Hayden Mullins believes Newport County’s performance against Plymouth Argyle demonstrated how well his side are competing in the Jersey Mike’s Subs Trophy, despite ultimately losing on penalties.
The Exiles made a number of changes for the tie but more than matched the League One leaders, taking a two-goal lead before Plymouth fought back to level the contest.
“I thought we made a lot of changes for the game and we were up against a team full of confidence, top of their division,” said Mullins.
“I thought the boys more than matched them. In the first half, we were very, very good and we missed a couple of chances to maybe go two goals up before we scored a lovely goal.
“I asked the boys to put pressure on the lads who start regularly in the league and I thought they did that really well. The stats showed that they didn't have a shot on our goal in the first half, which is testament to the boys.
“Our group feels good at the moment in this competition. The boys are taking on board a lot of the information and playing it really well. At home, we knew we would be a threat to them and we were confident in what we were doing.”
Mullins admitted his side began to tire in the second half, with several players featuring for the first time in a number of weeks.
“I think we ran out of legs a little bit in the second half, looking at the lads who haven't played too much. They started to tire, so we changed the shape to try and contain them.
“We knew there would be a reaction from Plymouth. I think the first half was too comfortable for us because we played really well and made it that way.
“They emptied their bench in the end to try and get back into the game. All their so-called starters came on, and they were last chance saloon.
“For us, it's a really good performance from the lads who haven't played many games. We started to see boys tiring midway through the second half, which you would expect from lads who haven't played too much.
“It was important that those guys got as many minutes in their legs as they could because we're going to need them throughout the season.”
Joe Thomas was withdrawn at half-time after picking up a dead leg in the opening 45 minutes.
“He picked up a dead leg in the first half. One of their players ran straight into him, so we had to make a change at half-time and bring James on.”
Mullins also provided an update on Shaquille Gwengwe, who trained ahead of the match after recently missing out.
“Shaq (Gwengwe) trained today at the training ground and came through okay. We've got a couple of boys with a little bit of a bug, so we're assessing them on Thursday and seeing how they are for Saturday.”
The County boss also praised Shaun McDonald following his performance in goal and penalty save during the shootout.
“Shaun has been patient and I thought he played well today. He was unlucky with their second goal.
“He made a brilliant save in the penalty shootout to keep us in it and take it to the draw.”
Despite the result officially being recorded as a draw, Mullins admitted there was disappointment at not seeing the game out after leading 2-0.
“It’s a weird one to sum up. We get a point from the game and we're unbeaten at home still, but it does feel like we probably should have won the game.
“We were 2-0 up. Their first goal was nothing. For all the world, we were going to hit the ball back over their heads, but we slipped at the last minute and that let them in.
“That gave them a bit of belief and something to grasp onto. We could have lost it in the end, but Sean made a brilliant save in the penalty shootout.”
Mullins believes the performance against a strong Plymouth side underlined the progress County have made.
“They're top of League One and we always knew it was going to be a tough game, but it just shows how far we've come.
“I felt we dominated the first half in terms of chances and the second half was pretty comfortable until we slipped for the goal.
“The athleticism, power and quality they brought on towards the end shows why they are where they are. For us, it just shows the level we've reached and the quality of the players who haven't been getting many minutes.”
The County boss also confirmed that Harri Pugh remains sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury against Swindon Town, while Harrison Halpin was absent through team selection.
“Harri Pugh picked up an injury in that game. He did his hamstring, so he's still out with that.
“Harrison Halpin was just over team selection. We decided to bring all the boys and try to get everyone some minutes in the game.
“Shaq and Ciaran Brennan were a little bit illness-related, which is why they weren't here today, along with a couple of other lads.”