Whilst it was only a pre-season friendly against Nottingham Forest's second team, Notts County have set a solid foundation for their preparations ahead of the National League season.
The Magpies twice came from behind at Meadow Lane to draw against their Premier League neighbours, and will feel unlucky not to have come away with more after dominating for large parts of the encounter.
One of the highlights of the evening was the performances of Ruben Rodrigues, Sam Austin and Macauley Langstaff, who combined effectively and were a real thorn in Steve Cooper's side for the time that they were on the pitch.
Ruben Rodrigues transfer update as Notts County boss reveals 'substantial offers'
It was a largely successful evening's work for Luke Williams' side, who managed to whet the appetites of many Notts fans ahead of their final pre-season game against York City on Saturday, before the opening game of the season against Maidenhead United next Saturday.
Reflecting upon the game, here are five things that we learned.
Keeping Ruben Rodrigues key to National League success
Unplayable. Mesmerising. Simply brilliant to watch. Those are just some of the superlatives to describe Ruben Rodrigues' performance on Tuesday evening.
There is no denying the Portuguese's quality, it is just whether Notts are able to keep hold of him before the season starts. Whilst speculation around his future continues to circulate, Notts boss Williams explained that he was "confident" that the 25-year-old would remain at Meadow Lane this season, despite receiving substantial offers from clubs in the Football League.
His influence on the team is key, even his presence and awareness on the pitch is enough to motivate the players around him to work harder, and that was evident yesterday.
One key moment during Rodrigues' performance yesterday was his involvement during the second goal. Whilst not touching the ball, his movement into a deeper area attracted two Forest defenders to track him. This allowed Kyle Cameron to drive out of defence and created space which eventually lead to Austin's goal, albeit aided by a Jordan Smith mistake.
But his whole performance oozed class and clearly frustrated Forest as he won numerous free-kicks from Ryan Yates and Giulian Biancone throughout. His assist for Langstaff's goal was a devastating combination of skill, balance and precision and was the least he deserved from his performance.
Sam Austin can fill the gap left by Cal Roberts
Whilst losing a player of Cal Roberts' calibre is a bitter blow just under two weeks until the start of the season, it gives players an opportunity to showcase their desire to be in that starting XI on the first day of the season, and Austin just may have done that.
His performance in the first half showed commitment and tireless energy, albeit nothing to show for it. The 25-year-old was allowed to cut into more central positions for the majority of the game and linked up well with Rodrigues, Langstaff and Adam Chicksen when coming in from the left.
Austin was eager to create chances across the front line and was able to do so in the formation deployed by Williams. His goal further cemented that eagerness and showed great anticipation following Smith's miscue of the cross, whilst also showing great composure when others may have opted for a more rash finish.
His 18 goal contributions for Kidderminster Harriers last term proves he has the capabilities to succeed for the Magpies next season, and he could become a shrewd piece of business should attacking acquisitions fall flat ahead of the new campaign.
In the market for a new keeper?
Only one slight negative from yesterday's performance was that of Sam Slocombe in the Notts goal. Whilst keeping eight clean sheets in the National League last season, his performance was far from convincing, especially with his feet.
On more than one occasion, Slocombe was caught being slightly too casual with the ball at his feet which resulted in misplaced pass into touch, or playing his team-mates into trouble which nearly happened when he played Ed Francis into a slight bit of bother that almost resulted in a Forest goal during the first half.
And whilst there was nothing he could do with either of the Forest goals, you could sense the frustration amongst the Notts fans inside Meadow Lane when goal kicks were finding those in red or the touchline, rather than those in black and white.
Whilst there was that competitive edge with Liverpool loanee Vítězslav Jaroš and Sunderland youngster Anthony Patterson last season, the goalkeeping area of Notts' side may be an area they look to strengthen ahead of Maidenhead next Saturday.
Defensive display to be admired
One area of concern following on from last season was the way in which the Magpies were conceding goals. Take the play-off game against Grimsby Town for example, two completely avoidable goals that ultimately cost Notts a place in the play-off semi-finals after dominating the game at Meadow Lane.
Of the teams that finished inside the top seven last season, Notts conceded the most goals (52) and a large number of those could have been avoided.
That being said, playing with three centre backs yesterday nullified the threat of Lyle Taylor, Alex Mighten and Surridge for large parts of the encounter, and the trio seemed comfortable with playing out from the back against Forest's high press.
And whilst Williams was quick to dismiss his thoughts on the defence at Notts last season, he was pleased with his sides defensive showing.
"I don't want to talk too much about the team last season, I know that they were very, very good and I know the previous management team did a brilliant job for sure.
"Tonight, we were undone by two pieces of top quality with (Sam) Surridge's finish, he sees the corner of the goal from quite a distance and puts it exactly there, and the free-kick is impossible to stop if he hits it that well.
"I think we didn't give them anything clear-cut, so I think that was a good showing up against that type of opposition."
Williams wants more ruthlessness
Despite an excellent performance against a Premier League side, Williams was left wanting more from his players after a number of opportunities squandered ultimately cost them the victory their performance merited.
Of the Magpies 15 shots, only eight were on target. And whilst their shots on target outnumbered the five shots that Forest were able to produce all game, Notts were left to rue their missed opportunities, fortunately, in a pre-season friendly.
Speaking after the game, Williams admitted there was some good signs from his side, but believed there were certain aspects his players needed to sharpen up on ahead of the National League season.
"We can attack the box better," said Williams.
"When we get in positions to attack the box, we have got to be more ruthless and we had a lot of set-pieces tonight, and we need to make more of that."
