SEMENYO’S ‘FERGIE TIME’ HEROICS PUT HIM ON UNITED’S RADAR

NEWPORT COUNTY STEVENAGE 2 1 ANTOINE SEMENYO’S goals in ‘Fergie time’ have alerted Manchester United to the fact that Newport may have another teenager worth investing in.

Three years ago United paid County £100,000 for then 17-year-old Regan Poole. Now they are watching Semenyo, an 18-year-old striker who specialises in scoring when other players have switched off and are ready for the showers.

Semenyo’s thunderous winner in the eighth minute of injury time followed a pattern that would warm the heart of Sir Alex Ferguson. The Londoner, on loan from Bristol City, has scored three times this season – twice after 90 minutes and the other in the 86th.

Newport as a team also specialise in late goals and, after lifting them to third in the table, Semenyo said: “These late goals are giving us momentum.

“We just keep going and hoping we can win and when it gets to the late part of the game we know we can score. The characters in our team just keep going right until the end.

“Even if we’re losing, we always want to go for the win.”

Newport are now on a six-game unbeaten streak that includes recovering from

2-0 down to thump Cambridge 4-2.

Matty Dolan struck to give Newport the lead inside a minute, but Stevenage’s Luther Wildin headed an equaliser just before the break.

The long delay for Newport’s injured Robbie Willmott to be carried off meant there was time for Semenyo’s heroics and Stevenage boss Dino Maamria admitted: “Both sides looked like they were going to settle for a draw, but we made a mistake and it cost us.”