Newport County 1 Colchester United 2, match report: Second-half goals by Ryan Jackson and Mikael Mandron seal U’s away win

Lewis Kinsella, on as a first-half substitute, looks to win a header in the air against Newport wing-back David Pipe. Picture: RICHARD BLAXALL (Image: 2017 Pagepix)

Two goals in a four-minute spell, during the second half, ensured back-to-back away wins for Colchester United, at Newport County tonight.

The game had 0-0 written all over it, after a drab first 70 minutes during which the Welsh hosts had looked the more likely to snatch a goal.

But Ryan Jackson and Mikael Mandron then obliged with goals in the 72nd and 76th minutes to seal a valuable three points on the road, following their 1-0 win at Yeovil.

Jackson’s finish was deadly, after strikers Mandron and Brandon Hanlan had combined to good effect.

Mandron’s cross dropped at the feet of Jackson, and the wing-back lashed home a low drive from 10 yards out.

Four minutes later and Mandron flicked home his fourth goal of the season, just getting a touch to Sean Murray’s deep free-kick into the danger zone. The deflection was enough to take it past keeper Joe Day.

Newport pulled a goal back in the 86th minute, substitute Shawn McCoulsky heading home a cross by Dan Butler.

But John McGreal’s men held on during a nerve-jangling last few minutes.

The U’s had made three changes to the side that suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Carlisle on Saturday.

Defenders Ryan Inniss and Kane Vincent-Young returned from recent tweaked hamstrings, while Brandon Comley was recalled in central midfield.

The U’s defence almost leaked a goal inside the first two minutes. Frank Nouble deceived both Tom Eastman and Ryan Jackson on his way into the penalty area, before squaring for his strike-force partner Padraig Amond, who lashed a shot over the bar from an excellent position.

That was a lucky let-off for the visitors.

At the other end, Brandon Hanlan had the sniff of a chance in the 16th minute, but his shot on the edge of the box was charged down by former U’s midfielder Ben Tozer.

Otherwise, the U’s were on the back foot for most of the time, successfully defending a flurry of corners but unable to string together any promising attacks.

Vincent-Young, operating as a left wing-back, gave away possession in the 25th minute, putting his side under pressure. But substitute Sean Rigg, on for an early injury to skipper Joss Labadie, was closed down quickly and his shot was blocked in a congested U’s box.

Just after the half-hour mark, Hanlan scurried goalwards and let fly with a low shot which was deflected into the side-netting.

At least that was a positive moment for the U’s, although seconds later and Vincent-Young hobbled off the pitch having aggravated his hamstring injury, to be replaced by Lewis Kinsella.

A spell of home pressure, at the end of the first half, saw defender Ben White volley horribly wide from long-range. That just about summed up the quality of a very poor first period.

The U’s made a second change for the start of the second half. Doug Loft, perhaps carrying an injury, was replaced by Tom Lapslie in the engine room.

Ryan Jackson worked wonders to deliver a teasing cross into the danger zone in the 53rd minute, from which Mikael Mandron nodded wide at the far post.

Newport peppered the U’s goal around the hour mark.

Firstly, Sam Walker raced off his line to parry a goal-bound shot by Amond, with the Exiles front-man clean through on goal, and defender Scot Bennett’s effort from the ensuing corner struck the far post and rebounded to safety.

Brandon Comley also cleared a header off his goal-line, while Nouble cracked an 18-yard shot only inches over the bar in the 64th minute.

But it was the U’s who grabbed the lead, eight minutes later, with Jackson burying a low shot after good work from strikers Mandron and Hanlan.

And Hanlan almost doubled the lead within two minutes. He burst through on goal, only for his shot to be squeezed away by keeper Day.

But the U’s were celebrating a second goal soon afterwards, in the 76th minute, with Mandron diverting home Murray’s deep free-kick into the box.

McCoulsky halved the deficit late on, but it was not enough for Newport to rescue a point.

Squads

NEWPORT: Day, White, Demetriou, Bennett, Pipe (sub McCoulsky, 75), Labadie (sub Rigg, 15), Dolan (sub Reynolds, 78), Tozer, Butler, Amond, Nouble. Unused subs: Bittner, Owen-Evans, O’Brien, Quigley.

COLCHESTER: Walker, Eastman, Inniss, Kent, Jackson, Loft (sub Lapslie, 46), Comley, Vincent-Young (sub Kinsella, 34), Murray, Mandron, Hanlan (sub Odelusi, 84) . Unused subs: Gilmartin, Kabamba, Reid, Slater.

Referee: Darren England (Yorks)

Attendance: 2,704 (136 away fans)

Meanwhile, Maldon & Tiptree drew 2-2 at Haringey Borough in a Bostik North fixture on Monday night.

Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe tapped home the opener for the Jammers in the 13th minute, from Chris Millar’s cross following a short corner.

Ralston Garbiel curled home an equaliser into the top corner of the net just five minutes later, but Millar restored Maldon’s lead in the 57th minute in his comeback match from injury.

Gabriel ballooned a penalty over the bar, but he made amends shortly afterwards by heading home a 77th minute equaliser to earn Haringey a draw.