COUNTY 0 REAL BETIS 3

NEWPORT County received a Spanish lesson from Real Betis at Spytty Park last night.

The La Liga new boys, who will be rubbing shoulders with Barcelona and Real Madrid this season, proved far too good for the Exiles.

Manager Anthony Hudson said after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by Premier League Bolton Wanderers that that would be their toughest test of the season.

But Betis were in another league, both literally and metaphorically.

They won 3-0 but could have had many more if manager Jose Mel hadn’t changed his whole team on the hour.

The friendly was arranged at just 24 hours notice with the Spaniards staying with the Welsh rugby team at the Vale of Glamorgan hotel before they play Swansea City on Saturday.

What Hudson will have learned about his team against such a classy outfit, who were technically superior in every department, is open to question.

There were nice touches from Ben Johnson and Felino Jardim but County were spectators for much of the first half, unable to get near the ball at times.

The visitors took the lead on four minutes when the outstanding Jefferson Montero crossed from the left and the unmarked Sergio Hurtado side-footed home past Glyn Thompson.

County had an early half-chance when left-back Andrew Hughes crossed but trialist Arthur Gomez mis-controlled with his foot when he should have headed the ball at the far post.

The Spaniards were 2-0 up on 15 minutes when Francisco Torres crossed for Montero to shoot and his effort was deflected in by Jorge Vidal from close range.

Montero and Vidal went close again before County’s first real shot on 36 minutes, Felino Jardim blazing a volley over the top from a Gomez cross.

Gomez is a Gambian international striker who signed for Manchester United as a 17 year-old in 2001 and has since played in Belgium and China.

He and fellow trialist Ryan Gilligan, a former Northampton central midfielder, failed to catch the eye but it is hard to judge against such talented opposition.

Tom Miller, who had such a traumatic weekend after inadvertently breaking the leg of Bolton’s Chung-Yong Lee, was named captain in a nice gesture by Hudson.

Betis took their foot off the gas in the second half and with a host of changes on both sides the game went flatter than a Spanish tortilla and was nowhere near as appetizing.

Substitute Robbie Matthews squandered County’s best chance of the second half, firing a yard wide when put through by Ben Johnson, but 2-0 would have flattered the hosts and substitute Arturo Munoz rifled in a deserved third goal in the last minute of the match.

Next up for County tomorrow night is a trip to Neath, who themselves take on Betis tonight.

Hudson will use that game and Sunday’s visit to Undy to give all his first team squad a run out ahead of the Conference opener against Kettering on August 13.

County: Thompson, Robson (Rodgers 60), Hughes, Miller (Newman, 60), Hatswell, Velez, Jardim (Greening, 60), Gilligan, Buchanan (Foley, 60), Gomez (Mtthews, 60), Johnson.

Subs not used: Potter

Betis: Barriga, Abrante, Ramirez, Torres, Urkiaga, Montero, Lopez, Santos, Vidal, Santamaria, Hurtado.

Referee: Darren Adie

Attendance: 855

Argus star man: Johnson