6:17pm Monday 25th August 2008
By Michael Pearlman
TEAM BATH 2 - NEWPORT COUNTY 0
NEWPORT County slipped to a third defeat in their opening five Blue Square South games yesterday with an insipid display at Twerton Park.
Team Bath were always in control despite never showing anything much in particular, County failing to produce more than one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
The Exiles once again paid the price for some schoolboy defending, both Team Bath goals easily preventable. They are struggling to find a defensive unit fit for purpose at this level.
Even for a club like Newport County, where the biggest surprise is no surprise at all, news of the Exiles team stunned supporters and reporters alike.
With under-fire defender Martyn Giles suffering from injury – explaining a lot, bearing in mind his Football League pedigree – manager Dean Holdsworth made an SOS call to former Redbridge charge Nick Skelton, released by the club just over a week ago.
Twerton Park, ramshackle as it is, is a proper football ground, though it’s a decidedly strange experience visiting for a Team Bath fixture, rather than Bath City.
No segregation, no atmosphere created by rival supporters, just half a normal Spytty Park attendance spread right around the ground.
County fielded a similar personnel to Saturday, but with a different formation, Craig Hughes hugging the left with Paul Hall on the right and Danny Rose in behind front-runner Phil Walsh in a 4-2-3-1 line-up.
The setting was a familiar one for County’s Adie Harris and Walsh, the Exiles supporters hoping that Walsh in particular could open his account on his old stomping ground.
However, when County’s first chance did arrive it was almost a storybook start, Dave Collins’ measured freekick firmly headed by Skelton on to the crossbar and away after seven minutes. Little did we know at the time what a huge moment this would prove to be, County never coming closer to a goal.
However, just as County appeared to be stamping their authority on the game they conceded in shocking fashion on nine minutes, Jake Meredith’s huge punt up the field bouncing once, looping between Skelton and Ian Hillier, allowing Josh Llewellyn to nip in behind and loft the ball over the helpless Glyn Thompson, once again blameless for a goal conceded.
Thompson was called into action again swiftly, saving low to his right after Mike Perrott cut inside as the students continued to prey on County’s fragility.
Strangely, in a role-reversal from Saturday, the Exiles’ best chances came from set-pieces, at least in the early exchanges.
On 22 minutes, Harris floated a beautiful freekick into the area and Walsh rose superbly, glancing a header inches wide of the post.
County were playing the better football, but just past the half-hour mark they switched off again, Skelton completely missing the long ball and allowing it to bounce, presenting Takumi Ake a clear run on goal, with Thompson making a smart save to keep the arrears at one.
The visitors ended the half on the ascendancy, but Skelton’s last-ditch tackle denied Ake, before Thompson was flattened by defender Sami El-Abd defending the resultant corner.
County were somewhat unlucky to go in behind at the break, paying the price again for one or two moments of indecision at the back, though it was merely a sign of things to come.
The Exiles did begin the second period with an attacking intent, coming within a whisker of an equaliser on 50 minutes when Anthony Church’s drive flashed inches wide after Rose’s neat drag-back.
Rose, Hall and, in particular, Church were having an increasing influence on proceedings and supporters sniffed a possible leveller.
Just past the hour and the Exiles should have scored, Adie Harris’ corner flicked on by Walsh to skipper Hillier who headed over the bar from no more than six yards.
Team Bath were firmly on the back foot and any chances they were getting stemmed from County errors, substitute Ben Thomson capitalising on Collins’ poor throw and shooting from a narrow angle on 67 minutes, Thompson saving..
There was something in this game for County, but they switched off again to present Bath with a second.
A simple cross wasn’t dealt with by Skelton, allowing Steve Abbott not one but two chances to shoot – typical student, waiting for a handout - the second of which he duly took.
At 2-0 Nathan Davies was curiously introduced (with Rob Duffy still on the sidelines) and he managed to get booked before touching the ball. The supporters began jeering, particularly at Skelton, but it was hard to view him as anything but a sacrificial lamb after his shock recall.
With almost 80 minutes on the clock Jermain Easter fired tamely at Jake Meredith, forcing the goalkeeper into a save for the first time in the game, a clear indication that County still haven’t found a style that suits them on the road.
A shocking error by Collins allowed Cooper the chance of a third, but Thompson – who would win an unfair working conditions tribunal on the grounds that County’s defence could seriously damage his health – saved brilliantly to keep the score at 2-0.
Team Bath: Meredith, Lock, Caton, Smith, Warren, El-Abd, Perrott (Thomson 57), Canham, Llewellyn (Cooper 75), Abbott, Ake (Arnold 68). Subs not used: Hobbs, Dunn. Booked: Perrott (foul, 58), Canham (foul, 90)
County: Thompson, Stephens, Collins, A Church, Hillier, Skelton, Rose, Harris (Davies 73), Walsh (Duffy 82), Hughes (Easter 69), Hall. Subs not used: Jenkins, N Church. Booked: Stephens (foul, 37), Davies (foul, 74)
Referee: Paul Forrester (Luton)
Attendance: 437
Argus star man: Anthony Church
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk