Interim head coach Dafydd Williams admitted that set-pieces once again proved costly in Newport County’s 2-0 defeat against Fleetwood Town.
Second-half goals from Phoenix Patterson and Zach Medley were enough to seal victory for the hosts, as the Exiles’ final away fixture of the season ended in disappointment.
Speaking after the game, Williams gave an honest assessment of his team’s performance.
“It's been a turbulent couple of days, naturally,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it and the players have responded really well. They've trained really well, they've taken on quite a lot of information in just what’s been two sessions and two meetings.
“I can't fault their effort and their reaction. But ultimately, regardless of how good of an opportunity it's been and how enjoyable the two days have been, we've come here and we've lost 2-0.
“It's been too many of those this season away from home, and that for me is unacceptable — especially as someone who represents this football club. We should pride ourselves on having no excuses. It’s a disappointing day.
“This week has just implementing a couple of principles in terms of how we want to look defensively and how we want to look in attack. It’s a difficult place to come, so we knew we had to be fairly solid at the start of the game, and as that progressed, apply a little bit more pressure.
“It's been a turbulent couple of days for different reasons — player selections, a couple of niggles here and there. We lost five players from Monday. CBR’s gone down in the first couple of minutes, and Hudlin could only play an hour. So, a lot of shifting around.
“Conceding that many set plays though like today is just not good enough. And the away form has not been good enough. For me, representing Newport County in whatever capacity — that hurts. We expect more.
“But equally, I think we can all look at ourselves first and foremost. Staff and players — we all have to reflect on our roles and responsibilities. Because ultimately, it’s not good enough.”
Despite the result, the Exiles were once again backed by a loyal following, with 299 travelling fans making the journey to Lancashire.
Williams was quick to praise the “magnificent” support.
“We want to go to Rodney Parade next Saturday and give the supporters something to look forward to coming back in pre-season," he added. "I thought they were magnificent behind that goal on our side today.
“You know, it’s difficult when the away form isn’t as good as it should be, but they’re still traveling in numbers. They still make plenty of noise. They still cheer the lads at the end. They’re fantastic — I can’t thank them enough.
“So we want to give them something next weekend — 100%. We want to give them a positive outcome.”
