AFTER racking up just nine shots in a pair of 1-0 defeats to League Two promotion contenders, Newport County AFC went wild with a 5-3 win against Morecambe.
The Exiles bounced back from losses to leaders Mansfield and then second-placed Stockport to remain in the mix for the play-offs after a crazy encounter at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night.
County led 2-0 after 18 minutes thanks to goals by Aaron Wildig and Adam Lewis but, with Will Evans down after a head injury, Gwion Edwards burst away on the half hour to make it 2-1.
Former Shrimps skipper Wildig scored soon after the restart but then the visitors hit a quickfire double through Chris Stokes and Edwards to be level in the 74th minute.
Harry Charsley restored the lead with 13 to go and then Seb Palmer-Houlden scored a breakaway goal at the end of added time as County hit five for the first time since smashing Stevenage 5-0 in October, 2021.
Here are some of the talking points from an action-filled night in Newport…
MAD MOMENTS
County played some delightful football, fired in 19 shots and there was a stage at 3-1 when a serene finish looked possible.
Then County completely lost the plot.
The Exiles were worthy winners but were perilously close to dropping all three points against a Shrimps side that kept coming.
County were all over the shop when conceding a second goal after 69 minutes, and the Edwards leveller swiftly followed.
With Coughlan scrambling to shore up the defence by getting fit-again Declan Drysdale ready on the bench, the nightmare continued and it could, perhaps should, have been 4-3 to the Shrimps in the 76th minute.
Kyle Jameson went sliding in on halfway and suddenly it was a three-on-two. Jordy Hiwula fired low but was denied by Nick Townsend's right boot and the ball flew too quickly at former Swan Edwards for him to rearrange his feet and bag a hat-trick on his return to south Wales.
The goalkeeper was beaten three times but came up with a big save at a key moment before Charsley’s winner.
WIDE BOYS
There was a flashback to sunny August early in the second half when Wildig struck his second from an inch-perfect Adam Lewis cross.
Will Evans played the ball out wide and the midfielder was already pointing to where he wanted the ball to be whipped in.
The left wing-back delivered, just as he did to force a Sutton own goal and create Kiban Rai's leveller at the death against Premier League Brentford in the first month of the season.
County struck four times thanks to their wide men against Morecambe with Lewis Payne setting up the first, Bryn Morris the second and then Palmer-Houlden’s cross laid off to Charsley by Offrande Zanzala for the crucial goal.
The Exiles have been a little hit and miss in wide areas this season but the numbers are pretty strong for their regular wing-backs.
Lewis is now on two goals and six assists, Payne is on two goals and five assists and Shane McLoughlin’s fine season was cut short on six goals and eight assists.
There’s plenty of time to keep adding to those tallies for a County side who are ranked sixth for goals in open play in League Two.
HANDY HARRY
Charsley provided the telling moment with the seventh goal of the night and it capped a superb display by the recalled midfielder.
The 27-year-old makes a real difference to County, it’s just a shame that he hasn’t really strung together the games since arriving from Port Vale in January, 2023.
Charsley has made 46 appearances and it’s all been a bit stop-start, but his qualities should ensure that sorting a fresh contract with the midfielder is high on Coughlan’s to-do list.
The Merseysider, who came through the Everton academy, is a wonderful link man who picks up clever positions and is comfortable on the ball.
A positive of County’s defensive injury crisis is that it has led to stalwart Scot Bennett moving back to the heart of the defence, which allows Coughlan to field what is arguably his best-balanced midfield trio of Charsley, Aaron Wildig and ever-present Bryn Morris.
There are times that the Exiles lack a bit of wow-factor from their midfielders in the final third (perhaps owner Huw Jenkins could set up a reunion with ex-Swansea man Edwards?!) but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday.
CUNNING COUNTY
Edwards gave the Exiles a warning in the opening stages when he whipped in a ferocious corner from Morecambe’s right but the hosts responded with their own dangerous set pieces.
Last season they were a menacing side with Mickey Demetriou, Priestley Farquharson and Cameron Norman attacking the ball but there was a sneakier threat on Tuesday night.
There was frustration in the home dugout at 2-0 when a training ground move from a free-kick earned an opportunity for Luke Jephcott to test the ‘keeper from inside the box but frustratingly, and oddly for a poacher, the January signing opted to cross rather than shoot.
More frustration followed later in the first half when a cunning corner opened up space for Bryn Morris to add to his six strikes for the season. Sadly, the midfielder took a touch and dinked in a cross rather than putting his boot through it.
Nonetheless, the Exiles coaching staff are giving their opponents plenty to think about.
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