This seems promising, despite not being on Meadow Lane. I wonder if the name is simply confused in the record keeping and whether later curators of local footie history have lazily changed 'Meadows Rec' to 'Meadow Lane', thinking they were correcting an earlier error? Fascinating stuff.
"By the 1860s housing had begun to spread across the green fields and the newly formalised and organised football was then played on specially designated grounds. Notts County (founded in 1862) played their very first home match against Trent Valley at the
Meadows Cricket Ground on Queens Walk; this pitch was to remain County’s home ground for the next fif**** years. In April 1866 County entertained Nottingham Forest (founded 1865) on the Meadows. At the end of a “pleasant and well-contested game” the score remained nil-nil."
There were seemingly lots of open spaces between the city and the Trent back in those days which could have been contenders. Some teasing hints here too:
http://www.ournottinghamshire.org.uk/page_id__277.aspx