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Newport County AFC vs Forest Green Rovers. Sky Bet League Two Play-Offs Semi-Final.

Rodney ParadeAttendance900.

Newport County AFC 2

  • M Dolan (31st minute)
  • L Collins (56th minute)

Forest Green Rovers 0

    Newport 2-0 Forest Green: County take charge of League Two play-off semi-final

    Report and highlights from the Sky Bet League Two play-off semi-final first leg between Newport and Forest Green at Rodney Parade as goals from Matty Dolan and Lewis Collins saw County take control of the tie

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    Highlights of the League Two Play-Offs Semi-Final clash between Newport and Forest Green.

    Newport took control of the League Two play-off semi-final with a 2-0 first-leg victory over Forest Green.

    Matty Dolan's stunning strike put them in front just after the half-hour mark, while Lewis Collins doubled their lead after the break.

    It puts the Welsh side in pole position to reach the play-off final for the second time in three years ahead of the second leg at Forest Green on Sunday evening.

    Newport take charge at Rodney Parade

    Image: Matty Dolan celebrates his opener at Rodney Parade

    One moment of real quality separated the sides in an otherwise scrappy first half in the 31st minute. Lewis Collins - the younger brother of Aaron, who was lining up on the other side for Forest Green - battled well down the left to beat his man and then find Josh Sheehan on the edge of the box. He then turned and laid it back to Dolan, who only had one thing on his mind as he pinged an absolute thunderbolt into the top corner. Luke McGee simply had no chance.

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    Newport continued to push for a second after the break, and they took control of the tie in the 56th minute as Lewis Collins doubled their lead, getting into the box after a cute through ball from Aaron Lewis, before lifting the ball past McGee.

    Forest Green had one glorious opportunity themselves to get back into the game as Odin Bailey found himself facing up to Tom King in the Newport goal on 67 minutes, but the stopper made himself big to smother the chance.

    Jimmy Ball then threw on top scorer Jamille Matt as he made his return from injury, but they couldn't find the goal they needed, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the second leg if they want to make it to the final.

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    What the managers said...

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    Newport boss Michael Flynn thinks his side could've put six or seven past Forest Green in their first-leg play-off.

    Newport's Michael Flynn: "I thought we were excellent tonight. My only gripe is we didn't kill the tie off, because we had enough chances to score six or seven, and Forest Green are a dangerous team.

    "I'm not getting carried away, because they are still going to have a little bit of hope they can overturn that. We saw what happened last year with Northampton and Cheltenham. Anything can happen. I'm just a little bit miffed we didn't kill them off."

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    Forest Green boss Jimmy Ball questions some of the referees calls during their first-leg play-off loss to Newport.

    Forest Green's interim manager Jimmy Ball: "It was a little bit jittery from us, especially early on. Fair play to them, they came after us. We got a few things moving after that, we hit the bar, their goalkeeper made a great save in the second half, and Aaron Collins flicked a header just past the post.

    "It's football, with fine margins, and on another night one of those goes in and it's a tasty second leg. But 2-0 can be a daunting place to be as well. We'll lick our wounds and be okay. The next goal will be huge. If we can get it at our place and get some momentum, it will be a very interesting game."

    Man of the Match - Matty Dolan

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    Matty Dolan talks about his thunderbolt goal that helped Newport to a 2-0 win over Forest Green in their play-off clash.

    Keith Andrews on Sky Sports Football:

    "It has to be him. The strike was just sensational to get them up and running. It was a vital first goal. Sweet as you like."

    What's next?

    The second leg will take place at The innocent New Lawn on Sunday, May 23 at 6.30pm, live on Sky Sports Football.

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