SUBSTITUTE Padraig Amond earned Newport County AFC a 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient at Rodney Parade. Here are the talking points...
Return of the King
After sitting and watching as Nick Townsend claimed his number one shirt and kept it for eight matches, Tom King was finally back in the starting XI for a league game for the first time since November 2.
The Wales hopeful didn’t enjoy the best of starts to his return as he had to pick the ball out of his net after only a minute but he couldn’t be blamed for the sloppy marking that allowed Ruel Sotiriou a free header 10 yards out.
And King looked solid thereafter and more assured with his distribution than Townsend, who has made some vital saves for the Exiles in recent weeks.
Amond proves a point
There were a few eyebrows raised when Michael Flynn withdrew his top scorer at half-time at Exeter City on Boxing Day and then opted to leave him on the bench from the start against Orient.
The manager explained that he wanted to utilise Tristan Abrahams’ extra pace in getting beyond the visitors’ high defensive line but that game-plan went out of the window after went ahead so early and then were content to sit deeper.
Ever the professional, Amond studied the game closely and figured out how he could hurt the opposition when he came on. And he made a big difference once he did come on, rescuing a point with a superb strike and almost creating a winner on a couple of occasions.
It's looking tight at the top!
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) December 29, 2019
Here's your final #SkyBetLeagueTwo table of 2019!#EFL pic.twitter.com/7o1RDi1HUn
Still no win, but plenty of positives
A draw wasn’t the result that County wanted and it means that they have now gone nine games without a win in League Two, taking just three points from a possible 27 since the last victory on October 19.
But, aside from a worrying opening 10 minutes or so, this was an encouraging performance from Flynn’s men and built on a battling display at Exeter on Boxing Day.
The Exiles recovered well from the hammer blow of conceding so early and looked the better side for the majority of the match, creating plenty of chances with 19 shots on goal. It feels like that elusive win is coming.
Fitting tribute to Justin Edinburgh
Full marks to County for doing their former manager and his family proud on an emotional day at Rodney Parade.
The tributes before and during the match brought both sets of fans together to remember the man who won promotion for both clubs and the half-time presentation involving former players David Pipe, Max Porter, Lee Minshull and Aaron O‘Connor and Charlie, Cydnie and Kerri Edinburgh was well judged.
Even the end result was fitting. As Flynn said afterwards: “Justin Edinburgh is someone I miss dearly. He's so well-respected, not just at this club and Leyton Orient, but throughout football.
“And it looks like he couldn't decide who he wanted to win today – that's why we went to a draw.”
Read more: Newport County boss 'fuming' after 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient
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