JOHN Coleman’s first trip to Rodney Parade must have been more pleasant than most managers’ experience, but the Accrington Stanley boss will surely be wondering what might have been after his team returned from Newport with just a point.

On paper a 1-1 draw at the home of the combative South Wales outfit is a good result but on the field Coleman’s Reds could have been two or three up before Joe Pigott struck a superb goal for the hosts.

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Justin Edinburgh’s Exiles have a reputation for physical and direct play, so Coleman’s decision to omit principle striking options James Gray and Marcus Carver in favour of the diminutive Sean Maguire may have raised eyebrows before the game. But it was distinctly vindicated later.

Stanley refused to play their hosts at their own game, setting out to frustrate in the first half before going for the jugular after the break.

The opening 45 minutes was attritional, with the visitors seeing Lee Molyneux fire wide before John O’Sullivan had a strike deflected off target for a corner.

Newport’s main threat came from set pieces and primarily long throws, one of which brought the only clear chance of the first period.

Inside the Stanley box, forward Aaron O’Connor reacted quickest to a flick on from a long throw and his diving header was goalbound only for Jesse Joronen to match his agility by diving and turning the ball around the post.

To say this was a bruising encounter was an understatement, with Newport’s debutant Curtis Obeng fortunate to stay on the field for a late lunge on Nicky Hunt and Stanley’s Anthony Barry suffering an injury in a sliding challenge with Lee Minshull that saw him have to be replaced.

If Coleman’s team had succeeded in minimising the threat to their own goal, they hadn’t made home keeper Joe Day work and set about changing that after the break with a spell of sustained pressure.

Shay McCartan, on for Barry, saw an effort blocked before O’Sullivan was again off target as the visitors started to hit their stride.

Day was finally tested on the hour mark and rose to the challenge, tipping a long range strike from Luke Joyce over the bar after good build-up play from Maguire.

Though Newport initially dealt with the resulting corner, Joyce was able to exhibit pinpoint precision with a diagonal pass to Maguire in the box. From a tight angle the Irishman got his shot away and it was deflected past Day into the net.

The opening goal was a catalyst for Stanley, who could and perhaps should have added two more in the following moments. First McCartan danced past two challenges into the box and slammed the base of the post with his shot before fellow sub Carver dispatched the loose ball into the net. Celebrations were short lived, with the assistant’s flag ruling the goal out. Replays would later prove that Carver was level and that the decision was a poor one.

Soon afterwards, a Stanley counter attack saw O’Sullivan pick out McCartan but the Northern Irishman took too much time and placed his shot straight at the body of Day.

It would prove costly.

Another sub, Pigott, levelled seconds later with a stunning strike from outside the area that flew into the top right corner of Joronen’s net.

The Finn had no chance.

A stodgy affair suddenly resembled an end-to-end cup tie but Day ensured his side would take a point when he held a flick from Rob Atkinson and pushed out another drive from Maguire in the dying stages.