Newport manager Graham Coughlan hailed a “huge” three points for his side as they bounced back from defeat in midweek to beat Gillingham 1-0 at Rodney Parade.
Notts County ended the Exiles’ seven-match unbeaten run last Tuesday with a 3-1 win in Newport and Coughlan was delighted with his players’ reaction.
After a forgettable first half, Will Evans produced a stunning volley from Harry Charsley’s cross just after the hour-mark to beat fellow play-off hopefuls Gillingham.
“It was vitally important that we responded to Tuesday night’s game, we didn’t do ourselves justice against Notts County and were poor all-round,” said Coughlan.
“It was a big three points for players, staff and fans. It’s very difficult to ask players to play 43 games, as we have so far already in February, so I could understand it being dead and flat from both teams.
“We ask the same boys to keep going time and time again, but I said at half-time that if it was dour, make sure we came out with something. We came out with the victory and three points, and that’s huge.”
Coughlan praised the home fans for helping his side close out the game.
“I was shouting at the crowd today to give us a little bit of energy and a lift for the last 10 to 15 minutes because you could see that we needed it,” he said.
“They were brilliant and got us over the line, they cheered every clearance, started banging the drum and singing their songs. That energised us, so I have to praise the fans for what they did.”
Gills boss Stephen Clemence admitted that Evans’ goal was good enough to win any game.
“I never felt in trouble. I thought it had 0-0 written all over it,” he said. “But, to be fair to the lad, it’s a great finish.
“The boy delivered a sidewinder volley from the edge of the box, and it went in the top corner. If you get beaten by a goal like that, sometimes you just have to accept it.
“We had a moment ourselves where Timothee Dieng had a great effort, and their keeper made a great save.
“It was a very tight game between two teams with similar shapes,” added Clemence. “They’ve been in good form, and we knew we’d have to be up for the fight.
“They’re a very physical team and I thought we dealt with that well.
“But we just had one moment in the second half where they got the better of us and, unfortunately, we have to go home with no points.
“It’s very difficult to take, but we’ve got two home games coming up now and we have to get ready for them.”
No Neymar return until 2025, says Al-Hilal boss Jesus
Neymar will not return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury until January 2025 at the earliest, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus has warned.
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for Al-Hilal in a €90million deal in August 2023, becoming one of the faces of the Saudi Pro League's major recruitment drive.
However, he only played five matches for the club before rupturing his ACL while on international duty with Brazil last October.
The 32-year-old subsequently missed the remainder of the season as well as the Selecao's ill-fated Copa America campaign, and he remains some way away from a return.
Neymar was removed from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League squad in September, with the 19-time champions only able to register a maximum of eight foreign players for the first half of the season.
Reports had suggested Neymar was close to a return after Al-Hilal posted footage of him training on social media, but Jesus says Brazil's all-time leading scorer must wait until the halfway point of the campaign before being considered.
"Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general," Jesus told reporters on Tuesday.
"I can't, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January."
With no restrictions on foreign players featuring in the AFC Champions League, Neymar could, in theory, play in that competition if he returns to fitness before January.
Al-Bukayriyah 0-1 Al-Hilal: Leonardo sends defending King's Cup champions through
Marcos Leonardo's first-half penalty was enough to book Al-Hilal a spot in the King's Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Al-Bukayriyah.
The defending champions dominated from the start, with Abdullah Al Hamddan and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both seeing early efforts saved by Dziugas Bartkus.
Al Hamddan then won the game-winning spot-kick in the 40th minute, being brought down in the box by Ibrahim Al Sunaytan, and Leonardo made no mistake from 12 yards.
Al-Hilal kept pushing for another goal, with substitutes Renan Lodi and Aleksandar Mitrovic both testing Bartkus in the second half, but they could not add to the scoreline.
Neymar, who is gearing up for his return to action after a year on the sidelines, was not involved for Al-Hilal, who lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.
Data Debrief: Leonardo proves the difference
Al-Hilal were dominant in the first half, completely overwhelming their opponents as they had 12 of their 17 shots before the break, getting five of those on target.
But across the 90 minutes, it was Leonardo who was the standout, having the second-most shots (three) and accumulating 0.82 expected goals (xG).
His only shot on target may have been the winning penalty, but he proved a handful as he also had the most touches in the opposition box (10).
Al-Bukayriyah 0-1 Al-Hilal: Leonardo sends defending King Cup champions through
Marcos Leonardo's first-half penalty was enough to book Al-Hilal a spot in the King Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Al-Bukayriyah.
The defending champions dominated from the start, with Abdullah Al Hamddan and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both seeing early efforts saved by Dziugas Bartkus.
Al Hamddan then won the game-winning spot-kick in the 40th minute, being brought down in the box by Ibrahim Al Sunaytan, and Leonardo made no mistake from 12 yards.
Al-Hilal kept pushing for another goal, with substitutes Renan Lodi and Aleksandar Mitrovic both testing Bartkus in the second half, but they could not add to the scoreline.
Neymar, who is gearing up for his return to action after a year on the sidelines, was not involved for Al-Hilal, who lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.
Data Debrief: Leonardo proves the difference
Al-Hilal were dominant in the first half, completely overwhelming their opponents as they had 12 of their 17 shots before the break, getting five of those on target.
But across the 90 minutes, it was Leonardo who was the standout, having the second-most shots (three) and accumulating 0.82 expected goals (xG).
His only shot on target may have been the winning penalty, but he proved a handful as he also had the most touches in the opposition box (10).
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