NEWPORT CTY...2 HARTLEPOOL...0

NEWPORT County secured their League Two status with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Hartlepool United at a jubilant Rodney Parade.

The win, thanks to first-half goals from Omar Bogle and Mickey Demetriou, takes the Exiles to 50 points and, with Pools and Crawley set to face each other next Saturday, ensures that County will extend their stay in the fourth tier to an 11th season.

Manager Graham Coughlan got the reaction he wanted following the 4-0 Easter Monday drubbing at Stockport County, with another dominant display on home turf.

The hosts were on top from the off and could have been ahead in only the second minute when Bogle saw a shot palmed away after good work from Aaron Wildig and Aaron Lewis.

Will Evans, recalled in place of Calum Kavanagh, then had a wild swipe at the far post and blazed the ball well over the top.

There was one scare early on as Hartlepool broke clear and Dan Kemp couldn’t quite reach Callum Cooke’s cross to turn it in at the far post.

But, otherwise, it was one-way traffic before the break with Declan Drysdale seeing a shot deflected over before Bogle broke the deadlock with his 14th goal of the season on 17 minutes.

Cameron Norman flicked on Demetriou’s long throw, and the striker controlled the ball on the chest, turned and hooked it into the bottom corner to give his side a well-deserved lead.

The Exiles then looked to go for the kill and poured forward with great urgency.

Bogle had another shot parried away by goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk, who also kept out Charlie McNeill’s volley from a tight angle shortly afterwards.

Evans then won possession and played in McNeill, whose curling shot was inches over the bar. And Bogle teed up McNeill for another effort that was deflected into the arms of Stolarczyk.

The second goal finally arrived a minute before the break as Demetriou slotted in at the second attempt after Lewis and Drysdale combined to good effect down the left.

Coughlan’s men recorded 16 shots to Hartlepool’s none in the first 45 minutes, and the second half continued in a similar vein with Wildig going close and Drysdale clearing the bar.

Drysdale clearly fancied a goal as he attempted an ambitious overhead kick soon after that, without success, before Bogle poked another shot just wide.

The visitors enjoyed a belated flurry of half-chances, with Mohamed Sylla firing over, Nicky Featherstone seeing a shot blocked and substitute Jack Hamilton’s effort being cleared off the line by Norman, who took a heavy whack in the process.

That was Hartlepool’s first shot on target in the 85th minute, but Exiles goalkeeper Joe Day did not have a save to make all afternoon.