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Newport’s Shawn McCoulsky condemns Leeds to another shock FA Cup exit

Newport v Leeds
Shawn McCoulsky celebrates with his Newport team-mates after scoring the winner against Leeds in their FA Cup third round tie. Photograph: in Motion/Rex/Shutterstock

This was classic third-round FA Cup tie territory and Newport County relished the chance to play up to the script as Leeds United were eliminated from the competition in embarrassing fashion for the second season running. Shawn McCoulsky, on loan from Bristol City, was the hero for the League Two club as his 89th-minute header took Newport into the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since 1979.

It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing game and there were wild scenes at the end as Newport, 53 places below Leeds on the league ladder, pulled off a famous victory that will be talked about in these parts for years to come. Michael Flynn, Newport’s 37-year-old manager, was not even born the last time the club won a third-round tie.

Although Newport scored twice in the final 15 minutes, this was no smash-and-grab victory. Flynn’s side played with spirit and belief throughout, looked much more dangerous going forward and possessed the best player on the pitch in Robbie Willmott, who was working as a maintenance man for a supermarket before joining Newport in the summer.

As for Leeds, any sympathy for the Championship club will be in short supply, given the team that Thomas Christiansen picked. The Leeds manager made nine changes to the side who drew against Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day and paid a heavy price for doing so. Flynn was honest enough to admit that he felt “a little bit more confident” from the moment the visitors’ team sheet arrived in the Newport dressing room.

Although Christiansen defended his selection afterwards, pointing out he had adopted a similar approach in the Carabao Cup this season and enjoyed a degree of success, it was a risky path to go down against Newport, especially bearing in mind what happened to Leeds in the FA Cup fourth round last year, when Garry Monk fielded a reserve team at Sutton United and the non-league club inflicted a humiliating defeat.

Leeds started brightly enough against Newport, taking the lead through the first goal of Gaetano Berardi’s career, yet they never imposed themselves thereafter and it felt as if it would be only a matter of time before the home team levelled. That moment arrived when Conor Shaughnessy turned Frank Nouble’s low cross into his own net, setting the stage for McCoulsky to emphatically nod home the winner. To compound a miserable day for Leeds, Samuel Sáiz was sent off seconds later for allegedly spitting at a Newport player.

Christiansen, who said he did not witness the incident involving Sáiz, took responsibility for the result but was clearly hugely disappointed by the performance. “When you look at the players we had in the first XI today, it’s players who have had possibilities in the first XI. For this we expect more and it should be enough to pass to the next round but unfortunately it was not. I take the blame,” he said.

In truth, all the ingredients were there for an upset before a ball had been kicked. It was a bitterly cold afternoon in south Wales as a biting wind swept across a surface that was always likely to cause a few problems as the ball bobbled around and players struggled to keep their footing. Throw understrength opponents into the mix as well and Newport could have been forgiven for sensing blood.

Despite all of that, it was Leeds who seized the initiative early on. Berardi, one of the two survivors from the team who started against Forest, pounced on a loose ball about 25 yards from goal and thumped a low, swerving shot that flashed past Joe Day. Newport, however, refused to be discouraged and kept probing, with Willmott producing an endless supply of crosses from the right. Pádraig Amond volleyed over, saw another effort cleared off the line and later hit the side netting. Joss Labadie also had a couple of excellent chances.

Newport’s persistence eventually paid off when Nouble escaped on the right and produced the sort of cross that defenders dread. Shaughnessy, under pressure, knew that he had to make contact with the ball and ended up diverting it into his own net with what seemed to be more shin than boot. Flynn’s side were not finished, however, and McCoulsky, on as a second-half substitute, completed the turnaround with a towering header.

Flynn, who is making quite a name for himself after keeping Newport in the Football League against the odds at the end of last season, described his players as “outstanding” and hopes to be rewarded with a plum tie. “This is huge for the club and the city,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of tough times but hopefully we’re going in the right direction and this shows it. We’re in the fourth round now and, being a Liverpool fan, I’d love to get them at Anfield – but I’ll take whatever makes the club the most money.”