Former Cardiff City goalkeeper David Forde played a key role in Newport County’s winner at the Abbey Stadium in Cambridge.
The teams were locked on 1-1 in the League Two clash going into overtime when County’s Matty Dolan lifted a free-kick into the penalty area.
Forde dithered, failed to catch and finally tried a desperate kick to clear, but succeeded only in hitting Newport captain Loss Labadie.
The ball flew off Labadie’s chest and into Cambridge United’s net.
That bizarre goal earned County a dramatic 2-1 win and they are now ninth in the table, one point outside the play-offs.
It was a smash ’n grab raid by Manager Michael Flynn’s Exiles, who had been second best for most of the match.
They set up with two banks of five and four players in the closing stages with only Shawn McCoulsky in attack.
But manager Michael Flynn and his team headed home with three hard-earned points.
Newport recorded a second win over the U’s in December following their 2-0 FA Cup win, when Labadie scored both goals.
Earlier, McCoulsky’s 10th goal of the season (42 minutes) was cancelled out by a Jevani Brown equaliser 14 minutes from time.
It looked as though the teams would earn a point apiece until Labadie’s late intervention in the 93rd minute.
Flynn recalled Ben Tozer in the centre of midfield after he missed the 3-3 draw against Carlisle United because of illness.
Robbie Willmott was the player who dropped out, although he went on as emergency full-back later when David Pipe went off. Willmott made a crucial clearance when Newport’s central defenders left the ball for goalkeeper Joe Day.
Cambridge thought they would score until Willmott’s intervention.
Cambridge United: Forde, Halliday, Taylor, Taft, Carroll, Elito, Lewis (Dunk 74), O’Neil (Mingoia 46), Maris, Brown, Azeez. Subs not used: Mitov, Osadebe.
Newport County: Day, Pipe (Willmott 57), White, O’Brien (Bennett 46), Demetriou, Butler, Labadie, Dolan, Tozer, Nouble, McCoulsky (Amond 85). Subs not used: Reynolds, Owen-Evans, Rigg, Bittner.
Referee: Chris Sarginson
Attendance: 3,632
