IF there is such a thing as a 4-3 thriller when it comes to pre-season friendlies then this was about as close as you will get to it.

County scored three but conceded four in their penultimate warm-up game ahead of the new campaign – they go to Gloucester City on Monday before the League Two opener against Mansfield Town a week today.

Boss Warren Feeney said after today’s game that he was pleased with his side’s performance, though the manner in which those four goals were conceded will raise a few eyebrows among the County faithful.

Feeney, himself, agreed that Forest Green’s goals should have been defended better but, like he said, it’s probably better that his players get it out of their system now rather than next Saturday.

Before we get to the match itself, it must be said that if County do one day decide to move away from Rodney Parade and build a new home ground from scratch they could do a lot worse than taking a leaf out of Forest Green’s book.

The New Lawn, in the picturesque town of Nailsworth in Gloucestershire, might be home to a club currently playing non-League football, but it would not look out of place in League Two.

Forest Green may well have been getting ready to face the Exiles in the league this season had they not been beaten in the National League play-off final by Grimsby in May.

That match proved to be Jon Parkin’s last as a Rovers player before he signed for County – and he wasn’t the only member of the Exiles’ matchday squad enjoying a reunion with the hosts.

Jamie Turley, Darren Jones, Sean Rigg and James Bittner are all ex-Rovers players now plying their trade in South Wales.

Two of those, Turley and Rigg, made Warren Feeney’s starting XI, as the Newport boss made three changes to the side that kicked off the thrashing of Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday.

Parkin, new signing Paul Bignot and Kieran Parselle made way for Marlon Jackson, Dan Butler and Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, while Mark Randall was captain.

Full-backs Barnum-Bobb and Butler and centre-halves Turley and Scot Bennett were given a tough examination in the opening stages, with Christian Doidge proving a real handful, especially in the air.

Rovers had a goal chalked off after just three minutes when Joe Day made a splendid save from Darren Carter and an offside Rhys Murphy tapped in the rebound.

However, less than 60 seconds later and Rovers did take the lead. This time a pinpoint cross-field ball found the head of Doidge and his knockdown was swept home by Murphy.

There was the odd venture forward for the visitors during the first 20 minutes but other than a couple of Jack Compton efforts it was all Rovers.

Only a vital block from Bennett prevented Murphy adding a second, as County afforded Keanu Marsh-Brown far too much space on the right flank.

Slowly but surely County began to get a foothold in proceedings and they drew level on 28 minutes.

Skipper Randall, County’s standout player in the first period, delivered a perfect cross onto the head of Jackson and he planted the ball into the far corner of Sam Russell’s net.

County may have scored with a header but they were being dominated in the air at the other end of the pitch.

First, Murphy saw a towering header tipped wide by Day for a corner, then from the resulting set-piece Doidge was unchallenged as he directed a flying header just wide.

The word from the locals was that in all of their pre-season friendlies up until today Rovers had played everything on the ground and not utilised their aerial prowess.

They were still playing some decent stuff to feet as well and, after Randall’s thunderous volley had been snaffled by Russell, Bennett came to his side’s rescue again with a vital clearance from Carter’s pull back.

The 100 or so travelling County fans would have been hoping for much better from their side after the break, and they did start the second half on a brighter note than the first.

Randall, who was staking a strong claim for the captain’s armband on a permanent basis, fired over after Jackson had been brought down.

By this stage Jennison Myrie-Williams, who hadn’t been able to get into the game much on the left, had switched to the right.

However, it was from the left flank that County’s second goal came.

That man Randall played a lovely ball to Jackson, he crossed to the waiting Rigg, and the striker did the rest, calmly rounding Russell to tap into an empty net.

That was Rigg’s last involvement – he had also been booked earlier in the half – of the afternoon as not long after his 57th-minute strike he was replaced by Parkin, who netted 38 times in 84 appearances while with Rovers.

Parkin’s introduction came at the start of the usual influx of substitutes from both dugouts, with Jones and Ben Tozer later replacing Turley and Jackson.

When everything had settled down again Rovers got back on level terms.

Day made a stunning save from Liam Noble, tipping the replacement’s thunderbolt over for a corner.

However, seconds later, and after good work from Elliott Frear on the left, another Rovers substitute, Matt Tubbs, coolly turned the ball past Day with his left foot.

Rovers then stormed two goals clear in the next eight minutes.

Tubbs was on hand to head in his second before another man to come off the bench, Keiffer Moore, was given all the time and space in the world to blast past Day.

But there was still time for County to come back and it was 4-3 when, after a handball by Ben Jefford, Myrie-Williams slotted past Russell from the spot.

There might have been a fifth for the hosts but for a save by Day and yet another block from Bennett.

Forest Green: Russell, Clough, Bennett, Pinnock, Sinclair, Traore, Carter, Frear, Marsh-Brown, Doidge, Murphy. Subs: Maxted, Racine, Moore, Tubbs, Chemlal, Jefford, Noble, Moran, Elliott.

County: Day, Barnum-Bobb, Butler, Turley, Bennett, Labadie, Compton, Randall, Myrie-Williams, Jackson, Rigg. Subs: Jones, Parkin, Tozer, Bignot, Owen-Evans, Parselle, Meechan, Bittner, Trialist.

Referee: Adam Penwell

Attendance : 624 (including 165 County fans)