Newport 0 York 3: Wilcox delighted with Minstermen’s response

The Minstermen had not netted on the road this season prior to their trip to South Wales and manager Russ Wilcox asked his team to be more clinical following their previous outing – a 2-1 home defeat to Mansfield when they only mustered one on-target attempt.

James Berrett and Reece Thompson went on to claim their third goals of the season for the visitors before striker Vadaine Oliver opened his York account following a summer move from Crewe.

City goalkeeper Scott Flinders only had to make one save, getting a strong arm to former Grimsby forward Lenell John-Lewis’s firm 89th-minute strike.

By then, Terry Butcher’s bottom-of-the-table strugglers were down to 10 men following defender Danny Holmes’s silly second bookable offence for a 77th-minute sliding challenge on York midfielder Eddie Nolan.

A delighted Wilcox said: “We’ve taken a bit of criticism for not scoring so, to get two from our strikers and one from the midfielder who plays behind them, is pleasing.”

Former Huddersfield midfielder Berrett opened the scoring on 35 minutes when he drilled a low 20-yard shot past goalkeeper Joe Day.

Thompson, signed from Frickley last month, doubled the visitors’ advantage when he glanced in a 55th-minute header from Luke Summerfield’s free-kick.

Four minutes later, Oliver wrapped up matters, finding an empty net from three yards after Day had saved from Berrett.

Newport County: Day, Holmes, Hayden, Partridge, Barrow, Twumasi, Byrne, Klukowski (Owen-Evans, 63), Collins, John-Lewis, Boden (Ansah, 63). Unused substitutes: Taylor, Laurent, Parselle, Jones, Angel.

York City: Flinders; Lowe, Winfield, Ilesanmi; McCoy, Nolan, Summerfield, Berrett, Tutonda (Carson, 78); Oliver (Sinclair, 74), Thompson (Rzonca, 87). Unused substitutes: Ingham, McCombe, Hare, Godfrey.

Referee: T Kettle (Leics).

Man of the match: Dave Winfield.

Ronnie Moore’s Hartlepool suffered back-to-back defeats in the league after Michael Harriman’s double gave Wycombe a 2-1 win despite Carl Magnay’s strike at the end of the first half.

The Chairboys are second, overtaking Plymouth, who lost 2-1 to Teddy Sheringham’s Stevenage.

Connor Ogilvie and Chris Whelpdale gave Stevenage, who host York on Saturday, a two-goal lead before Craig Tanner pulled one back for Argyle after the break.

Leyton Orient’s winning start to the season came to an abrupt halt as two goals from Tom Nichols inspired Exeter City to a 4-0 win.