NOTTS County are in danger of the unthinkable.

No, not relegation; the Magpies are safe in League Two, their status as the world's oldest league club is secure.

But they could end this season with fewer points than they achieved during their relegation scrap in the last campaign when they finished with 48 points, and that is not progress, is it?

They need four points from their last two games against Dagenham at home and at Wycombe on the final day to even equal that points tally – and a win and a draw will not be easy, far from it.

There is no doubt Ian McParland has assembled a squad of greater quality than the one he inherited last season, no doubt at all. But that only makes their current position even more of an under-achievement, more baffling.

He has also breathed professionalism back into the club and reinvented the style of football the Magpies play, which has been a joy to watch at times this season.

But still, for all of that progress, there looks likely to be only slight, none, or even a step backwards, where it ultimately matters, in points – all three of those possibilities are not good enough because the club should have made a significant stride towards mid-table this season.

Notts have failed to do that because they have lacked firepower, first and foremost.

They have been weaker defensively too, of course, but they have badly missed a prolific marksman above all else. So many times this season they have outplayed their opponents and created better chances but haven't taken them. They did it again in defeat at Morecambe.

But there is more to their difficulties this season than a lack of goals and clean-sheets. It will take more than signing a free-scoring striker and an imposing, uncompromising, defender in the summer to make the Magpies a more formidable outfit – it will take players with devilment too.

Right now, Notts are too nice. They need to be nastier. You can't just outplay teams to win games; you have to out-battle them too, and the Magpies don't do that enough.

They need defenders who take no prisoners, midfielders who take games by the scruff of the neck and inspire the rest, a vocal presence, leaders, warriors, winners.

For all McParland has impressively instilled in his players since he took over, he can't instil those qualities. Players either possess them or they don't.

Saying that, they deserved a point at Christie Park. Not just because they were easily the better team in the first half and created some good chances to score throughout – but because keeper Kevin Pilkington and the back-four deserved to claim a clean-sheet.

Stephen Hunt was particularly impressive on his return to the side at the heart of the defence, in place of Michael Johnson who was rested by McParland.

And Pilkington produced two outstanding pieces of goalkeeping to deny the home side in the second half, but was helpless to prevent them decisively taking the lead through substitute Mark Duffy.

First, he won a one-on-one with Michael Twiss after he had been sent racing through on goal. Pilkington rushed purposefully off his goal-line and confidently dispossessed the Morecambe midfielder as he tried to side-step him.

Pilkington then reacted rapidly to tip a curling effort from Garry Hunter over his crossbar.

Once again, however, he was left awfully exposed by the one moment of indecision in the Magpies' back-line as Hunter lifted the ball into the box and Duffy darted in behind and clinically found the bottom corner from close-range.

It was a scrappy goal and could easily have been prevented. How many times has that been said this season? Too many is the answer.

Notts threatened to equalise – and Richard Butcher, who scored in a 1-1 draw between the two sides on the same stage last season, went closest of all.

Everything about the move was elegant. Jamie Clapham's measured cross into the penalty area from the left, Butcher's late run into the box from midfield, his leap, his header, the power and direction of it.

It looked destined to make it 1-1 until former Forest keeper Barry Roche pulled off the save of the game, upstaging even Pilkington, when he acrobatically tipped it over his crossbar.

The Morecambe keeper was in inspired form throughout.

In the opening stages, he somehow parried away a point-blank far post header from John Thompson to deny the Magpies' captain his first goal for the club.

Roche also saved memorably from substitute Matt Hamshaw, who replaced Gavin Strachan when Notts fell behind to give the midfield a greater attacking edge.

He went close almost immediately with a low drive from just inside the box, aimed inside the near post. But Roche showed split-second reactions to get down, low to his right, and parry it. He did the same minutes later when Jamie Clapham rifled an effort that took a deflection off defender Danny Adams.

In the last game of his loan spell with Notts, Jonathan Forte had the last chance, lifting a speculative long-range shot onto the roof of the net.

It is four league defeats in a row now and eight in the last 11 games. With just one win at Bournemouth in the last two months it has been a terrible end to a season that was so full or promise at one stage. It's hard to see how Notts can restore any pride in the last two games – even with two wins.

james.pallatt@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk