Heated midfield battle at Rodney Parade gets the better of Newport’s Josh Sheehan

An uninspiring 0-0 draw between League Two promotion chasers Newport County and Salford City was overshadowed by a forceful Josh Sheehan tackle that earned the Welsh international the first red card of his career.

The midfielder endured an uncharacteristically ineffective afternoon before flying into a challenge on Salford’s Ashley Hunter midway through the second half that saw him dismissed by referee Anthony Backhouse.

Nothing went right for the former Swansea academy player all afternoon as he struggled to influence a game that became increasingly direct due to the poor quality of the Newport pitch.

Sheehan has been magnificent so far this season, leading the Exiles promotion push with his pinpoint passing from deep and orchestrating most of the proceedings for the Welsh club.

He is Newport’s playmaker, the conductor of their orchestra, the piano player to compliment the finely-tuned instrument that manager Michael Flynn has put together in South Wales, but the fixture was simply not the one for him.

A disjointed first half at Rodney Parade gave no indication that the opportunity to move top of League Two was on offer to both sides should they have won, with an early injury to Newport’s wing-back Ryan Haynes de-railing the momentum the home side briefly threatened to build.

Salford – under the temporary charge of Warren Joyce as manager Richie Wellens was absent due to a chest infection – showed great respect to the hosts by starting the game with a back five for the first time this season in order to match-up the system that has served Flynn and Newport so well.

Whilst the formation provided adequate defensive protection for Vaclav Hladky in the Ammies’ goal, it was in fact the away side that looked more likely to break the deadlock in the first half. Both Tom Clarke and Tom Elliott headed wide of the Newport goal when presented with the best of the chances either side could muster up.

Every time Sheehan collected the ball he was confronted by at least one half of Salford’s destructive midfield pivot. If the man who picked up his first international cap back in November managed to wriggle away from Oscar Threlkeld he was faced by Jason Lowe and vice versa, his frustration understandably increasing with each intercepted pass or telegraphed piece of skill.

It was a similar story for Salford’s Robbie Gotts. The Leeds loanee, who only signed for Wellens’ side on Friday, looked bright when he found an inch of space to escape into, but all too often Joss Labadie and Scott Bennett were in close enough attendance to halt his progress and ensure this game of attrition would not break into something approaching a spectacle.

There was a potentially game-changing moment early in the second half when the two wizards donned their gladiatorial armour for a brief moment as Gotts clattered into Sheehan in front of the makeshift dug-outs on the far side of the ground.

Newport’s vice-captain was left in a heap on the floor, and whether or not it influenced the reckless challenge he thundered into just two minutes later only he will know.

As the ball sprang loose after Sheehan had seen yet another pass cut out by Lowe, Hunter tried to advance down the right-wing but was stopped in his tracks by a two-footed challenge from the Newport man. Despite the protests from the Newport bench, referee Backhouse retained his composure before brandishing the red card and changing the complexion of the game.

Salford moved to a more natural 4-2-3-1 as they searched for a win that would have moved them into the automatic promotion places, but they rarely fashioned opportunities to take the lead as the Newport rearguard closed ranks.

Gotts was withdrawn in the closing stages as his effectiveness faded – a further indication that midfield warfare was the order of the day.

The home side actually improved after being reduced to ten men, with substitute Tristan Abrahams providing pace and energy to an attack that looked de-void of threat for much of the afternoon.

Late winners have become a hallmark of the Exiles excellent start to the season, and they felt they should have had an opportunity to score another when Mickey Demetriou went down in the Salford box in injury-time but Backhouse waved the appeals for a penalty away.

Whilst both sides will probably be satisfied with a point in a game that had the potential to deal a significant psychological blow in the promotion battle, Flynn will no doubt be concerned that his midfield Mozart is now set to miss games against Cheltenham, Oldham and Carlisle.

Newport County manager Michael Flynn was angry with the decision that saw Jodh Sheehan sent off with a straight red card:

“The fourth official’s give it (the red card), I don’t think he gave anything right all game, but then he gets involved in a decision where the referee should have a good view of it.

“He’s (Sheehan) gone in with one foot, he’s taken the ball first, but they’ve said he’s gone above the ankle and it’s excessive force.

“If it’s a red card then I think football’s in trouble, they might as well say anytime you go to the floor (to tackle) it’s illegal.”

– Newport manager Michael Flynn

Salford City stand-in manager Wareen Joyce was happy with the game plan and how his players executed it:

“I thought we came with a game plan. We’ve had a couple of games where we’ve played on not great pitches and come unstuck really, so we came today with a certain style of play, quite direct, and I thought we gave as good as we got.

“In the first sixty minutes I thought we were the team on top and team most likely to score a goal.”

– Stand-in Salford boss Warren Joyce

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