Newport City 0-2 Caldicot Town

Newport City suffered a disappointing defeat against high flying Caldicot Town, as the Steelmen endured a day to forget at the Cardiff House of Sport (where City hosted the game on a temporary basis).

Caldicot came out of the blocks quickly; and easily carved open the Steelmen’s defence on many occasions during the opening half. Both Laurent Ngunjoh and Jackson Dean struck a couple of golden opportunities inches wide, while Mathew James powered a header narrowly over from a corner. The visitors came close again when a pass across face of goal forced Joe Cashman into a last-ditch clearance, denying Benjamin Smith a simple tap in.

Caldicot’s relentless pressure finally paid off; and it came as no surprise when they eventually took the lead in the 17th minute. The goal came when Benjamin Smith darted down the left channel, before delivering a low pass into area where Dean was free to convert a low finish. The visitors almost doubled their lead when Ngunjoh saw his strong effort well saved by Travis Wood, before the latter instantly blocked a rebounded strike from Samuel Swann.

Another moment of concern ensued for City when Travis Wood was penalised for grabbing a pass back, leading to a free kick being awarded inside the area. The resulting set piece was stuck hard by Luke Evans into the City wall, before the ball was cleared off the line by Spencer Wood. Things soon got worse for Travis Wood as he was adjudged to have wiped out Smith on the edge of the area, leading to a straight red card being shown from the referee. With no goalkeeper named on the substitute bench, defender Jordan Francombe was sent between the sticks for the reminder of the game.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Steelmen almost levelled the score before the interval. A 15 yard free kick effort from Dean Clifford was deflected inches over the bar, while Adam Kaplan saw his strike from 6 yards out grasped by Caldicot keeper Matthew Sandiford.

HT 0-1

City restarted the game well; and applied an early spell of pressure. The Steelmen twice came close to levelling through Ethan Wynne who powered a header just over the bar, while the Northern Irishman also saw another header grasped by Sandiford.

Caldicot eventually regained control and almost doubled their lead when a chipped effort by Ngunjoh drifted narrowly wide, while the striker also saw a curling shot well captured by Francombe. The makeshift keeper also produced another fine save, as he grasped a close range effort from Ben Donoghue at the near post. The visitors’ persistence finally paid off when they scored their second in the 72nd minute, effectively ending the game as a contest. The goal came when Ngunjoh saw his well-placed shot from edge of area smack both the inside right & left posts, before the ball crawled over the line into the bottom left corner.

Despite their setback, City continued to chase for a consolation goal and came close on a couple of occasions. A 15 yard free kick effort from Rhyse Hudson was deflected into the hands of Sandiford, while Ryan Clemson nodded a header wide of the left post. The visitors ultimately saw out the closing stages efficiently, sealing a miserable evening for the Steelmen.

FT 0-2

Newport City Line-Up:

T Wood, Francombe, S.Wood, Hole, Cashman, Mickiewicz, Wynne, Hudson (Sub: Price), Clifford (Sub: Leigh), Hill (Sub: Clemson), Kaplan

Subs not used – Corten, Jenkins