SATURDAY’S defeat at Cambridge United felt like a defining moment of the season for Newport County AFC.

There are still 15 games to go and 45 points to play for but the League Two table does not make pretty reading for County fans.

The Exiles have been bottom of the pile ever since Sido Jombati’s late winner for Wycombe Wanderers at Rodney Parade on November 22.

That strike ended a seven-match unbeaten run and Mark Roberts’ stoppage-time winner at the Cambs Glass Stadium put a halt to another six-match undefeated record.

With their relegation rivals all picking up points, apart from Leyton Orient who lost a six-pointer against Notts County, Westley’s men are now seven points from safety at the bottom of the table.

And anything less than a win over a resurgent Morecambe in Tuesday’s game in hand would leave them cut adrift and seriously dent the belief that this squad can dig themselves out of the hole they are in.

Losing from 2-0 up is always a confidence-sapping experience and the hope that Ryan Bird’s two excellent strikes gave the visitors on Saturday just made the events that followed even more difficult to take.

South Wales Argus:

But the County fans have seen this before from their side – most recently at home to Portsmouth on Boxing Day.

Cambridge had dominated from the off and both of Bird’s goals came against the run of play.

Mark O’Brien and Mickey Demetriou had both cleared shots off the line and goalkeeper Joe Day pulled off some stunning saves to have County believing this could be their day.

But as soon as the hosts pulled one back through substitute Barry Corr, just six minutes after Bird's second, the momentum was with them.

Without the suspended Darren Jones and the injured Sid Nelson and Scot Bennett, Demetriou and stand-in skipper Michael Flynn stood up to the constant pressure for more than an hour but they couldn’t hold back the tide in the closing stages.

“It was going to be a tough afternoon,” said Westley. “I knew that going in. We’d lost Jonah, we’d lost Sid and they’d been instrumental in what we’ve been doing.

“A change of shape was forced on us because we only had O’Brien as a fit centre-half.

“Flynny, who was outstanding, went in at centre back in a back four, which was a change from the back three we’ve been playing.

“Flynny was playing his second game in two years, Mickey was playing his first game in six months – I knew that it was going to be tough for those boys to get through the 90 minutes.

“And one thing you don’t want when you’ve got a back line that’s likely to tire is a sight of a fit and fresh Barry Corr coming on because we all know what a handful he can be.

“It’s a tough place to come at the best of times and with the issues we had it was brilliant to be ahead but if you keep taking the battering that our back line was taking eventually you’re going to sink a little bit, those legs are going to tire and mistakes can happen.

“But I think the lads were magnificent,” he added. “They didn’t look for excuses, they cracked on with the job and they managed to get two very good, very well crafted goals.

“You have to counter attack away from home and we got ourselves ahead and there’s two massive decisions.

“Mickey Demetriou was clearly pushed. Everybody in the ground saw the push apart from the referee.

“That brought it back to 2-2 and gave them a bit of momentum and obviously the unexpected penalty changes the result.”

The push on Demetriou from Corr allowed Leon Legge to head Cambridge level and then, just when it looked like the Exiles would hold on for a point, disaster struck.

Mitch Rose was adjudged to have fouled Luke Berry in the box and was sent off in the 90th minute.

Day saved George Maris’ penalty but Mark Roberts, who illegally entered the area before the spot-kick was taken, hammered home the rebound to seal all three points for the hosts.

South Wales Argus:

The season is not over yet and Westley, not to mention the likes of Flynn and David Pipe, won’t let County go down without a fight.

But we’re at the stage where battling points and brave defeats just won’t do. The Exiles need wins, lots of them and as soon as possible.

County: Day, Pipe, O’Brien, Demetriou, Butler, Flynn, Rose, Sheehan (Barnum-Bobb, 46), Reid (Gordon, 80), Samuel (Owen-Evans, 46), Bird

Subs not used: Bittner, Parselle, Williams, Bojaj

Booked: Demetriou

Sent off: Rose

Referee: Trevor Kettle

Attendance: 4,175 (153 County)