NOTTS County made it a hat-trick of draws with a 0-0 against Oldham Athletic at Meadow Lane today.
After draws against Peterborough United and Leyton Orient in their previous two games, Magpies' boss Shaun Derry named a more attacking line-up to face the Latics.
Danny Haynes made his first start of the season and fellow striker Ronan Murray was also restored to the starting line-up, joining Jake Cassidy in attack.
But they could not break down the Latics' defence in a draw that extends the Magpies' unbeaten run to four games.
Derry also made one change in defence, Mustapha Dumbuya replacing Curtis Thompson at right-back to join stand-in captain Haydn Hollis, on-loan Louis Laing and Jordan Cranston in the back-four, in front of goalkeeper Roy Carroll.
Zeli Ismail, Gary Jones and Liam Noble also started, while former Notts loanee Jonathan Forte notably started for the visitors, who were first to threaten on two minutes.
Mike Jones caught the Magpies out with a quickly taken free-kick played into the penalty area for Dominic Poleon, who back-heeled the ball at goal. Fortunately for Notts his effort was straight at Carroll, who made a simple save.
The Magpies survived another scare on 13 minutes when a corner whipped into their six-yard box caused a mad scramble, until referee Stephen Martin blew up for a free-kick to Notts.
It then took a good block by Laing to stop a powerful shot from Forte troubling Carroll two minutes later, after he had raced menacingly into the box.
Jones and Ismail both then caused problems for the Oldham defence with good crosses into the visitors' penalty area and Noble struck a speculative shot at goal from 25 yards on 25 minutes, but it was straight at Latics goalkeeper Paul Rachubka.
Murray almost sent Ismail racing through on goal seven minutes later, but he was flagged offside in a close call.
And Oldham hit back, with captain Liam Kelly and Jones both hitting shots wide in the closing minutes of the first half and Forte threatening to break the deadlock early in the second half until he was brilliantly stopped inside the penalty area by Hollis.
Notts responded on 55 minutes, Dumbuya lifting the ball dangerously into the Oldham penalty area for Murray, but Rachubka plucked it out of the air above the striker's head.
The Magpies then made a double change, Shaun Harrad and Garry Thompson coming on for Murray and Haynes.
And Harrad almost made an immediate impact, first directing an overhead kick over the crossbar and then forcing Rachubka into a save with a header.
Both of those chances came after Ismail had struck a shot over the bar and into the Kop.
Harrad was then booked for diving inside the penalty area on 78 minutes as Notts pushed for a winner and Cassidy almost put Ismail through on goal seven minutes later, but Oldham hacked the ball clear.
The visitors then twice threatened to snatch victory in the closing stages, Conor Wilkinson forcing Carroll into a good save and sub Danny Philliskirk heading over the bar from three yards.
Harrad also had a chance to be a hero in injury time as Thompson flicked the ball into his path inside the penalty area, but his control let him down and Oldham cleared.
It then took a great save from Carroll in the third minute of injury time to tip a low shot from Wilkinson past his left-hand post.
NOTTS: Carroll, Dumbuya, Laing, Hollis, Cranston, Jones, Noble, Ismail, Murray (Harrad, 58), Haynes (G Thompson, 59), Cassidy. Subs: Spiess, Wroe, McKenzie, C Thompson, Traore.
OLDHAM: Rachubka, Mills, Elokobi, Kelly, Jones, Poleon (Dayton, 68), Forte (Philliskirk, 75), Wilkinson, Winchester (Morgan-Smith, 76), J Wilson, B Wilson. Subs: Coleman, Brown, Dieng, Kusunga.
ATTENDANCE: 5,109 (663 away).
REFEREE: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire).
