COUNTY 3 LUTON 0

THE Newport County AFC Supporters Trust revealed on Friday night that their decision to sack Terry Butcher and his backroom staff last month cost the club £75,000 – and most fans will surely consider that money well spent.

When the Trust showed Butcher the door on October 1 the Exiles were rock bottom of the table with just one win and five points from 10 matches in League Two, and they’d also lost two cup ties.

This superb win over a decent Luton Town side means County have now taken 14 points from Sheridan’s first 10 league games in charge and are now seven points clear of the bottom two – and they progressed at the second attempt in the FA Cup.

Butcher would argue, with some justification, that a dozen games is hardly an ideal sample to judge any manager.

Given more time, better luck with injuries and the funds that Sheridan has at his disposal, he may well have turned things round at Rodney Parade and kept County up.

And things could still go wrong for his successor after a superb start.

But that looks distinctly unlikely. The transformation is clear to see; Sheridan’s team look a totally different proposition compared to Butcher’s boys.

The personnel hasn’t changed dramatically and, with the likes of Matt Partridge, Alex Rodman, Medy Elito and Lenell John-Lewis starting to come good, the former England World Cup hero deserves some credit for his recruitment.

But the former Ireland World Cup hero has been backed by the board and in Scot Bennett, Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, Tommy O’Sullivan and now Oliver McBurnie, he’s proved he has an astute eye for talent.

And the last two matches have perfectly showcased the new-found belief in his side.

The draw at Oxford allowed Sheridan’s men to demonstrate their determination in defence and the last half-hour against Luton was a devastating display of firepower at the other end.

County are now nine unbeaten in all competitions, they’ve finally got the win at home in the league and they appear to have unearthed that elusive fox in the box in McBurnie.

Having only signed on loan from Swansea City just before the deadline on Thursday evening and trained with his new teammates for the first time on Friday morning it was no surprise that the 19-year-old started on the bench.

After an hour the game was evenly poised. The visitors had the better of the chances in the first half and Joe Day had to be at his best to deny Danny Green and Josh McQuoid in horrible conditions.

With Zak Ansah a peripheral figure and Yan Klukowski fading after a bright start, Sheridan could have opted to tighten things up and settle for another point.

Instead he threw on O’Sullivan and McBurnie. He went for it and it paid off with interest.

Within five minutes the subs combined as O’Sullivan’s centre was expertly guided into the net by McBurnie.

Again they could have sat back and protected that lead but the hosts continued to attack, roared on by an appreciative crowd.

The second on 79 minutes was a poacher’s goal as goalkeeper Mark Tyler let Rodman’s shot slip from his grasp and the Swans striker was alert to stroke home the rebound.

And the third was an early Christmas gift from Tyler as he hacked a clearance straight to third sub Scott Boden, who teed up his new teammate for a simple tap-in four minutes from time.

It was a dream debut for the teenager as he became the first County player to bag three in a match since Aaron O’Connor at Bury just over a year ago.

And he did it in just 23 minutes, compared to O’Connor’s 90.

If he continues at that rate County will be comfortably in mid-table by the time his initial one-month loan ends on January 2.

After a shocking start to the campaign most fans will settle for continued gradual improvement and if Sheridan does indeed steer the club clear of the drop it will make that £75,000 look like a bargain.

County: Day; Barnum-Bobb, Partridge, Bennett, Hughes; Rodman, Byrne, Klukowski (O’Sullivan, 58), Elito; Ansah (McBurnie, 58), John-Lewis (Boden, 85)

Subs not used: Green, Taylor, Holmes, Barrow

Luton: Tyler; Lawless, Cuthbert, Wilkinson, Griffiths; Green, Smith, Lee (McCourt, 80), McGeehan (Doyle, 67); McQuoid (Mackail-Smith, 67), Marriott

Subs not used: Justham, Okuonghae, Long, Hall

Referee: David Coote

Attendance: 2,551 (451 Luton)