County fightback from two goals down, to rescue a point at Rodney Parade...
The Exiles came into the game with Northampton Town on the back of two straight wins and were full of confidence. Northampton have been clouded by events off the pitch so far this season but on the field they started the day in fourth-place, only outside the automatic promotion places on goal difference.
County had the first chance of the game when Lenell John-Lewis dived at an inviting Scott Barrow cross, but his header flew narrowly past the post.
It was the visitors that took a early lead, when Scott Barrow was caught in possession on halfway line, which allowed Northampton through on goal. Joe Day initially made a fantastic point-blank save from the first effort, but the ball fell to Sam Hoskins who was able to tap the ball in without any difficulty.
It wasn’t the same Newport side that won so fantastically away at Wycombe and Bristol Rovers and after they conceded a free- kick 22 yards out, the lead for the visitors was doubled, when Richards fired a well worked set-piece into the top left corner of the net.
No sooner had the visitors doubled their lead, Scott Barrow scored Newport’s first of the afternoon, when he volleyed home from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net to reduce the deficit to one goal.
Newport then equalised when Lenell John-Lewis did well to control the ball in the corner of the penalty area, took it around one player and shot low into the corner of the net beyond the outstretched Adam Smith.
The game was completely different once Newport had got back on level terms and they spent a time pushing for a third before half time, but were unable to find a third goal during the first period and manager John Sheridan will have been pleased with the way in which his side responded in the last fifteen minutes of the half.
HALF TIME: NEWPORT COUNTY A.F.C 2 – 2 NORTHAMPTON TOWN
Newport started the second half very strongly and should have taken the lead when a surging run forward by Tommy O’Sullivan allowed the loanee to pick out Zak Ansah, who fired a pass that Lenell John-Lewis was unlucky not to get his foot to.
The second half showed promise for both sides, but as the game progressed past the hour mark it was still honours even.
Northampton made all their substitutions early on, and with under twenty minutes to go, the introduction of Scott Boden meant the County faithful were hopeful of snatching a late winner.
in the League, with a four-point cushion now separating the Exiles from the bottom-two.stThe game petered out with both sides unable to mount one last real threat on goal. The win takes County up to 21
FINAL SCORE: Newport County AFC 2 – 2 Northampton Town