NEWPORT County have not made the third round of the League Cup since 1962 and the wait goes on after a disappointing evening at Rodney Parade.

County graduated to round two with honours after thumping League Two rivals Cambridge United a fortnight ago.

But they failed this tough examination against League One strugglers Oxford United, who raced into a 2-0 lead inside four minutes and wrapped up the win in stoppage time.

Mickey Demetriou sliced Shandon Baptiste’s cross into his own net in the second minute before Baptiste found the top corner with a stunning 30-yard effort that gave Nick Townsend no chance and Gavin Whyte rubbed salt into the wounds at the death.

Some will see this result as something of a reality check for the Exiles, who climbed to fifth in League Two after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Grimsby Town.

But there were five changes from that match with Townsend, Andrew Crofts, Charlie Cooper, Jamille Matt and Antoine Semenyo drafted into the starting XI.

It was a first competitive start for loan signings Cooper and Semenyo, while captain Crofts returned after missing four games with a painful toe infection.

Joe Day, Josh Sheehan and Padraig Amond took their place on the bench but Matty Dolan (groin) and Mark Harris (thigh) rested minor injury concerns.

Oxford also made four changes from their 3-1 win over Burton Albion on Saturday but the confidence they had garnered from that first league victory of the season was evident at a sparsely populated Rodney Parade.

County improved after that shocking start but the U’s kept them at arms’ length for most of the first half and could have added to their lead before the break.

Free Press Series:

Matt went closest to pulling one back for the hosts as he flicked Semenyo’s cross towards goal (above) but Oxford goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell pulled off a brilliant reaction save at point-blank range.

Tyreeq Bakinson, who was playing in the most advanced midfield role, couldn’t quite match the finishing of his hero Paul Pogba as he tried his luck from distance on a couple of occasions.

Semenyo wasted a decent chance after Fraser Franks galloped down the touchline and Demetriou headed just wide from a Cooper free-kick.

But the County defence was at full stretch again in the final minute of the half as Franks and Demetriou threw themselves in the way of shots from Josh Ruffels and Sam Smith.

Flynn’s men again gave it a go in the second half but they found the visitors a tough nut to crack.

Tyler Forbes fired well over shortly after the break and Cooper, who had been booked late in the first half, was lucky to escape a second yellow after a clash with Jamie Hanson in the centre circle.

Flynn wisely replaced the midfielder with his former Forest Green Rovers teammate Keanu Marsh-Brown moments later and Matt made way for Amond as he looked for more cutting edge in attack.

The ever-adventurous Bakinson grazed the bar with what looked like a cross from the left and Franks, who played almost as a third striker at times in the closing stages, saw a piledriver blocked.

Crofts, whose return was one of the main plus points of the evening, then made way for Sheehan with 15 minutes left on the clock before the Exiles were given a glimmer of hope when Oxford were reduced to 10 men.

Hanson was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Semenyo on 78 minutes and there was real concern for the teenage striker when a stretcher was brought onto the pitch but thankfully the injury was not serious.

Oxford could have been down to nine when Luke Garbutt hauled down Amond and Dan Butler’s free-kick was inches wide.

But it was the visitors who had the last say as Whyte flicked in a third in stoppage time to ensure that County’s interest in the Carabao Cup is over for another year.

County: Townsend; Franks, Bennett, Demetriou; Forbes, Crofts (Sheehan, 75), Cooper (Marsh-Brown, 61), Butler; Bakinson; Matt (Amond, 68), Semenyo

Subs not used: Day, Foulston, O’Brien, Pipe

Booked: Cooper

Referee: Scott Duncan

Attendance: 2,228 (282 Oxford)

Argus star man: Franks