The Magpies were two goals down at Boreham Wood in the FA Cup first-round clash at the weekend but rallied round to earn a 2-2 draw at Meadow Park.
Ahead of Wednesday's EFL Trophy clash at Sunderland's reserve side, the Notts boss claimed that his side boasted a mental strength they did not have last season.
"The good thing is about my players is that when we haven't played well, or clicked the way I'd like us to, we've shown a lot of doggedness," he told the Nottingham Post.
"We still believe in ourselves and go right to the end as we showed again on Sunday. Last year Notts would never have got 2-2 from that game. Never.
"The personnel is different. I've good lads in my team and they keep going. If we are not playing well, we dig in and that's a good sign."
The replay takes place at Meadow Lane next Tuesday.
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