FOUR days have changed the mood at Rodney Parade after Newport County AFC supporters finally got to see a win over Salford City.
The Exiles beat the Ammies for the first time in League Two on Tuesday night thanks to first-half goals by Kyle Hudlin and Aaron Wildig then Michael Spellman’s clincher in the 67th minute just seconds after coming off the bench.
County’s only previous success against the big-spending club came in the FA Cup when games were played behind closed doors because of Covid in 2020.
A run of three successive defeats meant that Saturday’s game against Crewe and the quick turnaround to Salford was a character test – and they have two clear red lines.
Nelson Jardim’s side have not only bagged a pair of wins but did so in a manner to reassure those that were feeling edgy.
If Port Vale was a game when everything that could go wrong, did go wrong then Salford was close to the opposite.
A late consolation for Cole Stockton denied County a clean sheet but they were convincing winners thanks to an impressive performance.
LEADING THE LINE
County will no doubt stress that it’s all for one and one for all, but there will have been two members of the strike force looking on jealously at Hudlin.
The Huddersfield striker wouldn’t be in Newport were it not for Hamzad Kargbo’s injury misfortune.
Former QPR forward Kargbo spent all summer on trial and was signed to be a physical option only to dislocate his shoulder on opening weekend at Cheltenham.
That meant County had to go back into the market, Hudlin arrived on deadline day and now, in his sixth appearance, has got the settler than every striker desires and one that so far has eluded Luke Jephcott.
This was a dream night for Hudlin in which so much went right, and that was thanks to the confidence boost in the 10th minute.
Anthony Glennon now has three assists for the season, joint seventh in the division, while only Notts County’s Dan Crowley can better his tally of seven big chances created.
The left-back’s set-piece delivery is still a little hit and miss but this time it was on the money and Hudlin guided his header in.
That goal – the 24-year-old’s first since scoring for Huddersfield in the League Cup in August 2023 and his first in the EFL – unlocked the rest of his game and he deftly set up Wildig for the second and then won a header to set Kieron Evans in motion to provide the assist for Spellman.
Hudlin was involved in all three goals and his all-round game was superb to provide a focal point, with his weight off pass a delight at times.
I will put my hands up and admit that I was underwhelmed with the striker after his previous displays and cameos but on Tuesday night he showed that he is much more than just a novelty act.
Hudlin can be Plan A.
TOUGH CALLS
When County lost three on the spin – one of which was an embarrassment in Swindon – there were the predictable shouts about Jardim being a head coach when a manager is needed.
It’s just a label.
Jardim is the boss in a new system in which owner Huw Jenkins has the major say in recruitment and a raft of other off-field footballing issues.
Jenkins built the squad and now the head coach, who did have input, is tasked with choosing the system and the personnel to carry out the plan.
Jardim is no soft touch and knows what he wants, while he has shown that he can make brave decisions.
I would have put Ciaran Brennan right back into the XI after suspension but the central defender had to be content with being an unused substitute.
Hudlin got a chance leading the line as the sole strike and, as mentioned above, grasped it and will surely start in Bradford.
Noah Mawene came into midfield and, after surprisingly playing a deeper role than Wildig, put in a strong display next to Bryn Morris with some telling defensive moments.
Jardim got things right on Tuesday, just as he admitted he got them badly wrong at Swindon. He will have learnt plenty about his players and himself throughout September.
It’s also good to see County back playing with a flat four after the head coach signalled his intention to play variants of 4-3-3 in pre-season.
Jardim can have wing-backs in his arsenal but should stick to his guns while working towards his target for a ‘comfortable season’.
BACKING IT UP
County are one of just three teams to have bagged six points from this quickfire Saturday-Tuesday round of fixtures.
Fair play to both Grimsby and Fleetwood, they did it the hard way by winning on the road with the Mariners beating Carlisle 3-2 and then Gillingham 1-0 while the Cod Army beat Cheltenham 2-0 and then Walsall 6-2.
County didn’t leave south Wales and neither did any points.
Performances have been strong at Rodney Parade with wins against Doncaster (good side), Accrington (struggler), Crewe (good side) and Salford (underperforming).
They lost to a Port Vale side who look a class act sure to be in the top seven but the display wasn’t bad in the first half before things unravelled.
The Exiles’ home form has given them a strong platform to build from and things are looking promising in terms of getting towards the 40-point mark ASAP to signal the start of the next phase.
However, the Vale-Swindon-Barrow streak of misery shows the danger of getting carried away, and Jardim’s County look like they could well blow hot and cold.
They might be awful at Bradford on Sky Sports on Monday but if that is the case then at least the last two fixtures should stop any overreaction… ‘should’.
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