NOTTS County will unveil an all-time XI at the end of this season to mark their 150th year and there is one person certain to be shortlisted for it. Lee Hughes.

The Magpies have had so many outstanding strikers in their long history: Les Bradd, Tommy Lawton and Jackie Sewell. Lee Hughes too, is a legend at Meadow Lane and, having fired the club to the League Two title in 2010, he is now determined to lead them into the Championship.

He scored yet again against Exeter City at Meadow Lane last night in a 2-1 win for Notts that certainly re-ignites their ambitions of challenging for the play-offs in League One this season.

The striker gave the Magpies an early lead and, after Scot Bennett had equalised for the visitors, Jeff Hughes scored his eighth penalty of the season to seal a vital victory that extends Notts' unbeaten league run to four games.

The Magpies faced Exeter following an enforced break of 14 days, after league games against first Stevenage and then Rochdale were postponed.

They were notably boosted by the return from injury of Jeff Hughes, their leading scorer. The Northern Ireland international was sidelined when they beat Walsall 1-0 on January 31 with a slight hamstring problem, but started in midfield against the Grecians.

Martin Allen, the Notts boss, also resisted temptation in his team selection. Having re-signed Colombian striker Cristian Montano on loan from West Ham United only six days earlier, he still paired Lee Hughes and Ben Burgess, who scored in a 1-1 draw at St James Park in September, together in attack.

Montano and Jonathan Forte, another new loan signing, started on the substitutes' bench.

A day after extending his loan at Meadow Lane until the end of the season, Nottingham Forest and Wales under-21 international Kieron Freeman started at right-back, ahead of Julian Kelly. Jon Harley was preferred to Alan Sheehan at left-back.

The night began with a minute's silence as a mark of respect to two lifelong fans, Ian Mills and Glenn Rolley, Jim King, an education officer at the club's Centre of Excellence, and Forest owner Nigel Doughty, who all sadly died recently.

Doughty invested £100m into Forest during his chairmanship at the City Ground and though Notts owner Ray Trew does not have the same financial power to transform the Magpies, a club he took over only a year ago, he has thoroughly backed Allen and he has built a squad that looks set to challenge for promotion into the Championship this season.

Notts took the lead against Exeter after only eight minutes, but not before a rare miss from Lee Hughes. Burgess sent him racing through on goal on six minutes and he strode entirely unchallenged into the penalty area.

All inside Meadow Lane expected him to score, but, uncharacteristically, he miscued a shot wide of the right-hand post of goalkeeper Artur Krysiak from eight yards.

He quickly atoned, though he was gifted a second opportunity by Krysiak, who slipped over as he controlled a back-pass. It was all the invitation Lee Hughes needed. He seized onto the loose ball and swept it into the net as Krysiak got back onto his feet.

The Magpies' lead was shortlived, however, because Exeter equalised on 13 minutes. Billy Jones swung a corner into the near post and Bennett directed a glancing header past Notts goalkeeper Stuart Nelson from close range.

Having equalised, the visitors threatened again on 26 minutes, through Guillem Bauza as the striker stroked a shot narrowly wide of Nelson's left-hand post from 20 yards.

The Magpies' response was emphatic and they retook the lead only two minutes later.

Harley did brilliantly to beat Troy Archibald-Henville and he raced into the box only to be brought down by the Exeter defender.

Jeff Hughes, who else, stepped up and buried the spot-kick into the bottom right corner of the net. Krysiak dived the wrong way.

Leading 2-1, Notts carved Exeter open with a superb attack on 37 minutes. Lee Hughes started and so nearly finished it. He swept a pass out to Jeff Hughes on the right, who raced forward and laid the ball to the overlapping Freeman.

He crossed it into the box and Lee Hughes beat Krysiak to it but headed over the crossbar.

Freeman was playing well and he created another good opportunity for Lee Hughes just five minutes later. Once again, he ventured forward and measured a magnificent cross into the box that the unmarked Magpies striker directed wide of Krysiak's right-hand post.

It proved the final opportunity of the first half and Notts almost gifted Exeter the first chance of the second half when Damion Stewart under-hit a back-pass to Nelson.

Fortunately for the Magpies, Nelson raced quickly off his goal-line and just beat John O'Flynn to the ball.

Notts were quickly into their stride, however, and Alan Judge rifled narrowly wide of Krysiak's left-hand post from 25 yards minutes later.

The Magpies were forced into making a change in central defence on 62 minutes because Chilvers suffered a facial injury and, coincidence of not, Exeter so nearly exploited a gaping hole in the heart of their back-four six minutes later.

Krystian Pearce, Chilvers' replacement, was still adjusting to the pace of the game when O'Flynn sped onto a through ball.

He looked set to race on into the penalty area, but the outstanding Freeman made a terrifically-timed sliding tackle to dispossess him and extinguish his threat.

Notts sought a third goal to ease the tension and Allen unleashed Montano with that aim on 70 minutes, but, still, Exeter threatened on 82 minutes when Daniel Nardiello met a cross with an outstretched leg, forcing Nelson into a save.

The ball rebounded out and Nardiello threw out an arm to direct it at goal, so desperate was he to score. Fortunately, his offence was seen by referee Mark Brown and he was cautioned.

There was six minut es of stoppage time and, boy, did Notts live dangerously before the end.

They held on though and claimed a thoroughly deserved victory and their fans exited happy, no doubt, voting for Lee Hughes for that all-time XI when they got to their homes.

NOTTS: Nelson, Freeman, Stewart, Chilvers (Pearce, 62), Harley, Judge (Bencherif, 83), Mahon, Bishop, J Hughes, Burgess, L Hughes (Montano, 70). Subs: Mitchell, Forte.

EXETER: Krysiak, Tully (Duffy, 59), Archibald-Henville, Coles, Jones, Dunne, Noble (Sercombe, 64), Bennett, Bauza (Logan, 56), O'Flynn, Nardiello. Subs: Pidgeley, Taylor.

ATTENDANCE: 4,741 (200 away).