Bath City vs Newport County

Newport controlled the opening exchanges without creating clear-cut chances. The visitors' first real sight of goal came when Halpin drove narrowly wide, before Moses Alexander-Walker — who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bath City — was denied by the hosts' backline from close range.

Bath City's first meaningful opening arrived on 23 minutes when Harry Parsons headed wide. Harvey Wiles-Richards then produced two sharp saves in quick succession, parrying Matt Smith's free-kick before blocking Alexander-Walker's low shot.

The deadlock was broken four minutes before half-time. Garner's strike from distance took a decisive deflection off Ollie Tomlinson, wrong-footing Wiles-Richards and finding the bottom corner for a 1-0 Newport lead at the break.

Bath City needed just four minutes of the second half to level. Greenslade's corner from the left flank curled directly into the far side of the net — a delivery the Newport defence failed to deal with, and one that goalkeeper Nick Townsend could not keep out.

The Exiles responded six minutes later. Smith's corner found Halpin, who rose highest to power a header into the side netting, restoring Newport's lead and scoring his first senior goal for the club.

But Bath City refused to wilt. With 11 minutes remaining, academy substitute Seweryn Streczen did exceptionally well to retain possession on the left flank before delivering a cross for Alex Fisher. The former Newport striker — who had been invited back to train with Bath after his retirement — lifted the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 2-2.

Bath came closest to a winner when Donovan Wilson saw a goalbound shot blocked, but 2-2 is how it finished.

Bath City's decision to introduce academy product Streczen from the bench proved decisive. The left-sided player, whom manager Scott Bartlett had praised as "a shining light" in training earlier in the week, drove at the Newport defence and created the equaliser from nothing. Bartlett confirmed after the match that Streczen's persistence was the catalyst for the second goal, and his performance was a reminder of the depth Bartlett is building in his squad.

Harrison Halpin (Newport County) — The academy scholar, who has been at the club for a decade, scored his first senior goal with a well-directed header. "It genuinely felt like a dream come true," he said after the match.

Danny Greenslade (Bath City) — The left-back scored directly from a corner kick to spark Bath's comeback, the kind of fortuitous but effective goal that pre-season friendlies are designed to produce.

Alex Fisher (Bath City) — The veteran striker, formerly of Newport County, came off the bench to score the equaliser against his old club. Manager Scott Bartlett said Fisher "has been a professional footballer for a long, long time" and continues to "turn up and do well" in training.

Ged Garner (Newport County) — The forward's deflected strike just before half-time was a well-taken finish that gave Newport a deserved lead.

The provider data shows a 2-2 draw with a 0-1 half-time scoreline, reflecting Newport's first-half dominance and Bath's improved second-half performance. Pre-match data from Sports Mole gave Newport a 54.4% win probability, with Bath City at 22.9% and the draw at 22.7% — the 2-2 draw was given a 4.8% likelihood, making the final outcome a relatively uncommon result. Bath City's two goals came from a set-piece (Greenslade's corner) and a fast-break cross (Streczen to Fisher), suggesting the hosts were clinical in transition rather than dominant in possession. Newport's goals both came from open play and a second-phase corner, showing their attacking threat from multiple sources.

The attendance of 618 at Twerton Park was a solid turnout for a pre-season friendly, indicative of local interest in the cross-division fixture.

For Newport County, this was their second consecutive pre-season draw after a 0-0 stalemate with Bristol City on 21 July. The Exiles have now drawn two and lost one of their four pre-season fixtures so far. They next face League One side Reading, a step up in quality as they build towards the 2026-27 League Two campaign.

Bath City, who lost 3-0 to Plymouth Argyle in their previous friendly on 18 July, will take confidence from matching a higher-division opponent. They face Melksham Town on Tuesday 28 July in their next pre-season outing, before the National League South season begins in early August.

A pre-season friendly that delivered exactly what these fixtures should: competitive football, tactical experimentation, and a platform for young players to make an impression. Harrison Halpin's first senior goal and Seweryn Streczen's impact off the bench were the standout individual stories. Both sides will have learned plenty with the real action still to come.