As a familiar wild atmosphere envelops Rodney Parade and the aluminum foil replica FA Cup trophy gleams under a floodlit sky, a new shock appears to be brewing in Newport. I felt it.
Within 13 minutes of kick-off, League Two side Newport County's hopes of putting Manchester United on their list of cup contenders appeared to be over.
Bruno Fernandes and Koby Mainu gave the Premier League giants a 2-0 lead and there was an air of confidence in the visiting team, which will keep the likes of Leicester City, Leeds United and Middlesbrough humble. There seemed no chance of him joining the team. An old land with a history.
But there's something about Newport and cup games, especially this one.
As well as wins over top division opponents, the Exiles drew with Tottenham here in 2018 and a year later held Manchester City scoreless until Josep Guardiola's side caught up in the second half.
Newport knew they had the power to overcome the odds. They had done this before and could do it again in this situation.
That's why when Bryn Morris scored to make it 2-1, Rodney Parade erupted in an uproar and confidence spread throughout the stadium. That's why Will Evans was able to find a way to take it to county level.
Evans' equalizer was the essence of the FA Cup. The 26-year-old former farmer, who has been a full-time professional for less than two years, stands in front of four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane and scores against the club he supported as a boy. I decided.
These are the moments that players dream of playing against United's prestigious club. The promise of this moment is why fans line up outside the box office before dawn in sub-zero temperatures.
Anthony may have restored United's lead after 21 minutes, but how Newport cherish those 21 minutes.
Evans and his fellow United fans in the dugout with the County team, including defender Scott Bennett and manager Graham Coughlan, were consumed by thoughts of the rematch at Old Trafford. Even if he did, he would have been forgiven.
“When we were 2-2, I was dreaming,” Coughlan said. “I thought he made it 2-2, he was a little rattled.
“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. You can't start like that against a quality opponent. They were clinical and hit us hard.
“But at 2-1 we gave ourselves a glimpse. This group of players represents me. I will never wave the white flag and neither will that group. ”
“I don't need them to come from 2-0 down against United in the fourth round of a cup game and come back from 2-0 down to 2-2 for me to be extremely proud of them. They love working. They're a great group of young people.
“It's a real shame that we didn't make it to the cup final. It was supposed to be a rematch at Old Trafford.”
That wasn't the case for Newport this time – Rasmus Højlund's fourth goal for United in the second half ensured that – but it was another savory occasion.
After all, this is a club that has overcome real hardships to exist.newport Bankrupted in 1989, Just reform and rise from the ashes.
That history is woven into the fabric of this club and its supporters, who all rose to their feet at the final whistle on Sunday to salute the players with a standing ovation.
“I have some great players and they're very proud of themselves, their families and the club this week,” Coughlan said.
“I don't want today to be the end for them because they expressed themselves really well. I want today to be a springboard for the rest of the season.
“There were a lot of things to be happy about. There were certainly big divisions within the class, but I'm really proud of our students.”
Newport's players sometimes bridged the gap to prove they could compete with the big names on the pitch – and Coughlan did the same with United manager Erik ten Hag in the dugout.
“We exchanged a few words after that,” the Irishman said.
“I congratulated him and he also congratulated us and thanked us for our hospitality.
“I wished him luck. He gave me a nice bottle of red wine. But don't tell him I don't drink red wine!”
