DANNY Gibbons has completed his move from Newport IoW to Bashley - and miraculously sprung from bottom to top of the Dr Martens Eastern Division.
While the Islanders were dumped to the foot of the pile after an unlucky 3-2 home defeat by Fisher, buoyant Bashley have breezed into pole position on the back of a 3-1 success at Dartford.
Gibbons's move for an undisclosed fee could spark more transfer activity today. Newport boss Steve Tate has been given the go-ahead to invest the cash in new signings and has lodged a £5,000 bid for Havant & Waterlooville's Island-based striker Jamie O'Rourke, who has dropped out of favour at Westleigh Park and is keen to play closer to home.
Tony Mount, Newport's director of football, confirmed: "Steve spoke to H&W chairman Derek Pope on Friday and we're waiting for them to get back to us."
The stumbling block could be the price. While H&W value O'Rourke at between £7-8,000, Mount has made it clear: "5,000 is our final offer."
Gibbons made his debut at Dartford and had an immediate impact on the Forest side, who won with goals from Mat Jones, Aaron Cook and a Craig Davis penalty.
Manager Barry Blankley reported: "Danny held the ball up well, he was fouled for our penalty and produced several flick-ons for young Richard Gillespie. The pair of them worked their socks off and looked very dangerous with Richie's pace and Danny's power."
Bash flushed the disappointment of their FA Trophy exit by Marlow clean out of their systems with a classy display that had Blankley purring: "Apart from Dartford's goal, I don't think our keeper David Elm had a save to make.
"We made plenty of chances and what pleased me most was the football that led up to them.
"Everybody pulled their weight and it was a good all-round performance."
There was no such satisfaction for Newport player-manager Steve Tate whose 65th-minute sending-off by referee Alison Chapman proved the turning point against Fisher.
Having been booked for dissent, he got his marching orders in the wake of what director of football Tony Mount classified as "an innocuous challenge".
Mount said: "The referee was dishing out yellow cards like they were going out of fashion and I think she was waiting for her chance with Steve.
"She lost control of the match and her man management was poor. Steve's a passionate player who is leading the side by example, but he paid the price on Saturday. I believe his dismissal was unfair and unjust, but then he's experienced enough to know what he was up against and she took her chance when the opportunity arose."
New signing Gareth Keeping from Lymington & New Milton marked an excellent debut by firing Newport ahead, but substitute Fodey Dimbuya equalised and then Mark Isaacson's handball allowed Tony Dolby to put the Londoners ahead from the penalty spot.
Adam Barsdell restored parity at the second attempt after his initial drive had been fumbled by keeper Michael Holder, but Tate's dismissal had costly consequences for the Islanders who are again carrying the weight of the Eastern Division on their troubled shoulders.
But Mount was encouraged by the performance and insisted: "We're not playing like a side who are bottom of the table and I know Steve will turn this round."
Salisbury City boss Nick Holmes was forced to choose his words carefully after the Whites had overcome a stubborn Erith & Belvedere outfit
2-1 at home - despite a catalogue of poor decisions from the officials.
"Let's just say the referee made a few decisions that I probably disagreed with," said the tactful ex-Saint, whose side sit fifth in the table.
After Erith striker Darren Adams had wasted the chance to give his side the lead on the half-hour, Whites helped themselves to a 38th-minute opener when Gary Funnell followed up after Ryan King's shot had been saved.
Adams's theatrical tumble earned a 54th-minute penalty from which he pulled Erith level, but substitute Stuart Brown ensured justice was done when he lashed home Whites' winner three minutes from time.
Holmes, who gave a debut to 21-year-old former Bournemouth, Norwich and Kings Lynn striker Daniel Bloomfield, said: "We're pleased to be there among it at the top end of the table, but we haven't played many of the better teams yet and that will be when the real test comes.
"But Erith are by no means the worst side we've played - and they did beat us up there at the start of the season."
Fleet Town's new management team of Adie Aymes and Mark Dennis have a tougher job than even they'd expected after starting off their managerial reign with a dismal 4-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Spalding.
Unbeknown to the high-profile duo, Fleet's players had done little or no work in pre-season - and the result, according to ex-Saint Dennis, was "an absolute shambles".
He said: "I'm not having a go at the last manager Steve Beeks, but the club should have got that sorted out. Several of the boys I spoke to hadn't done a pre-season at all and when I told some of my old mates like Mark Wright at Chester and Glenn Cockerill at Woking, they were astonished.
"Not only were we unfit physically, but we were unfit mentally too and that's unacceptable. But it's gone now and we've got to forget about it and move on. We've got to work hard on discipline, camaraderie and self-belief."
Spalding must have thought all their Christmases had come at once as they gleefully notched up their first league win of the season courtesy of Steve Watton, Jamie Laurence and Paul Goodhand (2).
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