THEY came, they saw, they were conquered.
Newport County's very own emperor Dean Holdsworth took his troops to Havant & Waterlooville confident they would come back centurions.
But the Hawks romped to a 4-0 win and kept alive their play-off hopes with a fantastic second half display to leave the champs looking like chumps.
This was not in the script. This was supposed to be the day that Holdsworth’s men reached the magical 100-point mark.
It was only County's third defeat in a fabulous season but it was their biggest loss since Bath City triumphed at Spytty Park last March and it came as a shock to the system for all concerned.
His side may be 23 points ahead of second-placed Dover Athletic with a mere 97 in total but Holdsworth was desperately disappointed by this performance.
A repeat showing against Dover on Saturday would certainly put a dampener on the celebrations as the Blue Square South trophy is presented at Spytty Park and Holdsworth will be determined to avoid such a scenario.
In truth the Exiles cannot be as bad as they were at Havant.
A Charlie Henry free-kick and a Danny Rose cracker that smacked against the post just before the break were the only times that the visitors really looked like scoring.
The home side edged the first half but were by far the better side after the break with the front pair of Mustafa Tiryaki and Manny Williams causing all sorts of problems for the usually water-tight Exiles defence.
If they can keep this form up over the last three matches and snatch a top five spot then they will be a force to be reckoned with in the play-offs and may be a fair bet to join County in the Blue Square Premier next season.
Shaun Gale's side, who led Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup a little over two years ago, have been criticised by many for their long-ball approach this season but they played some good stuff on Saturday.
They were no match for County as Holdsworth's side clinched the title at Spytty only last month but they certainly took revenge at a sun-drenched Westleigh Park.
Tiryaki was the star of the show but he was lucky to stay on the pitch after a nasty spat with Scott Rogers after just 17 minutes.
The powerful Turk clashed with County’s (Wayne) Turk early on and then received a yellow card after he appeared to whack Rogers in the head.
Five minutes before the break he sliced an attempted volley so badly that it ended up 10 yards behind him and 15 yards to his left.
But he was the main attacking threat in the second half as the Hawks took the bull by the horns.
Five minutes after the interval they were awarded a fortunate free-kick when the ball bounced up and struck Chris Todd’s hand.
Rather than accept the decision, however, Todd continued to argue his case with the referee while Tiryaki sprang into action.
The striker played a quick one-two with Williams and lashed the ball past Glyn Thompson from the edge of the area to give his side a deserved lead.
His confidence soaring, Tiryaki then made a passable attempt at an overhead kick before striking again on 65 minutes.
Skipper Warren, County’s best player on the day, blocked his run with a raised arm and was booked with the crowd baying for a red card.
Tiryaki fired the ball into the far corner from the edge of the area with Thompson rooted to the spot and the win was all but secure.
Williams almost got in on the act but his goal-bound effort was blocked by Todd before County’s defence was carved open for the third on 79 minutes.
Midfield dynamo Wes Fogden played a quick fire one-two with Williams and finished fantastically, sliding the ball just beyond the reach of Thompson from the penalty spot.
Williams then robbed Rose and squared for Bobby Hopkinson as Havant ran riot but the midfielder scuffed his shot.
But 3-0 did become 4-0 with three minutes remaining when substitute Jay Gasson placed a perfect looping header back across Thompson’s goal from the far post and the rout was complete.
The County fans in the spring sunshine sang ‘4-0 and we don’t care a jot’ (or something similar) but Emperor Holdsworth’s face told a different story.
Watch out Dover next Saturday.
Havant & Waterlooville: Howe, Newton, McDonald, Selley, Pearce (Gasson, 83), Simpemba, Fogden, Hopkinson, Williams (Hinshelwood, 88), Tiryaki (Jusufi, 76), Walker.
Subs not used: Sewell, Ashmore Booked: Tiryaki, Selley, Simpemba, Fogden.
County: Thompson, Bignot, Collins, Turk, Warren (Cochlin, 83), Todd, Rose, Rogers (Ake, 73), Reid, Gilroy, Henry (Morgan, 63).
Subs not used: Hunt, Blackburn.
Booked: Reid, Warren.
Referee: Paul Forrester (Luton) Attendance: 1,020 Argus star man: Mustafa Tiryaki
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