GOALS from Ryan Inniss and Scot Bennett earned Newport County AFC a 2-1 win over Bradford City at Rodney Parade. Here are the talking points...
The goal drought is over!
Finally, after seven-and-a-half hours of football in League Two, the Exiles found the net.
And, like the proverbial London buses, two came along almost at once as Bennett’s winner arrived just five minutes after Inniss’ equaliser.
County could and probably should have added more goals while they were well on top at the end of the first half but they did enough to deservedly win the match.
Inniss’ instant redemption
Three days on from the heartbreak of missing the crucial penalty in the Leasing.com Trophy semi-final shootout defeat to Salford City, it was the perfect response from the big centre-back.
Not only did he score the vital equaliser, the 24-year-old also put in a man-of-the-match performance with a commanding display at the back – with several important blocks late on to ensure the Exiles held on for all three points.
At 6ft 5ins, Inniss admits he should score more goals and he wasted one glorious opportunity before finally finding the net yesterday. Hopefully it’s the first of many for him in County colours.
County’s character not in doubt
After a difficult month and a cruel morale-sapping defeat in midweek, many home fans would have feared the worst when Clayton Donaldson headed the visitors in front after 26 minutes yesterday.
But Michael Flynn’s men showed immense character and resilience to force their way back into the game just two minutes later through Inniss and then forge ahead thanks to Bennett’s super strike on 33 minutes.
The Rodney Parade crowd roared their approval and County could have been 4-1 up and with the match done and dusted before half-time but they had to show the other side of their game after the break, defending doggedly to hold on for a big victory.
⬆️⬇️@Official_STFC and @crewealexfc both win to strengthen their grip on the automatic promotion places. @StevenageFC are eight points off safety as they fail to pick up any points away at @crawleytown! #EFL | #SkyBetLeagueTwo pic.twitter.com/gLVuXyEYzK
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) February 22, 2020
The season is not over
It was a big victory for the Exiles because, while they only climbed to 15th in the table, it reeled in ninth-place Bradford a little to keep them within reach.
County still have games in hand over all the teams above them in the table and a win in the first of them – at Grimsby Town on Tuesday – would see them leap up to 10th in the table.
Flynn admitted last week that the play-offs were a long way off and that remains the case but, with 42 points still to play for between now and the end of the campaign on April 25, it’s clear that the season is not over just yet.
Read more: Newport County boss praises players' resilience after fightback against Bradford City
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