Cefn Cribwr FC 1-2 Newport City FC | Post-Match Review
Newport City FC continued their cup run on Saturday afternoon on the road, with a 2-1 win away at Cefn Cribwr FC.
The Steelmen wore their new red-away kit for the first time.
A driving run from Gareth Hole won City a free kick in the 24th minute of the match, where Luke Boyle put in a perfect delivery for debutant Gareth Phillips, formerly of Creigiau FC. The new No.7 found himself free at the back post to head home.
The Riders hit back shortly after through Danny Woolfenden when the ball made its way into the six-yard box following a corner. The Cefn forward was there to poke the ball into the net.
Going into half-time, the score was level.
Some great play in the 76th minute from Ethan Wynne in the middle of the park saw Newport regain possession, and as a result, the ball was released to Gareth Hole, who drove past two players and squared the ball to the match winner Dean Clifford. It was a tidy finish slotted into the bottom corner from the 30-year-old.
Manager Sam Houldsworth spoke about his delight after the game, saying: “I am proud of the way in which the team played and the work rate from all the players was the best I have seen all season. We worked well given we were missing both our captain and vice-captain and there were top performances all over the pitch.
“Our back line was superb against a strong opposing front 3 and Marcel [Nzarora] in goal was superb all game. It was great to have a trio of new signings perform well with Ethan [Wynne] winning MOTM, Gareth [Phillips] scoring and Westy [Sam Westhead] looking Pirlo-esque in the middle.
“Our cup form has been excellent this season which is a stark contrast to our league form. The Welsh cup is the big one though and it was brilliant to win against such an impressive and unbeaten team this season.
“Onto Treowen next Saturday as we look to get our first league win and build on this performance.”
Due to the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the tie was brought back a week.