Newport County are on the verge of winning the Blue Square South title after a 3-1 victory at Weymouth on Saturday.
The Exiles may only need three more points to wrap up the championship and they could come on Friday night against Bishop’s Storford at Spytty Park.
They could be declared champions if results go their way on Saturday but it will definitely be confirmed with a victory next Monday against Havant and Waterlooville, also at Spytty Park.
Newport fans travelled en masse to make up the majority of the crowd at Weymouth and they were celebrating after just three minutes when a long goal-kick from Glyn Thompson was turned into the path of Kerry Morgan by Stuart Douglas. Morgan had space on the top of the penalty area to fire a shot past the right hand of the Weymouth goalkeeper and County were ahead.
Weymouth, despite lying bottom of the Blue Square South, were trying to play some inventive football and twice got in behind the Newport defence. But going backwards they look very nervous and Sam Foley and Douglas could both have doubled the lead when in on goal.
A Danny Rose free-kick was also well beaten-away by the Weymouth goalkeeper in an entertaining first half that showed no signs of the division-wide gap between the two teams.
Somehow Morgan didn’t extend the Newport lead as County came out determined to close the game out in the second period. Morgan was thwarted by an unbelievable goal-line clearance after good work down the left wing by Sam Foley had presented a clear chance eight-yards out but Morgan’s well-struck shot was cleared by the knee of Scott Dixon.
Newport were then punished for failing to take their chances as a terrible header by Thompson, rushing out of his penalty area to clear a long ball, bounced kindly for Josh Llewellyn, who hooked a shot over several defenders into an empty net to level for Weymouth.
But the champions-elect struck back in the fashion of champions. Directly from the re-start a long ball was taken down the right wing by Foley, who swung in a tantalising delivery from the goal-line. The Weymouth keeper misjudged the cross, which presented a simple chance for Rose to head home to make it 2-1.
The class of Foley was on show again for a wonderful third which killed the game with six minutes left. He advanced into the Weymouth half and unleashed a shot from 30-yards which whistled past the goalkeeper and found the bottom-left corner. A great strike from Foley and a result which leaves the Exiles on the cusp of the Blue Square South title.
the Exiles.
By Alex Winter
Alex is a journalism student and edits the Gloucestershire cricket blog, The Shire Blog
