NEWPORT County’s bid to be Conference South record breakers remains on track after they obliterated Maidenhead United on a pitch that simply had to be seen to be believed.
The Exiles showed every ounce of quality that has taken them to the Blue Square South championship with an exceptional display, in some ways one of their best at home all season.
Despite the pitch being an absolute quagmire that had no business staging a football match (or indeed, any kind of sporting contest save for perhaps mud wrestling), the Exiles made a far better fist of it that the visitors.
County adapted far better, their passing was crisper and more intelligent, their outlook far more attacking and positive and their composure in front of goal light years ahead of the visitors.
Indeed, having won the contest so convincingly, it’s easy to pat the match official, Mr Marc Whaley on the back and say he made the right call. However, that’s speaking in the aftermath of a positive result.
The fact is that staging this game was wrong. The pitch hugely influenced proceedings, Craig Reid’s woeful first half penalty coming as a direct result of the pitch actually robbing the visitors of possession.
It’s understandable that at this late stage in the campaign, both sides were desperate to stage the contest with rearrangement options very limited.
But had Maidenhead United have sneaked a 1-0 win thanks to the playing surface, County fans would no doubt be furious that their proud year-long home record had come to an end on a pitch not fit for football.
The only question that should be asked is did the playing surface affect the run of the ball? The answer to that is an emphatic yes, throughout the contest and at key times as well.
However, for all the grumbling about the Newport Stadium surface, it was the same for both sides and it was the Exiles who coped far, far better.
It should also be added that despite his questionable decision to stage the game, Mr Whaley himself had a good afternoon and the volunteers who did their bit to make sure the clash went ahead deserve credit as well.
On the field, the Exiles dominated throughout with a display of champions, scoring twice within the opening 17 minutes, both goals exceptionally simple but superbly crafted.
On 11 minutes County scored from their first attack, Charlie Henry collected Paul Bignot’s throw down the right, beat his marker for pace without needing any trickery and fired in a near post cross for Dave Gilroy to lash into the roof of the net from six yards out.
They repeated the trick on 17 minutes with a super goal. Skipper Gary Warren got things started with a direct ball through the centre, one that should have been cut out.
But it wasn’t and Henry collected and this time used pace and trickery to pick a perfect cross, a beautifully judged effort just begging to be turned home by Reid, who made no mistake at all.
The same couldn’t be said on 37 minutes when Reid missed his third penalty of the season and possibly lost the distinction of being County’s first-choice taker.
Henry and Rose had both gone close before the visitors lost the ball when it wouldn’t run for them in the centre circle, Reid collecting and freeing the willing Takumi Ake.
Ake charged down the right and centred for Gilroy who was taken out by Marcus Rose in one of the more obvious penalty decisions you could see.
However, Reid couldn’t make it count, smashing it over the top with shades of Chris Waddle, the ball still probably rising as you read this!
The visitors rarely threatened, but when Adam Bernard did go clear on the stroke of half time, Glyn Thompson was out smartly to deny him, before Maidenhead keeper Warren Carter kept out Henry again just seconds later.
County maintained their momentum after the break, Ake close with a 25-yarder before Rose settled matters on 67 minutes, curling home from 20-yards after Reid intelligently slipped the ball into his path.
The contest was all over but the Exiles weren’t done, scoring another cracker with 20 minutes remaining.
It came from an unlikely source, substitute Scott Rogers banging the ball into the bottom right corner from fully 30 yards.
And it wasn’t quite the end of the superb finishing, Thompson misjudged a throw out of goal with 15 minutes left and Paul Bignot was unable to collect.
Winger Sam Collins won the ball and smashed it into the top right hand corner from 25 yards, the goal greeted with applause from every County fan, not to mention the Maidenhead faithful behind the goal... all seven of them!
There was just time for injured striker Sam Foley to amuse the grandstand with his best Michael Buffer impression in announcing the man of the match award and for Nathan Davies to make his long awaited return from injury.
An exceptional afternoon from the Exiles, now just six points short of a place in the history books with a golden chance to half the required number at Weston tomorrow.
County: Thompson, Bignot, Collins, Turk (Davies 75), Warren, Todd, D Rose, Henry, Reid, Gilroy (Morgan 69), Ake (Rogers 57) Subs not used: Cochlin, Blackburn Maidenhead: Carter, Behzadi, Fyfield, Ochoa, M Rose, Baddeley, Bernard (Crook 75), St Aimie, Robinson (Barney 65), Knight, Collins Booked: Baddeley (foul, 25), Rose (foul, 54), Collins (foul, 56) Referee: Marc Whaley (Plymouth) Attendance: 1339 Argus star man: Charlie Henry
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