Peter Thorne's hat-trick powered City to their most emphatic home win in the league for two seasons.
The summer recruit has started to look a class act in recent weeks after shaking off the injuries that held him back early on.
And out-classed Notts County felt the force of his finishing as Stuart McCall enjoyed his best win at Valley Parade as gaffer.
City bossed it from the start and could have been well up by the time Thorne broke the deadlock.
Omar Daley and Thorne both went close before the former Norwich hitman nudged home from close range after Lee Bullock had done well to keep a City corner alive.
Barry Conlon missed a one-on-one just before the break before City doubled their lead in the 58th minute, Thorne cleverly finding room for a side-foot volley from Paul Evans' corner.
Paul Heckingbottom and Joe Colbeck went close to extending City's advantage. But there was no denying that man Thorne who wrapped up his hat-trick with a thumping finish in the last minute of normal time.
CITY: Ricketts, Williams, Wetherall, Clarke, Heckingbottom, Daley, Evans, Bullock, Colbeck, Thorne, Conlon. Subs: Rhodes, Nix, Ainge, Topp, Saynor.
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