Lax defending gifts Harrogate the points
Report from Mark Vickery
Venue: Rodney Parade
Newport County 2 (Bogle 3, 79)
Harrogate Town 3 (Folarin 5, Thomson 9, Armstrong 83)
Attendance: 3,710
Match Rating: ***
Form:
Newport County DDDWdWLWLW
Harrogate Town DdWLWDDDWL
PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS
Harrogate need a point to be safe from relegation. Not expecting them to relax, so key County match their work ethic and have patience not to force game and work them.
CONDITIONS
Cool, clear spells and light breeze. Pitch in excellent condition and quick on top.
SUMMING UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE STATEMENT
Jekyll and Hyde. The good, the bad and ugly.
TURNING POINT
Conceding soft goal so soon after opening the scoring
THE MATCH
County changed their midfield with Aaron Wildig not in the squad, James Waite came back into the team. Harry Charsley and Scott Bennett replaced Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Aaron Lewis who were on the bench. There was another change up front with Calum Kavanagh coming in for Charlie McNeill who was a substitute. County started positively with some neat low moves and Harrogate untidy with some of their clearances. On 3 minutes, County took the lead with a clever move switching playing well from right to left with Norman finding Evans left side. He sprung forward left side and delivered an excellent cross into the six yard box which Bogle anticipated with smart finish in the right corner. County worked another move left side moments later with Evans getting outside right back Sims but his low cross from the left side of the area was intercepted by O’Connor. Harrogate were back in game on 5 minutes when a direct pass won glanced on by Armstrong ahead of Baker and Folarin was quickest to the loose ball. He was given the freedom to roam and a hopeful shot from 20 yards appeared to take a slight deflection before nestling low in the right corner. County were unsettled by the goal and suffered another blow on 5 minutes when a forceful Harrogate move left side saw County ball watching with the run of Olaigbe left side of the area going untracked. He cut back a decent first time cross flashed deep and Thomson finished low from an acute angle. County made efforts to pick up their game again with some decent low moves to work Harrogate. County worked the wide areas well winning some long throws and corners but Harrogate deal well with set pieces getting the ball safe. Harrogate gained confidence from their resilience using the pace of Olaigbe left side who continued to torment Baker. On 25 minutes, County built a decent low move switching play well from right to left and a move across the face of the area saw Kavanagh set up an opportunity for Waite but his snapshot inside the “d” lacked timing and was easily blocked. County kept plugging away and their approach play was decent shifting Harrogate about but the final ball and cross was well marshalled with Harrogate keeper Oxley dealing with aerial pressure well. Harrogate continued to be effective in transition with some persistence with direct moves down their left flank. On 40 minutes, County played themselves into trouble with Bennett lacking alertness and he got pickpocketed by Olaigbe and in the recovery, Bennett was booked for tackle from behind. On the stoke of half time, an aerial collision between Bennett and Burrell saw both players receive treatment but Bennett was unable to continue. County introduced Aaron Lewis and forced some disjointed pressure in the 7 minutes of injury time but Harrogate remained solid defending their penalty box.
Harrogate continued to press left side in the early stages of the second half using some good combinations of play. County were thoughtful with their passing and continued to dominate possession but Harrogate kept them at arms-length. On 52 minutes, County worked a move through the middle with Waite finding Kavanagh who manufactured some space but he forced his shot somewhat blasting well over from inside the “d”. County were more effective when they had the nerve to switch play and a decent move on 55 minutes saw Lewis pick out the run of Evans who timed his jump well to forge past right back Sims who was booked for checking him crudely. Harrogate set their stall out to absorb pressure and counter using the pace of Olaigbe left side and Armstrong as a battering ram up top. County then had Evans in the book on the hour for a late aerial challenge on Sims. Harrogate replaced Sims on 65 minutes with Sutton. County upped their game forcing Harrogate deeper with some good move to penetrate in the corners. On 70 minutes, County had a decent chance to level when Bogle did well to angle his run right side of the area and clip a cross back post which Evans anticipated well but the header from 8 yards went just over the bar. County continued to add to their corner count but Harrogate remained effective in clearing their lines. On 76 minutes, another switch of play saw County move the ball from right to left and Waite returned an excellent cross to the back post and the downward header from Demetriou was parried over by Oxley. County made a change on 78 minutes with Charsley replacing McNeill with them changing to 3–4–3. County got their reward on 79 minutes following some good work by Kavanagh through the middle coaxing O’Connor forward and he slipped a pass for McNeil. Despite his snapshot from 18 yards being blocked he released a good pass for Bogle to latch onto who struck a powerful effort into the top left corner from 12 yards. Harrogate were forced into a change on 82 minutes with Falkingham not recovering from a knock and he was replaced by Muldoon. On 83 minutes, Harrogate punished County for their slackness in defending their right channel. Olaigbe instigated the move drawing both Norman and Baker towards the ball but Daly was able to roam untracked left side of the area. His cross into the area was seized upon by Armstrong from 8 yards slotting into the right corner with Day rooted to this line. County forced some late pressure and were close to an equalise on 87 minutes when a smart move across the face of the area invited Waite to shoot but his effort was blocked. Norman picked up the loose ball but his low shot from the right side of the area went narrowly past the left post. County had Waite in the book on 90+2 minutes for a mistimed challenge on Muldoon. County forced seem late pressure but the best they could muster was a couple of shots blocked inside the box and Harrogate got the points to confirm their league two safety for another season.
Day (5) — could have done better on all goals not anticipative enough to come off his line. Kicked well when got set in position quickly, but got a couple of poor kicks charged down delaying kick.
Norman (6) — did well inside the Harrogate half and provided some decent crosses and switches of play. Less convincing with defending and let Baker get exposed on times
Evans (7) — gave the right back problems throughout and supplied several decent crosses. Kept working box to box and should have scored with efforts blocked or headers not finding the target
Farquharson (7) — dealt well with Armstrong in the aerial duals and offered strength to fend off clearing effectively. Went close on couple of set pieces, winning headers
Baker (5) — should have tracked runner on the opening goal. Never really looked comfortable, bullied in the aerial duals with Armstrong and got dragged about by Olaigbe ball watching too much.
Demetriou (7) — limited left side threat well and gave assurance for Evans to push on. Linked up to provide good crosses which deserved better. Provided several long throws but impact was stifled.
Charsley (6) — looked a little short of sharpness after injury but was combative and made some tenacious low tackles. Restricted on chances struggling to get into the area
Waite (6) — did a lot of chasing down and showed ability with some neat crosses but didn’t get enough grip of the ball. Went close with a couple of shots blocked edge of area but shots were weak.
Bennett (5) — difficult first half, did well in aerial duals and kept passing simple and short. Struggled to impact after booking and was replaced just before half time by:
Lewis (6) — competed for ball with some well-timed tackles but lacked prowess in aerial duals. Delivered some decent set pieces late on which were testing when not floated.
Bogle (7) — did well with back to goal brushing off challenges and was clever with his link play and movement timing runs well. Took his goals clinically and deserved better.
Kavanagh (6) — found space difficult to find first half but came more into the game after half time. forced a couple of shots from distance and did well to open up play on the second goal
SWOT ANALYSIS (Harrogate Town)
Strengths — offered a strong work ethic and responded well after conceding early goal. Worked some efficient moved in transition complementing low moves with direct play
Weaknesses — centre backs had to get timing run as both slow when turned. Full backs erratic with headers and County got in behind several times.
Opportunities — mixed up play well and quick getting up the pitch. Persistence using left side ultimately paid off for them
Threats — Armstrong aerial prowess and anticipation inside the area, Olaigbe offered pace and determination on the ball. Daly busy runs left side to maintain impetus.
OFFICIALS
N Hair (7) — kept game moving well and got key decisions right. Some of the advantages played were puzzling when he didn’t punish
MAN OF THE MATCH
Kazeem Olaigbe — gave County little respite with his pace and strength dribbling. important outlet to buy time and knit play
IF YOU WERE GRAHAM COUGHLAN WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
County dominated in all the statistics but ultimately were masters of their own downfall switching off not once, but twice, to concede cheap goals. County failed to defend their right side effectively all evening and it was not a coincidence that the first and third goals came with the run into the corner left untracked. On the flip side, County scored two excellent goals and there were a lot of positives with their build up and patterns of play tonight. The right intentions were there to work and stretch play and when they did this efficiently they looked dangerous. County delivered some good crosses back post but were sometimes late with their runs which allowed Harrogate off the hook. Next up is Gillingham away and a chance to respond after this disappointing result. Gillingham a likely to play 4–4–2 with centre back Ehmer comfortable with ball at his feet coordinating moves from deep, but they do compliment their game well with Nichols and McDonald creative with linking play up final third. County need to restrict Gills passing from the deep, stifle momentum and force Gillingham to play direct as they lack aerial presence up top.
