In the denseness of gun smoke brave Newport's mini-revival came to a dramatic halt as a quartet of missiles floored them in a brutal Peaky Blinders assault at Rodney Parade, writes Tony Rees.
Cannons roared, as vitriol flared with six players booked - County's spirited display derailed as a brace of Ryan Finnigan bullets, the flashing blades of Daniel Kanu and Rico Browne also spilling County blood.
Kai Whitmore's rocket response and a goal from Ged Garner bit back, but too many chinks in the County rear-guard allowed the Sadlers to show just why they dwell at the summit of League Two.
This was a crazy encounter with five strikes in the opening half, but County remain rock bottom of the Football League and seeking a first home points maximum in almost eight months - despite grabbing a lead here and winning four out of their last five matches coming into this crunch.
Newport were unaltered for the third successive game, which meant skipper Lee Jenkins had shrugged off a cut eye sustained in last Saturday's Emirates FA Cup triumph over Gillingham to take his place at the heart of defence - the Exiles continuing to favour a diamond midfield blueprint, with playmaker Kai Whitmore feeding Courtney Baker-Richardson and Garner at the cutting edge.
The visitors, residing adjacently to Birmingham's Spaghetti Junction,, made one alteration to their line-up that demolished National Conference Eastleigh 3-0 in the FA Cup first round last weekend - centre linkman Finnigan slotting in for Brandon Comley.
the table-topping Sadlers, led by towering ex-Bristol City centre back Aden Flint, boast the tightest rear guard in the section, yet their attack was showing it's teeth only 28 seconds after kick off.
Aaron Presley lashed a glorious chance over the bar after Courtney Clarke had ghosted inside from the left, before Whitmore rose highest to nod a volley from the aforementioned Clarke off the line with Exile keeper Jordan Wright stranded.
Former Grimsby man Wright then beat back an angled Kanu blast as swaggering Walsall moved into top gear. Yet the stunned Sadlers trailed to a sharp Newport counter in the 17th minute.
Garner raced free on the right and squared for Whitmore to send a 20-yard right-foot screamer past Myles Roberts. It was the ex-Haverfordwest man's third goal of the campaign.
Yet, that flash of brilliance had been eclipsed by the ruthless Midlanders with three bullets piercing brave County's armour inside 20 astonishing minutes.
Kanu had levelled for the Sadlers less than 60 seconds later - this the prelude to rampaging Finnigan bagging a brace on 19 and 37 minutes leaving the Exiles shellshocked.
Newport were rocking, but their new-found resilience showed as they sprang from the canvas, to roar back seven minutes on, Garner spinning onto Baker-Richardson's cushioned header, the ex-Barrow striker squeezing his left-footer past stretching Roberts' right hand.
It was spell-binding stuff with the excellent Sammy Braybrooke guilefully prompting centrally. Newport defensive frailty was fatally exposed again just seven minutes into the restart, though - Browne bundling home Evan Weir's out-swinging left-side corner in a congested box.
Tempers flared before and after the hour - referee Ben Atkinson showing yellow to County's Braybrooke, Habeeb Ogunneye, Ben Lloyd and Whitmore - Walsall's Connor Barrett and Flint also cautioned in separate incidents as the fires crackled..
Newport County [4-3-1-2]
28 Jordan Wright
22 Habeeb Ogunneye
15 Lee Jenkins [Capt]
2 Cameron Evans
12 Joe Thomas
44 Sammy Braybrooke
11 Cameron Antwi
20 Ben Lloyd
14 Kai Whitmore
9 Courtney Baker-Richardson
19 Ged Garner
Bench
1 Nik Tzanev
3 Anthony Glennon
6 Ciaran Brennan
7 Bobby Kamara for Lloyd 68mins
23 Michael Reindorf for Whitmore 68 mins
25 Akin Odimayo for Thomas 28 mins
27 Moses Alexander-Walker
Walsall [3-5-2]
1 Myles Roberts
33 Rico Browne
4 Aden Flint [Capt]
30 Evan Weir
2 Connor Barrett
8 Charlie Lakin
29 Ryan Finnigan
17 Courtney Clarke
18 Vincent Harper
15 Daniel Kanu
19 Aaron Pressley
Bench
37 Albert Adomah for Kanu 77 min
25 Jid Okeke for Weir 90 + 2 mins
6 Priestly Farquharson for Browne 77 mins
26 Lewis Warrington for Finnigan 77 mins
12 Sam Hornby
31 Rico Richards
9 Jamille Matt for Pressley 69 mins
Attendance 4,300 [643 visiting fans]
Referee - Ben Atkinson
Assistants - Niall Feltham & Steven Plane
Fourth Official - Peter Lowe
