We’re all in the right mindset of wanting to get out of the position we are in and in the last two games we have shown improvement.”
The clash at Northampton was the first full match Turley has completed since competing in last season's National League play-offs for Boreham Wood, so he was pleased to get minutes in the tank.
“It was brilliant to play a full match and even better to mark it with a clean sheet,” he said.
“It started from the front where the lads did well and Ross [Fitzsimons] made some good saves when he needed to, so we can build on that.”
And the defender says his team-mates still have high hopes for the 2018-19 campaign.
Turley added: “It’s everyone’s ambition to do well and we’ve all got belief because of the quality that runs through the squad.
“We are going back to basics now and making sure everyone plays in the right areas, so we defenders do our job before anything else and make sure we put our bodies on the line.
“I believe we will get out of this and the rest of the boys do as well.”