An afternoon that featured a long-awaited return, an inspired comeback, and, of course, a goal from Will Evans saw the Exiles pick up their third victory in four games with a convincing 3-1 win over Sutton United.
A cagey first half at Rodney Parade saw both teams head into the changing-room goalless. County had the better of the early going, with Ryan Delaney flicking a McLoughlin long throw towards goal into the hands of Jack Rose in the Sutton goal.
Rose would be the busier of the two keepers in the opening exchanges. He was given a scare in the 19th minute when, after holding on to the ball for too long, Palmer Houlden dispossessed him in the penalty area. The keeper was able to find his footing and recover, but it was an early sign of County’s attacking intent.
We didn’t have to wait long for our next effort either, with a cross from Wildig being headed narrowly wide by James Clarke with 22 minutes on the clock.
The best chance of the half fell to Will Evans in the 37th minute. A lobbed ball found the in-form striker running through, but the outstretched hands of Jack Rose met his shot. Palmer Houlden reacted to the follow-up, but the Sutton keeper smothered the ball before he could make meaningful contact.
Half-time
The first significant chance of the second half came four minutes in when Craig Clay’s shot from the edge of the box was deflected wide for a Sutton corner. The following corner amounted to little, though, with the ball being flicked wide by Omari Patrick.
In a summer punctuated by bad weather, no one in Rodney Parade was surprised to see the heavens open up in the second half, and the rain also brought the game’s first goal. A dangerous ball into the box was headed towards Townsend, who saved the first effort but could do little to stop Omari Patrick from hitting the ball into the net to give the visitors the lead.
As always, County responded quickly, with a long throw from McLouhglin being headed back across the box by Seb Palmer Houlden and causing a mix-up in the Sutton defence. A rogue deflection off Sutton defender, Ben Goodliffe, was stopped from crossing the line by Jack Rose in a moment that nearly drew the game level.
The next ten minutes would bring more chances, with an effort from Bryn Morris, following a charging run and some nice play from Wildig and Evans, going narrowly over the bar.
Rodney Parade was on its feet in the 65th minute, with Omar Bogle making his long-awaited return to action as a substitute for Scot Bennett.
The striker’s presence clearly lifted the spirits, and County’s pressure finally paid off when a dangerous low cross from Adam Lewis was converted into the Sutton net by Joe Kizzi, pulling us level and swinging the momentum firmly in our favour.
Lewis’s runs down the left continued to cause problems for Sutton, and his persistence delivered again in the 77th minute. He played the ball across the field to Evans, who teed the ball up for Harry Charlsey to head home and give us a much-deserved lead.
County have been ruthless in front of goal so far this campaign, with the partnership between Seb Palmer Houlden proving deadly. The two strikers were back at it again in the 86th minute, with Palmer Houlden swinging in an inviting cross, which was expertly headed home by Evans to give us a 3-1 lead. The striker has now clocked up six goals in his last four appearances and sits top of the League Two scoring charts.
We were not content with three, though, and Omar Bogle nearly marked his return with a goal in stoppage time. Sutton threw everyone forward for a corner and was caught out on the counter-attack, with Bogle racing through on goal only for Rose to get down low and save his effort.
The returning striker continued to chase a goal in the dying minutes, entertaining the home crowd with some fancy footwork on the edge of the box before having his eventual shot blocked by a Sutton defender.
The final whistle blew, ensuring another three points for County and moving us up to sixth in the League Two table.
Full-time
Newport County: Townsend, Delaney (C), Lewis, Clarke, Evans, Morris, Bennett (Bogle 65) , McLoughlin, Charsley, Wildig (Waite 89), Palmer Houlden (Seberry 87) Subs: Maxted, Payne, Bogle, Waite, Seberry, Wood, Bondswell
Sutton United: Rose, Sowunmi, Goodliffe, Coley, Beautyman, Patrick, Clay (Bughail-Mellor 85), Kashket (O’Brien 61), Kizzi, Milson (Hart 85), Angol (Jackson 85) Subs: House, John, N’Guessan, Mellor, Jackson, O’Brien, Hart