Wilfried Bony, Noah Preston-Watkins and Kiban Rai all found the back of the net as County were comfortable winners in Tuesday afternoon’s friendly at Cyncoed Campus Stadium
Bony made it 1-0 in the 31st minute with a cool finish from outside the area, before Preston-Watkins and Rai made it two and three with a nice tap-in after rounding the keeper, and a cheeky dink respectively in the second half.
Forward Bony did in fact find the back of the net earlier in the first half, but his finish from close range was denied by the offside flag just after the quarter-hour mark.
County named four trialists in the first-half eleven, with one of them having a header saved 20 minutes in after a well-delivered corner from the left.
The breakthrough did arrive just after the half hour though when cultured striker Bony seized on a through ball, picked his spot and slotted home with ease from the edge of the box for 1-0.
Another of County’s on-trial contingent was the goalkeeper, and he needed to make an impressive save to smother a Cardiff Met effort that was curled in from the right of the box.
Sam Bowen was the next to have a go for County and he struck over the bar from distance shortly before the half-time break in Cardiff.
The Exiles started the second half brightly too, as Lewis Collins rattled the bar with a dipping, swerving shot from range that came back off the top of the woodwork before Cardiff Met cleared.
Collins had another chance shortly after, but this time he shot over the bar rather than against it, after good inter-play from Bony and Lewys Twamley.
Our trialist keeper than had to make a superb diving save to parry a strike from 30 yards out for a corner, which County dealt with.
Jack Karadogan, who was introduced off the bench just after the hour, was denied with an under-pressure shot from close range after he did all the hard work himself to slalom past some Cardiff Met bodies to get into the box.
A minute later though, County did get their second goal.
Harrison Page’s superb tackle to deny a one-on-one opportunity for the hosts sparked a quick counter-attack for Newport, with the ball being worked to Twamley who fed Rai.
Rai then played a through ball to Preston-Watkins who rounded the on-rushing Cardiff Met keeper brilliantly to set up the easy tap-in for 2-0 on 76 minutes.
Three minutes later it was three for Newport. Rai this time was on the end of a through ball, and he too finished wonderfully past a charging keeper, dinking it past him as the ball rolled home for 3-0 in the 79th minute.
Newport County: Trialist, Harrison Page, Harrison Bright (Kyle Hancock ’82), Evan Cadwallader, Lewys Twamley (Mal Graham ’80), Trialist (Finn Coleman ’80), Trialist (Josh Edwards ’61), Sam Bowen (Jack Karadogan ’61), Lewis Collins (Kiban Rai ’61), Wilfried Bony (Noah Preston-Watkins ’61), Trialist
Subs not used: Evan Ovendale, Tom McAllum, Ryan Shallis