Match Report: Newport County 2-0 Grimsby Town

Grimsby Town were knocked out of the FA Cup at the first round stage as they lost their replay with Newport County at Rodney Parade.

In their first game since parting company with manager Michael Jolley, the Mariners created few clear-cut chances and fell behind shortly after half-time when former Blundell Park favourite Padraig Amond opened the scoring.

And after Mattie Pollock was dismissed for a second bookable offence in added time, Newport made the result safe with a second goal, scored by midfielder Joss Labadie.

Interim boss Anthony Limbrick’s first team selection showed four changes to the Town side that began the initial tie at Blundell Park, with James McKeown, Harry Davis, Elliott Hewitt and Ahkeem Rose coming in for Sam Russell, Ludvig Ohman, Elliott Whitehouse and James Hanson.

McKeown started in goal, with Luke Waterfall, Davis and Pollock forming a centre-back trio.

Hewitt and Liam Gibson operated as wing-backs, with Jordan Cook, Jake Hessenthaler and Ethan Robson taking up midfield roles and Rose joining Matt Green in attack.

The Grimsby substitutes were Russell, Whitehouse, Ludvig Ohman, Harry Clifton, Harry Cardwell and Joe Starbuck.

Newport also made changes for this replay, with Amond restored to the starting line-up after coming off the bench to score the equaliser in Cleethorpes.

Goalkeeper Tom King dropped to the bench after coming back from international duty with Wales, as Nick Townsend took over between the sticks, while Corey Whitely also came into the XI.

An early chance for the Mariners came when a Hessenthaler free kick was not cleared and after the ball came back into the penalty area, it was flicked on for Cook but he could only hit the side-netting from a narrow angle.

A shot from Robson was blocked as Town continued to make the early running, before the visitors won the first corner of the game on nine minutes. Hessenthaler’s delivery was not dealt with but an offside flag eventually brought the attack to an end.

A free kick at the other end was headed away, before Green was flagged offside as the Mariners attacked again on the quarter-hour.

A foul by Hewitt on Whitely gave the hosts a free kick inside the Grimsby half but they were unable to create a chance from it.

Amond sent a volley through to McKeown from the edge of the box after a Newport corner was only half-cleared, then a 20-yard effort from Rose took a deflection for a corner, which was punched clear by Townsend.

Green saw a low shot comfortably stopped by Townsend on 27 minutes, before Cook was caught offside as he headed against the bar after being picked out by a great cross from Hessenthaler.

A foul by Scot Bennett on Rose gave Town a free kick on the right but Robson’s shot from it bounced through to Townsend.

Another free kick came soon afterwards, this time on the Grimsby left, but Robson’s ball had too much height and power and went all the way out for a goal kick.

Newport won a corner on the right on 38 minutes when a cross by Labadie was blocked but Mark O’Brien’s header from the flag-kick bounced wide.

Tristan Abrahams fired wide from the edge of the box soon afterwards, then a foul on Robson gave Town a free kick in a central position but it caused no problems for the home defence.

A free kick at the other end was not dealt with as the ball bounced around the penalty area but it was eventually headed at McKeown by Ryan Inniss.

One added minute was played at the end of a first half which had been low on quality from both sides, with the score remaining goalless at the break.

No changes were made before the restart and Abrahams was shown the first yellow card of the game for a foul on Hewitt two minutes in.

Rose won a corner on the left two minutes later but the ball frrom the flag was cleared. And seconds later, Newport took the lead after a quick counter-attack led to a great ball from Abrahams finding AMOND, who calmly slotted past McKeown.

Rose became the next to be booked, then the striker was in action to clear a Newport corner after the ball from it had been headed towards goal by Ryan Haynes.

Cardwell replaced Green in Town’s first change on 54 minutes but it was now the hosts who were doing most of the attacking and pushing for a second goal.

A Mariners corner on 66 minutes came to nothing, before a Newport corner at the other end was gathered by McKeown at the second attempt.

A more promising sign for Town came when a good ball from Robson found Rose but he could only shoot at keeper Townsend.

Former Grimsby loanee Jamille Matt replaced Whitely with 16 minutes to go, before Clifton came on in place of Rose in the black and white of Town.

Pollock was booked for a foul on Matt as the clock ticked towards the final 10 minutes, before the visitors survived a handball penalty shout as a powerful volley hit Waterfall.

The final Town substitution saw Whitehouse come on for Hewitt with nine minutes remaining, before good defending by Waterfall denied Inniss with a header from Haynes’ cross.

A foul by Josh Sheehan on Clifton gave the away side an opportunity to get the ball into the box from the right on 86 minutes. Sheehan was booked but Robson’s delivery failed to test Townsend or his defence.

As the game moved into five minutes of added time, the Mariners were reduced to 10 men as Pollock was shown a second yellow card for pulling Abrahams down.

And Newport sealed their passage through to round two when LABADIE found the net at the second time of asking after his initial shot had been well saved by McKeown.

The Welsh side will now make the trip to Essex to face Maldon and Tiptree in the next round, while the Mariners are next in action in the league when they travel to Northampton Town on Saturday.


Newport: Townsend, Whitely, O’Brien, Bennett, Inniss, Willmott, Labadie (C), Sheehan. Haynes, Amond, Abrahams.

Subs: King, Howkins, Nurse, Dolan, Maloney, Matt, Poleon.

Town: McKeown (C), Hewitt, Gibson, Davis, Pollock, Waterfall, Cook, Hessenthaler,  Robson, Rose, Green.

Subs: Russell, Öhman, Clifton, Starbuck, Whitehouse, Cardwell.


Attendance: 2,053 (93)


Referee: Darren Handley


Next Up: Northampton Town (A)

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