Newport County lost 2-0 at home to Sutton United on Saturday afternoon, bringing an end to our five game unbeaten run.
Goals from Coby Rowe and Alistair Smith were enough for the promotion chasing visitors, while County were left to rue several missed opportunities at Rodney Parade.
Lee Angol wasted a brilliant chance inside 30 seconds, receiving David Ajiboye’s cut-back deep inside the penalty area only to hit his effort way over the bar.
We responded with a decent chance of our own minutes later after Aaron Lewis made ground down the left flank. His left-footed delivery found Harry Charsley inside the box, but his shot trickled just wide of the post.
Sutton went up the other end and had County sweating when Smith curled in a dangerous cross and David Ajiboye’s header was deflected out for a corner.
From the resulting set-piece the visitors took the lead with Sutton defender Rowe turning the ball home from close range courtesy of Smith’s square ball, after some pinball in the area.
We threatened again just before the quarter-hour mark through Charsley. Matt Baker’s cross met the head of Norman, who did brilliantly to pick out Charsley, however, the midfield man couldn’t quite bring it under his spell in the box.
The Exiles really should have levelled on 23 minutes. Firstly, Offrande Zanzala was denied one-on-one by Jack Rose. Charlie McNeill picked up the rebound, beat his man before curling a goal-bound effort toward the far corner, only for it to flick just wide off a defensive body.
Lewis sent the resulting set piece into a dangerous area where Priestley Farquharson waited, with the centre-back volleying acrobatically onto the left-hand post.
Seconds later and Farquharson had another opportunity. This time from a Mickey Demetriou throw-in, he leapt highest only to see his header saved again by Rose.
Cameron Norman sent in an inviting cross on 30 minutes searching for the marauding run of Charsley, but once again he missed the target with a glancing header.
Smith saw a decent headed chance gathered by Joe Day in the Newport net at the start of the second from a deep free-kick, before Lee Angol stepped onto a loose ball to send a wasteful effort high and wide.
Substitute Kylian Kouassi stung the palms of Day on 51 minutes, but it was a speculative shot and a comfortable save for the County goalkeeper.
Lewis’ side footed shot was heroically blocked by a Sutton defender soon after as we upped the ante, with the wing-back meeting it full-on after good play from Zanzala.
A lovely Newport move then nearly brought the equaliser. James Clarke fed Norman, whose cross found Zanzala, he chested it down for McNeill but the Manchester United loanee was denied by the ‘keeper.
Charsley had been a constant threat all afternoon and after a driving run found Zanzala in the area. The frontman pulled the trigger only to be denied by a huge defensive block from Ben Goodliffe.
It was Smith who doubled the visitors’ lead with a lovely strike. A sweeping counter-attack left us stretched at the back, with Will Randall passing it to Smith outside the box, before he powered the ball into the bottom left-corner.
Omar Bogle had an instant impact after coming off the bench and nearly brought County back into it on 66 minutes, however, his left-footed low shot was palmed away to safety by the ‘keeper.
Newport County XI: Day (GK), Norman, Clarke (Kavanagh, 70’), Farquharson, Demetriou (c), Aaron Lewis, Bennett (Moriah-Welsh, 46’), Baker, Charsley (Evans, 70’), McNeill, Zanzala (Bogle, 60’).
Subs not used: Townsend (GK), Bowen, Cadwallader.
Sutton United XI: Rose (GK), Kizzi, Rowe, Goodliffe, Hart (Boldewijn, 90'), Ajiboye, Eastmond (c), Smith, Randall, Wilson (Kouassi, 46’), Angol (Dennis, 79’).
Subs not used: House (GK), Dundas, Gambin, Beautyman.
Referee: Tom Nield
Assistant referee: Kevin Morris
Assistant referee: Christopher Husband
Fourth official: Daniel Flynn