County humiliated

You can describe Newport County's pitiful FA Cup exit at Chippenham in whatever terms you want but it is clear that the dying embers of John Cornforth's side has plummeted to new depths.

As a result of this debacle, where County were out-fought, out-thought and thoroughly out-played by a mediocre Southern League Premier side, Antonio Corbisiero, Wayne O'Sullivan and Dominic Reece have all been shown the exit door.

And Cortez Belle, red carded again for an act of petulance, has been put up for sale.

Obviously the club want a clean slate for the new boss and are not prepared to suffer with a side who have gone seven games without a win, nigh on seven hours of football without a goal and, on recent evidence, do not give a jot about Newport County.

No disrespect to Chippenham Town, but they were merely an adequate side, who were well organised and streetwise, a stark contrast to County who had an inexperienced, disjointed line-up and looked as though they had never been introduced to each other.

This was Tiverton last season all over again and possibly even worse with County supporters standing in stunned silence by the end, utterly horrified at the side's capitulation.

This ongoing quest for a new manager might just be the most important decision the club have had to make since reforming in 1989.

They simply cannot afford to get it wrong again.

The club have been decisive in jettisoning the non-contract players and discipling Cortez Belle and they need to be equally as proactive in finding a new boss.

Get a wish-list and go out and get their man, because it is not often that the best managers come knocking on club's doors.

Managers have egos the size of small countries, they have to in this game, and to invite applications generally only attracts people who are currently out of the game.

What County could really do with is someone who is already in a job and can come in straightaway and bring with him half a dozen trusted players with experience at this level who can hit the ground running and turn this wretched season around.

Running the rule over incoming CVs to unearth a quality boss is like believing that skimming through a Mills and Boon novel will guarantee you a good-looking girlfriend.

Good managers don't need CVs, they are printed in black and white every single week - they are called league tables.

In the meantime, poor Glyn Jones as caretaker boss has been left carrying the baby, and at the moment, the baby reeks like a soiled nappy.

With Jason Bowen and Ian Hillier still out injured, County started with ten players under 23 years old, and the organised and streetwise hosts didn't take long to mark their cards.

The Bluebirds were ahead after just 12 minutes when Sam Allison beat the offside trap and crossed for James Constable.

The striker had so much time he could have emulated his famous namesake and painted a landscape before firing the ball past goalkeeper Andrew Delve.

County offered nothing going forward and Allison almost made it two when he battered the crossbar from close range.

But they were breached again after 34 minutes when Andrew Thomas was dispossessed, possibly illegally, allowing Ian Herring to set up Constable to again brush the ball home.

Already shorn of confidence, County's paper-thin morale was shredded completely, as was their backline, as Chippenham nabbed a third right on half-time.

It came as Herring's volleyed cross was nodded in by David Gilroy.

And it was effectively game over after 58 minutes when Cortez Belle stupidly got sent off for attempting a sneaky kick on prostrate Bluebird Ross Adams.

The referee clocked it and Belle trudged off, taking with him any slim chance of a fightback.

Two red cards in seven games this season and just two goals in 16 starts hardly makes impressive reading for Belle, and one of the first jobs for the new boss will be to try to tighten a few of thescrews in the big striker's head- that is if he is at the club for much longer.

The misery was complete nine minutes from time when full back Adams capped his fine display with a downward header that bounced and looped into the top corner of the County net.

Chippenham Town: Perrin, Adams, W Thorne, G Thorne, McEntegart, Harvey (Bunyard 74), Allison, Herring, Gilroy (Griffin 69), Constable (Charity 86), Kirk. Subs not used: Seavil, S Jones. Booked: McEntegart (foul 71), Harvey (foul 52), Herrin (foul 90).

Newport County: Delve, Evans, Reece, Thomas, D Jones, Davies, Corbisiero, Williams (Draycott 78), Belle, Green (S O'Sullivan 85), W O'Sullivan (Leek 45). Subs not used: Brimfield, Vaughan. Booked: Evans (dissent 35), D Jones (foul 29), W O'Sullivan (foul 14). Sent off: Belle (violent conduct 58). Referee: S Robbins (Bristol). Attendance: 934.