Newport found a way to “win ugly” against rivals Scunthorpe – and maintain their National League Three Midlands play-off hopes.

The Forton Road men ground out a 17-7 victory on Saturday to stay on the shirt-tails of the top four.

And that deleighted team manager Gareth Davies, who was quite happy to swap style for substance.

“It wasn’t a classic and it would have been disappointing for the 80 or 90 people who turned up for the vice-presidents’ lunch,” he said.

“But there are times when you win pretty and times when you win ugly at this level. We did enough to win and we hope its onwards and upwards from here.

“We need to stay in touch with everyone around us and we have ambitions to be up there in the shake-up for a play-off place towards the end of the season.

“We haven’t achieved anything yet but we certainly don’t want the season to tail off.”

Both teams struggled to come to terms with the Arctic conditions on Saturday.

Adie Gillespie glided over for the opening try, Jamie Simpson kicking a simple conversion.

But the game was back in the balance at half-time, the visitors having scored a converted try of their own to draw level.

Newport finally moved ahead again just past the hour mark when Scunthorpe tried to run the ball out of their own half but Chris Taylor intercepted and ran in to score from 35 metres out.

The points were sealed two minutes from time after, from a five-metre scrum, the visitors has withstood Newport’s attempt at a pushover.

The scrum was cleverly wheeled slightly to the blind side, giving Taylor the time and space to pick up and drive over in the corner.

Hereford slipped to 38-7 defeat away at top-of-the-table Bromsgrove.

The hosts ran in four converted tries to condemn Hereford to their 12th defeat of the season.

By CHRIS HUDSON