EVERYBODY loves a cuddle on Valentine’s Day and Saturday’s post-match huddle was a sight to warm the hearts of every Newport County AFC fan.

Caretaker manager Jimmy Dack called all his players and staff together for a celebratory cwtch at Adams Park and his actions spoke louder than any words to the media afterwards.

After a traumatic and frankly pretty miserable past five weeks for everyone connected with the club this was a day when County rediscovered their confidence and reinforced their belief that they can still be a force in League Two.

And it was a day for the 225 travelling Exiles fans to fall in love with football once again after seeing their side ship nine goals without reply at Cambridge, Northampton and Wimbledon in recent weeks.

The celebrations after the final whistle and the sheer grit and determination displayed by the whole team during the 90 minutes, plus five agonising minutes added on at the end, also proves that the players are fully behind Dack and Wayne Hatswell.

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth argued that his side were unlucky to lose and it’s true that both of Yan Klukowski’s goals for County did come somewhat against the run of play.

But, even though they were on the front foot early on, the Chairboys certainly didn’t do enough in the first half to get the home fans out of their seats.

And, with Miles Storey impressing in a wide right role, the visitors always looked a threat.

After 20 minutes Storey found Rene Howe in the box and his intelligent lay-off allowed Klukowski to volley expertly into the bottom corner of Matt Ingram’s goal.

With their tails up, County could have extended their lead as captain Darren Jones headed wide from a corner and Mark Byrne was denied by Ingram.

Ainsworth’s men, until recently the table-toppers, tried to respond but the County back four, with young debutant David Tutonda looking full of confidence, coped with everything thrown at them.

Jones and Ismail Yakubu, with Byrne and Max Porter helping out from midfield, were in imperious form and Wycombe had to make do with long distance efforts and spurious penalty appeals.

One careless back pass from Tutonda, on loan from Cardiff City, almost proved costly just before the break but goalkeeper Joe Day raced out to rob striker Matt McClure.

Wycombe were fired up for the second period and dragged themselves back into the game within ten minutes of the restart.

Day got down well to his left to save from Sam Wood but Fred Onyedinma, on loan from Millwall and previously tracked by Premier League giants Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, was on hand to force the rebound inside the post.

For the next 20 minutes it was mostly one-way traffic as Wycombe showed why they have been in the top five all season.

As the pressure mounted the home fans scented blood and it seemed only a matter of time before their side completed the fightback.

But the men in red shirts had other ideas as they threw themselves in front of shots and did everything to frustrate the opposition.

And when they did get through they found Day in the kind of form he showed in the autumn as he saved brilliantly from Joe Mawson’s header at the far post and then made a double stop from substitute Paul Hayes and Steven Craig.

An injury to former Cardiff defender Joe Jacobson disrupted his side’s momentum, however, and the Exiles took maximum advantage.

Byrne’s free-kick was returned into the box by Yakubu and Klukowski produced another superbly controlled finish to fire low and hard past Ingram.

Substitute Shaun Jeffers almost added a third in stoppage time and former County striker Aaron Holloway went close for Wycombe but Dack’s men weren’t to be denied a famous victory.

The post-Justin Edinburgh era is well and truly up and running.

Wycombe: Ingram, Jombati, Jacobson, Mawson, Pierre, Bean, Murphy, Wood, Onyedinma, Craig (Holloway, 86), McClure (Hayes, 67)

Subs not used: Richardson, Bloomfield, Fletcher, Rowe, Ephraim

Booked: Jacobson

County: Day, Jackson, Jones, Yakubu, Tutonda, Storey (Chapman, 77), Porter, Byrne, Klukowski, O’Connor (Jeffers, 80), Howe (Feely, 86)

Subs not used: Stephens, Flynn, Parker, Poole

Booked: Jackson

Referee: Michael Bull

Attendance: 3,196 (225 County)