Report Courtesy of Matchday Programme (Ian Claxton)

This promised to be a hard but entertaining game. Newport are currently fifth in the table and have a good home record and more than capable squad and from the off the home side served notice that they would be giving the league leaders no quarter. As at Fareham, Poole were pinned back early and Jason ad his work cut out. But when Micky Hubbard swung in a cross from the corner flag halfway through the third minute, during Poole’s first attack, Andy Culliford hung back as the Newport defense struggled to reach it to head home a high lob that left Port’s keeper, Sam Webb rooted to the spot as it flew over his head. Poole had an early lead and it was just as well.

The game swung back and forth and end to end as much as it was allowed . However the difficultly came not from so much from the obvious ability the two teams possessed and their efforts to overcome one another, but in both teams combined efforts to play good football in the face of some very over zealous and curious officiating. Mr Spring awarded no less than 9 yellow cards to the players ( 6 to Newport and 3 to Poole) not to mention awarding a huge number of fouls , in a game that while being keenly contested, would probably not have drawn a single caution under another official. The result was stop/start game and a very disgruntled crowd of otherwise happy and congenial home and away supporters, the biggest attendance on the day, and the eye of their displeasure being solely directed at the man in the middle.
Newport certainly got the better of the play in the first 20 minutes despite going a goal down but Hubbard’s long shot at Webb’s goal on 22 minutes, signalled Poole’s climb back on to even terms and eventually to take the upper hand. Andy Culliford was again denied by the woodwork with a lob from 25 yards a few minutes later and Billy-Pearce headed just over from Culliford’s cross on 34 minutes after some tenacious work by Kevin Gill, who had his own shot on goal saved near to half time.

Half-Time Poole lead 1-0

Newport came at the Poole goal with a plan renewed in the second half and forced Jason into a brilliant save in the first minute, then got the ball in the net only seconds later, but the flag for offside was already raised. Poole had a another narrow escape ten minutes on as Newport went close again with a diving header. Poole’s closest chance in this period came from a corner on 65 minutes which Steve Smith headed back down form the far post , but Lamin missed the absolute sitter when he only needed to make contact with the ball to send it over the line. As the game wore on, Poole looked favourite to get a second goal and seal the game rather than a home side scoring an equalizer, and Smith had his own best chance snatched away from his feet on the two yard line by Webb on 75 minutes after Taffy had headed down JBP’s cross into the goalhunter’s feet.. Newport made all their three substitutions but only Smithy got off the very sparce Poole bench, and he had a header go over from Gill’s cross on 86 minutes as did Lamin with just two minutes to go from a corner. Poole kept up the pressure and won out in the end probably deserving the three points but it was a game that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.