SWINDON Town forward Jonny Williams made his return from the World Cup in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Newport County on Tuesday in which ex-Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony scored an 87th-minute winner.

The Ivorian has regularly trained with County to gain match fitness in-between signing for new clubs since the summer of 2019.

Meanwhile, Town’s XI featured young goalkeeper Jack Copland, the recently-injured trio of Angus MacDonald, Reece Devine and Tomi Adeloye, and World-Cup star Williams.

Marcel Lavinier, Mathieu Baudry, Ronan Darcy, Ricky Aguiar, Tyrese Shade, and Morgan Roberts completed Swindon’s starting line-up at Newport Stadium in the city’s International Sports Village.

Hosts Newport generated the early chances, the best of which forced Copland into moving down low to his left to keep out Chanka Zimba in the 11th minute.

Up the other end, Shade sliced wide after being found by Adeloye inside the box, and Williams was denied by Townsend one-on-one before the stopper turned another Shade shot away.

Midway through the first half, Swindon took the lead after Adeloye scored a diving header at the near post following a ball in from the right.

Joy quickly turned to frustration for Town after Mathieu Baudry was forced off injured 15 minutes before half-time. The afternoon then took another turn as Lavinier inadvertently knocked a Robbie Willmott cross into his own net shortly before half-time.

After the break, Zimba zipped a shot narrowly wide of Copland’s post. Town winger Roberts responded by forcing Townsend into a save.

On the hour mark, Lewys Twamley and ex-Manchester City forward Bony were sent on for the Exiles. The latter followed Lewis Collins’ off-target effort with a header which narrowly missed the top corner.

Inside the final 10 minutes, Thierry Nevers was denied a goal courtesy of a brilliant save by Copland, and Bony hit the post with a header following a cross from the right.

But the man who previously won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and scooped the golden boot award in the Eredivisie notched the winner with three minutes to play.

Twamley ran down the left and saw a shot pushed out by Copland, only for Bony to slam into the empty net.