Dion Conroy, right, scored in the first minute (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Crawley kept themselves in the hunt for the League Two play-offs with a thumping 4-0 win at Newport, whose own top-seven hopes are now surely over.
Scott Lindsey’s side, who climb to seventh, took just 55 seconds to break the deadlock as Dion Conroy volleyed in Will Wright’s cross.
And Ronan Darcy put the visitors in control with a superbly taken second in the 26th minute when he confidently fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
In between the goals, strikers Will Evans and Offrande Zanzala were guilty of wasting several chances for the hosts and Bryn Morris fired just wide before half-time.
But Crawley could have added to their lead, with Darcy hitting the post and Klaidi Lolos letting himself down with a poor first touch on two occasions.
And Laurence Maguire poked in at the far post from Wright’s free-kick to seal victory on 69 minutes, before substitute Adam Campbell slotted in a fourth in stoppage time.
