NEWPORT IoW accept they are masters of their own Ryman 1 destiny after dismissing rumours that relegation rivals Ashford Town are set to withdraw from the league.

With Ashford losing 2-1 at Walton & Hersham on Saturday and the Islanders triumphing 3-0 at Corinthian Casuals, the Kent club have replaced Newport in the second relegation spot.

But Ashford, just a point behind Port, still have a crucial game in hand at home to Bashley on Tuesday week and Port boss John Linington says there is no chance Newport will be guaranteed survival because Ashford are pulling out.

He said: "We'd heard rumours ourselves that Ashford might be withdrawing from the league, but our secretary Dave Bartlett has family in that part of the world and was in the Ashford clubhouse recently. He asked them the question and they said 'no', they'd be doing all they could to stay in."

For once luck was on Newport's side on Saturday when, after making some smart early saves, Casuals keeper Gareth Williams was red-carded for taking out Island striker Dave Greening.

It was top scorer Greening who fired in the penalty after defender Chris Horwood had deputised in goal, and Greening struck again in the second half along with his experienced sidekick Fraser Quirke, pictured.

Linington admitted: "Their goalkeeper was good against us the last time we played them and he was saving everything again on Saturday. Tom Scovell, Fraser and Adam Howarth had all had chances and I thought it was going to be another one of those days until he took David out inside the box. There was no argument about it, he had to go.

"Corinthians had the wind with them in the second half and put us under a lot of pressure, but Lee Wood did really well playing at sweeper for the first time and Tom Scovell was my man-of-the-match in midfield.

"Scoring three goals and keeping a clean sheet was pleasing, but it's no good unless we do the same at home to Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday."

Unfortunately for Newport, Dorking - another side deep in trouble - pulled off their first home win since October, 2-1 against Fleet. Phil Archbold bagged a stoppage-time consolation for the north Hampshire club.

Bashley's dramatic late equaliser at Hastings United came more by accident than design.

In a thrilling finale totally out of keeping with a mundane match, substitute Lee Newman appeared to have snatched the points for Hastings with a 90th-minute strike.

But as the game entered its fifth minute of stoppage time, Andy Hough's sliced shot dropped conveniently for Jake Newton to head his first ever Bash goal over keeper Matt Brown.

Bash boss Geoff Butler laughed: "It was a complete fluke. Andy Hough sliced the ball so badly that it would have spun to the corner flag, but it went right on Jake's head!

"It was a fair result, though. We had a couple of chances through Gary Langrish and Andy Hough and they had a couple too. No side deserved to win, but we did OK."