Newport County were undone by a blistering first-half performance from Yusaf Akhamrich as Bristol Rovers secured the points at the Memorial Stadium.
The Tottenham Hotspur loanee struck twice inside 18 minutes to set the tone for the contest, before Fabrizio Cavegn added a late third to complete the victory for the hosts.
Despite a committed display from Christian Fuchs’ side, Newport County were unable to contain Akhamrich’s pace and quality in the final third, with the Moroccan attacker producing a decisive individual performance.
Head coach Christian Fuchs named James Crole for his full Football League debut following his move from Penybont, while Liam Shephard operated at wing-back and Lee Jenkins returned to a back three alongside Matt Baker and Ryan Delaney.
Rovers, themselves in need of a result after a difficult run of form, made several changes and were quickly into their rhythm in front of a strong home crowd.
Newport County threatened early when Ciaran Brennan struck the side netting from an Anthony Glennon corner, but the hosts soon took control.
The breakthrough arrived on 12 minutes when Akhamrich latched onto a loose clearance from a corner and unleashed a powerful 18-yard strike beyond Jordan Wright.
The winger continued to cause problems and doubled his tally on 30 minutes, bursting past the Newport defence before finishing low and clinically.
Jordan Wright made further saves to keep Newport County in the contest, while Harrison Biggins battled hard in midfield and went close with a header that came back off the crossbar area.
Christian Fuchs made changes after the interval, introducing Ben Lloyd as Newport County switched shape in search of a response. Joe Thomas was also introduced as the visitors pushed for a foothold in the game.
Despite improved possession spells, Newport County struggled to create clear chances, with Bobby Kamwa’s late effort going over the bar as Rovers managed the game effectively.
Any hopes of a late comeback were ended in stoppage time when Fabrizio Cavegn finished from close range after a well-worked move to seal the result.
Bristol Rovers
Brad Young; Kofi Balmer, Alfie Kilbour, Riley Harbottle; Yusaf Akhamrich (Joel Senior 80), Ryan De Havilland, Clinton Mola (Kane Thompson-Summers 90+), Jack Sparkes; Shaq Forde, Fabrizio Cavegn, Ellis Harrison (Mees Rijks 78)
Substitutes (unused): Luke Southwood, Josh McEachran, Kamil Conteh, Luke Thomas
Newport County
Jordan Wright; Liam Shephard (Joe Thomas 55), Lee Jenkins, Matt Baker (captain), Ryan Delaney (Ben Lloyd 46); Anthony Glennon, Ciaran Brennan, Harrison Biggins, Michael Spellman (Gerard Garner 74); James Crole (Lewis Jamieson 74), Bobby Kamwa (Tom Davies 85)
Substitutes (unused): Shaun MacDonald, Cameron Evans
Match officials
Referee | Will Finnie
Assistants | David Nicholson, Christopher Husband
Fourth official | Niall Smith
Attendance
8,591 (1,359 away supporters)