NEWPORT County AFC will try to respond to a defeat for the first time since before Christmas when they welcome Gillingham to Rodney Parade on Saturday.
The Exiles’ seven-match unbeaten run was ended by an impressive Notts County on Tuesday night, with the visitors triumphing 3-1.
The Magpies, who were without an away win in seven fixtures, took the spoils to climb to seventh thanks to a Macauley Langstaff brace either side of a David McGoldrick finish.
They were 3-0 up before the hour and the game drifted along until the Exiles denied them a clean sheet thanks to Will Evans’ 90th minute penalty.
Here are some talking points from Notts’ win over Newport at Rodney Parade…
CAP DOFFED
As someone who has watched two Notts County games live this season it is somewhat baffling that they are bidding for the play-offs rather than automatic promotion.
Their regular viewers will point to defensive frailties but the Magpies were a delight to watch at times at Rodney Parade, just as they were at Meadow Lane.
They were more dominant in Nottingham than the 3-0 scoreline suggested against an injury-hit Exiles and they could have dished out a much bigger beating in Newport.
McGoldrick should have scored at 0-0 and was denied by a superb Nick Townsend save at 3-0 while Jodi Jones forced one manic scramble in the first half.
The Magpies lead League Two for average possession and pass percentage while they are second behind leaders Stockport for goals scored.
They have had a wobble of late but are a quality side when on it, one that the other play-off contenders will hope slips out of the top seven because of their attacking threat and potent front trio.
That should make Tuesday night easier to take; the Exiles have been on a fine run but just came up against a strong team that deserved their win.
No panic, no blame game.
County have tasted defeat in the league for the first time in 2024 but are still joint top of the form guide with Crewe.
Their reaction against Gillingham will be fascinating and the scrap for the play-offs remains incredibly bunched with just four points from seventh-placed Notts to the 14th-placed Exiles.
However, Tuesday night was undeniably a reality check after a superb post-Christmas run.
NO-WIN SITUATION
Jodi Jones headed into the game with 18 League Two assists, a tally that was one behind the combined figure for County’s starting XI.
The 26-year-old set up both of Langstaff’s headers and ran amok, just as he did in the East Midlands.
With that in mind, should the Exiles have had a special plan for a player who is too good for League Two? Easier said than done on a few fronts.
Firstly, he is a very clever player who is adept at finding space.
Secondly, Notts have a raft of other threats who that would open things up for.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the Exiles had been going really well themselves.
Had Coughlan gone with a flat four or done a man-marking job then the manager would have been criticised for changing a winning formula had the Exiles done anything other than win.
The Exiles were on a seven-game unbeaten streak, the last four of them victories, while the Magpies were in a rut.
Justifiably, they said ‘let them worry about us’ and Notts did just that with a tactical switch to a flat four that gave Jones even more freedom to pull the strings.
NOUGHT FROM CROSSES
Notts were worthy winners and could have been even more dominant on the scoreboard, but it still felt like there was something in the game for the Exiles until Langstaff’s second.
A Matt Baker header at 2-0 in the second half felt like a key moment; it slipped through the hands of goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond but went narrowly over the bar rather than in the net.
Just like Walsall needed a lift to change the narrative on Saturday but failed to strike, so did Newport.
However, the Magpies were more clinical and made the most from their opportunities in the wide channels with all three goals and the McGoldrick sitter coming from Newport’s left.
Given that Swindon also targeted Adam Lewis down that flank, that provides Coughlan with one of his biggest decisions for Gillingham.
An option would be to bring back Southampton loanee Lewis Payne and switch Shane McLoughlin over from the right, something that worked pretty well while the specialist left-back was out with a quad injury.
However, the balance of the side would be affected and hinder Newport on the front foot given that they like to get balls in the box.
That was an area of disappointment against Notts with plenty of opportunities, especially in the first half, to test a usually shaky Magpies defence with crosses.
The Exiles do favour their right flank with, according to whoscored.com, 46 per cent of touches down the right, 24 in the middle, 30 left down the left.
McLoughlin has been a threat all season and has six assists for the league campaign plus three goals. Moving him from the right would be a gamble, even if Payne is also pretty decent on the front foot.
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