The 83 travelling Exiles who made the 444-mile round trip to Lancashire were rewarded for their efforts as Newport made it back-to-back wins with a 2-1 victory over Morecambe.
Manager Graham Coughlan named an unchanged side to the one that defeated Stockport County on Saturday, with James Clarke, Matt Baker and Seb Palmer-Houlden all keeping their spots in the starting Iine up. In a major boost, Harry Charsley made his return from injury to feature on the bench.
On a cold Tuesday night in Lancashire, a lively opening ten minutes set the tone for the rest of the half. Shane McLoughlin swung a free-kick in early for Newport, but we were unable to divert it goalwards in the sixth minute.
The hosts scored the evening’s first goal in the 12th minute. Some good work in midfield from Eli King found Adam Mayor on the left-hand side. He played the ball into the feet of Michael Mellon in the box, with the striker turning and firing low into the corner past Townsend.
Morecambe began to control possession in the middle of the park but were unable to create another clear opportunity, with Yann Songo’o and Tom Bloxham both delivering dangerous balls into the box that couldn’t be met.
The tide started to turn in the 24th minute. A corner came to Bennett on the edge of the area, with the midfielder driving a deflected shot into the box. It then fell to the feet of Evans, with the resulting effort going high and wide.
Morecambe would then hand Evans another chance five minutes later, and the striker would punish them. James Clarke met a corner at the back post, with his header stopped by Adam Smith. Omar Bogle would follow up and have a shot blocked, only for it to fall at the feet of Evans to grab his 11th of the season with a simple finish into an open net.
The hosts looked for an instant response. Some nice link-up play on the outside of the box saw Adam Mayor play a clever pass to JJ McKeiran, with the midfielder firing his shot over the bar.
As the half came to a close, Morecambe would come the closest to breaking the deadlock. First, a shot by Farrend Rawson was deflected wide, and then the resulting corner was headed off the crossbar by McKiernan in the 43rd minute.
The Exiles still found the time to have another chance in first-half stoppage time. Omar Bogle ran at the backline, with his effort being deflected wide by a stubborn Morecambe defence. This was the last notable chance of the half, with both teams going in level.
Half-time
Both sides returned to the field unchanged, and after a slow start, it was Morecambe who grabbed the first chance of the half. Tom Bloxham broke away down the right, serving the ball up on a plate for Adam Mayor with a dangerous pass that beat Townsend, but the midfielder put the ball inches wide in the 52nd side.
They would regret that miss four minutes later when Seb Palmer Houlden met a cross at the back-post to head past Adam Smith and grab his first goal since returning from injury, putting us 2-1 ahead in the 57th minute.
Seb Palmer-Houlden's attacking presence remained a threat, with the striker nearly forcing an error from Smith in the 66th minute following a short stoppage in play. That would be his final contribution to the game, with the striker receiving a standing ovation from the away end as he was substituted for Kiban Rai in the 69th minute.
Omar Bogle came close to doubling our lead in the 71st minute. The striker dispossessed a Morecambe defender on the edge of the area in the 71st minute before driving a powerful effort just wide of the target.
Bogle nearly turned provider two minutes later, playing a ball into the box onto the head of Will Evans, with the striker putting the ball into the hands of a grateful Adam Smith.
In the 77th minute, Shane McLoughlin played a corner onto Bryn Morris on the edge of the area, but the midfielder couldn't keep his shot down, driving it high over the bar.
The Shrimps would come close to an equaliser in the 79th minute. Adam Mayor, a constant threat throughout the game, ran into the area and played the ball back to Mellon. The strike drove a powerful effort goalward but was denied superbly by the ever-dependable Nick Townsend in the Newport goal.
The travelling fans were on their feet in the 82nd minute when they welcomed Harry Charsley back to the team. The midfielder, who had been out of action since September, replaced Will Evans.
The hosts would create a series of corners and half-chances in the dying minutes, but Nick Townsend and a resilient backline were happy to meet them all as Newport held out for a 2-1 win to make it two wins in four days and end Morecambe's unbeaten home run.
Full-time
Newport will now turn their attention to Saturday's FA Cup second-round tie with Barnet. Fans can purchase tickets for the game here.
Newport County: Townsend, Payne, Delaney (C), Clarke, McLoughlin, Baker, Bennett, Morris, Palmer-Houlden (Rai 69'), Bogle, Evans (Charsley 82').
Substitutes: Maxted, Bondswell, Waite, Wood, Rai, Sanca, Charsley.
Morecambe: Smith, Tutonda (Melbourne 78'), Bedeau, Rawson (C), Songo’o (Taylor 78'), Bloxham, King, Mellon, McKiernan, Mayor, Senior.
Substitutes: Pedley, Slew, Stokes, Davenport, Taylor, Walker, Melbourne.
Attendance: 2,982 (83 away)