NOTTS County were being held to a 0-0 draw at half-time against Scunthorpe United at Meadow Lane in League One today.
Alan Judge was back for the Magpies, after missing their last two games through injury, and they were also boosted by the return of centre-back Dean Leacock, after a two-game ban.
Enoch Showunmi and French striker Yoann Arquin started in attack and Judge joined captain Neal Bishop, Jeff Hughes and Andre Boucaud in midfield.
Leacock was partnered in the heart of the back-four by Haydn Hollis, while Gary Liddle started at right-back and Alan Sheehan was named at left-back, in front of goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
Former Notts striker Karl Hawley started in attack for Scunthorpe and it was the visitors who were first to threaten on two minutes.
Defender Tom Newey swung a free-kick into the Magpies' penalty area that fell to Paul Reid and his close-range shot was deflected wide of Bialkowski's left-hand post.
Having survived that early scare, Judge led Notts' reply, passing to Hughes just outside the Scunthorpe box two minutes later, but he blazed a shot well over the crossbar.
Arquin then whipped a dangerous cross into the visitors' box from the left wing, but their goalkeeper Eirik Johansen claimed the ball under pressure, and Bialkowski denied Scunthorpe striker Akpo Sodje with a good save on nine minutes, after he had raced onto a pass from Mark Duffy and fired a powerful shot at goal from inside the penalty area.
Hughes then shot weakly at goal from just inside the box on 22 minutes, after seizing onto a pass from Sheehan, and Judge smashed a shot at goal from 25 yards on 34 minutes, but it was blocked by Newey with his hand, but ref Carl Boyeson waved away the Magpies' protests for a free-kick.
Notts then twice went close to breaking the deadlock before half-time.
Bishop forced Johansen into a good save with a close-range header on 39 minutes, after Sheehan had curled a free-kick into the penalty area, and Arquin headed over the bar from only a few yards out at the far post soon after.