Newport County took a massive step towards Nationwide South safety on Saturday with a monumental 2-0 victory over Margate at Spytty Park.

On a day when the wind was blowing like it did when poor Dorothy was whisked away from Kansas, County had their own wizards with loan star Chad Bond and Sam O'Sullivan grabbing two cracking goals at the beginning and end of this dramatic encounter to seal the points.

It took just five minutes for the Swansea reserve striker Bond to make his mark for County, but the goal was mostly down to the architect of winger Jason Bowen.

The little winger looked right in the mood from the off, and he collected a Lee Phillips switched pass before tying Margate full back Greg Oates into knots.

After several twists and turns he delivered a pinpoint cross right onto the head of Bond, and the youngster made no mistake in bulleting it home.

To say the goal came out of nowhere would be a bit of an understatement because the visitors had started the match at breakneck pace and they continued to do most of the pressing after being caught out by the goal.

Most of Margate's chances, though, were from outside the box, and Andrew Delve did well to hang on to an Adrian Clarke drive, and then Rocky Baptiste wasted a glorious chance for an equaliser when he found space in the County penalty area, but he blazed the ball miles over the bar and halfway down the Usk.

County were hanging on and Delve had to block at the feet of Che Stadhart right on half-time after a mix-up at the back.

Margate kept up the pressure after the break, but their lack of composure in the final third was keeping County in front, and as the match began to open up, Newport created a couple of gilt-edged chances.

Firstly Lee Phillips found himself with acres of space in the Margate box after Jamie Moralee's pass deflected right to his feet, but the full back hooked his shot wide with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Moments later Moralee supplied a neat cross that was just inches too high for skipper Darren Jones to get enough of his head on it.

But County were defending as if their lives depended on it at the other end, with Jones and recent signing Chris Curran holding firm against the tide, but they were still causing Margate problems on the break.

Moralee could've sealed it when Lee Phillips' cross found him at the back post, and the striker pulled the ball down and lashed a powerful half-volley goalward, but Peter Trego in the Margate goal produced a sublime block.

The visitors, though, still piled forward and Baptiste headed over the bar from inside six yards, then Ross Graham-Smith was denied by a Delve save moments after the young 'keeper did extremely well to pluck a swirling cross out from right under the bar.

County boss John Cornforth introduced John Phillips and Sam O'Sullivan, and they were proving to be great out-balls when the heat was on at the back.

With seconds remaining one such ball found O'Sullivan in the inside-right channel, and with Cornforth and most of the Spytty Park crowd willing him to go into the corner to waste some vital time, the cocky youngster thought otherwise.

He turned inside and before his boss got the chance to give him a rocket, he nailed a left-foot drive into the back of the Margate net.

Cornforth leaped into the air and made a Jose Mourinho-style dash down the touchline as Spytty celebrated a fine win.

And it was just as well they did get three points, because next week they have to go to Grays.

Newport County: Delve, L Phillips, Morgan, Hooper, Curran, D Jones, G Jones, Williams, Moralee (Evans 77), Bond (J Phillips 82) Bowen (O'Sullivan 86). Subs not used: Morris, Passmore. Booked: Evans (foul 87). Margate: Trego, Oates, Charalambous (Barnett 63), Edwards, Jjunju (Watson 66), Graham-Smith, Keister, Benevides, Stadhart, Baptiste, Clarke. Sub not used: Hussein. Referee: C Miller (Kettering). Attendance: 543.