WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Goalkeeper Ederson denies Newport and City crush dreams of immortality
THERE was a moment, just one moment really, when 10,000 hearts leapt at Rodney Parade last night. Dreams of immortality for this Newport County team seemed real for a split second. Dreams of being known as the greatest giant-killers of them all, greater than Colchester or Bradford City or Wrexham, flickered all too briefly before their eyes.
Manchester City had come to South Wales l i ke t he Harlem Globetrotters of football, touring wonders to be marvelled at, but only 14 minutes had gone when a long throw bounced across the City box and fell to Tyreeq Bakinson at the back post.
The goal gaped, Bakinson headed it towards the corner and the crowd rose to roar it in. Then Ederson flung himself to his right and saved it and those dreams began to fade.
Newport still gave it everything but two second-half goals from Phil Foden and one each from Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez ripped away that promise of immortality by degrees.
Newport managed a solitary reply at 2-0 down two minutes from the end but City scored seconds later to rub out hope of a comeback.
Perhaps it was foolish to have dreamed. Perhaps it was stupidly romantic to think a team that some have acclaimed the best in Premier League history, a team that sits atop the first tier, could fall to a side that is 15th in the fourth tier of the game.
But then, City’s past is littered with upsets. City fans are veterans of them. In January 1980, they played Halifax Town at The Shay in the third round of the FA Cup. It had snowed for much of the week before and the pitch was so muddy it made Rodney Parade last night look as flat and pristine as the green baize of a snooker table.
City were 16th in the top tier at that t i me, struggling under Malcolm Allison despite a vast outlay on new signings like Steve Daley. They were ripe for an upset. Halifax, who were 11th in the old Division Four and had recently applied for re- election to t he League, duly delivered a 1- 0 victory.
There were times when being the victims of an FA Cup giant-killing was just what happened to City. Fragility was written into their soul. In the 35 years that elapsed between them winning trophies, they had lost 2-0 to Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow in 1979 and, on this date 28 years ago, they were beaten by Notts County at Meadow Lane in the FA Cup fifth round.
Even in the golden years since Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi takeover, they have managed to lose three times to Wigan Athletic in the Cup, most recently last season.
Little wonder, perhaps, that even given City’s outstanding form, the romantics travelled with hope in their hearts to the stadium on the banks of the River Usk last night.
The romance, the sentiment and the hope was everywhere. A few minutes before kick-off, the teams emerged from the tunnel and walked across the strip p of carpet that had been laid over the mud at the side of the pitch.
Several of the Newport players carried babies in their arms so they could show them the pictures when t hey were older and tell them ‘you were with me on that day’.
The wife of Newport port goalkeeper Joe Day, Lizzie, stood with a bundle in each arm at the end of the line of flag-wavers greeting the players.
Eleven days ago, Day had rushed from the pitch after playing in Newport’s fourth-round replay win over Middlesbrough to try to get to the hospital in time to witness the birth of twin daughters. He arrived at the ward to be told that his daughters, Sophia Grace and Emelia Lillie, had been born at half time. His wife’s presence last night was a reminder of the sacrifices that football asks families to make for the sake of the game. It was another emotional touch that added to the febrile atmosphere inside the ground. When Tottenham played here in the fourth round last season, the atmosphere was so raucous and loud it felt like a throwback to a previous generation. It was the same last night. The stadium was packed to the limit.
‘We’ re coming for you ,’ the Newport fans sang, ‘Manchester City, we’re coming for you.’
It did not take long for City to be rattled out of their smooth rhythm. Less than a quarter of an hour had gone when a long throw from Mickey Demetriou was flicked on by Jamille Matt. Bakinson met it at the back post but the mud had sapped the pace on the ball and he could not generate enough pace in his stooping header, Ederson clawing the ball to safety.
City looked surprised by their own vulnerability. Newport continued to pepper their area with long balls but gradually Pep Guardiola’s team regrouped and began to assert their passing game. Mahrez bewitched his marker on the right
5 Amond is the first to score in each of the first five rounds in an FA Cup season since Jon Stead for Bradford in 2014-15
flank and zipped a shot across goal and 10 minutes before half time, Leroy Sane exchanged passes with David Silva and slammed a shot against the top of the crossbar.
Newport began the second half brightly and with increased ambition. Regan Poole danced past a couple of challenges and set up a half-chance for Matt but it was not long before their ambition cost them. City broke, Sane ran on to a return pass from Gabriel Jesus and smashed the ball at goal. It was struck with such power that it went through Day’s hands, hit him in the face and looped into the net.
City celebrated with an abandon that betrayed their relief and began to play with more freedom. Day made a fine save to push a low drive from Danilo wide.
Foden scored City’s second 15 minutes from time, running at the defence and unleashing a shot that went through the dive of poor Day.
Two minutes from time, though, Padraig Amond ran on to a quick free kick and capitalised on a mistake by Aymeric Laporte to lob the ball over Ederson to give Newport brief hope of staging a comeback.
City responded i mmediately. Foden lashed a shot into the roof of the net after a pass from Sane and in the dying seconds Mahrez scored City’s fourth.