NOTTS County lost 2-1 to promotion-rivals Brentford at Meadow Lane today.
The Magpies went 1-0 ahead almost midway through the first half when Bees defender Tony Craig sliced Julian Kelly's low cross into his own net.
But the visitors equalised on 37 minutes through midfielder Adam Forshaw and then striker Clayton Donaldson netted a late winner.
The Magpies were boosted by the return of on-loan midfielder Andre Boucaud from an ankle injury and winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce from suspension, but Alan Judge was banned.
Boucaud joined captain Neal Bishop and Jeff Hughes in midfield and Campbell-Ryce was part of a three-man attack, alongside Chris Iwelumo and Francois Zoko.
Dean Leacock, Gary Liddle, Kelly and Alan Sheehan started in defence, in front of goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
It took Notts less than a minute to threaten for the first time.
Bishop brilliantly turned past three players just inside the Magpies' half and hit a pass forward that Iwelumo helped on towards the penalty area.
Brentford defender Harlee Dean then made a complete mess of an attempted clearance and the ball fell to Zoko, who aimed a low shot at goal from just inside the box, but goalkeeper Simon Moore denied the Ivorian with his legs.
Notts continued to pile early pressure on the visitors and Leacock forced Moore into a good save with a close-range header on six minutes and Jeff Hughes flashed the ball dangerously across the face of Brentford's goal from the left moments later.
Bishop then came close to connecting with a right-wing cross into the six-yard box by Campbell-Ryce on 11 minutes, though Brentford hit back through Donaldson, who surged forward into the box and struck a shot that Leacock blocked.
The Magpies were quickly back on the attack and scored to take a 1-0 lead on 20 minutes as Kelly drove a cross into the six-yard box from the right that Craig sliced into his own net.
Leading, Notts survived a scare on 26 minutes as Donaldson broke through, but Bialkowski was there, typically, to block his effort.
Brentford equalised on 37 minutes, however. Controversially so too, because Forshaw looked offside when Marcello Trotta played the ball forward for him to race onto, but the linesman's flag never went up so he swept unchallenged into the box and drove a low shot past Bialkowski and into the bottom left corner of the net.
The Magpies made a substitution at the start of the second half, with Damion Stewart replacing Leacock at the heart of their back-four.
Bialkowski was also forced into making a good save soon after the restart, parrying a soaring free-kick from Brentford captain Jonathan Douglas over his crossbar on 51 minutes.
Notts then replaced Boucaud with Joss Labadie and he was quickly involved, getting forward into the box on 61 minutes to meet a cross, but he miscued a header well wide in front of the Kop.
The Magpies threatened again ten minutes later.
Kelly got forward down the right, crossed the ball into the box and Zoko directed a downward header at goal that Moore saved low down to his right.
Notts threw on Enoch Showunmi for Iwelumo soon after and they went close to scoring a second goal on 77 minutes.
Stewart swung a deep cross into the penalty area, Bishop headed it back to Sheehan and he struck a powerful volley at goal that Moore tipped over.
The game looked destined to end in a draw, but Brentford scored a winner on 88 minutes.
They caught Notts napping at a corner as Harry Forrester played the ball quickly to Shaleum Logan and he fired in a shot that Stewart cleared off the goal-line.
The ball only looped back across the face of goal, however, and Donaldson bundled the ball in from point-blank range.
NOTTS: Bialkowski, Kelly, Leacock (D Stewart, 46), Liddle, Sheehan, Bishop, Boucaud (Labadie, 58), J Hughes, Campbell-Ryce, Zoko, Iwelumo (Showunmi, 73). Subs: Mitchell, Regan, D Stewart, Bencherif, Mahon.
BRENTFORD: Moore, Logan, Craig, Dean, Bidwell, Kiernan (Adeyemi, 46), Douglas, Forshaw, Forrester, Donaldson, Trotta (Hayes, 91). Subs: Lee, Saunders, Hodson, Reeves, Legge.
ATTENDANCE: 5,307 (595 away).