IT WAS a horror night for Newport County AFC as they threw away three points against Barnet, collapsing from 1-0 up in the 88th minute to 2-1 down in the 90th.

Ben White looked like he would be the hero as he headed home 17 minutes from time to claim his first goal in senior football and finally break the deadlock in a tight contest.

But a filthy night at Rodney Parade turned positively ugly for Michael Flynn’s men as their old nemesis John Akinde levelled and then, almost unbelievably, Shaquile Coulthirst snatched all three points for the struggling Bees.

It means Michael Flynn’s men, who have not won in League Two since October 14, are down to 10th and now four points off the play-off places.

The crazy finish was a far cry from a sedate opening period.

Matty Dolan returned from suspension to replace Dan Butler in the one change to the County starting XI.

Flynn opted to switch to a back four from the start with Ben White at left-back and Robbie Willmott supporting strikers Frank Nouble and Padraig Amond in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

But the Exiles were slow to get out of the blocks and the first 40 minutes proved something of a damp squib on a wet and wild night.

An early free-kick from Willmott led to a minor scramble in the Barnet box and Jamie Stephens pushed a Scot Bennett shot onto the post after a deflection off Ricardo Santos.

But Stephens, one of three former County players in the visiting team alongside Charlie Clough and David Tutonda, was a spectator for much of the first half.

Most of the chances came at the other end with Coulthirst and Akinde keeping Mickey Demetriou and Mark O’Brien very busy.

Joe Day was also in the thick of the action, tipping Ryan Watson’s free-kick over the bar early on and denying Coulthirst and Jack Taylor.

South Wales Argus:

The match only really came to life in the five minutes before the break.

First Exiles goalkeeper Day pulled of a simply stunning save as he clawed an Akinde header away from the top corner.

Then Demetriou matched him in the acrobatic stakes moments later as he somehow kept out Dan Sweeney’s follow-up with a brilliant block on the line.

County really should have been behind and Flynn was not happy with what he was witnessing.

The manager hauled off David Pipe on 43 minutes with Butler coming on.

And the home fans were incensed soon afterwards when Santos escaped with a yellow card for a dangerous shove that resulted in Willmott smashing into an advertising board at speed.

The County utility man did re-emerge for the second half, sporting a bandaged head, and he was shifted to right wing-back as the hosts reverted to three at the back.

But he lasted only until the 59th minute when another knock saw him applauded off as Joss Labadie made his return from the bench.

Bennett moved to the back and Labadie added some much-needed forward impetus from the middle of the park as County hunted a winner in the final half hour.

As the rain continued to sweep across the pitch and the clock ticked down it looked like it would be another one of those frustrating nights that have been all-too-common for County in recent weeks.

But White’s perfectly placed header in the 73rd minute looked to have won it as he nodded in from the edge of the 18-yard box after Stephens only half-cleared Nouble’s cross.

After dropping two points late on against Port Vale and Accrington Stanley in their past two matches there was always the fear that it could still go wrong for County.

But even the most pessimistic of fans would have been hard pressed to predict such a dramatic finale and the boos at the end signalled everyone’s bitter disappointment.

County: Day; White, O’Brien (McCoulsky, 90), Demetriou, Pipe (Butler, 43); Bennett, Tozer, Dolan; Willmott (Labadie, 59); Nouble, Amond

Subs not used: Bittner, Rigg, Reynolds, Jackson,

Booked: Amond, O’Brien

Referee: Michael Salisbury

Attendance: 2,275

Argus star man: White