By Rob Carbon
Newport County manager Michael Flynn has accused his players of allowing themselves to be bullied as they slipped further down the League Two table.
Flynn looked demoralised as County lost 2-1 at Harrogate to drop to seventh place in the table. They began the year sitting at the top.
You have to go back to December 8 for the last time the best team in the league up the New Year last tasted victory in any competition. That was a 2-0 win at Grimsby, the team they face next at the start of a seven-match sequence in February.
To make matters all the worse for County boss Michael Flynn, defeat in the first meeting between the two clubs saw wing back Liam Shephard pick up a red card in the 73rd minute for a two-footed lunge at the ball.
He won possession, didn’t make any contact with anyone else, but was sent packing by referee Chris Pollard.
“We got bullied. We got caught by not matching their aggression and by not dealing with their physical threat,” admitted Flynn.
Harrogate Town v Newport County highlights https://t.co/ze1MUajF9w
— Newport County Chat (@Newport_County) January 31, 2021
“That’s disappointing and not what you want to see from the sideline. I haven’t got to say that very often but that’s what we were missing, big time.”
“We’ve got to turn the corner quick because we don’t want to be getting too far behind the other challengers at the top.
“It’s frustrating at the moment because I know that we are so much better than we have been showing.
“They did the horrible side of the game a lot better than us and we didn’t create anything of note until the one cleared off the line on 89 minutes. It was not a very good performance.
“I’ve just spoken to the players and I am not going to single out the individuals, but there are mistakes creeping in and one or two are constantly involved in them, so they have just been told.”
The Shephard dismissal made it three red cards in four games for the one time leaders of the pack who now trail top dogs Cambridge United by five points with a game in hand.
Josh Sheehan and Joss Labadie were unavailable for the long trip north because of their suspensions and that meant recent loan signings Anthony Hartigan and Luke Gambin teamed up in midfield.
REACTION | Michael Flynn reflects on Harrogate https://t.co/A6GdeylkZ9
— Newport County Chat (@Newport_County) January 30, 2021
There was another run out up front for Jake Scrimshaw alongside Ryan Taylor, but their efforts petered out as the game wore on. Having started brightly, and got the all important opening goal from Gambin in the 16th minute, County simply fell apart after the break.
Harrogate equalised in the 34th minute with a shot across goal from the lively Josh March. That gave them the confidence to go on and physically dominate their high-flying visitors and notch only their second home win of the season.
County became increasingly shaky at the back, less and less convincing in midfield and only had one real goal threat in the second half when Jake Lawlor cleared a last gasp header from Taylor off the line.
The home side were full value for their victory and Flynn will be hoping for a big reaction from his side when they host Grimsby at home this week.
Sheehan will be back, Flynn has threatened to bring in a few more signings before the transfer window closes this weekend and the most important thing is to stop the rot against a team one off the bottom of the table and with nothing to lose.
Good to see Flynn saying the right thing. Let’s hope today’s the catalyst to changing the mindset and the performances. A full week now to prepare for Grimsby – let’s make it count.#ncafc 🧡🖤 https://t.co/Jp4ztvXUQW
— 1912 Exiles: The Newport County Podcast (@1912Exiles) January 30, 2021
There was a calmed assurance about County’s early work and when Matty Dolan swung over the first corner of the game it fell to Gambin on the penalty spot. He hit the bouncing ball sweetly enough with his left foot and it rocketed into the back of the home net with a slight glance off Scrimshaw.
It was just the start Flynn would have wanted for his team in their third game in a row on the road. Gambin was full of action in midfield and Hartigan impressed on his debut. But after a bright start the mistakes began to creep in.
A long free kick from just outside the Harrogate penalty area should not have been a major threat to County, but Dolan was beaten in the air by Aaron Martin and March was too quick for Demetriou as he raced onto his flick and fired past Townsend.
That goal visibly lifted the home side and they ended the half with their first corner of the game and proceeded to dominate the second half. Their winning goal came in the 66th minute and started with a silly free kick.
That turned into a corner, from which George Thomson’s high delivery allowed Martin to head home to secure the points and send County home with their tail very firmly between their legs.