Newport County were defeated 2-0 by Notts County at Rodney Parade on Saturday afternoon.
A well-taken brace from Charlie Whitaker separated the sides as the Exiles lost to the promotion-chasing Magpies.
After conceding early on, County left themselves with a lot of work to do, and a second-half stunner from Whitaker compounded their defeat.
Head coach Nelson Jardim made four changes to the side that faced Grimsby Town last time out, with Cameron Antwi, Josh Martin, Kieron Evans, and Bobby Kamwa all returning to the starting XI.
Keenan Patten also made his long-awaited return from injury to feature on the Exiles' bench.
Notts County opened the scoring early in the game, with Whitaker scoring in five minutes. After a great ball into the box, Whitaker took one touch before calmly slotting into the bottom right corner.
The Exiles looked to hit back quickly, with David Ajiboye bursting into the box, but unfortunately, the winger was crowded out before the danger was cleared well by the Magpies' defence.
David McGoldrick showed his quality as he beat Ciaran Brennan with a well-executed piece of skill before firing into the side netting.
Newport County went close to an equalizer as Martin looked to sting his former club. After a well-worked passing move, Martin weaved his way into the box, but his strike took a deflection and went out for a corner.
Just after the half-hour mark, Nick Tsaroulla had a great chance for the visitors. The right-midfielder found himself with space in the box following a ball across from McGoldrick, but the Cypriot's effort was saved excellently by Nick Townsend, who reacted quickly to the strike.
Once again, it was Martin who looked to cause his old club problems. Bobby Kamwa started the move as he cut into the box, and after a nice piece of footwork, he found Martin, who shifted the ball onto his left foot before firing just wide of the right post.
In the one minute of added time, Notts County almost found a second after a corner into the box. The in-swinging corner fell to Magpies defender Matthew Platt, whose strike was blocked well before the ball fell to George Abbott. His subsequent strike was well defended by Cameron Antwi, who cleared the danger.
Half time
As both sides played their way into the second half, McGoldrick was once again pulling the strings for the Magpies. The striker picked the ball up just outside the box, but his strike went wide of the post.
Another great chance fell to the away team as McGoldrick’s ball into the penalty spot was met by Tsaroulla, but he was unable to get a proper connection on his effort.
In the 63rd minute, the visitors and Whitaker doubled their tally for the afternoon. The attack was orchestrated by McGoldrick, who lifted the ball above Matt Baker before laying it back to Whitaker, whose edge-of-the-box volley found the back of the net.
Minutes later, County put pressure on the Magpies' backline as Martin’s free kick was met by substitute Kai Whitmore, who forced Sam Slocombe to push the ball behind. The subsequent corner was met by Courtney Baker-Richardson, whose headed effort cannoned off the crossbar.
Jardim made another change to the forward line as Michael Spellman came off the bench for Ajiboye.
Another chance fell to Baker-Richardson as he was found in the box by a well-delivered cross from Shane McLoughlin, but the number nine was unable to flick an effort on target.
Following a period of County possession, Kieron Evans attempted to rifle a volley past Slocombe, but his effort was blocked well by the defending Magpies.
The game drew to a close with neither side producing any chances of significance as the visitors secured all three points.
Full Time
Newport County return to Sky Bet League Two action as they host Bromley on Tuesday evening (7:45pm).
Newport County: Townsend, McLoughlin, Baker, Brennan, Glennon, Antwi, Martin (Spellman 73’), K.Evans, Ajiboye (Whitmore 60’), Baker-Richardson, Kamwa.
Substitutes: Webb, C.Evans, Clarke, Patten, Thomas.
Notts County: Slocombe, Bedeau, Platt, Whitaker, McGoldrick (Traore 72’), Palmer (C), Tsaroulla (Gordon 72’), Macari (Johnson 83’), Jatta, Abbott, Jarvis (Grant 73’).
Substitutes: Perott, Hinchy, Edwards.
Attendance: 4,691 (729 away)