Newport County 0 Millwall 1: Exiles exit Carabao Cup

South Wales Argus

3 days ago

NEWPORT County AFC exited the Carabao Cup with their heads held high after losing a tight contest by a single goal to Championship side Millwall at a sweltering Rodney Parade.
A much-changed Exiles side started brightly and battled hard before the visitors' quality eventually told with a clinical finish from Ryan Leonard on the hour.
County manager David Hughes made eight changes from Saturday's 2-1 win at Crawley Town, while there were only two survivors in the Millwall starting XI from their 2-1 victory at Norwich City.
The Exiles boss handed Jordan Wright a debut in goal and a first start for Manchester United loanee Habeeb Ogunneye at right wing-back.
Anthony Glennon, Cameron Evans and Bobby Kamwa made their first starts of the season, while captain James Clarke returned from injury in the heart of the defence and there were recalls for Ben Lloyd and Courtney Baker-Richardson.
Kai Whitmore retained his starting spot after his goal at Crawley, but Matt Baker and Cameron Antwi are now the only ever-presents in the squad.
(Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)It was Antwi who had the first opportunity of the night when he curled a shot wide from inside the area after a smart corner routine that caught out the Millwall defence.
The visitors also had an early chance soon afterwards when Glennon made a superb block to deny the dangerous Macauley Langstaff, who scored four goals against the Exiles while playing for Notts County in the 2023-2024 season.
Glennon, in for Tom Davies on the left flank, was also effective going forward.
One cross snuck through a defender's legs but caught Baker-Richardson unawares, before his well taken free-kick found Clarke in the middle and the skipper's close-ranger header was superbly saved by debutant Max Crocombe.
That led to an old-fashioned scramble in the box with shots flying in, limbs flailing and bodies being thrown everywhere, which ended with Antwi dragging a shot wide from the edge of the area.
After a quick drinks break midway through the first half, Millwall began to assert more control on the contest and they dominated the latter part of the first half with County hanging on for the break.
Millwall skipper Jake Cooper headed over at the far post before Aidomo Emakhu also nodded over and Ra'ees Bangura-Williams blasted a wayward shot from distance.
Josh Coburn then had two headed chances in the minutes before half-time but failed to hit the target with either.
(Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) County came out firing in the second half and Clarke again went close when he got on the end of Baker-Richardson's flicked header and sent and instinctive volley just wide at the far post.
But the chances kept coming at the other end and Wright did well to get his body in the way of a fierce drive from Emakhu.
Lee Jenkins, on for Antwi, then made an important block to keep out another Emakhu effort.
Another County corner routine picked out the unmarked Lloyd but his shot from 25 yards was blocked and Millwall launched a quick counter-attack that ended with Leornard breaking the deadlock on the hour as he fired into the top corner from Emakhu's cross.
In response, Hughes threw on Cardiff City loanee Michael Reindorf up front in place of Baker-Richardson but it was the visitors who went closest to scoring again.
Wright got down low to his right to brilliantly palm away a drilled Langstaff shot before also denying the lively Emakhu twice more.
County rarely looked like mounting a late fightback, but there was the welcome sight of late cameos off the bench from both Ciaran Brennan and Michael Spellman after their injury problems.
Kamwa flashed a shot over with five minutes remaining, while Millwall substitute Kevin Nisbet should have headed in from close range at the other end with two minutes remaining and Emakhu dragged another effort just wide of the post.
But one goal was enough for the second-tier side and County's focus quickly shifts to Saturday's testing trip to Grimsby Town in League Two.
County (3-5-2): J Wright; C Evans, J Clarke, M Baker; H Ogunneye (M Spellman, 75), C Antwi (L Jenkins, 56), B Lloyd, K Whitmore (C Brennan, 75), A Glennon; B Kamwa, C Baker-Richardson (M Reindorf, 65)
Substitutes not used: N Tzanev, T Davies, N Sanca, O Greaves, M Alexander-Walker
Millwall (4-2-3-1): M Crocombe; R Leonard, K Grant, J Cooper, Z Sturge (W Harding, 64); M Luongo, L Cundle; A Emakhu (S Kendall, 90), J Coburn (K Nisbet, 64), R Bangura-Williams (D Kelly, 65); M Langstaff (A Matthews, 87)
Substitutes not used: S Benda, T Crama, R Lampley, J Howland
Booked: R Leonard, M Luongo
Referee: S Oldham
Attendance: 3,670