TWO quick-fire goals before half-time were enough to earn Newport County AFC a fourth successive 2-1 win and lift them to fifth in the League Two table.

Padraig Amond headed in his ninth of the season before Mickey Demetriou doubled County’s advantage from the spot.

Jimmy Smith pulled one back for in-form Crawley Town just after the break but the Exiles held on to continue their 100 per cent start to 2018.

Manager Michael Flynn made two changes to the team that won at Grimsby Town last week with midfield duo Joss Labadie and Matty Dolan failing to recover from the hamstring strains that forced them off at Blundell Park.

That meant a first competitive start since February 18 last year for Josh Sheehan and a return for Ben Tozer, who hadn’t started since the Boxing Day defeat at Wycombe Wanderers.

There was no place in the squad for new loan signing Emmanuel Osadebe, who arrived from Cambridge United on Thursday.

And there was no reunion with ex-County midfielder Mark Randall, who was not involved for the visitors.

But the bumper Rodney Parade crowd did welcome back former Exiles boss Warren Feeney, now assistant to Harry Kewell at Crawley.

Much like his time in the home dugout, Feeney did not enjoy what he saw from the touchline in front of the Hazell Stand.

County could have been ahead in the 13th minute when Amond crashed a shot against the underside of bar after a quick turn inside the area.

Demetriou then went close with a header from Tozer’s cross before Tozer himself poked a shot just over the top on the stretch.

The midfielder was involved again on 38 minutes as his long throw found its way to Robbie Willmott on the far side of the penalty area and the in-form wide man smashed a half volley against the bar.

Glenn Morris’ goal was leading a charmed life but it couldn’t last.

An Exiles goal was coming and it finally arrived five minutes before the break as Ben White curled an inviting ball into the box and Amond stooped to head past a static Morris.

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The home fans roared their approval and urged their heroes forward in search of a second before the break.

And they were to get their wish as Sheehan shook off some early rustiness to win his new side a penalty a minute before the interval.

The former Swansea City midfielder got his shot away on the edge of the box and was then taken out by Crawley defender Josh Lelan.

Referee Simon Hooper could have adjudged that the chance had gone but he correctly pointed to the spot to the delight of the home fans.

It was the Exiles’ first penalty of the season and Demetriou dispatched it just as confidently as he had the last one – in the Great Escape victory over Notts County last May.

The two-goal cushion was the least Flynn’s men deserved for a dominant display in the first 45 minutes.

But anybody expecting a comfortable night was to be disappointed just three minutes into the second half.

That’s not how County like to do things and their bad habit of switching off after half-time came back to haunt them once more.

Goalkeeper Joe Day had rightly been on the receiving end of a lot of praise ahead of this match, his 150th League appearance for the club.

But he was at fault as he dropped a high ball under pressure from substitute Thomas Verheydt and failed to grab the ball at the second attempt.

That gave Crawley captain Smith the chance to roll the ball just over the line, despite the best efforts of Scot Bennett to clear the danger.

It was the visitors’ first real sight of goal and a bitter pill for Flynn and his side to swallow.

They almost responded straightaway as Amond saw a shot deflected onto the outside of the post but the ball stayed out and the match remained on a knife-edge.

A fired up Tozer then tried his luck from distance and had Morris worried but his shot was a yard wide.

Crawley thought they had equalised when Mark Connolly headed in but an early offside flag curtailed their celebrations.

And Day then redeemed himself with a superb save to deny substitute Aryan Tajbakhsh a spectacular leveller as County held firm to seal another vital three points and put the pressure on their rivals in the promotion race.

County: Day; Pipe, White, Demetriou, Butler; Tozer, Bennett; Willmott, Sheehan (Reid, 70), Nouble (Hayes, 85); Amond (McCoulsky, 77)

Subs not used: Bittner, O’Brien, Jahraldo-Martin, Collins

Booked: Pipe

Referee: Simon Hooper

Attendance: 5,741

Argus star man: Tozer