DIENG DELIVERS TO DOWN SAD COUNTY
NEWPORT County suffered a blow to their League Two promotion hopes with a second successive home defeat at Rodney Parade. After going down 3-2 to Hartlepool United a fortnight ago and battling to a 0-0 draw at Bradford City last week, James Rowberry’s men were narrowly beaten by promotion rivals Exeter City on Saturday.
Tim Dieng scored the only goal of a tight contest 18 minutes from time to seal a vital victory for the visitors, who stay second.
The table doesn’t look so pretty for County, who drop from fifth to eighth and out of the play-off places.
But it’s so congested at the top of the fourth tier that the Exiles remain only three points off the top three.
Both sides made one change up front with Alex Fisher returning in place of Rob Street against his former club for the hosts and Dieng replacing Matt Jay for Exeter. The visitors dominated in terms of territory and possession in the early stages but the best chances of a tight first half went to County with Finn Azaz in the heart of the action.
Dom Telford sent Azaz through on goal after a quarter of an hour, but the ball got caught under his feet and Archie Collins got back to block the shot. James Waite then threaded the ball through to the Aston Villa loanee in the box but he sliced his shot wide on the turn. And Waite and Telford combined to tee up Azaz again soon afterwards, but Exeter goalkeeper Cameron Dawson was equal to the shot.
County goalkeeper Joe Day didn’t have a save to make in the first half, but he was glad to see Sam Stubbs head over from close range when he came for and missed a corner in stoppage time. The second half started slowly, and it wasn’t until the 57th minute that Exeter produced their first shot on target – a routine stop for Day to keep out Jack Sparkes’ long-range effort.
Dieng headed wide from a corner a minute later and Rowberry responded by bringing on Courtney Baker-Richardson in place of Fisher in an attempt to spark the County attack into life.
Instead it was Sparkes who lit the fire for Exeter as his free-kick from the left of the 18-yard box was diverted in by Dieng with 18 minutes left on the clock.
James Clarke saw a shot blocked, possibly by an Exeter hand, before Telford was also denied by an outstretched boot as County pushed hard for a way back into the contest in the closing stages. And, when Baker-Richardson’s header from a Robbie Willmott corner was saved by Dawson at the death, County knew it wasn’t their day.
NEWPORT COUNTY (4-2-2
2): Day; Norman, Clarke (Street, 89), Demetriou, Lewis; Bennett (Collins, 74), Willmott; Azaz, Waite; Fisher (Baker-Richardson, 61), Telford Subs not used: Townsend, Haynes, Dolan, Ellison
EXETER CITY (3-4-1-2): Dawson; Sweeney, Stubbs, Hartridge; Key, Collins, Rowe, Sparkes; Dieng (Coley, 84); Brown, Zanzala (Phillips, 80)
Subs not used: Brown, Caprice, Jay, Diabate