LEE Hughes scored his first goals of pre-season to fire Notts County to victory against Championship side Cardiff City at Meadow Lane today.

The Magpies were magnificent in the first half and created a string of good scoring chances. Hughes netted his first goal just before the half-hour mark, after a terrible mistake from Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall, and scored his second in the closing minutes.

Ross McCormack hit back for Cardiff in the second half, but the Magpies claimed a fully deserved 2-1 win.

Liam Chilvers was handed his full debut for the Magpies a day after signing a two-year deal at Meadow Lane. He partnered Mike Edwards in central defence, and Graeme Lee was named on the substitutes’ bench.

Just hours after agreeing a deal to join Notts, Krystian Pearce, a former England youth international, was also on the bench.

Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland winger Keith Gillespie, who is on trial at Meadow Lane, was again named in the Magpies’ squad, with fellow trialist Rhema Obed.

Hughes, the Magpies’ top scorer last season with 33 goals, was partnered by Ben Burgess in attack.

Nottingham Forest target Peter Whittingham started on the left side of midfield for Cardiff.

The first scoring opportunity fell to Burgess after only three minutes. Ben Davies swung a corner into the six-yard box and the striker met it with a strong header, but directed it over the crossbar.

Notts were on top in the opening stages and Stephen Hunt volleyed narrowly wide of Marshall’s left-hand post from eight yards on nine minutes, from another delightful corner delivery from Davies.

Moments later, John Spicer broke purposefully forward, after seizing onto a pass from Hughes, but miscued well wide from 20 yards. In reply, Whittingham dragged a long-range effort wide of Stuart Nelson’s left-hand post on 14 minutes, and then lifted a shot over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.

The Magpies produced a wonderful attacking move on 17 minutes that very nearly climaxed in a goal in front of the Kop.

Hughes sent Spicer racing into the penalty area but he was well marshalled by Danny Drinkwater so played the ball back to Hughes and he instantly crossed it into the box for Burgess. He headed it back across the face of goal for Davies, who was poised inside the six-yard box, but the header was just too high for him to reach, frustratingly for Notts. They were unfortunate not to be ahead.

They were soon in front, however, capitalising fully on a howler from Marshall to take a 1-0 lead on 28 minutes. The Cardiff keeper inexplicably miscued a goal kick to Burgess and he strode into the penalty area unchallenged before sliding the ball across to Hughes, who side-footed simply into the net.

As the Magpies celebrated, the visitors were stunned by Marshall’s costly mistake.

Chris Burke attempted to restore parity for the visitors with a long-range effort on 35 minutes. It went just over the crossbar.

The Magpies doubled their lead on 43 minutes, and in some style too. Burgess sent Jon Harley racing into the penalty area and he measured a cross across the six-yard box for Hughes, who does not miss from that range.

Notts made two changes at the start of the second half. Pearce replaced Edwards and Craig Westcarr came on for Hunt. Harley dropped back to left-back following Hunt’s exit, Davies switched to the left side of midfield and Westcarr started on the right wing.

They were soon back on the attack too, and Hughes lifted a right-wing cross to the far post that Burgess headed inches over the crossbar on 49 minutes.

Cardiff reduced their deficit on 61 minutes when Michael Chopra threaded a pass through for McCormack, who beat Nelson from 20 yards.

Karl Hawley replaced Burgess in the Magpies’ attack and had a powerful strike deflected wide a few minutes after his introduction, before Whittingham curled a 30-ard free-kick over the crossbar on 70 minutes.

The visitors went close to equalising on 74 minutes. Seizing onto a mistake from John Thompson, substitute Nat Jarvis fed the ball into Chopra inside the box. He beat Nelson with a low right-footed strike, but Pearce was alert to the danger and cleared off the goal-line. It was the closest they came to denying Notts victory in the end.

Both of the Magpies’ trialists were introduced in the second half. Gillespie replaced Hughes on 79 minutes and Obed came on for Thompson on 85 minutes.

NOTTS: Nelson, Thompson (Obed, 85), Chilvers, Edwards (Pearce, 46), Hunt (Westcarr, 46), Davies, Ravenhill, Spicer, Harley, Burgess (Hawley, 62), Hughes (Gillespie, 79). Subs: Burch, Lee, Bishop.

CARDIFF: Marshall (Heaton, 46), Blake (Matthews, 46), Gerrard, Gypes (Hudson, 46), McNaughton, Burke (Rae, 62), McPhail, Drinkwater, Whittingham, McCormack (Jarvis, 72), Chopra. Subs: Quinn, Farah, Meades.

ATTENDANCE: 2,490 (476 away).