NEWPORT County AFC remain top of League Two after a draw against Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday evening.
The Exiles led 1-0 at the New Lawn courtesy of Tristan Abrahams’ penalty after Joss Labadie was caught in the box on the stroke of half-time.
County looked set for three precious points against fellow promotion hopefuls but were denied victory when Jamille Matt, who left Rodney Parade in the summer, converted a cross from the right after 77 minutes.
Here are some talking points from the fixture in Nailsworth…
WASTEFUL EXILES
Both managers lamented opportunities that went begging in their post-match interviews and that has been a familiar grumble from County boss Michael Flynn.
Read his post-match thoughts: HERE
County should have been in front after just three minutes when Jamie Proctor failed to hit the target with a header from close range, Matty Dolan headed over from a corner and Abrahams didn’t connect with a dangerous cross.
The chances continued after the break with Proctor denied at the near post, Abrahams and Saikou Janneh wasted openings on the counter-attack and then Scott Twine failed to hit the target when the ball fell kindly from a free-kick launched into the box.
The Exiles aren’t making the most of their opportunities and it was interesting to hear Bristol City’s Dean Holden talking to Radio 5 Live on the drive back from the New Lawn.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel but sometimes you can get bogged down by result after result,” said the Robins boss after a win over QPR that lifted them to third in the Championship.
“We’ve looked at what success is in this division over the years; we know how many clean sheets we need to aim for and two goals a game is a good guide.”
The Exiles are yet to fire a blank in League Two but have scored at least two in just seven of their 14 fixtures, so there is room for improvement when using Holden’s judging criteria.
History shows that County’s best finisher is Padraig Amond, who has won the club’s golden boot for the last three seasons.
There is a good argument for giving the Irishman a consistent run in the starting line-up. He remains the man that you'd want a chance to fall to but has made just five starts in League Two and seven outings off the bench.
Kevin Ellison, who finished expertly at the death versus Port Vale, also has a proven track record and his old club Morecambe visit on Saturday. Perfect timing for a start?
CLASSY COOPER
Brandon Cooper is in Newport to learn about the rough and tumble of the Football League and the Swansea prospect is impressing.
On Tuesday he had to cope with the physicality of Matt as well as Forest Green’s threat in the wide channels.
Not only that but he was like ‘RoboCoop’ at one stage in the first half when he bombed forward on the dribble; being comfortable on the ball is drilled into young Swans prospects.
The 20-year-old certainly won’t be in League Two next season and the Exiles will hope to make it to League One and then convince his parent club that a steady step up is in his interests.
However, Swansea are not afraid of turning to youth and Cooper will hope to be in namesake Steve’s plans in 2021/22, following the lead of teammate and now full Wales international Ben Cabango.
ROLL WITH IT
County’s start to the season has rightly earned plenty of praise but some of their theatrics can be a little embarrassing.
Abrahams’ work rate up front has been excellent but he combines that with going down far too easily; yesterday wasn’t the first time that teammates have advised him to get up when rolling around.
Scott Twine certainly isn’t averse to flinging himself to the ground when attempting to win free-kicks while Joss Labadie can be a master of drawing a foul, complete with loud plea to the referee.
Mark Cooper wasn’t amused at one dramatic tumble last night and looked towards Flynn, who didn’t make eye contact.
With no crowds it has been possible to hear the dramatic yelps from players and it’s no doubt done to pressure the officials.
County are certainly not the only offenders at this but there is danger of a ‘boy who cried wolf’ effect.
That risks Josh Sheehan being the victim as opponents attempt to stop the playmaker pulling the strings however they can.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel