Head coach Thomas Frank was full of praise for debutant goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe, whose penalty heroics helped Brentford into the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The 23-year-old made two saves during the shootout, over a decade after he first joined the club.

“He was superb,” Frank began. “I think he played a good game; I’m so pleased for him. After the game I saw his mum was in the stand and the fans were singing his name. I almost got emotional because he has been here since he was eight.

“I asked Kevin [O’Connor] to say a few words to him because he is the one who will have that feeling and that emotion in him. He knows what it is like to be at this club for many years. That was a nice moment for him personally at the end and he got a very nice applause from the players and the staff.

“He deserved that; it’s not been a straight forward journey. He’s been working very hard and he’s in a good place, so I am pleased for him.”

Frank was pleased to progress to the third round of the Carabao Cup after a tricky night at Rodney Parade.

“I’m pleased that we are through,” he continued. “Of course, we always dream about going into every game, playing a perfect game and winning 3-0 to move into the next round.

“We played a fine game. I think first half we played a little bit too slow and weren’t quick enough in spells. There was a lot of effort and a lot of focus. In the second half we were better. We got it quick to the sides, produced more crosses and had some decent chances.

“Big credit to Newport, I think they did very well and they worked very hard. What an atmosphere when they equalised, it was incredible.”

There was also good news for Ben Mee, who returned to action after missing the opening of the new season through injury.

Frank said: “It was very important to get Ben back, he’s been very important for us so I’m pleased he got around 75 minutes.”