NOTTS County were denied a priceless victory in the third minute of injury-time against Bournemouth at Meadow Lane last night.

Lee Hughes scored twice for the Magpies to take his tally to 26 goals this season. And his second goal looked to have sealed a fifth successive league win under new boss Steve Cotterill.

But Cherries' substitute Jeff Goulding scored in the 93rd minute to break Notts' hearts.

Hughes also ended the game with his tenth booking of the season so he is now suspended for two games.

Still, Notts move up one place to third in the League Two table with a draw. But they should have won and rocketed into second spot, above Bournemouth.

The Magpies were intent on revenge after a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth only last month, a game memorable for little else apart from being Sven-Goran Eriksson's last as the club's director of football.

Notts were entirely unchanged from their 1-0 win against Chesterfield at Meadow Lane last Tuesday night.

Karl Hawley returned to the squad after a hamstring problem. But Luke Rodgers was still favoured alongside leading scorer Lee Hughes in attack.

In the significant absence of their skipper Jason Pearce with a fractured toe, the Cherries named Marvin Bartley as a makeshift centre-back, alongside Ryan Garry.

They were notably boosted by the return of pacy winger Liam Feeney, after a hamstring injury.

Feeney got the first sight of goal after just three minutes. The ball fell to him in space just outside the penalty area and he instantly drove a powerful low effort at goal that Kasper Schmeichel held confidently, low down to his right.

Bournemouth almost went ahead two minutes later. Alan Connell beat Schmeichel from close-range but Magpies' captain John Thompson cleared the ball off the goal-line.

The Cherries were on top in the opening stages, and Feeney tested Schmeichel with another stinging long-range strike on 12 minutes, after racing onto Brett Pitman's clever through ball between Mike Edwards and Stephen Hunt.

The Notts' No.1 parried it away, and Steven Fletcher miscued the rebound.

In reply for the Magpies, Craig Westcarr blazed a half-volley well over the crossbar and high into the Kop from 12 yards.

Notts were not at their best, but they still took a precious lead midway through the first half.

They were awarded a penalty on 22 minutes when Ben Davies was brought down in the box by Rhoys Wiggins. Cherries' keeper Shwan Jalal saved Hughes' spot-kick, diving to his left. But the rebound fell kindly to the striker and he scored at the second attempt from close-range.

The Magpies had the ball in the net for a second time on 28 minutes when Davies seized onto a flick from Neal Bishop and lifted it over Jalal from the edge of the six yard box.

Davies timed his run to perfection but was wrongly flagged offside, so it was still 1-0. It should have been 2-0 to Notts.

The Magpies created further chances to extend their lead before half-time.

Bishop dragged a shot wide of Jalal's right-hand post on 35 minutes and Ricky Ravenhill lifted an effort well over the bar from the edge of the penalty area minutes later.

Stephen Hunt tested Jalal with a low strike in injury-time at the end of the first half, after making a rare raid into the box onto a pass from Rodgers.

Notts had a good chance to double their lead early in the second half when Rodgers was fouled just outside the penalty area.

Davies is usually so lethal from free-kicks, but he hit it straight into the wall.

Bournemouth were level just three minutes later, as Pitman was rather more clinical from a free-kick from 20 yards.

The Cherries' top scorer drove the ball low and powerfully past Schmeichel and inside his left-hand post. After four clean-sheets, it was the first goal conceded by the Magpies under new boss Steve Cotterill.

Notts were swiftly back in front. Only four minutes later, Hughes headed Davies' right-wing cross past Jalal and high into the net from six yards.

It was a wonderful cross from Davies. Rodgers missed it, but Hughes made no mistake at the far post for his 26th goal of the season.

Hughes was intent on scoring his fourth hat-trick of the season, after trebles against Bradford City, Northampton and Burton Albion, and attempted an audacious long-range effort minutes later that Jalal held comfortably.

He then almost got on the end of a pass from Westcarr into the penalty area on 66 minutes, but Jalal was alert to the danger, raced off his goal-line and claimed the ball under pressure.

The Cherries created little in response, but they threatened on 75 minutes when Goulding almost latched onto a pass from Pitman inside the penalty area. Stephen Hunt made a great interception to cut it out, at the expense of a corner.

The Magpies introduced Jamie Clapham for Bishop on 79 minutes and he joined Ravenhill and Davies in a central midfield trio.

A minute later, Hughes was booked for handball. His tenth booking of the season he will now miss the Magpies' next two games, against Crewe and Bradford.

With just a one-goal lead, there was a tense end to the game. Notts pushed for a third goal and Mike Edwards headed narrowly over the crossbar on 84 minutes, before Schmeichel pulled off a good save to deny Pitman on 87 minutes.

The Bournemouth striker met a right-wing cross with a powerful header that the Magpies' keeper parried away at full-stretch to his left.

Schmeichel was beaten on 93 minutes when Goulding volleyed Lee Bradbury's right-wing cross powerfully into the net from inside the box to rescue a point for the visitors.