Histon V Newport County AFC

Nationwide Conference - South

15th April 2006

The Glassworld Stadium, Bridge Road, Histon

Histon looked at the Easter Weekend games to cement their play off chance, and for 45 minutes it looked that way, the home side got off to the perfect start, opening the scoring with what could be the goal of the season, coming from a County corner, the home side broke free as Ada Cambridge switch the ball from right to left with a pin point ball that found Steve Jackman, but the move looked to have broke down as Jackman’s cross was cleared, but the defender got another chance to cross, this time it found the chest of Danny Bloomfield, who laid the ball to fellow striker Ian Cambridge, whose side footed pass set up Bloomfield to volley passed Tony Pennock in the County goal, Histon looked quick and dangerous going forward, but so did County, the home side was let off lightly when Paul Cochlin smashed the ball against the cross bar, Histon’s Robbie Nightingale crossed the ball from the left for the next home attack, but the chance went begging, the ball nestled on the roof of the net.

As the game flowed from end to end, County striker Matt Green broke free from his own half, under close guard of home defender Matt Mitchell-King, whose last ditch tackle put the ball out for a corner just as Green was gunning for goal, with County playing the offside trap high up the pitch Jamie Barker broke the trap and bore down on Pennock’s goal, with just the keeper to beat Barker slipped the ball under the body, with the whole of the goal open the ball crashed against the post and was cleared to safety.

County’s next attack came after a mistake from home side defender Erkan Okay, who let in Sam O'Sullivan, but his shot went well wide without troubling Lance Key, Histon's next attack came from Nightingale once more, who found Barker at the far post, the easier option was to head the ball back across the face of the goal, but Barker swung a boot at the ball, but the ball flew well wide of the target, County's next chance came from a Gary Fisken free kick, which weas headed on the far post, but the chance found the safe arms of Key.

County came more into the game, but on 34 minutes the home side doubled their lead, as Jamie Barker was pulled down in the area, where the linesman flagged for a foul and a penalty, up stepped Nightingale who put the ball into the bottom corner of Pennock’s goal, just beating the keeper as he guessed the correct way.

Okay brought down Fisken in full flight just on the edge of the area, the foul brought Okay a yellow card, from the free kick County went close, but the ball went over the post and onto the roof of the net, Ian Cambridge & Bloomfield linked well once more just on half time, with Cambridge setting up Bloomfield on the edge of the area, but the shot went close, but the wrong side of the woodwork.

The second half failed to start like the first 45 minutes, but it was County that looked the brighter of the two sides, with Paul Couhlin going close with a well struck volley, on 58 minutes County got the goal they deserved, a corner after Mitchell-King had failed to clear the ball proved to be costly, as the ball was put high at the far post, out jumping everyone was defender Cochlin powerfully headed home, the home side looked rattled, and on 64 minutes County was level, this time a cross from the right was volleyed in past Key from Kisken, worse was to come for the home side, just minutes later County had taken the lead, again it was cross that wasn’t dealt with, a long throw was put into the area, somehow Andrew Thomas got down to get his head onto the ball and put it past Key, to seal the points to help County’s survival and dent the home sides play off hopes.


Histon : Key, Jackman, Okay, Hipperson, Mitchell-King, A Cambridge, Nightingale, Andrews, Bloomfield, I Cambridge, Barker

Subs : Coulson, Davies (GK) Haniver, Kennedy, Roberts

Newport County : Pennock, Thomas, Cochlin, Davies, Brough, Hillier, Bowen, Fisken, Green, Hughes, O’Sullivan

Subs : Toppar, Bailey, Prosser, Hearne, Blackburn

Referee : Mr C Miller (Kettering)

Attendance : 1092

Star Man : Fisken (Newport County)

Match Rating :3/5