In November, Stockport County arrived at Rodney Parade looking to make history. David Challinor’s men had won 12 games in a row, with the league record of 13 just ninety minutes away. National press filled the press box, hoping to witness a historic win, with many pundits predicting a comfortable win for the visitors.
Unfortunately for them, Newport County and Graham Coughlan had other ideas. Let’s hit rewind and revisit that November afternoon ahead of Saturday’s trip to Stockport.
The opening ten minutes made it clear to Stockport that win number 13 was not going to be handed to them. Tough tackles flew across the park, and their only real opportunity of the opening exchanges was a fluffed effort from Tanto Olaofe on the 10-minute mark.
James Clarke, returning to the side after a spell on the sidelines, was in dominant form, keeping Tanto Olaofe and Kyle Wooton at bay throughout the half. The visitors' best efforts were half-chances, with Clarke deflecting one of their best efforts wide.
Our resilience at the back and in the middle was repaid with a goal just on the stroke of half-time. A fantastic free-kick routine saw Bryn Morris drive home a delightful effort from the edge of the area, sending us one to the good and no doubt changing the half-time team talks.
The late goal inspired Newport heading into the second half, with the team coming out in fierce form.
Will Evans was denied a clear-goal-scoring opportunity early in the half when Ibby Touray brought him down as he raced through on goal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make the resulting free kick count. However, this was a clear sign of our intent to put the game to bed.
And we did just that in the 68th minute. Shane McLoughlin, who had been the architect for the first goal, fired home a stunning volley to send Rodney Parade into the rafters.
The visitors grabbed a consolation in the 96th minute, with Olaofe fumbling the ball over the line in front of the travelling contingent. The game would end 2-1, with Stockport having to settle for a joint record with Luton Town.
You can buy tickets for Newport's trip to Stockport County by clicking HERE.