Red Card Decision Costs County Dear

 

Luton Town 2-0 Newport County 

     Saturday, 7 January 2012

      Kenilworth Road, Luton

Referee Karl Evans unintentionally made himself the centre of attention at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon when his controversial decision to send off County debutant Ryan Charles for a two footed challenge on Dan Gleeson, who was substituted shortly afterwards, proved to be the turning point of the game.

With new signings Ryan Charles and Andy Sandell both finding themselves drafted straight into the starting line up, the return of Sam Foley after suspension and the return of 30 year old goalkeeper Glyn Thompson in place of the transfer listed Danny Potter, Newport’s side had a considerably different composition to the side that had performed so poorly at Bath City a few days earlier.  The fresh faces were instrumental in helping to provide the kind of commitment that had been so desperately lacking four days earlier and the net result was a much more competitive County side that restricted Luton to only a couple of half chances in the first half hour of the game.

Despite the encouraging performance, one issue which Tim Thraves picked up on in his commentary, which Justin Edinburgh will need to address, was the tendency for Newport’s back four to retreat when the Luton forwards ran at them.  On occasion this allowed the home side far too much space and time in dangerous positions on the field.  One such example was when Alex Lawless was given far too much room on the left hand edge of the penalty box. As the County players finally tried to close down the space, Lawless deftly dropped his right shoulder and, flicking the ball with his left foot, suddenly discovered that he had taken both Newport players out of the game. 

This issue aside though, County remained fairly comfortable until the 32nd minute when Ryan Charles, in attempting to recover a ball that he had kicked too far in front of him, launched into a tackle with both feet off the ground.  Whilst the studs were faced down and neither leg got particularly far off the ground, referees have been instructed to issue red cards for such dangerous tackles this season.  Although Justin Edinburgh deemed the decision to be harsh, County player Nat Jarvis indicated that the red card was deserved given the nature of the tackle.  Such differing opinions, even within the Newport camp, demonstrate the difficulty referees have in making these borderline judgment calls.

Ryan Charles sees red on his debut after a two footed challenge on Dan Gleeson (photograph courtesy of Sam Shingler)

The impact of the sending off was immediately apparent as Luton were ahead within two minutes.  A relatively short and innocuous looking corner was met by Aaron O’Connor on the near post, though quite some distance away from goal, and his header looped into the far corner of the goal.  With only 10 men on the field and a player down, County had to dig deep in order to stay in the game. However, that crucial three minute spell in the first half effectively determined the outcome of the game, even though it took Luton until the 66th minute to make the game safe as Danny Crow buried a Greg Taylor cross into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

Whilst Newport County, despite the improved performance, failed once again to pick up any points in what was their fourth consecutive league defeat, the club are somehow managing to stay out of the relegation zone.  An example of the dramatic changes that can take place in football comes from the changing fortunes experienced by Newport during the 90 minutes of football on Saturday.  During the middle of the first half, the projected league table showed County dropping to 23rd in the league, with only Bath City beneath them, as Kettering were leading at Telford and Hayes lead at Kiddeminster.  Stockport were moving further ahead of Newport as they were drawing at Gateshead and even Bath were closing the gap as they lead 1-0 at home to Braintree. 

However by full time Kettering’s weak defence had let them down again as Telford ran in 3 goals, Stockport conceded a couple to Gateshead and late goals for Kidderminster against Hayes and Braintree at Bath meant that the overall outcome from the day’s results was positive for Newport.  With Justin Edinburgh hoping to make an additional three signings before the end of the month and the announcement this morning that Robbie Matthews would be leaving Newport for Salisbury, changes continue unabated at Spytty Park and there is rising confidence that Newport will survive, despite the lack of evidence from the results.

Conference Premier League (Bottom)

16	Darlington	28	-5	27
17	AFC Telford	28	-13	27
18	Lincoln City	28	-15	26
19	Stockport County	28	-18	23
20	Newport County	27	-10	22
21	Alfreton Town	28	-29	22
22	Kettering Town	28	-35	22
23	Hayes & Yeading	27	-21	21
24	Bath City	27	-22	18

Before their next engagement with Bath City on 17 January though, Newport have what might be the unwelcome distraction of an FA Trophy match at Worksop.  Justin Edinburgh is likely to see this as a chance to try and build some confidence into the team and to try out different tactics with his new look team, though Ryan Charles will of course be missing after his sending off.

With all six Welsh teams playing at the weekend, why not use the poll on the left to predict which sides will win.  Is there anybody out there who thinks an impressive Swansea side can overcome Arsenal?

From Amber To Amber As Charles Arrives

               Danny Potter                                     Tom Miller

Newport County have acted swiftly to quell the growing concerns about relegation following the 3-2 defeat to Bath City on Tuesday evening by announcing the transfer listing of three players and the signing of two others.  In an e-news statement that was released to the club’s fans prior to the official media announcement this morning, goalkeeper Danny Potter (above left) and Tom Miller, a former Norwich City Young Players’ Player of the Year (above right) were transfer listed, in addition to misfiring County target man Craig McAllister.

 

Craig McAllister in action during home defeat to Ebbsfleet United earlier in the season.

 

 

(All photos reproduced by kind permission of Sam Shingler)

Although there were some concerns and misgivings, the news was met with general approval by the fans. Danny Potter has not managed to find his best form this season, having been accused of failing to command the penalty box, whilst Craig McAllister, despite his work rate and contribution to the team, has simply not scored enough goals to justify his position.  Tom Miller is an undoubted talent who was only signed during the last January transfer window from Irish side Dundalk.  Whilst his ability may mean that he prospers at another club, his contribution to County during the course of the season has been sufficient cause for concern that Justin Edinburgh has felt the need to dispense with his services.

Whilst the transfer listing of three players, two of whom were regular first team players, Justin Edinburgh has sent out a stark warning to the rest of the squad that he is looking for enthusiasm from those who remain and that no player’s position in the side or with the club is safe.  These are strong words but with a daunting task ahead of Newport as they travel to Kenilworth Road to meet third placed Luton Town on Saturday, the addition of a couple of new players and an upsurge of enthusiasm are surely required.

Whilst the gap between Luton Town and the two teams above them makes automatic promotion highly unlikely, the Hatters will expect to finish in the top five and gain promotion to the football league via the play offs. They are comfortably the best supported team in the division and they will see the home game against Newport as an opportunity to close the gap on Wrexham and Fleetwood, both of whom are occupied with the FA Cup this weekend.

If Newport are to restrict the march of Luton back to the football league, they will need to sort out their shaky defence away from home and retain the ball much better than they did against Bath.  Despite the concern about a lack of goals, Newport have actually netted 10 times in the last 4 away games but defensive frailties have meant that they still only came away with four points.  They will hope that the signing of Andy Sandell from Chippenham Town will help to address this issue.  The 28 year old left back, who also has the ability to join in the attack from the left flank, has been a regular for league clubs Bristol Rovers and Aldershot in recent seasons and was a significant squad member for Wycombe Wanderers last season before moving to Chippenham Town.  With 33 career goals at an average of around 6 a season, he has a proven ability to find the net, meaning Justin Edinburgh will have some different attacking options in addition to a player that Newport County will be desperately hoping can fill the troubled left back position.

In addition to Andy Sandell, Newport have also signed Ryan Charles, who is moving from one amber army (Cambridge United) to another, on loan until the end of the season.  Like McAllister, Charles is a player who has been struggling to find the net this season.  However the striker, who can also play as a winger, started his career at Luton Town and spent 9 seasons in the youth team at Kenilworth Road before signing professionally in 2007.  Justin Edinburgh may well be tempted to give Charles his debut against his former club, as the manager seeks to keep Newport out of the bottom four.  However, whilst the striker can be expected to create plenty of problems for Conference defences, Charles is not being brought into the club in the expectation that he will provide the 15-20 goals a season that County so desperately need.  with a career average of a goal in only every 6.5 games, Charles will be expected to create opportunities for the likes of Jarvis whilst hopefully contributing around 10 goals a season himself.

With fresh faces on show and more changes to the squad to come, Newport go into this game with little to lose.  After the defeat at Bath, few are expecting them to get a result and, with the rearranged home game against Bath y now being confirmed for 17 January, County know that the real test of their survival credentials with come with that home game and the subsequent game with Forest Green Rovers at Spytty four days later.

Although County were knocked out of the FA Cup by Shrewsbury Town at the 1st Round stage, why not add your vote to the poll asking which Welsh teams will make the FA Cup 4th Round on the left hand side of this article.

Feel Good Factor Evaporates At Twerton

It took just 90 minutes at Twerton Park on Tuesday evening for the feel good factor that had been established over the New Year to evaporate, as County lost their crucial relegation battle against Bath City 3-2.  The defeat was a stark reminder that, in relegation battles, points on the board are often more valuable than games in hand and undid all the good work Chris Blight and his fellow directors had done in establishing hope, unity and expectation for the remainder of the season.

The evening started well enough for Newport, as Nat Jarvis marked his return to the club with a poachers goal, knocking home the rebound after Andrew Hughes’ cross had hit the post.  However, County’s inability to hold an away lead, already demonstrated in recent times at both Grimsby Town and Alfreton Town, was once again exposed as Bath scored twice in seven minutes through Connelly and Canham to earn a deserved 2-1 lead at the interval, as Bath played the neater football and created the better chances.  Any words of wisdom offered by Justin Edinburgh at half time were then quickly quashed as Bath extended their lead through the impressive Scott Murray, who produced an exquisite dummy to create sufficient space to strike his shot past Danny Potter, the County keeper.  Despite pulling a goal back through a Gary Warren header, Newport were unable to find the equaliser they so desperately needed, meaning that only a superior goal difference is keeping them above the relegation zone.

The inquest into what went wrong was already in full swing by half time, as supporters tried to come to terms with the fact that Newport were being outplayed by a team who were bottom of the league with only two league wins all season.  However, Bath City are a better side than their position currently indicates and this win was another indicator of improved confidence and form after a recent victory over Telford United and draws with Mansfield, Kettering and Cambridge.  The defeat may therefore not be the impending message of doom that many currently think it is.

There are a number of factors that will potentially determine Newport’s fate over the coming months.  The first of these is the pitch at Spytty Park, which is widely acknowledged to be in poor condition.  The picture below, taken by Sam Shingler during the home match with Fleetwood in December, gives a clear indication of the mudbath in the goal mouth.  Given that the pitch is also cutting up in other areas and is in poor condition around the centre circle as well, it is perhaps not surprising that Newport’s home record is so poor.

Photo reproduced with kind permission of Sam Shingler

Captain Gary Warren recently argued that the pitch should be an advantage to Newport because County are used to playing on it, whereas visiting sides are concerned about the conditions and the impact the pitch will have on their passing games.  There is a sense in which there should perhaps be truth in this statement, but County’s home record suggests that the opposite is actually the reality as the club have lost five of their last seven games at Spytty.  Whilst three of those games were against promotion seeking Southport, Luton and Fleetwood, the other two defeats were to Tamworth and Ebbsfleet, teams which, with respect, County need to beat if they want to be playing in the Conference Premier next season.  In contrast, whilst the two recent away defeats against Alfreton and Bath have been a disaster, a record of two wins and three draws from the last eight away games represents excellent form for a team in the lower reaches of the division and suggests that County are actually capable of competing at this level when they play on a decent surface.

The sale of Danny Rose has undoubtedly left a hole in midfield and his absence at Twerton Park, along with that of Sam Foley, contributed to the lacklustre performance.  This leaves Justin Edinburgh with some tough decisions to make during the January transfer window.  The manager has been extremely open in acknowledging that some of the players are not demonstrating the work ethic and commitment required to lift the club out of trouble, but the limited resources at Spytty means that it is not really a financially viable option to release players from their contracts.  The excellent reputation of the manager, who spent much of his playing career at Tottenham Hotpsur, should help to attract players to the club but the decision has to be made as to whether to recruit seasoned professionals who have proven ability at conference level or young hopefuls who have shown promise in the lower leagues.  Purchasing talented youngsters is always a risk in that time may prove them to be insufficiently equipped to cope with football at Conference level, but signing seasoned professionals is just as risky given that they may not have the same level of passion in playing for Newport as a younger player who is trying to progress in the game.  The decision to bring back Nat Jarvis from Cardiff for the remainder of the season looks like a shrewd move, with the player netting in his first game since returning at Twerton Park.  However, it is the midfield that requires the most attention.

The third factor is the supporters themselves.  County are renowned for their vocal and passionate supporters and the very fact that 430 made their way across to Bath for a Tuesday night fixture, given County’s perilous league position, speaks volumes for their commitment and enthusiasm for the club.  With the players facing, to use the old cliché, 20 cup finals between now and the end of the season, it is critically important that the fans remain fully committed to the cause, both in terms of the number of supporters attending matches and in terms of providing positive support.  Attitude is such an important factor in professional sport and having the encouragement and belief of a vocal support that truly believe the club can survive could potentially make all the difference.

Back in 1990-1 Sheffield United, who were newly promoted to the top flight, had gained just 4 points from their opening 17 encounters before Christmas.  The club were marooned at the foot of the table and everybody outside the club had already written the Blades off as relegated.  However, the acquisition of Vinny Jones, a footballer of only average ability but immense leadership quality, helped turn the clubs fortunes around to such an extent that they went on a winning streak of 7 matches and finished 13th in the table.  The incredible thing about that situation was that the fans of the club still believed they could stay up, even when the performances and the statistics clearly stated otherwise.  With that kind of belief and camaraderie at Spytty Park, Newport County too will survive, allowing Justin Edinburgh to build a side in his own mould that will fair much better next season.

Kaitlyn Corner – The Views of a 5 Year Old

 

“I felt sad when Bath won 3-2 because I love Newport so much.  I wish Newport were number 1, at the top.”

I guess that mirrors the thoughts of every Newport County fan.  Let’s hope they stay up this season and then follow Wrexham (hopefully) into the football league next season.