NEWPORT County AFC fans celebrated a first home win in more than eight months and a new hero as loan star Oliver McBurnie came off the bench to seal victory with an incredible 23-minute hat-trick.

The Swansea City youngster replaced Zak Ansah just before the hour and completely stole the show as the Exiles finally came good at home.

It was a first league win at Rodney Parade since March 17, when Luton were last in town, and will give John Sheridan’s men great belief ahead of the Christmas period.

They remain 21st in the table but are now seven points clear of the bottom two and within touching distance of Hartlepool Town, Stevenage and Barnet above them.

And, crucially, Sheridan looks to have found his 'fox in the box' in McBurnie.

Defensive lynchpin Scot Bennett was passed fit to play, meaning Sheridan made just one change from the starting XI at Oxford United in midweek.

Ansah came in and midfielder Tommy O’Sullivan dropped to the bench as both sides lined up in variations of 4-4-2.

The wind and the torrential rain made it difficult to play intricate passing football but the pitch held up well considering the constant downpour.

The first half saw few clear chances for either side but it was the visitors who created the better openings.

Right-back Alex Lawless gave County ‘keeper Joe Day an early tester and he gathered at the second attempt.

Soon afterwards he was at full stretch to claw away a Danny Green effort that looked to be heading for the top corner.

And towards the end of the first half Day did well to parry a powerful drive from Josh McQuoid and County were fortunate that Jack Marriott could not control the rebound.

Hatters midfielders Cameron McGeehan and Olly Lee were also causing the home defence problems and the latter almost broke the deadlock as he ran at goal and saw his shot deflected just wide.

For the Exiles the pairing of Andrew Hughes and Medy Elito on the left flank worked well with both players showing excellent control of the ball on the slippery turf.

The closest that Sheridan’s men came to scoring was from a Yan Klukowski knock-down that Lenell John-Lewis scuffed wide after losing his footing.

The pattern continued after the break and Sheridan opted to shake things up just before the hour mark, replacing Klukowski and Ansah with O’Sullivan and McBurnie.

And within five minutes the pair combined brilliantly to put the Exiles ahead.

O’Sullivan, on loan from Cardiff City, crossed from the left and the Swans striker showed great composure to guide the ball beyond Mark Tyler in the Hatters goal.

It got better for County and McBurnie as Tyler failed to hold Alex Rodman’s shot and the 19-year-old was on hand to tuck away the rebound on 79 minutes.

And he completed his dream debut four minutes from the end as fellow sub Scott Boden set him up to roll the ball into an empty net and send the Rodney Parade crowd wild.

Newport (4-4-2): Day; Barnum-Bobb, Partridge, Bennett, Hughes; Rodman, Byrne, Klukowski (O’Sullivan, 58), Elito; Ansah (McBurnie, 58), John-Lewis (Boden, 85)

Subs not used: Green, Taylor, Holmes, Barrow

Luton (4-4-2): Tyler; Lawless, Cuthbert, Wilkinson, Griffiths; Green, Smith, Lee (McCourt, 80), McGeehan (Doyle, 67); McQuoid (Mackail-Smith, 67), Marriott

Subs not used: Justham, Okuonghae, Long, Hall

Referee: David Coote

Attendance: 2,551 (451 Luton)

Argus star man: McBurnie