LATE AGONY SEES EXILES’ HOPES ENDED
NEWPORT County were cruelly denied an FA Cup second-round replay at League One Derby County as the visitors fought back from a goal down to win with two minutes left.
Derby’s first visit to Newport since 1986 looked like ending in ignominy as the Exiles deservedly led 1-0 at the break thanks to Priestley Farquharson’s header.
But the Rams were rampant after the interval as the match turned into a classic cup contest and Louie Sibley quickly levelled before David McGoldrick broke Newport hearts with an 88th-minute close-range header.
The second-half drama was in sharp contrast to what was a fairly drab encounter for the first 40 minutes, but the Exiles had the better of the chances.
There were warning signs for the Rams throughout the first half. Eiran Cashin did well to divert Aaron Lewis’s shot behind on 15 minutes, while Cameron Norman’s fierce drive was saved low to his right by Joe Wildsmith.
The pressure finally told just minutes before the break.
Lewis provided the ammunition with a brilliant free-kick into the box from on the right touchline and Farquharson climbed above Craig Forsyth and Cashin, thanks to a nudge by Jake Rooney, and headed in powerfully from 12 yards.
Derby could hardly complain after a lacklustre first-half performance and boss Paul Warne was obviously not impressed as he made a double change at the break.
Rooney and Liam Thompson made way for Lewis Dobbin and Tom Barkhuizen and they both added much-needed energy for the visitors, who looked a different side in the second half.
Joe Day tipped over acrobatically to deny McGoldrick five minutes after the restart, but he could do nothing to deny Sibley an equaliser in the 54th minute.
The England Under-20 midfielder showed his undoubted quality as he cut inside and expertly curled a shot inside the post from just inside the 18-yard box.
Suddenly, the Exiles were hanging on as Will Evans’ clearance from a corner hit McGoldrick and was scrambled off the line by Day before Conor Hourihane’s goalbound effort was stopped by the arm of his teammate McGoldrick.
But the hosts regrouped and fashioned two decent chances of their own as Evans turned Forsyth to go through on goal, but the defender was rescued by Wildsmith.
Norman’s shot was also comfortably saved by the goalkeeper after a counter-attack, with Derby’s Korey Smith lucky to escape a second yellow for a crunching tackle on Mickey Demetriou.
It looked like the sides would head back to Pride Park to do it all again before McGoldrick headed in Sibley’s cross to settle the tie and end Newport’s dreams of a long cup run.