NEWPORT County AFC suffered another disappointing away day in Bradford but their performance left boss Nelson Jardim seeing the positives.
The Exiles went down 3-1 in an entertaining League Two fixture in front of the Sky Sports cameras at Valley Parade.
The Bantams hit the front in the 39th minute when Andy Cook superbly headed in off the underside of the bar, with goalkeeper Nick Townsend only able to get fingertips on the looping finish.
However, County came flying out for the second half and their pressure paid off when Kyle Hudlin’s header from a Kieron Evans cross made it 1-1 in the 65th minute.
The hope was that the visitors would push for a second away win of the campaign but instead it was Bradford that ended their four-game winless streak thanks to goals from Jamie Walker and Bobby Pointon.
County’s display gives some reason for optimism ahead of Saturday’s return to Yorkshire to face Harrogate, but they need to tighten up at the back.
Here are some of the talking points after the loss in Bradford…
😍 Another top-drawer header! 👏#EFL | @NewportCounty pic.twitter.com/7sYdXyVdaH https://t.co/PZXqV0gKEE
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) October 7, 2024
CREATING CHANCES
All four goals came from crosses and County also missed a number of chances from dangerous balls into the box.
County posed plenty of problems through Anthony Glennon and Bobby Kamwa down the left, Cameron and Kieron Evans down the right.
That’s the reason that Hudlin, who gets himself into dangerous positions, looks the better option than hard-working Courtney Baker-Richardson as the frontman at the moment.
“He offers a different type of solution,” said Jardim. “He is dominant in the air and, having the wingers and boys in the wide areas feeding him, I am sure he will get more goals.”
The Exiles do need to show more of a killer touch in the box, however, after Hudlin and Aaron Wildig missed chances at 0-0 in the first half.
A good spell of pressure was then rewarded after the restart before Bradford got their crucial second.
County are ranked fourth in League Two by Fotmob for big chances created with 25 in 10 games but only two teams, Bromley and Morecambe, have worse xG conceded.
GOING FOR IT
Jardim’s County are more red-ball cricket than T20 – they certainly don’t do any nurdling for singles.
The Exiles haven’t drawn in League Two since being pegged back by Sutton at the death on New Year’s Day, with that point followed in the next game by an FA Cup draw against Eastleigh.
It’s been boom or bust in the 35 games since and a bit of steady accumulation would probably do County some good to enjoy some emotional calm rather than swinging from the highs of wins to lows of defeats.
However, it’s wins that will keep them away from the relegation scrap and they don’t look to shut up shop, which is probably for the best given that they lack the solidity to see out games.
The Jardim era so far is best summed up by the very first game at Cheltenham when they should have won it late on through James Clarke only to then leave with nothing.
A bore draw certainly looks unlikely at Harrogate on Saturday.
FAMILIAR FOE
County once again suffered at the hands of the most dangerous Cook since Steven Seagal.
The burly Bantams striker scored for the fourth game on the spin against the Exiles after his superb header in the first half.
Cook was too strong and canny for young Noah Mawene in the box and his finish was inch-perfect from a cross that was slightly behind him.
The 33-year-old scored a hat-trick at Rodney Parade last season and bagged another at Valley Parade on final day, while he scored in Newport in 2023 and Cardiff City Stadium in 2021.
County will know what’s coming in south Wales in mid-February, but dealing with it is another matter.
ANOTHER DEFENSIVE REJIG
Glennon won’t be returning to Yorkshire on Saturday courtesy of a 20th-minute booking for a challenge on Clarke Odour.
The left-back has picked up bookings at an alarming rate since arriving from Grimsby and his fifth in 10 league games means he will sit out the fixture at Harrogate.
That leaves County in a pickle after the gamble of going into the season with just one specialist down that flank.
Versatile Shane McLoughlin, who is most at home down the right, played there last season but is on the comeback trail from injury.
Cameron Evans, another multi-positional player, slotted in on the left in pre-season but is needed at right-back.
Perhaps the most likely option is to shift left-sided central defender Kyle Jameson across and bring back co-captain James Clarke, who made a welcome return to the matchday squad as an unused substitute after injury.
The 34-year-old wasn’t ready for the full 90 minutes on Monday but will hopefully be able to add some experience at Wetherby Road.
It’s another defensive rejig for the Exiles, who are also still without Matt Baker at Harrogate due to Wales Under-21s duty.
County have played 10 League Two fixtures and have so far had to field EIGHT different combinations at the back. It will become 9 in 11 this weekend.
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