Sky Blues go into the break looking for an equaliser after falling behind to the Exiles in pre-season friendly
Coventry City head into the break at Spytty Park a goal down to Newport County after Ismail Yakubu's 19th minute header.The Sky Blues started well and very nearly took the lead in the first minute when Jordan Willis, down the right, chopped inside his man and laid a ball into the path of Shaun Miller who snapped a shot just over the bar from the edge of the area.
The majority of the creative flair was coming from visitors although they were looking for a final ball that put them through on goal.
City very nearly got what would have been a deserved opener after 16 minutes when Danny Pugh flashed a corner delivery into the box, Reda Johnson inches away from making a connection with his head which would have hit the back of the net.
It was Newport who broke the deadlock though after 19 minutes when the Sky Blues failed to clear an effort from former player Shaun Jeffers and allowed the hosts to put the ball back in the box where Yakubu delicately nodded a header inside the far post from close range.
Yakubu very nearly added a second three minutes from the break when a corner delivery fell to the defender who fired a half-volley aiming for the top corner, only to be denied by a fingertip save from Allsop.
The Sky Blues then went a whisker away from a leveller two minutes later when Shaun Miller broke away and tapped the ball around County 'keeper Lenny Pidgeley but could not find a finish from a tight angle as the recovering Kevin Feely stuck out a boot to block at the near post.
Teams
Coventry City: Allsop, Willis, Pugh, Webster, Johnson (c), Thomas, Clarke, Daniels, Swanson, Tudgay, Miller
Subs: Burge (GK), Fleck, Barton, O'Brien, Seaborne, Haynes, Phillips, Finch, Lawton, Thomas, Maddison
Newport Co: Pidgeley, Jackson, Feely, Yakubu, Minshull, Zebroski, Sandell (c), Jeffers, Klukowski, Jolley, Byrne
Subs: Thomas (GK), Chapman, Howe, O'Connor, Willmott, Hughes, Flynn, Patten, Anthony, Parker