The month began with the news that MK Dons striker Leon Knight had snubbed a move to Meadow Lane to join play-off hopefuls Wycombe Wanderers, meaning more bad luck in Notts' search for a goalscoring hero.
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With four away fixtures in a busy month to see in the New Year, the pressure was on Ian McParland's side to start building a run that would move them away from the dire position they were beginning to find themselves in.
On New Years Day Notts visited promotion-hunting Hereford United, with nobody expecting the Magpies to pick up a result, but a dogged display earned a deserved point in a goalless stalemate.
It had fans rather more optimistic when they next travelled down to Meadow Lane, awaiting the visit of Jim Gannon's now play-off finalists Stockport County.
But the performance wasn't the same and despite Stephen Hunt heading Notts into the lead, the visitors gratefully accepted the three points Notts' performance gave them with goals from Anthony Elding and Liam Dickinson before the break giving the Hatters the win.
Worse was to come at Stuart McCall's Bradford. The Bantams, backed by the biggest attendance Notts played in front of all campaign in 13,494, eased to a 3-0 win courtesy of a Peter Thorne hat-trick.
That game saw two new signings mark their Notts debuts as Gavin Strachan and Ali Gibb had signed for the club during the week leading up to the Valley Parade visit.
Strachan arrived on an 18-month contract from League Two high-flyers Peterborough United, and Gibb on loan from League One Hartlepool United.
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First it was Pilkington who produced heroics with the save of the season, and not just at Meadow Lane, quite possibly in the country, as he somehow tipped a vicious Kevin Sandwith free-kick over the bar with the ball already on the line and Pilkington in mid-flight. It was truly unbelievable.
And Notts grabbed a winner soon after following a bit of a scramble with captain Tann tapping home from close range to lift Notts seven points clear of second bottom Mansfield Town.
With two away games left in January, Notts did well to build a run, with two draws. The first came at Morecambe, a game which will be remembered for two things - and not the result.
Firstly 2006/07 Player of the Season Mike Edwards returned from an horrific pre-season injury in which he broke his leg and dislocated his ankle, rupturing ligaments in the process.
But he completed ninety minutes at Christie Park, looking every inch the player Notts remembered and providing a welcome boost ahead of the run-in.
The game will also be remembered for another Richard Butcher goal, a
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The month ended with a good clean sheet at improving Brentford, with a 0-0 draw at Griffin Park.
Off the pitch, just as January had begun so it ended with the Magpies losing out on another striker as Shrewsbury target man Andy Cooke turned his back on the deal at the very last minute despite agreeing terms and passing a medical, claiming "a late hitch."
However, McParland finally had some joy with young Norwich striker Ryan Jarvis agreeing to a month's loan on transfer deadline day.
He said: Cooke on his u-turn: "With the Notts County thing it was about not uprooting the kids as we are settled at the moment and I didn't think all the travelling up to Nottingham would be worth doing."
Player of the month: It could have been for that save alone, but it wasn't as Kevin Pilkington was in scintilating form all month, arguably the finest of his Notts career to date. The stopper ran away with the NCM poll for this accolade with three clean sheets. He was also Man of the Match in the Bradford debacle, despite shipping three.
Verdict: A busy month, but one that again heralded a poor return. It started promisingly with a shock point at Hereford, but as was the case for the majority of the season the Magpies didn't use it to their advantage in the subsequent games. Pilkington was superb, and the busy moves off the pitch with Strachan and Jarvis coming in was positive, although missing out on Knight was a blow."
League position: 18th.
League Two
You would have had to be crazy to write Peterborough United out of the title race already and with four wins from five in January, Darren Ferguson's men sat fourth, just nine points adrift of table-toppers MK Dons with two games in hand. The fight was not over yet.
An 8-2 demolition of Accrington Stanley was Posh's highlight along with a 3-1
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However, the month belonged to clubs outside of the Big Two of Posh and MK Dons, with Keith Hill's Rochdale finally beginning to show their talents and potential to go all the way.
Hill scooped the Manager of the Month award after a thrilling start to 2008 as they rose from eleventh to seventh in League Two, getting themselves into a play-off position they were to keep for the end of the season.
Dale started the month with an excellent 3-1 win over Darlington and won four of their next five in the month - all away from home, including a fine win at league leaders MK Dons, who were still leading the way as February ticked in.
Despite losing to Dale, Darlington's Dave Penney ran Hill close for the accolade as they continued in their quest for promotion with another successful month taking thirteen points from their six games.
The big movers however were Alan Buckley's Grimsby Town who started to perform to the level that they became accustomed to during a fine
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The Mariners, beset by relegation worries until January, put their cup heroics into their league form, picking up an impressive 14 points in the month to remain unbeaten throughout.
The bottom two stayed the same all the way through the month, as Mansfield Town and Wrexham failed to revive their campaigns, but more clubs were slipping into trouble with Bury one of them.
Manager Chris Casper and director of football Keith Alexander paid the ultimate price with their jobs as the Shakers poor form continued, Alan Knill installed as new boss.