IT has been 42 years and ten games now since York City last won a game in Newport.

The Exiles have reached a European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final, reformed, and lost and regained their place in the Football League during that time.

Newport have even played their home games at five different venues since the Minstermen last emerged triumphant from a visit to the South Wales town back in February 1971 when goals from Thomas Henderson and the late Paul Aimson secured a 3-0 victory.

But, following on from win-less sojourns to Somerton and Spytty Park, City could not change their fortunes on their first-ever trip to their nemesis’ latest home Rodney Parade.

It just seems inevitable now that when North Yorkshire’s only professional club meet Newport away from Bootham Crescent then, other than the obviously memorable exception of Wembley, the team’s supporters are never rewarded with a win.

The City faithful were reminded of their 2012 victory under the famous arch in the crudest of terms when the home fans sung loudly about where City could stick the FA Trophy.

Rather than silverware, three points were the reward on Saturday and Newport have now won five and drawn five of their last ten home matches with City.

Of the 91 other clubs currently plying their trade in the Football League, Bristol City are the only team who can boast a better sequence of results on their own soil against the Minstermen, avoiding defeat in all 11 of their fixtures at Ashton Gate since the first fixture between the two teams in 1961 and fortune certainly did not favour Nigel Worthington’s men during their latest journey to Newport.

The hosts opened the scoring on 23 minutes just seconds after Josh Carson had seen a close-range, goalbound effort blocked by home defender Ismail Yakubu.

Referee Graham Salisbury then inadvertently teed up Lee Minshull for County’s second goal in first-half injury time before substitute Danny Crow completed the scoring late on.

City did, however, enjoy a little luck just 21 seconds into the match when Adam Chapman rattled Michael Ingham’s crossbar from the edge of the box with a thunderous volley after the ball bounced up invitingly off a saturated surface, which would have taken very little more rain to be deemed unplayable following a torrential pre-match downpour.

At the other end, Ashley Chambers saw a 25-yard attempt deflected wide and then delivered the subsequent corner that was headed wastefully off target by an unchallenged Luke O’Neill.

Shortly afterwards, Zebroski called Ingham into near-post action from six yards and the sprightly Conor Washington shot across the face of goal after slipping O’Neill’s attentions to run on to Tom Naylor’s through ball.

But, midway through the first period, two of the game’s defining moments were then played out in quick succession.

First, nimble footwork by Wes Fletcher on the byline saw him find Carson, taking goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley out of the equation.

With the goal gaping, however, the Northern Ireland under-21 international’s five-yard shot was blocked by covering centre-back Yakubu.

The home team then immediately broke down the right flank and, with the help of a puddle, Washington retrieved Ryan Jackson’s low cross to the far post, pulling the ball back for Zebroski who fired in from four yards.

On the half-hour mark, Fletcher’s 15-yard effort was saved by Pidgeley and Carson drove wide from an indirect free-kick after the ex-Chelsea reserve ’keeper was penalised for the rarely punished crime of holding on to the ball for longer than the permitted six seconds.

The home fans were upset by that decision but were grateful for referee Salisbury’s intervention in first-half stoppage time.

After Billy Jones had gone close with a curling free-kick and Minshull headed wide from a corner, the Lancashire official set up a ten-yard chance for the latter following a ricochet off him inside the penalty box.

Minshull still took advantage impressively, however, sidestepping a David McGurk challenge before curling a well-placed effort beyond Ingham and into his top left-hand corner.

It was a hammer blow for the visitors who also made a slow beginning to the second half with Washington hitting a post on the turn and Zebroski heading wide from a corner within three minutes of the restart.

Carson continued to provide City’s biggest attacking threat, trying his luck with an ambitious 40-yard free-kick and providing a cross that saw McGurk’s shot on the turn deflected over.

The former Ipswich winger also called Pidgeley into his second and final save of the game and, after a strong diagonal run from right to left, dragged a 15-yard chance wide, which proved the Minstermen’s last goal attempt of any kind on 80 minutes.

Newport, however, were not finished and, when City substitute Ryan Brobbel conceded a careless free-kick after right-back Jackson had ghosted past him, fellow replacement Mike Flynn’s low drive to the far post was tapped in at the far post by an alert and untracked Crow.

It put the seal on another painful pilgrimage to South Wales for City’s supporters who, since their last win in Newport, have seen their team triumph at Old Trafford and, of course, two different Wembley stadiums.

 

Match facts

York City

Ingham 6 - left exposed for all three of Newport's goals and had little chance with any of them

O'Neill 6 - solid enough defensively and contributed to the team's cause going forward on occasions

McGurk 6 - troubled by Washington's impressive pace but so was Fyfield who is by no means a slouch

Parslow 7 - did his best to hold the visitors' back four together on his return to Wales and was dominant in the air

Fyfield 6 - carried the game to Newport at times down the left flank on his first league start of the season

STAR MAN Carson 7 - his enthusiasm and energy did not diminish during an afternoon when he enjoyed few breaks

Montrose 6 - kept things simple in possession but did not hurt the opposition and was not as involved as he might have been

Whitehouse 6 - produced his quietest performance since his loan arrival from Sheffield United and a little peripheral to the action

Chambers 6 - looked bright early on but faded before his substitution early in the second half

Jarvis 6 - frustrated by the conditions and well shackled with just one sight of goal when he allowed the opposition to block his shot

Fletcher 6 - did not stop running and probing but got little joy out of a resolute home defence 

Subs: Ryan Brobbel 6 - subdued (for Chambers, 56), Ryan Bowman 6 - quiet (for Fletcher, 65), Richard Cresswell (for Jarvis, 77).

Subs not used: Chris Kettings, Chris Smith, Craig Clay, Sander Puri.

 

Newport

Lenny Pidgeley, Ryan Jackson, Tony James, Ismail Yakubu, Harry Worley (Robbie Willmott, 45), Billy Jones, Tom Naylor, Adam Chapman (Mike Flynn, 77), Lee Minshull, Conor Washington, Chris Zebroski (Danny Crow, 86). Subs not used: Jamie Stephens, David Pipe.

Newport star man: Washington - his pace unsettled City's back four Booked: Fyfield 19, Pidgeley 31, McGurk 36, Chapman 65.

Attendance: 3,475 (310 from City).

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Lancashire). Rating: 6/10 - lenient on occasions and over officious at other times.

Shots on target: Newport 5, City 3

Shots off target: Newport 9, City 7

Corners: Newport 6, City 5

Fouls conceded: Newport 13, City 9

Offsides: Newport 0, City 2