AN INEXPERIENCED Newport County AFC side had too much knowhow for Chelsea under-21s as two goals from Jamille Matt and a late third from substitute Antoine Semenyo sealed victory for the Exiles in the Checkatrade Trophy.

It also earned Michael Flynn’s men £10,000 in prize money and three points in Group C of the southern section.

It was an impressive result against the Chelsea youngsters who have won the FA Youth Cup in each of the last five years.

The Blues academy stars lost on penalties to eventual winners Lincoln City in last year’s competition and opened this season’s campaign with a 4-0 win at Swindon Town last month.

For County, who lost 1-0 at Swindon a fortnight ago, it was a first win in a Trophy tie since November 2016 and it was achieved despite a big shake-up to the starting XI.

Flynn opted to make nine changes with only Mark O’Brien and Tyler Forbes remaining from Saturday’s win at Tranmere Rovers in League Two.

Nick Townsend got another chance to show what he can do in goal and Cameron Pring earned a start at left-back.

Academy graduates Jay Foulston and Lewis Collins were drafted in at centre-back and in an attacking midfield role respectively, while Charlie Cooper partnered Josh Sheehan in central midfield and Matt, Robbie Willmott and Mark Harris were recalled up front.

The Chelsea team was made up entirely of teenagers but the average age of the Exiles starting XI was just 22.

Sheehan had the first real effort on goal but he didn’t quite get enough bend on his shot from the edge of the area and it sailed wide of Jamie Cumming’s goal.

Dutchman Daishawn Redan was proving a handful at the other end and he was denied by some tenacious defending from Forbes, who again cleared the danger after Townsend had dropped the ball at the feet of Martell Taylor Crossdale.

Redan then got away from Pring and the otherwise-impressive Foulston on the right of the 18-yard box but dragged his shot wide of Townsend’s far post.

Willmott, who is suspended from league action after his red card against Yeovil Town last week, got a lot of joy down the right flank all evening and it was his cross that led to the opening goal.

Matt’s header didn’t look like it would trouble Cumming but the goalkeeper somehow fumbled the ball into the net to gift the Exiles the lead.

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Sheehan (above) was unlucky not to make it 2-0 moments later when his shot cannoned off the angle of post and bar.

But it could easily have been 1-1 at the break if O’Brien hadn’t pulled off a fantastic recovery tackle to deny Redan after a poor wayward Matt lay-off allowed the visitors to break.

Matt made amends for that by grabbing his second goal of the game two minutes after the restart as he found space in the box and stooped to head home Willmott’s corner from close range.

That cushion allowed Flynn to make some changes and Collins, who didn’t look out of place alongside his more experienced teammates, made way for Dan Butler midway through the second half.

Chelsea enjoyed plenty of possession in the closing stages and Townsend did well to smother the danger when Redan was played through the middle but the goalkeeper was rarely tested and County finished strongly.

Antoine Semenyo replaced Foulston with 12 minutes left on the clock and could have claimed a hat-trick before the end.

Willmott almost had his third and fourth assists of the night as he crossed from the right for the substitute to first shoot just over the top and then head off target.

Semenyo finally got his goal in stoppage time after a late ankle injury for Matt had taken some of the gloss off the result.

But the win gives the Exiles a chance of progressing in this much-maligned competition if they can beat League One Plymouth Argyle at home in November.

County: Townsend; Forbes, O’Brien, Foulston (Semenyo, 78), Pring; Cooper, Sheehan; Willmott, Collins (Butler, 66), Harris; Matt (Amond, 88)

Subs not used: Day, Franks, Demetriou, Bennett

Referee: Kevin Johnson

Attendance: 1,525 (53 Chelsea)

Argus star man: Willmott