NEWPORT County AFC got over the line to secure a place in the League Two play-offs thanks to Jamille Matt's late leveller at Morecambe. Here are the talking points...
The Exiles just never give up
Michael Flynn’s men never like to do these things the easy way and, in truth, they performed pretty poorly for much of this match.
County were 1-0 down after 20 minutes and it could have been two or three after the break as defenders and midfielders were sacrificed for attackers and gaps were left at the back as they searched for the goal they needed.
Joe Day was once again in fine form as he kept his side in the contest, but you always felt that there might be more late drama. The visitors kept plugging away, refusing to give up on their play-off dream, and they were rewarded for their perseverance with an 87th-minute equaliser.
Matt finish makes it 20 for the season
Flynn said this time last year that he wanted a 20-goal-a-season striker and 12 months on he’s got two.
Padraig Amond has got the lion’s share of the plaudits this season but Matt is only two goals behind him now on 20 to the Irishman’s 22.
It’s the 29-year-old’s most successful season by far in the Football League and it was fitting, after all his hard work in a bruising campaign, that he was the man to seal County’s place in the play-offs.
Aaron Collins looks like a real handful
All the pre-match talk was of the threat posed by bogeyman Kevin Ellison, but it was another familiar face who threatened to ruin County’s day.
Collins took advantage of some shaky defending from his old Exiles academy pal Regan Poole to control a high ball and hammer it past Day in the 20th minute. And he was denied a second by an excellent save from his former teammate after the break.
His display will have impressed Flynn, who has always been a big fan of the youngster, and he is a free agent this summer. Could the 21-year-old return for a third spell at his hometown club?
The final #SkyBetLeagueTwo table for 2018/19.
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) May 4, 2019
What an incredible season - a credit to each and every club involved.#EFL pic.twitter.com/0VK8Yu2Juh
Momentum with County, not Mansfield
The Exiles will now host Mansfield Town in the first leg of the play-off semi-final at Rodney Parade on Thursday night (kick-off 7.45pm) before the return leg next Sunday (kick-off 6pm).
It won’t be an easy task. County have won just two of the 12 meetings between the sides since both were promoted to League Two in 2013 and they have taken some real beatings at Field Mill in recent memory.
But they are on a 10-game unbeaten run and have all the momentum having timed their run to perfection to claim seventh spot.
Mansfield have lost their last three games and they could find it hard to pick themselves up after the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion after yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at MK Dons. It could be the perfect time to tame the Stags.
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