AFTER a false start against Stevenage at the weekend, Newport County AFC began the post-Warren Feeney era with a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Swansea City under-23s in the Checkatrade Trophy.

In what may prove to be his only match in charge caretaker boss Sean McCarthy, a former Swansea player, failed to stake a claim to replace Feeney on a permanent basis.

He made just two changes to the team that had lost 1-0 at Grimsby Town in Feeney’s final match seven days earlier.

Kyle Cameron is away on international duty with Scotland under-21s and Jon Parkin was rested, meaning Jazzi Barnum-Bobb and Jack Compton returned to the starting XI.

McCarthy also included youngsters Dion Molyneux and Finlay Wood on the bench alongside his co-caretaker manager James Bittner and attacking options Parkin, Jennison Myrie-Williams, Marlon Jackson and Jordan Green.

In felt like there were almost as many players as fans at Rodney Parade with many boycotting the competition because of the inclusion of Premier League academy sides and others not prepared to shell out even £8 on top of their season ticket commitment.

It made for a very low-key atmosphere but one notable attendee was Swansea’s new American manager Bob Bradley, who watched from a hospitality box with his chairman Huw Jenkins and coach Alan Curtis.

And he saw the club’s youngsters slowly take a grip of the game in the first half with lively striker Botti Biabi seeing one shot palmed into the side netting by Joe Day and a second rebound off the post before he broke the deadlock on 36 minutes.

The former Scotland under-19 international wriggled free of Exiles centre-backs Paul Bignot and Scot Bennett and headed home Stephen Kingsley’s perfect cross from the left flank.

Biabi also managed to divert a volley from his teammate Alexander Bray behind for a goal kick when it looked like creeping in at the far post.

But it wasn’t all one-way traffic and County did threaten to make a game of it with Reece Grego-Cox drilling a half volley just wide from the edge of the area and Rhys Healey sprinting through the middle of the Swans defence only to be denied by visiting goalkeeper Mark Birghitti.

Mark Randall could also have been awarded a penalty for a nudge in the back on the stroke of half-time but referee Brett Huxtable was not convinced.

Ben Tozer took over the captain’s armband for the second half and dropped into the back four as Myrie-Williams replaced skipper Bennett.

Jack Compton then made way for Jackson and Green replaced Randall, which meant that County finished the match with six attackers and no recognized centre-backs or central midfielders.

But it was the Swans who continued to create the better chances.

Day had to be alert to stop a Bray drive from creeping inside his near post, while at the other end Green, Myrie-Williams, Jackson and the hard-working Healey tried and failed to find a way through the Swans rearguard.

The visitors killed off the tie with a well taken second two minutes from time.

Alexander Samuel latched onto a long ball and beat Day with a superb effort into the top corner to send many of the 700 or so home fans heading home early.

They missed Myrie-Williams’ stunning long range effort in stoppage time but that counted for little.

After a 4-1 defeat at Plymouth Argyle in last month’s opening group game the Exiles are now eliminated from this much-maligned competition.

And the focus shifts to the search for a new manager ahead of Saturday’s trip to Colchester United in League Two.

County: Day, Butler, Bennett (Myrie-Williams, 46), Bignot, Barnum-Bobb, Compton (Jackson, 57), Tozer, Randall (Green, 65), Grego-Cox, Rigg, Healey

Subs not used: Bittner, Parkin, Molyneux, Wood

Referee: Brett Huxtable

Attendance: 807 (118 Swansea)

Argus star man: Rhys Healey