NEWPORT County’s revival continued apace last night after a dominant display left them three games from a cup final.

While the Exiles’ long suffering supporters have seen no light at the end of the tunnel in terms of their bid to beat the drop, suddenly the giant arch at Wembley is looming into view after last night’s dominant 4-0 win.

The post January transfer window Exiles look a completely different proposition, dripping with pace and power and it enabled them to blow away their lower league opponents with a powerful display.

Boss Justin Edinburgh has never changed his mind about the FA Trophy being a priority for the County and with lower league opposition awaiting the winners of last night’s tie it was no surprise to see the Exiles at full strength.

Edinburgh made just two changes from the side that roared back to win at Gateshead ten days ago with Nat Jarvis dropping to the bench at the expense of Darryl Knights and the cup-tied winger Andy Sandell swapped for Adam Chapman, given a first start since his loan switch from Oxford United.

The Exiles knew a win would put them another step closer to  English football’s most iconic venue and they started superbly with a zip and verve that their Ryman Premier League opponents simply couldn’t cope with.

Just four minutes were on the clock when the visitors, far from resplendent in an all bright purple strip, failed to deal with a routine long ball as defender Kennedy Adjei failed to clear. The ball fell invitingly for Sam Foley but he still had plenty to do, showing poise and opting for power to lash the ball into the roof of the net.

It was the perfect start for County who didn’t rest on their laurels, a quickly taken freekick releasing Foley to the byline but Elliott Buchanan didn’t get enough purchase as he stabbed at the ball that was gratefully snaffled by visiting goalkeeper Nick Hamaan.

Hamaan was a busy boy in the first half and kept his side in the contest, first beating away Foley’s drive from an acute angle before tipping away Bunchanan’s effort on the rebound.

This was as close to rampant as we’ve seen Newport all term   and Hamaan excelled himself to deny Knights with a super stop on the half hour, low and at his near post as County sniffed blood.

It was a reprieve that didn’t last long though, fabulous link-up play from the Exiles’ own equivalent of the Mitchell brothers’ – Lee Minshull and David Pipe – allowing the latter to cross and Buchanan to finish with a tap-in.

Glyn Thompson was a virtual spectator, saving just one 35-yard effort in the first period at Newport controlled possession from back to front.

It had been an embarrassingly one sided half and things remained the same after the interval, Foley denied a chance to shoot in the box only for the rebound to fall to Chapman who buried from 20-yards.

It should’ve been four after Hamaan spilled Knights’ effort over the line, but incredibly the officials weren’t certain enough to award the goal.

The visitors showed admirable spirit but were simply being outclassed, Paul Vines twice testing Thompson from distance as they kept on coming.

However, Hamaan was Carshalton’s key figure, brilliantly tipping away a Chapman freekick and holding a Lee Baker piledriver before standing and watching as Buchanan’s vicious volley crashed back off the crossbar, as did a deflected Chapman corner.

There was little the goalkeeper could do to prevent Romone Rose from opening his account though, the ex-QPR man emulating his namesake Danny by smashing the ball home from fully 30-yards after arriving as a substitute. Maybe all County needed to bloom again was a Rose?

The Exiles even had the luxury of giving Pipe and Minshull 30 minutes off with the game won as attention turned to Saturday’s trip to relegation rivals Stockport.

As warm ups for ‘six pointers’ go, last night would take some beating.

County: Thompson, Rodgers, Baker, Hughes, Warren, Pipe (Rose 64), Minshull (Jarvis 57), Chapman, Knights, Buchanan (Harris 74), Foley Subs not used: Potter, Hatswell Booked: Pipe (foul), Warren (foul) Carshalton: Hamaan, Ray, Joseph, Adjei, Murphy (Kamara 41), Roberts, Nolan, Jones, Vines, Hamici (McDonald 46), Pidgen Subs not used: Davis, Ayres, Badialli Referee: Rob Whitton (Braintree, Essex) Attendance: 975