Gwent Premier League Premier Division

Monmouth Town 4 Newport Saints 2

AN 80th-minute Dan Macdonald penalty followed by an Ebrima Ndure strike ensured Monmouth Town completed a sensational comeback to beat Newport Saints at the Sportsground on Saturday, reports DANIEL KEANE.

The Kingfishers found themselves 2-0 down after just 20 minutes before Jack Meredith pulled one back just before half-time.

Monmouth levelled through a Fin Thorp strike from outside the box soon after the interval, and the visitors were down to ten men minutes later after a second yellow for Blair Bailey.

The Kingfishers then dominated, pushing for a winner, and were finally rewarded 10 minutes from time when Macdonald converted the penalty he had won, before Ndure's strike confirmed all three points.

The hosts began the day one position above Saints having played two less matches.

But the visitors started the brighter and took the lead in the opening minutes when Jayden Ward ran down the line and pulled the ball back across to Johnathan Vowles on the edge of the box, who blasted into the top right corner of the net.

Just when the Kingfishers started to maintain possession well and play further up the pitch they then conceded a second goal against the run of play.

A free-kick on the half-way line was played short down the line and the ball was whipped into the box for Blair Bailey at the back post to play the ball back across goal for Vowles to tap home his second.

The hosts responded to the further setback well though, and for the remainder of the half dominated possession, despite struggling to create clear cut chances.

But on the stroke of half-time, the Kingfishers pulled a goal back when George Gouldingay's corner was headed across by Ashley Ford for Meredith to strike the ball into the net from close-range.

And five minutes into the second-half, the Kingfishers were all-square, Macdonald's pass in behind the Saints defence met by Thorp, whose effort looked like a cross but floated into the far corner of the net.

Moments later Newport were reduced to ten after a cynical foul by Bailey on Jacob Perrella saw him awarded his second yellow card.

Monmouth made the numerical advantage count and dominated from then on, squandering several chances as the Saints desperately tried to hold on to a point.

Macdonald`s volley inside the box was cleared off the line by a Newport defender and Josh Maksimovic's header inside the box went narrowly over the crossbar.

The Kingfishers finally found the breakthrough with ten minutes remaining though when Macdonald was bundled over in the box and he picked himself up to fire the spotkick into the bottom right corner.

Newport then threw men forward in a desperate last-ditch attempt to salvage something, but Monmouth hit them on the counter attack and Ndure blasted the ball past the goalkeeper from inside the box to confirm all three points.

The win means the Kingfishers are now five games unbeaten in all competitions as they go into their massive JD Welsh Cup second round clash at home to fellow Gwent Premier League side Pill AFC on Saturday (October 19), kick-off 2pm.

Just half a mile down the road at the weekend, a 15th-minute Rockfield Rovers red card for a second yellow in a minute saw Monmouth Town 2nds go on and wallop their 10-man Benevolent Cup derby hosts 9-1.

The Kingfishers' reserves fired four in 10 minutes just after the sending off to go into half-time in control before adding five more, with Rovers scoring an own goal consolation deep in stoppage time.

Henry Williams (22, 88), Alex Hammerton (23, 32) and Oliver Moss (57, 84) fired braces, backed by goals for Tamer Pullen (63), Sam Williams (73) and a first half own goal.