COUNTY 1 RUSHDEN 1 (From South Wales Argus)

COUNTY 1 RUSHDEN 1

1:25am Monday 15th December 2008

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AT last Newport County sent their fans home happy on Saturday night.

Not since October 4 and the 3-0 win over Bromley have County produced a decent performance at Spytty Park, a fact reflected in the disappointing crowd of just 605 for an attractive looking FA Trophy clash against high-flying Conference opponents.

Those who opted to stay at home in front of the fire or finish their Christmas shopping missed a performance of real grit from the players and something of a tactical triumph for manager Dean Holdsworth.

Much-maligned for his perceived lack of experience and nous this season, Holdsworth got it spot on with a 4-5-1 formation which frustrated the visitors.

Wayne Turk and Adie Harris curbed much of Rushden’s attacking threat and allowed Danny Rose, Kevin Cooper and Craig Hughes to create numerous chances.

And, after looking the better side for much of the first half, the Exiles responded positively to going a goal behind.

Many will have feared the worst when the powerfully built Michael Rankine found the net on 66 minutes, with thoughts no doubt drifting back to the collapse last month against Hayes & Yeading.

But, credit to Holdsworth’s men, their heads didn’t drop and they forced their way back into the game through Craig Reid’s penalty six minutes later.

With the crowd getting behind the team County looked the likelier side to win it and they will go into tomorrow night’s replay at Nene Park full of belief.

After a quiet opening period County began to put some good passing moves together and Turk had a goal-bound effort well blocked on 20 minutes after a great spell of keep-ball involving Rose, Hughes, Reid, Cooper and Paul Bignot.

Hughes was particularly lively wide on the left and his driven cross just missed Reid and Rose before Cooper’s shot was deflected over on 23 minutes.

From the resulting corner Cooper played the ball into space on the edge of the area and Rose ran all of 15 yards to meet it only to fire his shot just wide of the right-hand post.

Diamonds had their first real chance just before the half-hour mark when Rankine should have done better with a shot from 15 yards out after the ball had deflected off Martyn Giles’ heel right into his path.

Hughes then had two good efforts in quick succession, first turning his man brilliantly and firing across goal with Reid and Cochlin close to turning the ball in, and then heading just wide from a Cooper cross.

Reid also went close with a curling left foot effort which sailed a yard wide of Dale Roberts’ goal.

It was hard to tell which was the Conference side at that stage but Rushden showed their pedigree before the break when Rob Wooleaston cleverly released Lee Phillips whose cross was just behind Rankine allowing Giles to make a great saving tackle to prevent Yannick Bolaise getting through one-on-one with Glyn Thompson.

Thompson was called into action 10 minutes after the break when he saved well with his feet from Wooleaston.Part-time boxer Curtis Woodhouse was lucky to escape punishment for a below the belt challenge on Reid and he looked to have delivered a knock-out blow soon afterwards when he played a crucial part in the visitors’ goal.

Harris was penalised for hand ball and a cleverly worked free-kick saw Lee Tomlin release Woodhouse down the left. His fiercely hit cross-shot was diverted in by Rankine from two yards to an audible sigh from the stand.

But, if County’s fighting spirit was personified by one man it was Reid who dragged his side back into the game.

Three minutes after the opener he chested down Rose’s ball into the box, turned his man and fired off a great shot which was only blocked by Roberts’ legs.

Three minutes later he beat the keeper in a race to the ball, poked it past him and went down in the box after Roberts’ had left a trailing arm.

It seemed like an age before referee Andrew Bennett pointed to the spot after getting the signal from assistant Andy Newell and it sparked wild celebrations from the home crowd and bitter protests from the visitors’ bench.

In truth it looked a soft penalty and had it been given the other way the referee would have needed a police escort on the way out but Reid stepped up and calmly sent Roberts the wrong way to put County deservedly all square.

The momentum with them, Holdsworth’s men pressed for the winner and spent the last quarter of the match camped in their opponents’ half although it was Rushden who went closest.

Substitute Marcus Kelly forced Thompson into a brilliant tip-over and Tomlin went close with a nice turn and shot from the edge of the area in injury time but a Rushden winner would have been cruel on County.

Both sides left the pitch to a rousing reception and with the Exiles currently on a five-game unbeaten run away from home, tomorrow’s replay should make for very interesting viewing.

County: Thompson, Bignot, Giles, Turk, Cook, Cochlin, Rose, Hughes,Reid, Harris, Cooper Subs not used: Jenkins, Vickers, Klein-Davies, Armitage, James

Rushden: Roberts, Osano, Hope, Woodhouse, Phillips (Smith, 65), Burgess (Jelleyman, 73), Rankine, Tomlin, Wooleaston, Corcoran, Bolaise (Kelly, 77) Subs not used: Marriott, Brown

Referee: Andrew Bennett

Attendance: 605

Argus star man: Craig Hughes

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