Wycombe Wanderers 2, Newport County 1
Newport County suffered a seventh successive League Two defeat and look in real danger of crashing out of the Football League.
They defended reasonably well against in-form Wycombe, but created scarcely anything going forward and always looked likely to come out second best at Adams Park.
Goalkeeper Joe Day kept them in touch with a series of good saves and Newport even went ahead through Mark Randall, but Wanderers took the points and Newport have now gone nine fixtures without a win.
The only glimmer of hope for County appears to be that the two teams above them, Cheltenham Town and Notts County, are both struggling badly and only two of them will go down.
Manager Graham Westley must strengthen his squad fast and find the right playing system for his team. He has tinkered with the formation far too many times, switching from a three-man central defensive unit, 4-4-2 and even a midfield diamond.
He changed tack midway through the match at Wycombe, but nothing seems to work. Somehow, though, Westley must find a way to stop the rot.
Promotion-chasing Wycombe had to fight back from a goal down after the home team gifted Mark Randall a goal on the hour.
But Sam Wood and a lob from 35 yards by Paris Cowan-Hall, after 80 minutes, made Wycombe winners.
Darren Jones and Paul Bignot were back in County’s starting line-up, taking over from injured pair Scot Bennett and Ben Tozer.
New signing Aaron Williams was given his debut in attack with Mark Jackson among the substitutes.
Newport went ahead after 60 minutes when Aaron Pierre hesitated and Randall stole in to fire past goalkeeper Scott Brown.
The visitors sent on Tom Owen-Evans and Jack Jebb for Sean Rigg and Josh Sheehan, while Wycombe’s Gareth Ainsworth sent on three subs including powerful centre-forward Adebayo Akinfenwa.
The equaliser came after 70 minutes from Wood’s volley before Cowan-Hall netted the winner with 10 minutes left.
It looked like a cross from the right, but the ball flew over Day and left Newport devastated again.
They are five points from safety with a game in hand and face a major battle. Their next test is against Westley’s former club Stevenage away on Saturday.
Wycombe Wanderers: Brown, Jombati, Stewart, Pierre, Jacobson, Thompson (Cowan-Hall 69), Gape, O’Nien, Wood, Weston (Kashket 69), Hayes (Akinfenwa 69). Subs not used: Bean, Bloomfield, Richardson, De Havilland.
Newport County: Day, Barnum-Bobb, Bignot (O’Hanlon 85), Meite, Jones, Myrie-Williams, Randall, Sheehan (Jebb 63), Rigg (Owen-Evans 61), Healey, Williams. Subs not used: Bittner, Butler, Compton, Jackson
Referee: Lee Collins.
