This all came after City had started the stronger with Andy Williams in particular causing County all sorts of problems down the left flank. One strong run as early as the second minute ended with him finding Adrian Foster in the area but, at the same time as his shot was being parried into the path of Paul Milsom, a linesmans flag was making Milsom's tap-in academic. Another 17 minutes passed before City's neat approach play threatened the visitors goal again and this time there was no official intervention to deny them, although it was with a large helping hand from keeper Mountain. Having gifted City a goal in the league clash at Twerton three weeks earlier he was at it again as he and defender Clark left the ball for each other following a long pass forward by Thorne. This allowed Foster to nip in between them and, despite facing an daunting angle to the goal, he easily rolled the ball into the unguarded net. Less than a minute later City could have gone two goals up, Foster's shot flying inches wide with Mountain beaten, but from the resultant goal-kick they gifted Newport an equaliser. Towler had time to clear the kick but his hesitation allowed Paul to steal the ball and he ran clear before slotting past Hervin. Having switched Towler back to his favoured centre-back role, Kemp moving to right-back, this was even more out of character but four minutes before the break it was his uneccessary push on Paul that gave the Exiles the lead. The free-kick was over twenty yards out but Ryan's curling effort found the top corner of the net with Hervin rooted to his line. To their credit City almost drew level before half-time when Thorne's header from a Williams corner was turned away by Mountain.

Both sides made a change at the interval, Newport introducing ex-City player Scott Walker and City replacing Brad Thomas with James Zabek. Immediately the new arrivals were involved as Walker saw his header cleared off the City goalline by Zabek. At the other end Foster saw an effort blocked following Milsom's mis-kick before William's low cross just eluded the big striker. Another cross from City's man-of-the-match Williams almost saw Zabek fire home and, as City continued to press, Foster was denied by a great tackle from Eckhardt. With the game entering the final ten minutes City were far from out of it but as they pushed forward they were caught out at the back. Shephard collected the ball in space down the right and as he tried to pick out a colleague in the box his looping cross drifted over Hervin into the corner off the net. There was still time for the previously anonymous referee Russell Green to indulge in one of his slightly eccentric decisions, although unlike the recent clash with Moor Green, City were the beneficiaries. Zabek went down under a innocuous looking challenge in the County box but Mr Green immediately pointed to the spot. Substitute Gosling accepted the gift, sending Mountain the wrong way, but it was too little, too late to prevent Newport heading into the second round.