Bobby Kamwa’s half hour hat-trick saw Newport County return to winning ways in League Two as they ran out comfortable 3-1 winners over a severely out-of-form Gillingham.
Kamwa netted his second hattrick of the season, scoring his first from a well-taken free-kick. He then pounced on poor defending from the visitors to double the home side’s lead, before he sealed the match ball; diverting Cameron Antwi’s shot into the bottom right corner.
Gillingham’s Jimmy Jay-Morgan’s header with just 20 minutes to go gave the visitors a consolation goal.
Newport created the first opening of the game as Bobby Kamwa found David Ajiboye, who scuffed his shot wide of goal.
Ajiboye, minutes later, won the ball back on the halfway line, carrying the ball well before he was fouled outside of the box, offering County a perfect opportunity to take an early lead from a free-kick.
Kamwa stepped up to take the free-kick from 20 yards, lifting his shot over the wall of Gills players and off the crossbar to give the Exiles a reward for their fast start, taking the lead with less than 10 minutes gone.
Gillingham’s best chance of the first-half fell to Jimmy-Jay Morgan, the on-loan Chelsea forward guided his header towards goal after a good cross by Remeao Hutton, looping his header onto the roof of the net.
County then doubled their lead, capitalising on woeful defending by the visitors, Kamwa was played in behind and with ‘keeper Glenn Morris to beat, he calmly lifted his chance over the goalkeeper to double his and Newport’s goals for the night. Gills full-back Max Clark tried his best to clear his lines, but he was unable to stop the ball from creeping over the line.
Kamwa secured his hattrick on the half hour mark, more amateur defending at the back from the visitors put the hosts into further control, Ajiboye cheaply dispossessing Sam Gale, rolling the ball to Cameron Antwi who tried his luck at goal, as Kamwa diverted the ball home to make it 3-0, taking home his second match ball of the season, and his eighth goal of the league campaign.
Morgan could have given the Gills a route back into the match, minutes before the end of the first-half. His tame effort towards goal was gathered comfortably by Nick Townsend.
After the break, Kamwa had no signs of settling for the hattrick, a quick counter by the Exiles’ number seven pitted him up against Gillingham defender Andy Smith, cutting inside past his man, aiming low, the 41-year-old Morris denied a fourth goal going past him.
Gillingham’s main goal threat managed to give the away side a consolation goal. The Gills did well to recycle the ball from a corner, a good cross was nodded by Morgan, getting the visitors on the scoresheet.
Scorer Kamwa could have added his fourth of the night, getting to the ball ahead of Morris, who rushed out of his goal. On the half turn, he tried to loop the ball into an empty net but Max Ehmer was on hand to clear the danger.
Courtney Baker-Richardson almost got himself on the scoresheet, however he could not beat the visitors’ offside trap.
With ten minutes left, Gillingham could have made it a nervy end to the game. Elliott Nevitt, from the tightest of angles, hit his fearsome shot across the goal, beating Townsend, although he could not give the away side hope of earning an unlikely point.
This result lifts Newport up to 15th in the table after 34 games played. On Saturday, they travel to the east Midlands to play 16th placed Chesterfield. Kick-off is at 3pm.