ANY new supporters that Newport County AFC picked up as a result of last week’s thrilling FA Cup victory over Leicester City will be fully up to speed with the highs and lows of life as an Exiles fan after this match.

The crushing disappointment they felt at the final whistle at Gresty Road was a bitter pill to swallow after the extraordinary high of beating the Foxes in front of the Match of the Day cameras at Rodney Parade six days earlier.

Longer-term County fans will know that this was sadly more like business as usual in League Two over the past few months.

But any newcomers were forced to endure a 97-minute rollercoaster that summed up why this side find themselves down in 13th place in the table after 26 games.

Michael Flynn’s men were slow to get going in the first half and they had goalkeeper Joe Day to thank for keeping them in the contest.

He could do nothing to prevent Jordan Bowery’s opener on 34 minutes.

The goal was engineered by some slick passing and movement from Perry Ng and Chris Porter, who were too quick for Fraser Franks and Mickey Demetriou, before Bowery blasted the ball through Day’s legs.

But the Exiles number one then denied Porter before the break and Ng and George Ray after the restart before substitute Tyreeq Bakinson instigated the visitors’ best spell.

Bakinson gave County fresh impetus going forward and was involved in both goals, as well as a quick breakaway that ended with Padraig Amond’s shot being cleared off the line.

Antoine Semenyo drilled in an equaliser from Bakinson’s lofted ball on 65 minutes and Amond was rewarded for his persistence as he scrambled his side ahead 11 minutes later.

Semenyo was then withdrawn before he was sent off but County looked comfortable before imploding spectacularly at the death.

Franks gifted Crewe an equaliser when he hauled down Bowery in the box on 88 minutes and, when the fourth officials’ board showed six minutes of stoppage-time, the travelling fans would have feared the worst.

Their side only held out for two minutes before conceding the winner following a goalmouth melee for the ages and defending more reminiscent of the schoolyard than a professional pitch.

“We showed some real character and deserved it in the end,” was the verdict of Crewe boss David Artell.

“We forced it in the net, they were all there wanting to score. Good teams score late and that's two weeks on the spin. It's got us four points and that's credit to the lads.

“The first goal was terrific, there were some terrific play in that first half. And when you have the ball so much you have to remember the other team is working really, really hard. And in the final five minutes they get tired.

“It's no coincidence we scored late on because we kept the ball so well in the first half. They expended a lot of energy, you could see that.”

Artell was also critical of what he perceived as County’s physical approach.

“The referee let them get away with murder,” he added.

“George Ray's face is a right mess, but I thought he was terrific, he was a proper man, a proper leader. He got angry and it brings out the best in him.

“That's what Newport do, and they are good at it. That's why they do so well at home. We could have been better but I don't think they opened us up at any time, maybe one counter attack.”

County: Day; Forbes, Franks, Demetriou, Butler; Bennett, Dolan (Bakinson, 57); Willmott (O’Brien, 90), Amond, Semenyo (Sheehan, 82); Matt

Subs not used: Townsend, Pipe, Neufville, Marsh-Brown

Booked: Matt, Semenyo

Referee: Nicholas Kinseley

Attendance: 3,104 (186 County)