A bitterly cold night at the 3G in Abertillery acted as the battlefield for the return fixture with Newport Corinthians.
The visitors struck first with a lightning bolt moment goal, scoring straight off the bat in the opening moments of the game and instantly mounting pressure on the lads. The pressure certainly didn’t ease in the early going, with Newport being more than aware of an opportunity to push on after their almost-instant goal.
The one-two combo of Jamie Laurent and Rhys Whiteman began the comeback assault, weaving in and out of the Corries offensive foray to create opportunity. Laurent would also make his way onto the scoresheet soon after, courtesy of an expertly taken penalty by the midfielder.
As the goal equaled the playing field, it appeared as though the 1st Team had found their groove against their foes, a fact never more evident than when Jamie Laurent chipped the ball up and over the Corries’ man between the sticks to drive the scoreline to 2-1 at the end of the first ’45.
The second half started auspiciously with Lewis Jones rattling off several free kicks into the attacking line of the Excelsiors, who came out of the blocks with renewed tenacity. The threat of counter-attack from the Corries posed a real issue for lads, who started to falter when the visitors pushed up through a miscommunication in midfield. A slick cross was met by the educated feet of a Corries forward who drilled the ball into the net and within mere moments, things were all square once again at 2-2.
The Excelsiors, spurred on by a very admirable crowd of freezing cold spectators, seemed poised to steal a final goal that would have no doubt put the game to bed when Lewis Jones’ superlative freekick found the head of his cousin Tyla Preece, but the dependable defender couldn’t get enough cranium to ball ratio to convert a goal.
As the clock ran down, Dafydd Phillips frenetic firepower was on display as the attacking winger clocked up some serious miles and attempted to break the deadlock from every angle. Luke Lewis too joined the party, as the striker came on for the final minutes of the game in an effort to put the nail in the Corries coffin.
The visitors would gamble one more time, as they put it all on the line in a countdown to extinction moment that saw goalkeeper Dan Parsons bested by the jammiest of finishes from the Corries. The exhaustion of the entire crowd on hand and sheer disbelief of Newport told the story of the game, as the team from the shadow of the iconic Transporter Bridge became the killer of giants in subzero temperatures, ending proceedings 2-3.
