Newport County manager Christian Fuchs held back no punches after the 3-0 Emirates FA Cup Second Round defeat to Boreham Wood at the Mangata Developments Stadium.
Fuchs insisted his Exiles began brightly, creating three opportunities that should have given the game a different complexion - prior to the Wood's opening goal from Jake King on 32 minutes, other strikes following within the ensuing half-hour through Regan Booty and Boreham's leading marksman Matt Rush.
Reflected Fuchs, “We started pretty well. We had two or three chances in the first 20 minutes and we definitely needed to take advantage of those moments,
“After that, the team became too passive. We didn’t execute the game plan in terms of applying pressure. If you give them time on the ball, they’re a good team. We sat off too much instead of going after it.”
The manager was disappointed with the response to the opening goal, acknowledging it is an area the squad must continue to address.
“Mistakes happen and conceding doesn’t mean the game is done. It was still early,” he added. “It’s about how we react. The boys put their heads down and I don’t like that.”
There were seven changes to the line up held by Barrow at Rodney Parade eight days earlier, including the notable absence of Lee Jenkins, which Fuchs explained was part of squad management.
“Lee has played a lot of games. It was an opportunity for players who haven’t had as many minutes to show themselves. We still had a very competitive team out there and the game gave us good insights into what we needed to see.”
Attention now turns back to League Two action and an away trip to Crewe on Wednesday night - Fuchs making it clear that the focus is firmly league priorities.
He said, “The focus is on the league and the players who want to push the club forward will play. Being out of the FA Cup is not a relief. We wanted to advance and we approached the competition with the intention of going as far as possible. It was not good enough on the day, but credit to Boreham Wood.
"They are a good team and show decent player rotation in the final third. We knew what to expect."
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