NOTTS County have transformed their season in their last five league games, and one of their most influential players, Ben Davies, believes the Magpies are on the march into promotion contention in League One.

After being in the relegation zone only a month ago, Notts are now just four points adrift of the prized play-off places, after beating Swindon Town, MK Dons, Walsall and Hartlepool United and drawing at Plymouth Argyle.

Their highest league position so far this campaign is tenth. They achieved that after beating Peterborough United at the end of September. Davies, who memorably scored twice at London Road, is confident they can rise into the top-six for the first time, and, crucially, stay there.

"We have put ourselves in a decent position now, and we'll be knocking on the door of the play-offs with a few more wins," he said.

"I think if we can get up there we will stay there because we are a good, experienced squad, and those of us who were here last season proved we can stay the distance in a promotion race.

"Even when we were down near the bottom of the table this season our performances showed we were more than capable of getting up the league, so it's so satisfying that we're starting to do that now."

During their impressive five-game unbeaten run, Notts have kept four clean-sheets. "We look solid as a team," added Davies. "We are organised and we're not conceding many goals, which was a massive part of our success last season.

"If we can come out of the next month in a better position than we are in now, we have got a great chance of really pushing on."

The Magpies have, indeed, a significant opportunity to strengthen their ambitions in the next month.

Their next game is against one of the division's best sides, Southampton, at St Mary's, but Notts led the Saints 1-0 at Meadow Lane at the end of October, in the first game of Paul Ince's reign, before defender John Thompson was sent off and Southampton scored three late goals.

After playing the Saints, the Magpies face six teams in the bottom-half of the table by February 19 – Carlisle United, Rochdale, Walsall, Tranmere Rovers, Exeter City and Yeovil Town.

One threat to their current momentum, however, is the loss of three loan players, Stephen Darby, Thomas Ince and Lee Miller, who were key figures.

Darby started every game at right-back, replacing Thompson, and Ince scored twice, against MK Dons and Hartlepool, during their two-month loans from Liverpool, but both have returned to Anfield, despite the Magpies' attempts to sign them for the rest of the season.

Alan Judge also impressed during his four-month loan from Blackburn Rovers. But he did return to Meadow Lane on Friday on an emergency loan, with Notts still hopeful of permanently signing him later this month.

"That's the difficult thing. When you get players on loan you know you are going to lose them at some stage," added Davies.

"I know the club is trying to get them all back, and we'd all be delighted if they could.

"They were all starting to settle into the team too, and were playing key roles. They are all great lads too, and fitted into the dressing-room straightaway.

"It felt weird after the Hartlepool game when they were shaking everyone's hand and saying goodbye, and there were a lot of empty pegs in the dressing room when we went back into training.

"We've had a settled team since before Christmas, with all of them in it, and in our last six games (before they left) we had won five and drawn one, so it shows the direction we are going in.

"Them leaving will probably cause a bit of disruption, but we are a League One club so we have good players who can come back into the team."

Having spent the season predominantly as a wide midfielder, on the left and right, Davies has played in a central role in the Magpies' last three league games.

He is enjoying a position of greater influence in the team, but is finding to difficult to curb his attacking instincts.

"I have to be a lot more disciplined, and can't get forward as much as I can when I play wide," he said.

"The one good thing about playing in the middle is you get on the ball more so can have a greater influence on games.

"When the gaffer and Alex (Rae) tell me to sit I find it hard. I have to put the shackles on a bit, but I will do everything I'm told because we're playing well and winning at the moment, and long may it continue."