Newport County of League Two are into the draw for fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1949 after seeing off Championship side Middlesbrough in their fourth round replay.
After the first tie ended 1-1 at the Riverside, the two teams reconvened on a raucous if slightly rain-lashed and blustery Tuesday night at Rodney Parade.
Newport came with seconds of dropping into the non-league in 2017 thanks to a last-minute goal against Notts County on the very final day of the season. Under Mike Flynn, they currently occupy stead middle ground down in the fourth tier.
The Exiles generally outplayed Tony Pulis’ sluggish outfit and eventually heaved their way to a 2-0 victory thanks to a couple of second-half goals from Robbie Willmott and Padraig Amond, the latter being an absolute beauty…
Excellent finish. Such a difficult skill to connect with a moving ball that sweetly on such a drenched pitch.
Seeing off ‘Boro means that Newport have earned themselves a home tie in the fifth round and will therefore be welcoming Man City to their place on 16th February.
Extreme wishful thinking, but wouldn’t it be great if they somehow bundled into the quarters?