Ryan Jewell looks at Newport County’s woes, amid hopes that the move to the Cardiff City Stadium hasn’t come too late.
Foreboding February for the League 2 Team
February has past and Newport County will be praying the woes of winter have not carried over into the spring.
The past month has been difficult to say the least for the exiles. With the club only recording 2 wins out of 6 league matches played and this bad run of form has potentially brought the automatic promotion push to a grinding halt.
The Ironsides started off the month in 7th place following an equally dry January. It seemed they had vowed to not win a football game as part of their new year’s resolution, failing to record a single win in the entire month. This slump in the table was halted during February as County finished the month in 6th place just within the play-off spots.
Newport County 1-0 Grimsby town: Saturday 6th of February 2021
County started off the month at home to Grimsby town, with the Mariners experiencing their own troubles at the bottom half of the table.
County went into the game without their starting right back Liam Shepard who had been sent off in their previous 2-1 loss away to Harrogate for a contentious, to say the least, foul. In the 37th minute County suffered from a severe case of déjà vu as midfielder Scott Bennet was sent off for a crunching tackle on Grimsby forward Stefan Payne.
County looked doomed for defeat until Nick Maynard’s debut goal in the 51st minute. That County was given a lifeline. It was a tough game, played on an even tougher surface with the markings from the previous night’s Dragons rugby fixture visible.
Fortunately, County were able to hold onto all 3 points. That ended a winless run of 9 straight matches and saw the Exiles climb up to 5th in the table.
However, any hopes for a change in fortune following the win against Grimsby were quickly put out to sea in County’s next game at home to Southend.
Newport County 0-1 Southend town: Tuesday 9th of February 2021
Southend seemed to have sworn an oath that they would not fall as fellow relegation battlers Grimsby had. Southend were helped by a poor performance by the home side who appeared to have vowed a similar oath to a lifetime of League two mediocrity. The east coast side were able to sail home with all 3 points thanks to a 74th minute goal from left back Tom Clifford whose free kick wrong footed Nick Townsend. That sent the Southend fans back in Essex into (presumed) pandemonium whilst also making County fans question their life choices.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe phrase “ the less said the better” works best to describe this match and the disappoint surrounding the result and performance was clear to see in the face of Manager Michael Flynn. In his post-match interview Flynn stated “ I thought it was a poor game [and] neither side created much at all,[it was a] poor goal to give away and we missed three chances…it was still nowhere near what I expected from them and what I want from them”.
County’s next game on the following Saturday away to Port Vale was called off due to a frozen pitch so the team now had to look towards the next fixture at home against Exeter City for retribution.
Embed from Getty ImagesNewport County 1- 1 Exeter city: Tuesday 16th of February 2021
On paper a draw with fellow promotion chasers Exeter is a sign of better days ahead for the Exiles However for those who watched the game itself, they would argue that instead of gaining retribution for last Tuesdays fixture, the team should receive further condemnation.
Exeter’s sights on taking home the 3 points were obscured by a sudden downpour of red midst as Centre back Alex Hartridge was sent off for a poor challenge on Nicky Maynard in the 8th minute. However, County failed to take advantage of the red card and in the 22nd minute a shot from distance by forward Ryan Bowman snuck itself into the bottom left corner.
However, the goal scorer Bowman quickly turned from hero into villain after he was sent off in the 44th minute for a clash of heads with Micky Demetriou. County went into half time seeking a leveller without any excuses for failure.
Against nine men it would be expected that County would spend the second half as the more dominant of the two teams. This expectation rang true as the exiles searched for that all important saviour from embarrassment and further criticism.
However, the search for the equaliser took longer than expected as the side struggled to create any meaningful chances. Finally, in the 87th minute, Dom Telford headed home his first goal for the exiles. He gifted his team a point which they sheepishly accepted on the full-time whistle.
Newport County 0-2 Forest Green rovers: Sunday 21st of February 2021
During this season there has often been games where I would have sold my right arm to attend. From the South Wales derby victory against Swansea city in the league cup at the very start of the season; to our heart-breaking penalty shootout loses to Newcastle United in the same competition. Or against Brighton Hove Albion in the FA cup.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe fact that these games were played in an empty Rodney parade still doesn’t sit right with me. Even now looking back. However, this match against Forest green was one of the very rare occasions in which I was thankful that both I and other fans were not allowed to attend.
I was thankful since it meant that I could be spared the social embarrassment which comes from losing your mind (and temper) in public. I could instead swear to my heart’s content in an empty living room where my demonic and foul-mouthed spiel would be kept away from the ears of the innocent.
The game was as forgettable as it was terrible for County. County suffered severely at the hands of former Striker Jamille Matt. In the very same ground in which he scored for County in their scalping of Leicester city in the FA cup back in 2019, he collected both an assist and a goal from the penalty spot as he helped the Rovers take home the 3 points.
Embed from Getty ImagesWalsall 0-1 Newport County: Wednesday 24th of February 2021
It is often said that you cannot run away from your problems. However, it would appear that Newport County think otherwise. They escaped their woes at home to win away against Walsall in an improved performance from last Sundays torment.
County were no doubt helped significantly by the playing surface at the Banks stadium. For a team who had been playing on what looked more like a motor cross course rather than a football pitch, must have looked like the green carpets of Wembley.
The Exiles were finally able to play the style of football which had won so many plaudits at the beginning of the season. Their persistence paid off in the 71st minute thanks to a goal from the captain, Joss Labadie.
Newport County 0-0 Stevenage Town: 27th of February 2021
There are many cases in life where events are billed up to be important and exciting but end up being largely boring and insignificant. Some examples include the anticipated and disappointing 1991 European cup final between Red Star Belgrade and Marseille or the “fight of the century” against Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather in 2015.
And whilst Newport County vs Stevenage Town was never going to be a fixture billed up to the same levels of excitement as other past events, it was still a very disappointing game. County not only failed to grasp onto the momentum created by last Wednesdays win away to Walsall. But, I also began to question whether or not I could possible find more exciting activities to entertain myself with than watch a dire game. The only real chance came in the first few seconds of the second half from the Stevenage striker Elliott List failed to slot home a golden opportunity. Instead he was denied by Nick Townsend in the County goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesMy realisation that this game would be the only source of entertainment for myself on a Saturday afternoon in the prime of my youth was depressing to say the least. However, the evening win in the Rugby against England did go a long way in cheering me up.
And so, with a draw at home against bottom side Stevenage Town, Newport County waved goodbye to the month of February and the woes of winter. Hopefully County can look forward to a brighter spring on the turf of the Cardiff City Stadium.
Image Beresford Entrance, Jaggery and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.