Swansea friendly

Newport County AFC continued their pre-season campaign with a second friendly against Swansea City following a fixture cancellation of the Exiles’ friendly against Blackpool.

The two teams had played earlier on in the week with Steve Cooper’s side travelling down to Spytty Park to seal a 4-0 win.

In the scorching South Wales conditions, Michael Flynn’s side looked strong early on as new signing Cameron Norman held possession of the ball and created chances for the Exiles three minutes into the game.

It was the 10th minute that saw the Swans slip a goal past Joe Day following a cross into the box. County remained strong as they held possession until the Swans doubled their score just before the 30-minute mark. 

Missilou found the ball with minutes to spare in the first half, swooping through Swans’ defence, however fell to the ground after a tackle from the away team.

The Exiles gained another chance at a goal as Robbie Willmott took a corner but was punched out of the box by Swansea’s keeper. A powerful ball by Matty Dolan who captained the side for the first half, found itself within the box but again, was kicked out of play.

Swansea extended their lead before the blow of the half-time whistle following a free kick to see the score settle at 3-0 at the interval.

After several changes in the line-up, Scot Bennett showcased his skills by dribbling and holding off the strikers to keep the ball from crossing County’s line.

County came back stronger with a powerful charge towards the goal however hit the crossbar in what could have been their first goal of the game.

A fourth goal for Cooper’s side came from a shot outside of the box with a fifth coming in the 87th minute.  

The Exiles are next in action on Tuesday (July 20) when they take on Chippenham Town FC at Hardenhuish Park.