And it took City just six minutes to find a way through Newport's makeshift rearguard. Taylor had already made a complete hash of one attempted clearance before he and Thomas got involved in a mix-up that allowed Foster to lift the ball over the stranded keeper. And nine minutes later it got even better for City as they doubled their lead. Foster collected the ball midway in the Newport half and, as the defence backed off, he unleashed a stunning 30-yard drive that left Taylor grasping thin air. The focus now switched to Hervin as Newport came back into the game. With 17 minutes gone Cowe point-blank header looked certain to reduce the arrears but Hervin produced a stunning save to push the ball to safety. Two further fine stops followed, although he was beaten on 20 minutes only for Cowe's shot to come back off the post. Whenever City got into the Exiles half keeper Taylor could be relied upon for entertainment as he blasted one attempted clearance against Milsom, the ball rolling two yards wide of the unguarded goal, although he could do nothing about City's third goal six minutes before the break. A strong run by Gosling saw the midfielder find Foster ten yards out and he fired home to complete his first treble for three seasons.

So for the second game in succession City went into the interval three goals to the good and were faced with an opponent who, with nothing to lose, came at them strongly after the break. Unlike Saturday, though, City's defence stood firm and even when the home side found a way through Hervin handling was faultless, despite the wet and windy conditions. There were just 19 minutes remaining when he was finally beaten, Jones converting Cowe's low cross at the far post, but this turned out to be little more than a consolation goal for County as City comfortably held out.