NOTTS County suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to rock bottom Hartlepool United in League One today.
The Magpies made a nightmare start at Victoria Park, conceding after just five minutes as Pools striker James Poole fired past young goalkeeper Fabian Spiess from close range.
Leading-scorer Yoann Arquin went closest to dragging Notts level before half-time with a header that was cleared off the goal-line.
Jamal Campbell-Ryce made it 1-1 with a super goal early in the second half, but Hartlepool captain Peter Hartley inflicted defeat on the Magpies with a goal on 69 minutes.
Joss Labadie made his first league start in just over four months in the north east, replacing suspended captain Neal Bishop in the Notts midfield.
Gary Liddle was also made skipper against his old club in Bishop's absence.
Liddle was named in defence, with Dean Leacock and Alan Sheehan, in front of Spiess, while Labadie joined Andre Boucaud, Jeff Hughes, Campbell-Ryce and Alan Judge in midfield.
Francois Zoko and Arquin started in attack.
Notts were undone from a quick counter-attack on five minutes – from their own corner too, as Jonathan Franks was sent racing away down the right wing and crossed into the penalty for Poole, who flicked the ball over Campbell-Ryce and volleyed it past Spiess.
The Magpies tried to hit back quickly and Campbell-Ryce swung a dangerous cross into the box from the right wing on nine minutes, but it was too high for Judge at the far post.
Labadie then dragged a low shot wide of the right-hand post of Pools goalkeeper Scott Flinders from 25 yards on 13 minutes and Sheehan curled a free-kick into the box on 17 minutes, but Flinders claimed the ball under pressure.
Hartlepool threatened to double their lead soon after as Charlie Wyke seized onto a cross into the Magpies' box and it took a last-ditch block by Liddle to deflect his shot wide of Spiess' left-hand post.
Poole then drove a low shot wide from 20 yards on 23 minutes and Franks blazed over the bar three minutes later from long range, before Judge miscued an effort well wide on 30 minutes.
Poole had another chance on 32 minutes, after a one-two with Wyke on the edge of the Notts penalty area, but lifted a shot high and wide.
The Magpies finally put Hartlepool under pressure in the closing minutes of the first half – and created three good chances.
Campbell-Ryce fired in a shot from inside the box that Hartley blocked, Arquin then met the subsequent corner with a header that Neil Austin hacked away on the goal-line and Zoko forced Flinders into a save with a header from close range.
Trailing 1-0, Notts made a change at the start of the second half, bringing on Julian Kelly in defence, switching Liddle into midfield and subbing Labadie.
It sparked them into life and they made it 1-1 just seven minutes after the restart.
It was a great goal too, as Campbell-Ryce seized onto a long diagonal pass by Sheehan, cut inside, swept past two players and drove a low shot past Flinders and into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Spiess then denied Poole and Wyke shot wide for the home side on 58 minutes, but Notts were quickly back on the attack and Judge had a shot blocked, Jeff Hughes saw a close-range header deflected wide and Sheehan forced Flinders into a save with a stinging long-range strike.
They conceded a second goal on 69 minutes, however, to fall 2-1 behind, as Evan Horwood curled a free-kick into the box and Hartley met it with a header that just crossed the line before Zoko could stop it.
The Magpies were stunned – but they soon stirred and Arquin fired just over the bar on 72 minutes and Judge then had a close-range header blocked by Sam Collins two yards out.
Notts then threw on Romello Nangle for Zoko, but it was asking a lot of the young striker to save the day.
The Magpies piled the pressure on the home side in the dying stages and Hughes was barged over inside the box by Collins in injury time, but ref Steve Rushton did not give a penalty and it was all over.
HARTLEPOOL: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Hartley, Horwood, Walton, Baldwin, Humphreys, Franks (Holden, 72), Wyke (Monkhouse, 83), Poole (James, 80). Subs: McHugh, Luscombe, Rowbotham, Rutherford.
NOTTS: Spiess, Liddle, Leacock, Sheehan, Boucaud, Labadie (Kelly, 46), Hughes, Campbell-Ryce, Judge, Zoko (Nangle, 82), Arquin (Bencherif, 77). Subs: Pilkington, Smith, Mahon, Showunmi.
ATTENDANCE: 3,662 (271 away).