Newport County 0 Carlisle United 0: Still there. Still in touch. Still, on the basis of this performance, credible candidates for a play-off place. But this could easily have been even better, Carlisle’s display at Newport bringing every last thing except a goal.

Victories are the strongest currency at this stage of the season, and the record says the Blues did not achieve one in south Wales. The gap to the top seven remains as it was; three points, now with six games to go. But we can certainly say they are not fading from the race on this evidence. 

Chris Beech’s side went to Rodney Parade and played like contenders in every department other than, well, the most important one. Their failure to score in south Wales will surely irk them all the way home to Cumbria. 

Their chances, after all, were good and plentiful, arising from much good play. Rod McDonald missed an excellent one, Omari Patrick failed to take another, Offrande Zanzala couldn’t organise his feet to finish a third and other opportunities somehow came and went, unconverted by those in blue. 

Victory at this ground, then, remained stubbornly elusive, but Carlisle must otherwise take confidence from how effectively and hungrily they attacked and defended against Michael Flynn’s side, who threatened only sporadically and belatedly, and occupied just as much time trying to engineer decisions from ref Lee Swabey.

Some of Newport’s gamesmanship was fit for the stage. No team in professional football is staffed by angels but one or two face-clutching, floor-tumbling moments by those in amber should not be excused.

It is possible to argue that Carlisle should do more of it themselves and even up the dark arts tally, but that is a low aim. They are better off trying to maximise the performance levels they showed here, whilst being more ruthless in adding that bit at the end.

The Exiles may take satisfaction from holding off United but the race for the lower play-off places remains very much alive. Carlisle must now convert several of their last half-dozen opportunities. Playing like this…well, there is at least hope.

United’s quest brought an interesting selection change and Danny Devine did the team no harm in deputising at right-back for George Tanner. His first start, since December following a knee injury, brought a tidy 90-minute performance on a pitch that was better than in recent months, but remained unavoidably patchy in places.

Carlisle’s performance, thankfully, did not fit that description once they came to terms with Newport’s attacking combo which featured Ryan Taylor’s aerial prowess and Nicky Maynard’s stealthy search for scraps.

It took the Blues a little while to meet this challenge with the necessary aggression but when their centre-halves stepped up to the test, those in front helped United become the dominant force.

Offrande Zanzala sought to test Scott Bennett on the left, their pressing, persistence and, yes, football was good, and the direction of travel was positive, Jack Armer and Jon Mellish denied by blocks and saves in Carlisle's first forceful period.

Newport sought to play the ref as well as the game, harrying Swabey into booking Lewis Alessandra for a trifling challenge on Josh Sheehan, and later failing in an attempt to get him sent off (Joss Labadie’s fall, holding his face, was a particularly grim piece of theatre).

United’s work was much more constructive and busy, Callum Guy – his head bandaged after an early collision – close with a drilled shot from 30 yards, McDonald then somehow aiming the midfielder’s free-kick wide, Aaron Hayden seeing a later back-post header nudged just out of Jon Mellish’s path, and Zanzala forcing Armer’s cross over the line but thwarted by Swabey’s opinion that he’d fouled keeper Nick Townsend in so doing. 

A rare offering from the visitors came late in the half, but McDonald came across in timely fashion to deny Maynard. This was warning enough to avoid getting picked off after so much of things had appeared to be in their favour. 

The unanswered question was how many openings they would need to make their own pressure finally count. Another came and went when Patrick burned away from Aaron Lewis but was denied at the last by a Liam Shephard block. Lewis dipped an attractive volley just over the bar for Newport but United still showed some of their best colours when they had further persuasive spells in the home half, Guy swift into interceptions and Joe Riley active further forward in midfield.

If only this could have come to a climax in the 18-yard box. Instead, Patrick hammered one shot over the bar and sliced another wide after some hesitant work from the Blues at closer range. Mellish later turned sharply and was denied by Townsend, and this was followed by the excruciating moment when Patrick’s latest dynamic run yielded a cross which somehow vanished through Zanzala’s feet.

It seemed, on that basis, fated to end without the net being troubled. Farman, at the other end, was alert to a Padraig Amond shot, as Beech put on Nick Anderton to spare Mellish the risk of a second booking, and added the fit-again Joshua Kayode for the closing stages. Newport had by then also sent on 42-year-old Kevin Ellison and they had their best spell late on, when Carlisle’s better offerings had finally blown out.

The hosts almost won it when Taylor fired over the bar in added time, but in the 97th minute, after more long stoppages, it finished goalless – strangely, perplexingly, but, for United, not fatally, goalless.