OH, THEY do like to be beside the seaside! Newport County AFC fans got a free shirt, welcomed back an old face and saw their team earn a comprehensive victory in a pre-season friendly at Weston-super-Mare.
County finally revealed their new kits, which will have no sponsor in a tie-up with bookmakers Paddy Power and their Save Our Shirt campaign, before the match.
And all fans attending the friendly at The Optima Stadium were handed a free home shirt and they saw the team wear the new design for the first time, although the proper kit will have black shorts and black socks.
There was a treat for long-standing fans as 2010 promotion hero Sam Foley started the match, listed as Trialist 1 on the team sheet.
Foley is a free agent after being released by League Two rivals Northampton Town in May and is hoping to secure a deal with the Exiles, seven years after he left the club for Yeovil Town.
The 32-year-old showed that he still has plenty to offer, going close to scoring on a couple of occasions and always looking classy on the ball.
And a strong County team demonstrated their ruthless side as they put their Southern League opponents to the sword with some clinical finishing.
Joss Labadie lashed home the first through a crowded penalty area on 18 minutes and Padraig Amond headed in the first of his two goals from George Nurse’s cross on 36 minutes.
Man mountain Kyle made it 3-0 two minutes before the break when he nodded in from Matty Dolan’s corner.
Weston substitute Isaac Pearce forced the first real save from Exiles goalkeeper Tom King on 53 minutes but it was one-way traffic once again after that.
Nurse drove forward down the left and crossed for Amond to slide in his second on the hour.
It was 5-0 nine minutes later when the exciting Corey Whitely saw a fierce effort deflected beyond blameless goalkeeper Niall Maher, who actually had a decent game for the hosts.
A raft of subs made no difference to the flow of the game as Momodou Touray released Keanu Marsh-Brown and the winger, who looked like he had a point to prove, finished smartly to make it 6-0 on 75 minutes.
Touray then squared for fellow sub Josh Sheehan to slot in a seventh a minute later before Sam Hendy netted a consolation for Weston.
And Touray got the goal he deserved three minutes from time, tapping in from Marvel Ekpiteta’s cross to complete the rout.
County: King; Willmott (Ekpiteta, 63), Howkins, Demetriou (O’Brien, 70), Nurse (Stojsavljevic, 63); Whitely (Marsh-Brown, 70), Labadie (Bennett, 55), Dolan (Sheehan, 46), Trialist 1 – Foley (Trialist 2, 63); Amond (Trialist 3, 70), Matt (Touray, 70)
Sub not used: Brain
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