COUNTY JOY AS SWANSEA SUNK IN CUP
... and cup defeat for Cardiff
TRISTAN Abrahams was hailed as a striker of Championship quality after his two-goal performance helped Newport secure another big knock-out shock.
Abrahams struck twice in the first half to send Mike Flynn’s County into the second round of the Carabao Cup after a 2-0 victory over Swansea.
“I thought we were excellent from start to finish and the only disappointment is we didn’t score more goals,” said Flynn. “The amount of work Tristan got through was unbelievable and he looked like a Championship striker.
“It’s a big confidence boost because Swansea are a very good team. I’m over the moon.”
It means Newport added their Welsh rivals to their list of scalps in the last two seasons.
Newport have beaten Leicester, Leeds and Middlesbrough, drawn with Tottenham, and faced Manchester City in that time.
“It was obviously a disappointing performance and result. Congratulations to Newport on reaching the second round,” said Swansea head coach Steve Cooper.
“We were second-best throughout the game and didn’t do the nonnegotiables. We left it too late to get back into the game.
“There are no excuses. Take nothing away from Newport – we had enough good players on the pitch to win the game.”
Another manager less than impressed with his side was Cardiff’s Neil Harris, who saw his Bluebirds crash to a 3-0 first round defeat at League One new boys Northampton.
“I learned a lot about some of my players today,” Harris said after the match. “The majority of that is not for the good.
“I don’t think the system (3-4-3) was an issue, I think personal duels was an issue.
“Outfought, outrun, outbattled, outcompeted. It doesn’t matter what system you play, if you lose your duels in a football match, you’re going to lose nine games out of 10.”