IT IS the story of Notts County's season so far. Time and time again in their opening seven games, the Magpies have started terribly.

They were two goals behind in 35 minutes on the opening day against Huddersfield Town. They were three goals adrift in 28 minutes at Bournemouth five days ago.

It was worse still against Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last night.

Notts were 2-0 down at Hillsborough in 14 minutes, irreparably so in the end.

Ben Davies scored a second terrific free-kick of the campaign, but there was no dramatic fight-back as at Bournemouth, when the Magpies scored twice in injury time to draw 3-3, and they exited the competition with a 2-1 defeat.

As expected, they made mass changes for the tie, five to be exact. There was sharply contrasting fortunes for the Magpies' two ex-Wednesday players, goalkeeper Rob Burch and defender Graeme Lee.

Burch, who made only three appearances in one season with the Owls three years ago, returned to action for the first time since breaking a toe on his left foot in the opening game of the season. He replaced Stuart Nelson, who was rested.

Lee, who played 75 games in almost six years at Hillsborough, captained them and won promotion into the Championship with them in 2005, was named on the subs' bench, as Liam Chilvers was reinstated alongside Mike Edwards in the back-four.

As a reward for scoring twice in the last two games, striker Kevin Smith started in attack against the League One leaders.

He was partnered by on-loan striker Jake Jervis. Notts' other loanee from Birmingham, Luke Hubbins, started on the right wing.

Paul Heffernan, who played for Notts the last time the two teams met at Hillsborough almost seven years ago, was on Wednesday's bench.

Notts fell behind after less than two minutes when Gary Teale played a long diagonal ball into the penalty area, Chris Sedgwick hooked it back across the face of goal at the far post and James O'Connor prodded into the net from inside the six-yard box.

Burch looked culpable, and should have claimed the cross, before Sedgwick and O'Connor combined.

Daniel Jones, who played seven games for the Magpies last season, then broke forward from left-back, seized onto a pass from Teale, and strode purposefully into the penalty area, before miscuing his shot.

It was a huge let-off for Notts, who hit back on seven minutes. Smith laid the ball square to Davies in space 30 yards out and he lifted a powerful strike narrowly over the crossbar.

In an eventful opening, Marcus Tudgay tested Burch with a low long-range shot on ten minutes. This time, the Magpies' keeper was equal to it, and held well down to his left.

Notts were 2-0 adrift on only 14 minutes, however. Again, O'Connor was the scorer, superbly steering Jon Otsemobor's right-wing cross beyond the reach of Burch and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Even at such an early stage the tie looked almost beyond Notts but Davies gave them hope when he reduced the arrears with a stunning goal from a free-kick on 23 minutes.

From the left edge of the box, he curled a right-footed shot around the wall and inside the far post.

Tudgay then twice went close to scoring. On 25 minutes, he was denied by a good save from Burch, and then fired narrowly over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area just before the half-hour mark.

Minutes later, Edwards headed Davies' corner over the bar for Notts, to leave the tie on a knife-edge at half-time.

The Magpies made a positive substitution in the opening stages of the second half, introducing Craig Westcarr for Hubbins.

He made an instant impact, crossing dangerously into the penalty area from the left for Jervis, but Owls' keeper Nicky Weaver punched the ball clear under pressure from the striker, and Davies.

The Owls almost killed off the tie, however, on 63 minutes.

Jones swung a free-kick into the penalty area from the left and Tudgay powered a header against the underside of the crossbar.

Both sides then made substitutions. Karl Hawley replaced Jervis for his first action of the season for the Magpies, and Clinton Morrison made way for Neil Mellor for the home side.

Notts looked their most dangerous from set-pieces, and threatened from a free-kick taken by Davies on 72 minutes. The midfielder whipped the ball across the face of goal from the left but it eluded his team-mates and went wide of the far post.

The Magpies continued to strive for an equaliser as the game went into the closing stages, and Westcarr tested Weaver with a shot from just outside the penalty area. Davies also hit a shot into the side-netting.

They proved Notts last chances of the tie, before O'Connor almost completed his hat-trick in injury time.