Newport County secured a 2-1 comeback victory away at Barnet in a pre-season friendly this week. The League Two side, which finished 20th last season, overturned a first-half deficit with two goals after the break.
According to a match report published by Barnet FC, the home side took the lead through Callum Stead. He scored after working the ball closely and slotting it past Newport goalkeeper Jordan Wright. The visitors had several chances to equalise before the interval, with Ben Lloyd denied by a close-range save from Barnet's Cieran Slicker in the 19th minute.
Newport manager Graham Coughlan made a tactical change at half-time, introducing James Crole. The substitute made an immediate impact, although he committed an early foul that halted an attack. Newport continued to press and Harrison Biggins saw a shot cleared off the line by Danny Collinge. The equaliser finally arrived in the 65th minute when Bobby Kamwa scored past Slicker from inside the area.
Barnet responded by hitting the crossbar with ten minutes of normal time remaining. Newport capitalised on that let-off almost immediately. James Crole poked the ball home from close-range to give his side the lead. Match report narration said, "The visitors, did however, find the back of the net for a second time this afternoon shortly after, with Crole poking it home from close-range to give the relegation-threatened side the late advantage."
This win provides a positive start to Newport County's preparations for the new League Two campaign. The club ended the 2025 season in 20th place with 43 points from 46 games. Their recent form was mixed, recorded as WWLWL. They scored 48 goals but conceded 77, finishing with a -29 goal difference. In the final standings, they were 44 points behind champions Bromley.
Newport's squad for the new season is taking shape, and fans can check the latest squad updates on our site. The team's defensive resilience in the second half at Barnet will be encouraging, given last season's high number of goals conceded.
Barnet started brightly. Harrison Biggins had an effort over the bar within the first minute. Callum Stead later flashed a shot across goal after a flick from Idris Kanu, but no teammate was in position. Stead's goal came from a move he described. "Our number ten worked the ball closely to his feet before cooly slotting the ball past Jordan Wright for the opener," he said.
Newport captain Matthew Baker sent a ball into the box late in the first half, but his side went in 1-0 down. After the equaliser, Barnet manager Dean Brennan made a double substitution after the 70-minute mark, bringing on Mark Shelton and Oli Hawkins. Newport held firm under late pressure, with Adam Senior heading wide in added time.
The full-time whistle confirmed a 2-1 win for Newport County in front of 2,256 spectators, including 280 travelling fans. This result builds momentum ahead of further pre-season fixtures. The club's complete fixtures schedule for the coming weeks is available online. Newport's next match is against another non-league opponent as they continue their preparations for the League Two season, which begins next month.
