by Jamil Salih
Date: 19th October 2019
Attendance: 3,946
Venue: Rodney Parade
NEWPORT County rose to third place in League Two after a battling display earned them a 2-1 victory over Scunthorpe United.
The Exiles are now just three points off league leaders Crewe Alexandra.
It was almost a perfect start for the hosts when Jamille Matt intercepted a loose Scunthorpe ball inside the first minute. He played in Padraig Amond, but the Irishman’s strike was hit straight at Watson in the visitor’s net.
The game continued in hectic fashion and the home side went close, firstly through a Ryan Haynes free-kick and soon after Mark O’Brien’s volley sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
The first half was a fairly even encounter, with both teams going toe-to-toe with no real end product to clinch the all-important first goal.
But, in the second additional minute of the first half, County were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Scunthorpe box. Matt got a head on the in-swinger, which fell to Padraig Amond, who calmly slotted home as the duo this time got a goal from their interplay after going so close earlier on in the match.
Jamille Matt was again at the forefront of Newport’s attacks and he was desperately unlucky not to put the Exiles two goals to the good after he couldn’t bury the rebound from his initial header.
The Iron, against the run of play, got their equaliser through a Mark O’Brien own goal in the 48th minute. Colclough and Gilliead worked the ball well down the right wing and the former’s cross was inadvertently struck home by the County stalwart.
In the 56th minute Josh Sheehan restored the home side’s lead with a 25-yard thunderbolt after Amond harried Scunthorpe’s central defenders into panic. The ball fell kindly for the ex Swansea man but he still had a lot of work to do, his strike, however, was pinpoint and left Watson with no chance.
It’s about time I scored! 😝 big 3 points 🧡 @NewportCounty pic.twitter.com/RdWYBpHj6B
— Josh Sheehan (@JoshSheehan_) October 19, 2019
The away side didn’t let their heads drop after again going behind, late on McGahey came agonisingly close to bagging a late equaliser for United but King did well to stop the effort.
Newport held on to secure all three points and propel themselves to within touching distance of Crewe Alexandra who sit two places ahead of the Exiles in pole position after this week’s round of fixtures in League Two.
Newport County: 1 T. King, 3 R. Haynes, 25 M. O’Brien, 27 R. Inniss, 12 D. McNamara, 17 S. Bennett, 4 J. Labadie (C), 7 R. Willmott, 10 J. Sheehan, 9 P. Amond, 11 J. Matt
Subs: 30 N. Townsend, 5 K. Howkins, 8 M. Dolan, 15 T. Abrahams, 16 G. Nurse, 20 C. Whitely, 24 D. Poleon
Scunthorpe United: 1 R. Watson, 5 Y. Songo’o, 7 R. Colclough, 14 J. Perch, 17 L. Novak, 20 A. Gilliead, 22 L. Sutton, 23 R. McArdle (C), 26 H. McGahey, 28 J. Brown, 33 J. Proctor
Subs: 25 J. Eastwood, 6 A. Butler, 10 K. Van Veen, 13 J. Ward, 27 R. Slater, 30 A. Eisa, 32 J. Bedeau
