It is still mathematically possible. It is not yet set in stone that Meadow Lane will host League 2 football again next season. Six points, coupled with Stockport failing to pick up anything against Bury and Darlington, along with Peterborough, Bristol Rovers, Wycombe, Darlington themselves and Rochdale all gaining no more than four points or Shrewsbury losing three fixtures, and Notts are in.
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However, that is optimism at its greatest. Notts' end of season show has arrived just a little too late. Only one defeat in six, and that wasn't deserved, has saw Notts rise from the lower half of the table to, well they are still in the lower half of the table, but in much better shape and with a top ten finish certainly within their ambitions.
Friday's 1-1 draw at Victoria Park courtesy of an Andy Parkinson equaliser, was deserving of three points. This against who are surely the Champions elect and coming a week after battering a Walsall side in second who will also be a League One team next season - only to lose to a late Trevor Benjamin counter-attacking strike.
Against the top two sides in the division, Steve Thompson's men have deserved maximum points. Whilst they have come out of the games with just one point, they can be hugely satisfied with their displays.
If the two performances were a marker for the next campaign then success could well be on the horizon. Indeed, after such a good start to this one, coupled with their fighting spirit as the business end draws in, there is plenty of room for optimism with the current crop of players who let themselves down only in the middle of the season because of inconsistencies in their play.
After another pre-season together, boosted by four or five better players - particularly two wingers and a definite twenty goal a season man will see Notts as one of the favourites to go up. When you throw in the fact that the
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This time last year, fans were sweating on League 2 survival, and whilst just improving isn't enough and success should still be a playoff place, things have improved dramatically and supporters should be buoyed by their teams showings in the past two months.
NCM ourselves have often been critical of Thompson and his players - particularly during the relegation form at the turn of the year. We stand by our opinions then, but they have been changed successfully by a late playoff bid and a chance to look forward to the new campaign knowing a better squad will be in place and both the board and manager will be going all out for promotion.
Players such as Mike Edwards, Stephen Hunt, David Pipe, Jay Smith, Jason Lee and Lawrie Dudfield would get into any squad in this league whilst youngsters James Walker and Myles Weston - should they in any event be allowed to stay - will help take the club to a new level.
On Friday Notts battled, passed, hassled and generally performed with quality. If it weren't for yet another penalty miss then a deserved three points would see a genuine hope of League One football still in tact.
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Missing from twelve yards is a travesty and McCann shouldn't be let off the hook purely because of the good performance put in. Likewise Parkinson, who may have scored but missed two or three good chances, and Dudfield, superb against both Hartlepool and particularly Walsall, but who also missed good chances on Friday.
NCM are now appealing to the board to back Thompson with the necessary funds to boost the squad that is already showing potential and allow him to improve it with some proven League 2 quality and watch Notts rise from League 2 next season.
NCM will certainly be putting money on it.