WINCHESTER City achieved their objective of being in today’s FA Cup third qualifying round draw.

The trouble is, they still have Newport IoW for company after criminally frittering away a three-goal lead at the Denplan City Ground.

Winchester looked to be home and hosed when two goals in two minutes from Zach Glasspool and Mike McEnery tripled their 1-0 interval advantage.

But losing tigerish right-back Adam Tomasso to a jarred leg early in the second half coincided with a severe bout of the defensive jitters for the Citizens who fell to pieces inside their own 18-yard box while squandering chances galore in the other.

For the neutral it made riveting viewing as Newport – sparked to life by the introduction of former City player Charlie Smeeton – rose from the dead to force a 3-3 draw and a replay at St George’s Park tomorrow (Tuesday, 7.45pm).

But the entertainment value of a cracking cup tie was lost on City co-bosses Tim Cole and Danny Robinson.

“I’m sure it was good for the people who paid £6 to come in and watch – but not for my heart!” said Robinson.

“Our whole speech before the game was about waking up on Monday morning, getting your first foot out of bed and thinking ‘who are we going to draw today?’ – and that’s how it should have been with an hour gone.

“You can’t legislate for throwing away a three-goal lead like we did, but you have to praise Newport. They sniffed a bit of anxiety in us and exploited it.”

Winchester had dominated the first-half to such a degree that the £4,500 prize money should have already been banked.

But of the ten clear-cut chances they created, they put just one away – Warren Bentley racing onto Joe Wright’s slide-rule pass down the left channel to bury his 17th league and cup goal of the season.

Newport carried more of a threat at the start of the second half, but their hopes of a cup run appeared to be over when, in the space of two minutes, Bentley played in strike partner Zach Glasspool to make it 2-0 before ex-Port winger Mike McEnery beat ’keeper Gary Streeter at the second attempt.

Islanders boss Steve Brougham’s decision to throw on Smeeton – a Wessex League title winner with Winchester in 2011/12 – proved a game-changer as the sub helped turn the game on its head.

Smeeton had only been on the field five minutes when Tom McInnes played in ex- Havant & Waterlooville striker Scott Jones to make it 3-1.

City’s director of football Dave Malone left his seat to beseech his players not to go “gung-ho” in their quest for victory, but his words fell on deaf ears as Winchester came off worse in a manic end-to-end finale.

Home ’keeper Jason Collins tipped Iain Seabrook’s free-kick onto the woodwork as he desperately tried to hold back the Newport tide, but he was fighting an increasingly futile battle as those in front of him floundered.

On 70 minutes Matt Evans’ long ball down the middle was flicked home by Smeeton and, as chaos erupted in the home penalty area following an 81st- minute corner, Jones forced home the leveller.

Winchester still had their chances – a host of them, in fact – but Glasspool’s precision header was tipped over by the excellent Streeter at 3-1 and, with just one goal separating the teams, Bentley broke clean through and dragged his shot wide.

Dom Cope might have had a hat-trick on another day but, not for the first time this season, City paid the price for their wastefulness.

“So many times we should have finished teams off and haven’t.

We’ve had chance after chance,”co-boss Cole lamented.

“Smeeton came on and caused us all sorts of problems and we panicked a bit.

“It’s hard to take but, luckily, we’ve got the chance to rectify it on Tuesday.”