WARREN Feeney has pledged to treat the imposters of victory and defeat the same in pre-season so there is little danger of the Newport County AFC manager going overboard despite an enjoyable 8-1 romp against Weston-super-Mare.

A rapid start under a grey Somerset sky did the trick and the result, as meaningless as it is in July, was never in doubt as the teams headed back to their changing rooms for half-time with the score at 5-0.

Goals by Sean Rigg, Mark Randall (2), Jennison Myrie-Williams and Jon Parkin were added to after the break by Joss Labadie and Marlon Jackson (2) as the game drifted slightly due to its one-sided nature.

The fixture was arranged last week and Feeney used it to give a run out to his first team core with the Thursday clash with Ton Pentre likely to feature a few more youngsters.

There were several good displays but that will have pleased the coaching staff but they are taking everything with a handful of salt until August 6.

It was the third pre-season on the spin that Newport headed to the familiar surroundings of Woodspring Stadium, a ground that fans at least know well from those times back in the Conference South.

Of course, the squad has changed aplenty since the last competitive fixture in Weston – a 4-1 victory for Dean Holdsworth’s champions-elect in 2010.

In fact, the only survivor from that matchday squad was trialist Paul Bignot, who made a surprise return to the club in the first fixture of the summer at Caldicot and is still looking to convince Feeney that he is worthy of a deal.

He played the full 90 minutes and fellow hopeful Jackson, a forward, gave the manager a nudge with a brace off the bench and a high shot count. Midfielder Ben Tozer, the only new boy who had not yet featured after a close season knee op, also came on in the second half.

The last two summer trips to the seaside had seen Aaron Collins and Dafydd Jones goals cancelled out late by the Seagulls while in 2014 then new boy Mark Byrne was neat and tidy before Aaron O’Connor and Christian Jolley netted in a 2-0 win.

Boss Feeney has rightly been quick to point out that scorelines don’t matter in pre-season, that it’s all about processes rather than outcomes.

Yet a good showing against their Conference South hosts could only help a much-changed squad gel as the clock ticks towards the League Two opener against Mansfield at Rodney Parade.

And County certainly started like they meant business with a well-crafted opener with just 83 seconds gone.

Midfielder Randall burst down the right and dinked a lovely ball to the far post that Parkin nodded down for strike partner Rigg to calmly slot home left-footed.

The bright start continued with big number 9 Parkin showing enterprise with an overhead kick (granted, not quite with the grace of Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri) that was easily saved but it was 2-0 with 11 minutes gone.

The Parkin-Rigg combo worked again with the latter released by the former and then showing fast feet to be tripped in the box for Randall to sidefoot a perfect penalty into the top right.

Things settled down a touch, although Rigg would have had the third after 27 but timed his run poorly on a counter-attack, but the lead became 5-0 before the half-time oranges thanks to a late flourish.

Myrie-Williams scored from an ambitious shot from wide on the left thanks to a goalkeeping howler and Parkin got the goal his efforts deserved, swivelling and netting with his left when the ball fell kindly.

But the fifth is well worth a look when County upload the highlights with Randall channelling the spirit of Beckham/Charlie Adam/Nayim to expose poor home number 1 Kieron Webster with a delightful chip from inside his own half.

Six minutes after the resumption Labadie scored far too easily with a header from a corner before Jake Mawford got Weston on the board with a deflected strike over Joe Day after a tricky run.

Jackson had the final say with a firm sidefooted finish from just outside the box and a neat near-post effort with his left at the death to make it eight as another day was chalked off before the visit of the Stags.

County: Day (Bittner 65), Bennett (D Jones 45), Turley, Parselle (Butler 45), Bignot, Labadie (Tozer 60), Myrie-Williams (Barnum-Bobb 45), Randall (Owen-Evans 60), Compton, Rigg (Meechan 55), Parkin (Jackson 55).

Goals: Rigg, Randall (2, penalty), Myrie-Williams, Parkin, Labadie, Jackson (2)

Weston scorers: Mawford