Citizens let three-goal lead slip

The Citizens appeared to be home and dry when they went 3-0 up after 54 minutes, but they fell foul of a stunning fightback from Newport who levelled 3-3 in a frantic finale, watched by a gobsmacked 222 crowd.

Both sides looked up for it in a slightly frantic opening and it was Winchester who mounted the first meaningful attack on seven minutres when Chris Mason fed Dom Cope whose first effort was blocked by keeper Gary Streeter before he slid the follow-up wide.

With the home side starting to settle, Warren Bentley slipped a pass back to Mason to test Streeter from distance and then saw his right-wing cross headed onto the top netting by Cope.

Newport were working hard but finding openings hard to come by - Ryan Oatley's 23rd-minute snap-shot going well wide.

 Iain Seabrook then picked out Freddie Knowles on the left, but terrier-like full-back Adam Tomasso disposessed him.

City continued to look the more cultured team going forward but, as in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Bemerton, their finishing touch eluded them.

Cope and Mason both steered presentable chances wide of target but, with a goal machine like BENTLEY in the side, back-to-back blanks were never likely to happen.

And on 36 minutes the predatory No 10 gave City the breakthrough, racing onto Joe Wright’s slide rule pass down the left channel and firing the opener across Streeter into the far corner.

 Bentley's sidekick Zach Glasspool was next to threaten, cutting in from the right and drawing a good saved from Streeter with a low, swerving shot.

 Streeter was down sharply again to deal with Stuart Green's ambitious 30-yarder before, from out of the blue, City 'keeper Jason Collins was called into action to turn away a Tom McInnes strike after being played in by Oatley.

Newport came out firing for the second-hlf and were unlucky not to capitalise on Seabrook’s dangerous inswinging corner.

But, come the 54th minute the Islanders found themselves 3-0 down. Bentley turned provider to tee up GLASSPOOL to find the bottom corner in the 53rd minute and, seconds later, Glasspool and Cope combined to put McEnery in on goal.

Streeter did brilliantly to get a hand to the No 7’s initial shot but the ball came straight back for MCENERY to blast home.

Newport might have felt like catching the return ferry home at that point, but the Islanders were not for quitting.

They pulled one back on the hour – McInnes setting-up ex-Havant & Waterlooville striker Scott JONES to give them a foothold in the tie.

There were huge groans from the City faithful when Cope headed wide of a gaping net seconds later, and the natives became even more restless on 68 minutes when the Winchester woodwork was shaken.

 Green caught Jones 25 yards out and set-piece maestro Seabrook's free kick was heading into the top corner only for Collins to turn it onto the woodwork.

Port, though, were scenting a comeback and narrowed the gap on 71 minutes. City were undone by a long punt down the middle and sub Charlie SMEETON – a former City player – got the vital last touch.

Streeter saved the day again for Newport, tipping over Glasspool’s precision header before the Islanders surged back – Seabrook picking out Jones who was denied by Collins' point-blank save.

Defence became a lost arm in a manic finale with Bentley planting a sitter wide when clean through and Seabrook firing narrowly over at the other end before Newport completed their dramatic comeback.

 The writing was on the wall for City when Jake Younie had two successive shots blocked and was a corner from his third attempt.

With panic gripping City’s defence, something had to give and it did when, amid a mass scramble in the home area, JONES scrambled the visitors back on terms.

Still chances came and went for City with McEnery having one point-blank shot saved by the excellent Streeter before bending another over and Cope firing straight at the keeper.

The nail-biting continued to the very end with Collins touching Seabrook’s free-kick over in stoppage time.