Halesowen 1 Newport County 2

LUCKY charm Garry Shephard helped shrug off the millstone around Newport County's neck as he scored one goal and set up the other as the Exiles recorded their first win in two-and-a-half months at Halesowen Town last night.

Boss Peter Nicholas was so eager to get all three points from The Grove he even played his troops the TV programme 'When Football Managers Go Mad' on the team bus up the M5.

It was a hint for them to buck their ideas up after eight Dr Martens Premier League games without a win.

Nicholas got the desired result. A much-needed 2-1 success against relegation-threatened Halesowen.

Although they dominated the opening period, County fell behind through a Jason Ashby strike a minute before the break.

But, before Nicholas' half-time cuppa had got cold, Shephard darted forward, seeing off the attentions of three Town defenders to ram the ball past Tim Clarke from 18 yards.

Whenever Shephard has scored for Newport this season, the Welshmen haven't lost and that run continued as the little striker delivered an inch perfect cross for midfielder Kristian Dimond to head home the winner and his first goal for the amber army.

The Exiles, however, have a lot to thank stand-in goalkeeper Gareth Wesson for. The stopper, covering for County's injured number one Pat Mountain, made two breath-taking saves as Halesowen continued to battle for their lives.

Wesson looked solid, has superb kicking ability and put in a performance that could persuade Nicholas to draft him in until the rest of the season while Mountain recovers.

County bossed a huge majority of last night's game, like they have in their previous four outings, and they almost opened the scoring through an unlikely source as left-back Steve Benton, with only two County goals to his name in 117 games, went close with a back post volley but he spurned his effort.

But, against the run of play, Halesowen snatched an opener. As so often the case this season, County's defence switched off as their team-mates in the other half looked threatening.

Ex-Coventry City youngster Ashby was quickly onto a Richard Coldwell through-ball and, wriggling free of Jason Perry and Chris Collins, he fired low past Wesson for his 15th goal of the campaign.

But with just 45 seconds gone of the restart, Shephard got another crucial goal at a vital time as Halesowen manager Brendon Phillips' half-time team-talk went out of the window.

Wesson, a former Plymouth Argyle trainee, made the first of his top superb saves after the hour-mark from point-blank range as Richard Coldwell thought he had headed Lee Hines' left-wing centre in but Wesson had other ideas.

Newport forward Davis went close but his 20-yard piledriver struck the inside of Clarke's left upright and bounced away, then Wesson made a second block from Halesowen sub Richard Leadbeater, who was reeling away in celebration after a deep cross from Lee Williams, until Wesson stepped in.

Then Dimond snatched the points, out-jumping two defenders at the back post to head Shephard's cross home to hand County their second win on the road since Nicholas' reign began back in November.

Fourteen-goal Shephard should have sealed the result with five minutes left as he sprinted onto Davis' flick but the end product was feeble and easy for keeper Clarke.