The final nail was well and truly hammered into the coffin of County’s waning existence in the Second Division today as goals from Steve McPhee and Steve Brooker were enough to sink the Magpies survival hopes as the Vale turned over the relegation stricken side.
Magpies manager Gary Mills, however, was cornered into naming an under-strength Notts side with both his first and second choice ‘keepers, Steve Mildenhall and Stuart Garden, in no particular order, suffering from injuries, let alone the continued recovery of winger Tony Scully.
So, the raw figure of Saul Deeney was called to stand in at the very back whilst Matty Williams, making only his third start for Notts, deputised for Scully in an unfimiliar position on the left wing.
Steve Scoffham continued to partner Paul Heffernan in attack, while Frazer McHugh was drafted in to replace the newly-blonde Paul Bolland in the centre of midfield. Meanwhile, the hapless central defensive partnership of Fenton and Barras continued at the heart of Notts' defence.
With the most important ninety minutes of football ahead of them, Notts lined up to be counted but seldom showed the degree of guts to justify the magnitude of the fight ahead.
It took no more than four minutes for Notts to go behind from a Stephen McPhee goal.
When a Sam Collins found its way to Brooker, his fluffed flick fell at the feet of the to-be out of contract, McPhee, who powered the visitors into an early lead.
The goal marked his second against County this season after also netting in their 1-0 victory at Vale Park earlier this season.
Another defensive shambles from Notts, with Fenton bottling a tackle which left Pipe two-on-one and Deeney completely stranded.
Understandably, the heads of fans and players alike dropped.
With a quarter of an hour gone, Steve Scoffham had the chance to right the wrong. But, decisively didn’t. Heffernan’s cut-back found Scoffham with the ball underneath him although all the former tradesmen could find was the Kop end with the goal at his mercy.
Minutes later, provider turned sloppy marksmen when Heffernan was picked out by a Stefan Oakes cross. However, the potentially head-hunted Irish followed the lead of his strike partner as he failed to clean up Vale’s defensive mess. Jonny Brain saving comfortably for the Valiants. 
Heffernan was soon to be frustrated once more when another effort was cut out, this time by George Pilkington in the Port Vale rearguard.
Then, a rare moment of, somewhat unwanted, flair on the half-hour mark as Matty Williams lunged into a mini melee through shear frustration; earning him a booking and an ear full from the boys in blue. Amusingly, though, it appeared the hapless referee, Phil Prosser, who appeared to spark the melee by man-handling the former Man U striker himself. Strange.
As is always the case, it was to be County who would decide their own fate, nobody else. And, sure enough, it was as they well-and-truly pulled the plug on any likelihood of a spirited fight-back.
When a miscalculated Saul Deeney throw found his way to an unmarked to Mark Bridge-Wilkinson. The double-barrel surnamed midfield man thus supplied Steve Brooker, who again skipped an extremely half-hearted Fenton challenge, with the lethal ammunition that killed the contest.
2-0 down after 34 minutes and the situation worsening as Notts carried on with their spineless excuse for an effort.
The Magpies should perhaps count themselves lucky as they could possibly have gone three down when Craig James’ free-kick curled goal bound. Luckily, however, Deeney was on-hand to pluck the tame effort from the sky.
Scoffham came very close to pulling one back before the break when a rare instance of running at defenders from the ex-Gedling man opened doors to goal, but he somehow managed to achieve nothing more than lofting the ball over from point-blank range after an excellent run.
Half Time: NOTTS COUNTY 0-2 Port Vale
Notts' players came out for the second half with the boos of the long-suffering supporters, chants of "What a load of rubbish" and, no doubt, a bollocking from frustrated manager Gary Mills ringing in their ears.
What's more, Mills had gone for broke and opted to make all his allowed 3 substitutions at half-time.
Problem was, the subs were hardly inspiring. Andy Parkinson, who has ultimately proved a bit of a let-down, came on for the tremendously ineffective Simon Baldry, while Frazer McHugh- who was as good as ever- was withdrawn to be replaced with Bolland. Finally, Ian Baraclough (oh dear) came on for Matty Williams.
The changes also signalled a change in formation with David Pipe moving further up field to the right side of midfield and Baraclough on the left in, it appeared, a 3-4-3 formation with Parkinson floating between midfield and attack.
Things certainly didn't start any better for the Magpies though, as Port Vale- now attacking their own fans (not literally, ofcourse)- had three chances to notch up a third on with just three second half minutes played.
First, Billy Paynter got free from some loose 'marking' from Fenton to head powerfully against Deeney's right hand upright, before Steve Brooker fired the rebound just wide when he really should've scored. Shortly after, Vale skipper Sam Collins headed wide from a corner.
With 50 minutes gone, however, Notts should have grabbed their first of the afternoon with Steve Scoffham again the guilty party.
Substitute Parkinson did well to wriggle free in the box and his cutback found Scoffham but the feisty forward could only fire his shot straight at Brain when either side would have meant a certain goal.
Notts, while showing all their short-comings at the back, were starting to play some half-decent stuff going forward and Richardson hit a good volley on the turn that forced Brain (stop laughing at the back) into a smart stop.
Long range shots from Bridge-Wilkinson and Parkinson for their respective sides were all that was to show for the next 10 minutes despite poor defending being the order of the day and both sides looking like they could easily add to their tally's.
All second half, however, Notts' fans in Z Block were absoloutly tremendous with consistent vocal backing throughout, even though the players hadn't really earned it. It was certainly the best backing I've seen from the "Library" that is Meadow Lane in a while.
The game kicked itself back into life on 67 minutes though, when Paynter (I think) totally scuffed a shot when it seemed certain that Vale would take a 3-goal lead.
Heffernan's shot was blocked before Scoffham was guilty of his FOUTH guilt-edged miss of the afternoon when he once again fired straight at 'Brain'. Though, to be fair to the German-born striker, he did work as hard as anyone for Notts this afternoon, it just appeared to be one of those days.
With 70 minutes on the clock, Heffernan- who worked as hard as anyone, dispite being the whipping boy for many Notts fans- struck an acrobatic effort that looked to be looping in but clipped the top of the crossbar.
Notts were looking to have something to show for the afternoon, but Vale were also looking dangerous on the break, especially with Notts having Pinky and Perky (a.k.a. Fenton and Barras) leaving Richardson to hold the fort at the back on his own.
Vale striker Steve Brooker had two more chances within two minutes of each other but failed to test Deeney with either.
Baraclough was the latest Notts player to miss an absoloute sitter when, practically sat on the goal-line, he somehow managed to pick out Brain (you've been warned) with a perfectly weighted back-pass when it really did seem easier to score.
Pipe then had a decent long-range effort saved, before Oakes delivered his first decent corner of the afternoon to give Tony Barras a chance to grab a consilation but his header was very well saved by good old Johnny Brain.
In the end, though, Notts did manage to get on the scoresheet and it was through Paul Heffernan.
Richardson flicked the ball on and Heffernan chipped the on-rushing keeper and the looping effort managed to sneak under the crossbar to spark delerium among the Magpie followers (nah...only kidding).
The goal was the Irish striker's 20th league goal of the season, no mean feat in a struggling outfit, but it failed to impress the Notts faithful- who are upset that Heffernan appears Division One bound next season.
Notts even had one last chance to grab an equaliser when Oakes whipped in a corner but, unsurprisingly, the attention-seeking referee found some kind of infringement of a Notts kind.
As the supporters finally accepted relegation as they left the stadium the PA system belted out "Things can only get better" by the wonder that is Take That. How apt. Trouble is, some players in this Notts side really can get better, and should've been better in the first place.
Fans have faith in Gary Mills, but he's got one of the biggest re-building jobs in living memory should Notts bounce back from Division Three next season.
FULL TIME: Notts County 1-2 Port Vale
The thing that hurt most about this afternoon is not that we lost, I expected that, but the fact that not all players gave 100%.
Interesting that the players whose contracts expire in the summer, apart from Frazer McHugh (bizarre) names weren't song by the extremely loyal Notts faithful, and Heffernan was the first to trudge down the tunnel at the end.
Bizarrely, the players got a standing ovation from the fans at the end. Thanks lads, for sending us down and putting in FA effort in the process.
A new start is needed, and the line-up in August is sure to be very different to this one. And not a moment too soon.
Match Ratings and Reaction to follow.