Newport County 0, Leyton Orient 4
Newport County, like neighbours Cardiff City, can start planning for 2017-18.
They are 11 points away from safety in League Two after a crushing four-goal defeat against crisis club Orient.
This was a fixture County dare not lose if they were to hang on to hopes of avoiding relegation. Realistically, they simply had to earn all three points.
But manager Graham Westley and his team were thumped, good and proper. Newport’s fellow strugglers Hartlepool, Accrington and Crewe all earned solid wins to leave the Welsh club down and almost out.
They will keep battling, of course, but Newport look doomed to the drop.
The Bluebirds are surely safe in mid-table at Championship level with little chance of a run for the play-offs or being dragged into a relegation dogfight.
Both clubs should press ahead with their plans. They would each love to be pushing for promotion, City in the second tier under Neil Warnock and Newport almost certainly in non-League football.
Westley may or may not stay in his job, but some fans made it clear how they felt when the team were booed off at the final whistle and there were called for the manager to resign or be sacked.
He is under contract through next season, but admitted: “I’d be angry if I was a supporter.
“They pay good money – they earn their money and pay good money – to watch a team win and that they want to feel that their team has given everything it can in the name of victory.
“And obviously the manager is there to take the flak in a situation where you can’t get wins.
“I have not been able to turn a losing situation into a winning situation. I am the person who has got to take the responsibility and take the flak.
“All I can do is come to work again next week and look for that little something and try to find it.”
Westley still believes he is the man who can turn around Newport’s fortunes, saying: “These are moments where strong people stand up and are counted.
“They are not moments where strong people show weakness or frailty.
“I think leadership is about making sure that when everybody else is in a grey and cloudy mood you are the sun in the sky, so to speak.
“It’s up to you to help people to find a route forward, not to join the crowd.
“I’m not in the crowd, I’m in the managerial role – probably because I’ve shown leadership over the course of time.”
Westley, celebrating his 49th birthday on the day of this match, set up his Newport team with a back four, but selected six defenders.
He also recalled Marlon Jackson, as an attacking force, but County will looked wide open at the back and failed to pose a consistent threat going forward.
David Pipe and Josh Sheehan were thought to be ready, but both missed out with minor injuries. Defenders Darren Jones and Sid Nelson, who looked out of sorts at full-back, were taken off at half-time.
Teenager Chris Koroma scored a hat-trick for Orient, who have been served with a winding-up order over unpaid tax bills and will appear in court this month.
The O’s led 2-0 after 13 minutes and ended a three-match losing run.
Steven Alzate, an 18-year-old making his first start for the club, put the visitors ahead in the eighth minute before Koroma, also 18, added his maiden Orient goal five minutes later.
Koroma made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time before scoring from a penalty in the second period to complete his treble.
Newport, surely, are doomed, while Orient are still fighting for their lives on and off the pitch.
Newport County: J Day, M Demetriou, D Butler, M Rose, D Jones (J Labadie 45), M O’Brien, S Nelson (S Rigg 45), S Bennett, A Samuel, M Jackson (A Williams 65), R Bird. Subs not used: P Bignot, C Reid T Owen-Evans, J Bittner.
Referee: Gavin Ward.
Attendance: 3,378.
