A crestfallen Dave Hughes spoke after Newport County fell to a 1-0 defeat at League Two relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town, describing the result as "bitterly disappointing" moments following a tight encounter at Croud Meadow.
Hughes was convinced his side had enough early moments to put themselves in front, something he believes would have changed the entire flow of the afternoon.
“We had two chances really early that we have to take,” he said. “We said before the game that if we get a break through and get that chance, you’re thinking they would have to come onto the front foot and we could exploit the spaces. With that first goal, the supporters here might get a little bit hostile towards the home team."
Instead, County were left to rue another avoidable moment at the back - hesitancy proving fatal. Newport had enjoyed a fair amount of midfield dominancy, opening Shrewsbury up on occasions.
With the Newport defence backing off, up stepped ex-Portsmouth star Anthony Scully - his strike on 51 minutes sealing the Shrews' third consecutive home League maximum.
Said a downcast Hughes, “I don’t think there was anything in the game. For me, it should have been nil-nil. The goal is avoidable. We probably give Jordan a challenge by throwing it back to him, then we don’t land on seconds. We try to play when we should just hook it clear. It’s symptomatic of this season and losing by the odd goal.”
Despite this latest crippling setback, Hughes said he could not question the attitude of his squad.
He insisted, “I can’t fault the lads’ effort and application. They’ve been a credit to themselves. Yes, we’ve made mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, but I’m not going to criticise their commitment.”
The County boss also heaped praise on the 700 plus Amber Army who created a strong backing behind the goal.
“The supporters again have been terrific,” he said. “You often see teams down the bottom and the atmosphere gets hostile or volatile, but the way they supported the players today, the way they backed them consistently, they’ve been a credit to the players and a credit to the club. We can’t thank them enough.”