Albion down Shots to go second
Leeds manager Neil Warnock is not giving up on the play-offs, despite seeing his side drop two more points in a 1-1 draw with relegation battlers Peterborough.
Teenage defender Sam Byram pounced in the 57th minute to cancel out Dwight Gayle's early opener at Elland Road.
Leeds are five points adrift of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest with nine games to go but Warnock still expects a "rollercoaster" run-in.
"I think anything's bridgeable in this league," he said.
"I'm pleased that at Leicester and Palace we showed we can go away and win games now.
"I know we didn't win those games, but in the past we've never looked like winning and we've been more positive since the FA Cup win at Birmingham.
"Every game we don't win at home is a missed opportunity. Same when we lost to Cardiff.
"But there's nine games left. I think we can win away from home now, which I didn't think we could before this latest run of games.
"So if you get a point away and a win at home everything changes.
"I won't be diverted from the nine games that are left.
"It's going to be a rollercoaster. We'll be criticised one week and praised the next.
"We've just got to get on with it, overcome the injuries and we've got to be brave, you've got to be brave when you play at Elland Road."
The visitors deservedly took the lead after 34 minutes when a curling cross from the left by Will Hayhurst was turned into his own net by County youngster Haydn Hollis.
Notts were unlucky not to level with what was their first attempt on goal after 43 minutes when substitute Curtis Thompson was denied by goalkeeper Declan Rudd after being put through by Neal Bishop. Jeff Hughes followed up with a clever lob which landed on top of the crossbar.
Preston's Stuart Beavon then found himself clean through on goal as Grayson's side broke away seconds before half-time but his strike was blocked by County keeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
Substitute Yoann Arquin should have equalised in the 61st minute but he was thwarted by a fine save by Rudd before North End skipper John Welsh missed a chance to seal all three points as he finished tamely when through after 84 minutes but one goal proved enough.
Paul McCallum's third-minute opener on his home debut had given the Shots an early lead but the Brewers responded just before half-time through Robbie Weir.
And despite the attentions of three home defenders, Symes got away a perfectly-placed volley from the edge of the box after 65 minutes to fire Burton to a 2-1 victory and up into second place in League Two.
The Shots made the perfect start when McCallum fired home, the West Ham loanee converting from a narrow angle on the left.
Burton appeared stunned by the early strike and both Lionel Ainsworth and McCallum were a constant danger in the first half-hour.
However, on the stroke of half-time the Brewers drew level as Weir volleyed through a crowd of bodies after Zander Diamond had headed the ball back into the danger area.
That goal gave Burton the momentum and midway through the second half Symes brought down Anthony O'Connor's ball forward before hitting a stunning left-footed volley on the turn for the winner.