Notts County 4 Darlington 0

The scoreline was the same as that against Morecambe the previous week, but at least there were some positives to come out of the game at Meadow Lane.

Quakers were more of an attacking threat than against Morecambe, but County showed them how to attack quickly and take chances in the first half.

Darlo started brightly, but the first goal came from a Darlo attack on 12 minutes. Debutant Paul Harsley set up Mor Diop ten yards out, but the striker fired straight at Kasper Schmeichel. The former Darlo loanee then threw the ball out to the left, where Matt Ritchie's ball forward was flicked on by Lee Hughes, for Luke Rodgers to run up the middle and comfortably beat Ashlee Jones in the Darlo goal.

It was 2-0 a minute later, when Craig Westcarr crossed deep to the far post, and Hughes, unmarked, headed in.

And Darlo fans were stunned again on 19 minutes when Joe Thompson cleared the ball down the left for Rodgers to race around the back of the Darlo defence and set up Ben Davies for a simple tap in.

County could have had more before half time, but Darlo also could have pulled one back when Diop worked his way into the box from the left, but Schmeichel went full length to his left and pushed Diop's measured shot around the post.

There was more belief and purpose about Darlo in the second half, and Paul Hall nearly grabbed a goal but his header from Jeff Smith's corner went just over the bar.

Manager Steve Staunton sent on Josh Gray and Lee Thorpe for Diop and Simon Thomas on 55 minutes, and Quakers looked more of a threat.

But there was always danger at the other end as County exploited space in the Darlo defence. Jones just managed to block Hughes' close range effort after he had dropped a left wing cross at his feet, then Hughes headed just wide of the left hand post from the corner that followed.

However, Jeff Smith was unlucky when Schmeichel saved his low shot at the foot of the post, and the keeper denied Harsley after the new midfielder had played a one-two with Thorpe.

But County scored their fourth on 76 minutes when Hughes chased the ball down the right, and with Jones riskily advancing out of his goal, the former West Brom striker cleverly lobbed the ball over him from an acute angle.