LUTON 3 COUNTY 0

The Hatters took the lead on just four minutes when Luke Wilkinson headed home from a corner after Jamie Stephens had made a fingertip save to deny Jonathan Smith.

The hosts were totally in the ascendancy and looking to put Newport out of sight, but the Exiles survived some testing moments and should have gone into the break at least level, Lee Minshull hitting the crossbar with a header and Shaun Jeffers denied twice, once by a brilliant Mark Tyler save and once by his own feet betraying him at the vital moment.

And minutes into the second half it was game, set and match to Luton as Stephens made a really poor judgement and tried to punch a ball that was never his, allowing Luke Rooney to smash home into an empty net.

The Exiles were again not to be denied from a really decent effort at reducing the arrears, but super stops from man of the match Mark Tyler denied Rene Howe, Chris Zebroski and Jeffers again as the hosts held firm.

Stephens at least partially made up for his error, however, by denying Mark Cullen the chance to add an undeserved gloss to proceedings, before the visitors did net a third in stoppage time through sub Jake Howells.