Harrogate Town 1 Newport County 4: Another abject Tuesday night in February for Simon Weaver's Town

Which brings up to League Two. Harrogate Town announced their candidacy for the final play-off spot a few weeks back. But it’s a crowded field.

Before Tuesday night’s programme, one glance at the league showed that almost half of the division - well, 10 teams at any rate - could still declare themselves interested in finishing in seventh place.

They included Harrogate, Bradford City and also, bizarrely Newport in 16th, who came into this particular match with a five-point gap between themselves and seventh-placed Gillingham, with this being their game in hand.

Unfortunately, just as Walsall, who were in 16th, afforded themselves a leap forward in leap year and jumped right in the play-off mix by way of a 2-0 victory in the spa town on Saturday, Newport followed their lead even more emphatically on an awful night for Harrogate.

Play like this and they will be nowhere near the play-offs come May.

Goals from Will Evans (penalty) and a brace from Offrande Zanzala sealed the game’s outcome by early in the second half as Harrogate’s Achilles heel of poor home form resurfaced again. This was their ninth loss.

An exceedingly poor night turned into an embarrassment when substitute Seb Palmer-Houlden added a fourth on.

The result may not have got near their 9-2 annihilation at Mansfield Town 14 days earlier, but it still pretty painful with the decision to rest top-scorers George Thomson and Jack Muldoon backfired badly.

Thomson hit a late consolation for Town, to register his tenth league goal of the campaign with a low drive. It was the sole crumb of comfort on the night. Town are now 12th.

After an under-whelming weekend loss, Harrogate had the chance to get it out of their system at Wetherby Road in double-quick time.

Simon Weaver made three changes to freshen up, but there was no reaction in a lamentable, desperately poor first half when they were outrun, outsmarted and outclassed by a County side who were sharper in deed and thought and much the slicker.

Harrogate - who brought in Josh Falkingham, Josh March and Jeremy Sivi while Warren Burrell stepped in for injured Matty Foulds - created zilch and coughed up possession repeatedly and were shaky at the back.

The only saving grace at the interval was that the game was not over, with County hot-shot Evans spurning a chance to make it 3-0 just before the break when he headed just off target from Matt Baker’s right-wing cross following an uncharacteristic error from Anthony O’Connor.

Evans profited earlier when he put County in front from the spot to give the Welsh visitors a lead on the half-hour which no-one could quibble with.

Lewis Gibson, in a moment of panic, stuck out an arm following a ball into the box from deep and Evans is not the sort to look a gift horse in the mouth - sending James Belshaw the wrong way for his 24th goal of the season in all competitions and 20th in the league.

It was just reward for a strong opening half hour with County, with Scott Bennett and Bryn Morris bossing the midfield of the park against Falkingham and Dean Cornelius.

Only a saving block from O’Connor got in the way of a goalbound Morris strike shortly before the opener. After it, Newport soon doubled their money.

They had a strong outlet down Harrogate’s right with a cross from Adam Lewis - whose deliveries caused problems finding Aaron Wildig. His volley was brilliantly kept out by Belshaw but amid the consternation, the ball found its way to Zanzala, who tucked away a close-range second.

The risk to rest Thomson and Muldoon, while good-intentioned, hadn’t worked. But Weaver resisted the urge for changes at the start of the second period.

The next goal had to be a Harrogate one to keep them in proceedings. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Straight after Weaver played his first card, the game was up. Harrogate’s defence switched off again from Baker’s free-kick and the loose ball was gobbled up by Zangala, who said thank you very much to tuck away his second and an easy third for County.

Weaver soon emptied his bench,

Two substitutes in Thomson and Levi Sutton combined for Town’s first decent chances of the evening, both wide, before Palmer-Houlden did superbly on the left to add a fine fourth.

Thomson did reduce the arrears late on. Something at least, but not much.

That Thomson, who came on after 51 minutes was named as the hosts man-of-the-match said everything you needed to know.

Harrogate Town: Belshaw; Abu, O’Connor, Gibson, Burrell; Cornelius (Sutton 57), Falkingham (Dooley 57); Odoh (Bloxham 57), M Daly, Sivi (Thomson 51); March (Muldoon 57). Unused substitutes: Oxley, Mattock.

Newport County: Townsend; Baker (Bright 83), Clarke, Jameson (Bondswell 83); Payne, Bennett, Morris, Wildig (Waite 74), Lewis; Evans (Jephcott 73), Zanzala (Palmer-Houlden 60). Unused substitutes: Maxted, Drysdale.

Referee: R Ricardo.

Attendance: 2,006.