20 April 2021

Liam Shephard and Aaron Lewis on target as Newport beat 10-man Crawley

20 April 2021

Newport boosted their League Two play-off prospects with a 2-0 win over 10-man Crawley at Rodney Parade.

County battered their opposition in the first half but could not find the breakthrough.

Padraig Amond had a goal ruled out for offside after skipper Joss Labadie had struck the post. Irishman Amond then rattled the bar from close range.

Liam Shephard fired past Glenn Morris to give Mike Flynn’s seventh-placed Exiles a deserved lead in the 52nd minute.

There looked little on when he picked up possession 30 yards from goal, but the defender’s brilliant strike found the bottom corner via a slight deflection.

Crawley’s frustrations were compounded when Tom Nichols was sent off for elbowing Shephard in the 89th minute.

Aaron Lewis made sure of the points with a second goal for the hosts in the 100th minute, the game having been extended due to a lengthy stoppage in play while Jordan Tunnicliffe received treatment late on.

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