NEWPORT County AFC beat Brighton & Hove Albion under-21s 5-4 on penalties to progress to the third round of the Leasing.com Trophy after a 0-0 draw at The Amex Stadium.

Tristan Abrahams, Ryan Haynes, Jamille Matt, Taylor Maloney and George Nurse all scored from the spot and Brighton sub Lorent Tolaj blasted his penalty over the bar to send County into the last-16 of the competition.

Manager Michael Flynn and assistant Wayne Hatswell, who was directing play from the technical area for much of the match, made eight changes from Friday’s FA Cup win at Maldon & Tiptree.

Only Dom Jefferies, Matty Dolan and Matt retained their starting spots.

Tom King earned a recall in goal and captain Dolan lined up in central defence alongside 17-year-old Joe Woodiwiss, with Danny McNamara and Nurse either side.

Jefferies partnered Maloney in central midfield, with Corey Whitely and Lewis Collins on the flanks and Dominic Poleon and Matt up front.

The presence of 30-year-old Matt, 28-year-old Whitely, and 26-year-old Dolan dragged the average age of the County side up to 22, but this was a battle between two young teams.

And the Exiles took the game to the hosts in the first half with Whitely, Collins and Matt all wasting half chances before Poleon saw his shot blocked when he could have squared for Collins.

The teenage winger then picked out McNamara with a cross from the left and the right-back did well to cut inside his man before seeing his shot blocked.

Danny Cashman had two chances for Brighton, lobbing the first onto the roof of the net before King rushed out to deny him on 38 minutes.

But the unlikely pairing of Dolan and Woodiwiss performed well in the heart of the defence for the most part.

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Whitely and McNamara were also linking well on the right and they combined to set up Collins in the first minute of the second half, but again the 18-year-old’s shot was blocked and Matt headed wide from the resulting corner.

Romaric Yapi almost put the Seagulls ahead five minutes after the restart but his vicious volley cleared King’s bar by a yard.

Jordan Davies then fired over with a free-kick from the edge of the area as the Premier League academy side started to show their quality.

Cashman had a third chance of the evening midway through the second half but, though he controlled a through-ball well, he then rushed his shot and lobbed the ball over King and onto the roof of the net from close range.

Tristan Abrahams replaced the injured Whitely with 15 minutes remaining and immediately ran at the home defence and tried his luck without success when he could have squared for Collins in the middle.

Ioan Evans and Haynes replaced Poleon and Dolan in the closing stages and Matt was again denied by goalkeeper Jason Steele before Brighton sub Tolaj headed wide at the far post.

Nurse almost grabbed a winner in the final minute but his header was superbly saved by Steele and, after Tolaj blazed over at the other end in stoppage time, the tie had to be settled from the spot.

County: King; McNamara, Woodiwiss, Dolan (Haynes, 85), Nurse; Whitely (Abrahams, 75), Jefferies, Maloney, Whitely; Poleon (Evans, 84) Matt

Subs not used: Townsend, Inniss, Jones, Hillier

Booked: Nurse, Matt

Referee: Sam Purkiss

Argus star man: Woodiwiss