THE champagne remains on ice for Accrington Stanley, whose bid for the League Two title was stalled by a first defeat in 16 games as former Red Padraig Amond came back to haunt them.

Billy Kee offered Stanley a late lifeline, but the point required for the silverware proved elusive.

Before last night’s game at Rodney Parade Stanley were being mentioned in the same company as new Premier League champions Manchester City, Barcelona and Juventus.

With 53 points from a possible 60 in their last 20 league games the Reds topped a list that also included Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who were close behind with 52.

Manager John Coleman was determined to extend a 15-game unbeaten streak that included 13 wins with another three points. A point would have done, but Stanley were searching for three.

Three days after blowing Wycombe away though, the Reds were left deflated by Newport County.

Stanley had started brightly and won a number of early set pieces, but could not capitalise on any of them.

Sean McConville struggled to pick out his man from corners, while a free kick for Josh Sheehan’s foul on Scott Brown 25 yards out clipped the wall.County launched a counter, and while the Reds managed to delay them Frank Nouble was still able to pick out Amond with a cross from the left channel, but Aaron Chapman was well placed to catch the former Stanley striker’s header.

But with a vocal crowd behind them Newport picked up the pace and made the breakthrough on the half-hour, when Amond worked an opening for himself in the box and unleashed a shot that Chapman managed to get a hand to but couldn’t keep out.

Stanley’s last game without a goal was on December 16, but in a first half performance as miserable as the wet South Wales weather they failed to pose Joe Day a stern test.

Amond had enough chances to walk away with the match ball, but Stanley eventually found some attacking momentum. They also found Day hard to beat, as he blocked out Kee and saved Jimmy Dunne’s header while Mark Hughes hit the post with the ball pinballing around the penalty area before it was eventually clear.

Fresh from scoring his first league goal at Adams Park, Offrande Zanzala replaced Callum Johnson to form a three-pronged attack, with Janoi Donacien moving to the left of a back three.

And it was Donacien’s previous area of the pitch Newport exploited to double their lead through Nouble, whose left foot shot slipped underneath Chapman, who had kept Stanley in the game up to that point.

Kee gave them a lifeline with a close range finish that wasn’t celebrated as they whisked the ball back to the centre circle to quickly restart the game.

But they couldn’t summon the necessary equaliser in five minutes of stoppage time.

STANLEY: Aaron Chapman 7, Callum Johnson 7 (Zanzala 75 - 6), Mark Hughes 5, Jimmy Dunne 6, Janoi Donacien 6, Jordan Clark 7, Scott Brown 5, Seamus Conneely 6, Sean McConville 5, Billy Kee 6, Kayden Jackson 6.

Subs: Jonny Maxted, Ben Richards-Everton, Liam Nolan, Danny Williams, Erico Sousa, Harvey Rodgers

NEWPORT COUNTY: Joe Day, Dan Butler, Mickey Demetriou, Mark O’Brien, Ben White, Robbie Willmott, Matty Dolan, Ben Tozer, Josh Sheehan (Aaron Collins 71), Frank Nouble (Paul Hayes 90), Padraig Amond

Subs: James Bittner, David Pipe, Marlon Jackson, Tyler Reid, Calaum Jahraldo

Referee: Lee Swabey