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For Fuchs Sake
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Newport do a job on an out of sorts Barnet
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By:
Max Bygraves
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15/03/2026
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This article has been viewed 256 times.
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It was the sort of Saturday where you wake up in the morning, take in the glorious spring sunshine and immediately the appetite is whet for a game of football. Such anticipation and positivity really feels like it should be met with reward. But if it was that simple, it wouldn’t be so much fun.
A big game lay in store for both sides. Win or bust for Barnet’s play off hopes with Newport running out of time to get themselves out of the mire. An incredibly low point scoring bottom four this year keeping them in contention where in other years it may have all felt over a while ago.
This fixture was marked by the supporters association as our HerGameToo match, celebrating last Sunday’s International Women’s Day. It was a really positive step to see the BFCSA recently leading the initiative to get the club to partner with HerGameToo. If you looked around the terraces of Underhill or look across the stands of The Hive, we have and always have had many instantly recognisable, week in week out female supporters. As a fanbase, I think we’ve always been a great example of inclusion and welcoming all, but it’s a positive to ensure we continue to be this way and think progressively. It was an appropriate game to bring my daughter along too, who was delighted to receive a HerGameToo badge for her coat at half time.
The scene really was set but once the proverbial clapperboard followed the “action” cue, we were initially treated to very similar to fare to last Saturday at Salford.
Everything felt a little flat and the performance was lacking a spark. Newport, to their credit, didn’t come to shut up shop and were pressing from the off. It felt like we didn’t have much of a plan to deal with this and action was limited in the first quarter.
Route one and a bit of fortune was to prove our way in. Slicker’s clearance went long and found its way to the path of Callum Stead having run just out of reach of Tshimanga. A kindly bounce but a well taken goal. Once on the ball, it was reminiscent of last season as Stead composed himself and coolly tucked away.
The hope was this would settle things down and we’d take advantage. Newport could fold and for once, maybe we’d take the game by the scruff of the neck and make it easier for ourselves. Tshimanga’s close range header over the bar before half time perhaps gave an idea of which script we’d follow. Again.
The only update on the half time experience came from a friend returning from the food kiosk to his seat with two kids just after the restart. “This club is so fucking shit. No food, no drink, no anything.” Quite conclusive. This is someone who’s been coming for the best part of forty years, by the way. Depressingly, a consistent feature amongst many other things within the games themselves that aren’t this year!
From our perspective, there’s not really too much to say about the second half. We looked completely devoid of ideas and it was not an enjoyable watch.
In the context of the game, Newport did improve considerably. Their half time substitution withdrawing one of our best forgotten COVID crew, Courtney Baker-Richardson, had the intended impact. It was quite entertaining watching their supporters’ reactions throughout the second half. We’ve been in their shoes many times at this stage of the season. Desperation, anguish, hope, the lot. The bloke in the black cap in the back row will have slept well after this one. Exhausting.
The first sign things could change came when Danny Collinge performed some on the line heroics, diverting the ball away from goal after a deflection just beat Slicker.
Shortly after this, we did have an opportunity when Critchlow’s header was saved from a corner. We’d rue that very quickly as moments later, the score was 1-1. Not the most glorious defending.
Hawkins and Shelton were introduced. The impact of this was minimal. A question does have to be raised as to the point of the Howland loan signing. Taking Kanu off, we lost much of our width. Surely Millwall have sent us their young wide man to get experience of playing. Thus far, he’s largely getting well acquainted with the nice padded seats in the dugout.
Newport carried on playing with purpose and looking like a team that knew they needed to roll the dice as their opportunities for points to stay up diminish by the week. A curling effort hit the crossbar from range as they kept asking the questions.
It didn’t prove to be a spectacular goal that saw the points head to South Wales. Collinge will be disappointed with how easily he was beaten and then plenty of time and space was given for the ball to be poked home from close range. Their half time sub with the decisive moment. As galling as it was to watch, we could have no complaints.
Rhys Browne was thrown on after this and did have an opportunity to register his first goal since playing the same opposition in the league cup last July. Deep into stoppage time, his effort was at the keeper and a lucky draw was denied. It would have been unmerited but he really should have done better.
Full time was met by relief and joy behind the one goal and much head shaking in the home end. Not always to the extent of a loss, but so many times this year we’ve thrown it away after a good start. 9 times we’ve led and not won in total; 6 times at home with 3 ending in defeat plus 3 draws away.
Frustrating but on this occasion, not one where we could argue we deserved something. It was poor and with other results less kind this time around, surely does make any far-fetched play off hopes now out of reach.
It’s a quick turnaround to a trip to Crawley on Tuesday evening. Newport leapfrogged them with this result so it’s another side who in the context of the time and urgency in this part of the season need results. That will be a challenge before we then take on three of the top four in succession. Gulp.
The positivity after the Chesterfield win a fortnight ago feels a long way back now. Whilst the above doesn’t read all sunshine and smiles - there is a perspective that’s very important here.
Although some wanted or even expected another tilt at promotion again, you can track back to what’s been written here all along and see that mid table security was very much a gladly accepted outcome for this first season back. We are still in with every chance of equalling or going slightly better than our highest finish in the last quarter of a century. Reasons to be cheerful.
Yes, days like this are frustrating but if you want misery, try a relegation battle. Comparing this to the stress of the 2005/06 season after a similarly impressive title win is impossible. The looking upwards toward the top 7 reluctantly ends here but what a treat to not have any sort of fear about the wrong end of the table in mid March in this division. It doesn’t make it any more enjoyable watching turgid displays like this one but it does mean no one’s life is ruined.
Couldn’t make the Crawley game anyway. I was an undecided for MK but given my daughter articulated how this game was “boring,” towards the end (and she’d have to come with me next Saturday, too), I think I’ll protect the otherwise general enthusiasm and take no risks of more longer-term off putting. A heavy defeat in person could do some damage and bigger picture thinking required. TV it is. Not giving MK £35 in tickets is something I can sit quite comfortably with, too. Thank me later for the most unlikely decent result this will end up bringing with my absence.
Enjoy the lovely spring sunshine, won’t you.
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