Carlisle United 2-0 Newport County: Dennis and Gordon seal Blues win

Dennis ended a dour first half with an impressive finish to put Carlisle ahead with his 15th of the season.

And Crystal Palace loanee Gordon, handed a start a day after joining the Cumbrians, impressively made it 2-0 in the second half.

Both sides hit the woodwork late on, as Paul Simpson's fourth-placed promotion-chasers recorded their first win of 2023 - as they closed the gap to the automatic places to four points with a game in hand.

It proved a day to remember for 19-year-old Gordon, who scored after 57 minutes of his maiden first-team outing at a windswept Brunton Park, in front of a 5,603 crowd.

READ MORE: Carlisle United 2-0 Newport County - as it happened

There was also a late debut for another new boy - Alfie McCalmont - while Omari Patrick impressed with a cameo from the bench on his return to action after injury.

Simpson handed an immediate debut to Gordon on the left of Carlisle's attack, 24 hours after the forward completed a loan move from Premier League club Palace.

The other January signings to date, Jack Robinson and McCalmont, were on the bench - as was fit-again Patrick for the first time since October.

Gordon's inclusion was the only change to United's previous XI, as he took the place of the departed Jack Stretton.

Newport boss Graham Coughlan made three changes, calling up Will Evans, Aaron Wildig and Lewis Collins as Scot Bennett, Omar Bogle and Aaron Lewis dropped out.

Ex-United striker Offrande Zanzala started for the visitors, who began the day in 18th place after four straight draws.

And it was Newport who made most of the early running on a windswept afternoon - their team backed not only by away fans but a vocal group of Partick Thistle supporters who chose to come to Brunton Park after their game at Dundee was postponed.

Carlisle produced a flat first-half showing and almost donated an early goal to the Exiles, as Tomas Holy's ball out from his box found Zanzala, but when he set up Collins, he could only steer the ball wide.

Newport, with Zanzala and Evans awkward customers in attack, showed brighter movement, Evans heading an Adam Lewis cross over the bar and Priestley Farquharson also heading over as the visitors offered more.

Zanzala tested Holy from a tight angle before Lewis curled a tame shot at Holy. 

Carlisle, meanwhile, were unable to put anything together in an attacking sense, as Simpson sent Jon Mellish into midfield in a bid to change the course of things.

The Blues felt Mellish was held when trying to meet an Owen Moxon corner, but ref Martin Woods was unmoved.

Carlisle's first shot then came in the 34th minute - a well-struck Callum Guy effort from 30 yards which was blocked.

Gordon then narrowly failed to put Dennis through as United improved later in the half.

Kristian Dennis celebrates the opener (Image: Barbara Abbott)

And Carlisle then snatched the lead in two added minutes.

After Moxon spread the ball and Jordan Gibson's low cross was intercepted, Moxon challenged in the air on the edge of the box before the ball came off a Newport defender - and Dennis was there to supply a neat finish across keeper Joe Day and in off the post.

That was enough for the lead at the end of a largely forgettable first half.

And United, after holding off an attempted Newport fightback at the start of the second half, then doubled their lead through their debutant.

Dennis was involved as the Blues worked the ball forward, and his pass then enabled Gordon to run at his man.

He did so to dangerous effect before making space to shoot clinically and low past Day, for a first goal in first-team football.

John Kymani-Gordon, second right, is congratulated after his goal (Image: PA)

At the other end, a reduced Newport passed up a chance through Evans' miscontrol, before Coughlan replaced defender Mickey Demetriou with frontman Omar Bogle.

Simpson then made a change of his own, Gordon getting a warm ovation from fans in the 67th minute as Patrick took his place for his comeback appearance.

Carlisle were now in much more confident shape, forcing more openings and set-piece chances.

Morgan Feeney met a Moxon corner and headed over, while another Moxon delivery found Paul Huntington at the back post as the defender's shot was blocked.

At the other end, Cameron Norman smashed high over the bar having neatly worked his way through two Blues defenders, before Farquharson glanced wide an inswinging Lewis free-kick from the right.

But Carlisle, with Patrick a dynamic presence and Moxon supplying quality from dead balls, could then have added a third, when sub Patrick attacked on the right and Dennis left his cross for the arriving Jack Armer, only for Day to save.

Patrick then left a defender for dead on the left but his cross just eluded Moxon.

Gibson came close to making it 3-0 when his dipping shot hit the post, before Adam Lewis fired against the upright at the other end.

Simpson then handed a late debut to McCalmont from the bench, Tobi Sho-Silva also coming on as United wrapped up the points.

United: Holy, Feeney, Huntington, Mellish, Senior, Armer, Guy, Moxon, Gibson (McCalmont 87), Kymani-Gordon (Patrick 67), Dennis (Sho-Silva 87). Not used: Kelly, Whelan, Devitt, Robinson.

Goals: Dennis 45, Gordon 57.

Booked: Huntington, Guy.

Newport: Day, Drysdale, Farquharson, Demetriou (Bogle 61), Norman, Adam Lewis, Moriah-Welsh (Waite 84), Wildig, Collins (Aaron Lewis 84), Evans, Zanzala. Not used: Townsend, Bright, Clarke, Bowen.

Booked: Moriah-Welsh.

Ref: Martin Woods.

Crowd: 5,603 (168 Newport fans).