Newport - 4

ALTHOUGH a bottom of the table Abergavenny were undone by a top of the division Newport side on Saturday, they can take heart that they gave a reasonable account of themselves against a side of Newport's calibre.

The first half was a rather scrappy affair, made more so by the appalling pitch condition. With loose sand on top of the pitch, the ball speed was low, and dribbling skills were made more difficult.

It was Newport that made the first breakthrough, beating stand-in keeper Luke Rees on the right post with a good piece of skill, and a good shot, but Abergavenny were never out of the game, and managed to get one of their own from a short corner which was deftly converted by Tom O Leary.

Abergavenny were then gifted an extra advantage when one of the most influential Newport players was sin-binned.

Despite being a man to the good, Aber were never quite able to convert this pressure to points.

Ironically, when the Newport player returned from the sin bin, unmarked, fresh and rested, he turned the tables in his team's favour by slotting in a second Newport goal.

Unbelievably, Abergavenny, then with the bit between their teeth, stormed up the field, and slammed one in for themselves through Tom O' Leary.

Unfortunately with five minutes to go, Newport were graced with a short corner, and despite several excellent defence tackles from John Meredith, Alex Morgan, Geraint Davies, and in particular man of the match Peter Hewinson, the ball was lifted into the net to make it 3-2.

Throwing caution to the winds, Abergavenny piled forward with the inevitable risk of conceding a fourth, and despite several close incidents and a short corner, Newport were able to hang on, clearing the ball to the lone striker sitting deep in the Abergavenny defence.

Consequently a moment before the final whistle, Newport made it 4-2, leaving Abergavenny to rue what might have been.

Despite Abergavenny playing reasonable well against a top team, a further defeat leaves them in a precarious position in the table. Although the table is crowded, there is clear space beginning to open between Abergavenny and their rivals – space which Aber must close soon, or be relegated back to the division from whence they came.