Newport County fell to a 1-0 defeat against high-flying Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday afternoon.
A goal within the first 90 seconds from Aaron Collins was enough to strengthen Milton Keynes’ grip on a play-off spot, closing the gap on the teams above.
The result sunk Newport to bottom of both League Two and the EFL, with the gap now stretched to five points between themselves and safety.
The Dons had bagged 59 goals throughout the season before this one, making them top scorers in League Two. Conversely, Newport had conceded more than any other team in the division.
County gave a first start to Merthyr Town signing Cole Jarvis, with Bobby Kamwa back in the side after a two-game absence. There were also returns for Anthony Glennon and James Crole.
Their opponents made two changes from last weekend’s 3-2 victory at Cheltenham Town, with Gethin Jones and Jon Mellish coming back in.
Right from the off, Paul Warne’s side were on the front foot, with Liam Kelly sending an effort over the bar with the game seconds old.
The opener came after little more than a minute, when a ball through released in-form Calum Paterson, with Jordan Wright coming to meet it, only for his attempted clearance to be fluffed right into the path of Aaron Collins.
Collins, born in Newport and with 30 appearances for The Exiles, capitalised on the stranded goalkeeper to finish cooly from outside the box.
The MK pressure continued shortly afterwards, with Collins seeing a strike blocked in the area.
Wright atoned somewhat for his earlier error with a splendid save to deny Marvin Ekpiteta’s header from a free-kick moments later.
The first Newport shot of the match saw Sven Sprangler send an effort well over the bar outside the area.
County were living on the edge, first surviving a charge into the area from Curtis Nelson, then a penalty appeal, and a wickedly deflected strike by Liam Kelly in the space of a few seconds.
Michael Spellman was then shown a yellow card for an off-the-ball incident.
Jordan Wright then had to pull out another agile save to deny Luke Offord’s sweet volley from netting.
Before half-time, Ciarán Brennan suffered an injury that ended his afternoon prematurely, with Ryan Delaney coming on in his place.
The Dons upped the ante to end the half, with Aaron Collins seeing a shot blocked and an Ekpiteta attempt once more deflected wide.
The two former Cymru League acquisitions were brought off at the break, with Crole and Jarvis making way for Harrison Biggins and Nathaniel Opoku.
The second-half began in much the same manner, with a Ben Wiles cross being poked wide by an unmarked Paterson.
Newport were dispossessed from the resultant goal-kick, and Kelly screwed an effort past the woodwork for the home side.
There was increasingly little respite for County’s backline, as Milton Keynes kept Christian Fuchs’ men penned in their own half.
Then, a cheaply-awarded free-kick on the edge of the area provided the perfect platform for another Collins strike, which went over the bar.
A potential hammer blow for County came after a defensive mix-up allowed Paterson in on goal, with his driving shot being saved low by Wright.
However, Wright clattered the Scottish striker when trying to collect the rebound, with referee Harrison Blair assessing for several seconds before pointing to the spot.
Paterson was entrusted to take the penalty, but Wright once again redeemed himself to prevent the forward’s 15th goal of the season, saving a spot-kick for the second time in a week.
The league’s second-highest scorer limped off afterwards, replaced by Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.
That did not do much to reduce the hosts’ threat however, as Wiles shot over the bar with the game entering its final 20 minutes.
From nowhere, The Exiles ventured forward, and a cross from Anthony Glennon fell perfectly for Harrison Biggins, only for the substitute to blaze over with the goal at his mercy.
The energised forward line were beginning to cause mischief, and Curtis Nelson very nearly diverted into his own net, requiring Craig MacGillivray to stoop down to deny an own-goal.
But the game drew to a lull from which The Exiles never quite recovered. They brought on Ben Lloyd and Cameron Evans as the clock ticked towards 90, with nine minutes of additional time for them to find an equaliser.
A scramble in the box gave Opoku a chance for salvation, but he could only ripple the top of the net with his shot.
MK Dons remain 5th, but with the teams above them moved to within striking distance.
For County, the questions over their league status will only get increasingly louder.
Newport County: Wright, Thomas, Baker (c), Brennan (Delaney 39’), Glennon, Jarvis (Biggins 46’), Sprangler, Kamwa (Evans 86’), Spellman, Crole (Opoku 46’), Garner (Lloyd 86’)
Unused Substitutes: MacDonald, Jamieson
Milton Keynes Dons: MacGillivray, Jones, Kelly (Crowley 90+5’), Gilbey (c), Collins (Matete 77’), Paterson (Hepburn-Murphy 68’), Offord, Ekpiteta, Mellish, Nelson, Wiles
Unused Substitutes: Trueman, Hogan, Tomlinson, Nemane
Officials: Harrison Blair (Referee), Craig Taylor, Greg Read (Assistant Referees), Callum Fisk (Fourth Official)
Attendance: 7,444 (223 away)
