Conference National ground grading. The Rooks have been prevented from qualifying for promotion through the play-offs over the past two seasons and are on course to achieve Conference grading by the deadline.   

 

County recalled Ian Hillier and Lee Collier to bolster the side and again started with a front pairing of Nathan Blake and Matt Green.  

 

The first half was finely balanced with both sides lacking fluency and accuracy in moving the ball. The Rooks had the better chances and Derek Duncan was a constant menace on the left flank. Mark Ovendale made a couple of routine saves from long range efforts before Matt Green forced Paul Wilkerson to tip his lob from the corner of the box over the bar. Ovendale was at full stretch to parry a Jamie Cade rising shot away to safety, and Green nearly broke the deadlock but could not stretch to connect with Jason Bowen's flick-on from Ian Hillier's cross.      

 

In the first period of the second half County were camped in The Rooks half and had corner after corner. A combination of inaccurate delivery and poor positioning at these set pieces played into the hands of an organised Lewes defence. It was only a matter of time before County would carve open the defence and they did so on the hour. Nathan Blake's knock-back eluded the last defender and Nathan Davies had the simple task of beating Wilkerson from only six yards. Davies hit a weak and hesitant shot straight at the grateful keeper.

 

County were to rue this crucial miss. Ovendale had to be acrobatic to tip over a bouncing header from Jean-Michel Sigere before Steve King made the tactical move of the match by replacing Sigere with Paul Booth on 64 minutes. Within five minutes of entering the fray Booth had scored twice and settled the match. Andy Drury won a dubious free-kick on the right which County failed to defend. A static defence allowed several Rooks' attackers to get between Ovendale and the ball at the near post and just when it seemed the ball was in Ovendale's gloves Booth turned it in from close range. Only three minutes later with the away fans howling for a foul on Nathan Blake as play broke down, Jamie Cade spilt the heavy footed County defence with a superb long pass and Booth rounded Ovendale to score his second with composure and precision. County created a number of half chances in the late stages but had already let the game and the points slip from their grasp.               

 

County are failing to win games from a dominant position against seemingly beatable opposition, and are failing to take key chances at crucial stages of matches before making elementary defensive errors. County had thirteen corners in this match and need to go back to the drawing board on both taking and defending set-pieces.  

 

Line Ups:

 

Newport: Ovendale, Hillier (Williams 68), Searle, (C), Davies, Butler, Edwards, Bowen (Hughes 43), Collier, Blake (Alsop 73), Green, Evans Subs Not Used: Thomas, Giles

Lewes: Wilkerson, Robinson (C), Perpetuini, Wormull, Simpemba, Legge, Drury, Holloway, Cade (Farrell 87), Sigere (Booth 64), Duncan Subs Not Used:  Beckford, Storey, Hall

 

Goalscorers:

Lewes:  Booth (66 and 69) 

 

Cautions:

Newport: Butler (foul), Blake (dissent) and Hughes (foul) 

Lewes: Drury (foul), Legge (foul) and Duncan (foul)

 

Officials:

Referee: Harry Lennard (Eastbourne)

Assistants: Graeme Ions and Simon Finnigan

 

Attendance: 494

 

Man of the Match:

Reporter's County Man of the Match: Richard Evans

Official Lewes Man of the Match: Derek Duncan

 

Conditions:

Dry, sunny, humid

 

Match Rating:

3/5