Leading scorer David Mooney recorded his 11th goal of the season when he followed up to score form close range in the 65th minute after a Lee Cook thunderbolt had been parried on to the crossbar by County's substitute goalkeeper Fabian Speiss.
Three minutes later Cook swung over a corner from the left and central defender Mathieu Baudry volleyed the ball home from close range.
The visitors were given hope after 77 minutes when Jeff Hughes drilled home a rebound after a shot from shot from Alan Sheehan had been blocked.
An Incident-packed first-half saw eight minutes of added time after Magpies goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski was stretchered off with a head injury after he came off his goalline to dive bravely at the feet of Charlie MacDonald.
His replacement, 19 year-old German-born Speiss, was soon called into action, punching out a ferocious shot from winger Cook and clawing the ball away just as MacDonald was about to pounce.
But it was County who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Yoann Arquin headed a cross from Andre Boucaud against the crossbar and then giant striker Enoch Showumni saw his header cleared off the goalline by Lloyd James.
The drama continued when referee Lee Collins was forced to hand over the whistle to one of his assistants after 70 minutes having pulled a muscle.
