A goal from David McGoldrick and a Macaulay Langstaff brace saw Notts County defeat Newport 3-1 at Rodney Parade.
Our unbeaten league run was brought to an end by Notts County in a 3-1 defeat at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night. First-half goals from Macaulay Langstaff and David McGoldrick and a second from Langstaff in the second half put the visitors 3-0 ahead before a Will Evans penalty secured a late consolation.
Graham Coughlan made one change from the team that won at Walsall at the weekend, with Harry Charsley replacing Aaron Wildig. Harrison Bright and Matty Bondswell both returned to the bench.
Visiting manager Stuart Maynard made several changes to his starting XI as he looked to steady the Magpies' form. Debutant Luca Ashby-Hammond and Lewis Macari were brought into the team to replace Aidan Stone and Aaron Nemane.
The opening five minutes of the game saw few clear-cut chances. Newport's high press put pressure on the Notts backline, but the visitors kept their composure. The first real chance of the game fell to Jodi Jones. The lively midfielder fired a curling effort at Nick Townsend in the 8th minute, but the keeper was equal to it.
Leading goalscorer Will Evans went for his own long-range effort on the ten-minute mark, only for the striker's effort to go high and wide. Less than sixty seconds later, a tantalising cross from Adam Lewis nearly found Evans, with Ashby-Hammond denying him by getting a fist on it.
We would come close to opening the scoring shortly after. Evans found Lewis on the left, with the defender playing a dangerous ball across the face of the goal, which came agonisingly close to being poked over the line by Seb Palmer-Houlden.
The visitors nearly took the lead in the 17th minute. John Bostock found Jodi Jones breaking down the left. The league's leading assist provider played a dangerous ball across the box to David McGoldrick, with the veteran striker smashing the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
This would mark a shift in the game's momentum, with the visitors beginning to create more opportunities. Bostock nearly grabbed an assist three minutes later, playing a ball over the top to Macaulay Langstaff, but the striker failed to make a clean connection.
Unfortunately, he would not be so wasteful with his next opportunity. Scott Robertson played the ball wide to Jodi Jones, who took the ball into the box and played it across to the striker, who headed home to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
We instantly went in search of an equaliser. First, Will Evans had a volley deflected inside the area before Harry Charsley was teed up outside the box, firing a volley just wide of the County goal in the 26th minute.
Notts attempted to double their lead with a volley of their own on the half-hour mark. David McGoldrick took the ball down outside the area, firing his effort just wide of the post. They would pile on the pressure again a couple of minutes later, with Jones playing a dangerous ball to McGoldrick, which he headed back across goal, only for it to be cleared by Ryan Delaney.
Our response was instant. Wildig played the ball on the edge of the area to an overlapping McLoughlin, with the defender having his effort pushed around the post by Ashby-Hammond for a corner.
Macauley Langstaff, the night's first scorer, would turn provider for Notts County's second in the 34th minute. Dan Crowley found the striker in space down the right, and he played the ball across the face of goal for David McGoldrick to tap home.
Chances would continue to elude us as the clock ticked towards half-time. Shane McLoughlin played a dangerous cross late in the half, only for nobody to make a clean connection. Our last meaningful chance of the game fell to Adam Lewis. The defender got on the end of a Shane McLoughlin cross, but the resulting volley went wide of the post.
Half time
Both teams came out full of attacking intent at the start of the second half, and it was the visitors who had the first clear opportunity in the 50th minute. Dan Crowley won the ball on the edge of the box, playing in Macaulay Langstaff, who was thwarted by Nick Townsend.
Our first effort of the half came two minutes later when Shane McLoughlin's cross from the right-hand side was spilt by Ashby-Hammond and went out for a corner. The keeper would redeem himself, rising to beat the Newport attack and punch the ball clear.
There was no let-up, as Notts County went in search of a third on the counter. Macaulay Langstaff found himself in the box again, with his effort going just wide of the mark in front of the travelling Notts contingent.
We came close to opening our account for the night in the 55th minute, with Luca Ashby-Hammond fumbling at a Matty Baker effort, which ended up going just over the bar.
Notts would grab their third of the evening in the 59th minute. Jodi Jones swung in a ball from the right, which was met at the back post by Macaulay Langstaff, with the striker heading home to complete his brace.
The visitors nearly added a fourth to their tally in the 64th minute. Macaulay Langstaff played David McGoldrick through, with the striker forcing a brilliant finger-tip save from Nick Townsend. Jodi Jones would follow up just after with a strike from outside the box, which Townsend was comfortably able to gather.
Coughaln would utilise all five of his substitutions throughout the second half, with Lewis Payne, Offrande Zanzala, Luke Jephcott, James Waite, and Matty Bondswell all making appearances.
Offrande Zanzala would make his presence felt in the 88th minute. The striker was brought down after a tussle in the area, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot. Will Evans would then step up and convert, pulling the scoreline back to 3-1.
We came close to grabbing a second with 93 minutes on the clock. Will Evans forced a great save from Ashby-Hammond, with Scot Bennett firing the rebounding volley off the post. This would be the last action of the evening, with the game ending 3-1.
Newport will look to bounce back immediately when we welcome Gillingham to Rodney Parade. You can purchase tickets for the game here.
Newport County: Townsend, Delaney (C) (Payne 57'), Clarke, Baker, Lewis (Bondswell 80'), McLoughlin, Bennett, Morris (Waite 80'), Charsley (Zanzala 64'), Evans, Palmer-Houlden (Jephcott 64').
Substitutes: Maxted, Payne, Zanzala, Waite, Bright, Bondswell, Jephcott.
Notts County: Ashby-Hammond, Cameron (C) (O'Brien 84'), Crowley, Langstaff, Jones (Nemane 71'), Baldwin, Bostock (Morias 84'), McGoldrick (Austin 71'), Robertson, Macari (Macari 84'), Warner.
Substitutes: Stone, O'Brien, Austin, Nemane, Chicksen, Mahovo, Morias.
Attendance: 4,426 (423 away)