Newport County manager Christian Fuchs admitted his side must be more ruthless in both boxes after a 1-0 defeat away at MK Dons.
County fell behind in the opening moments and, despite creating chances and battling throughout, were unable to find a response.
Reflecting on the performance, Fuchs pointed to a familiar pattern.
“It’s the common theme at the moment,” he said. “We are good between the boxes, but not good enough inside them. We make a crucial mistake in the first or second minute and that costs us. Then we don’t take our chances.
“When you play away against teams high in the table with momentum, you have to take the 10 percent of chances you create.”
Fuchs praised his players’ character and resilience, particularly in the second half.
“The character of the team is there. They kept going until the very end, even changing systems themselves to try and find a solution. I thought in the second half we were the stronger side overall, but it didn’t pay off.
“You walk into the dressing room and the boys are upset for the right reasons. They know what they are capable of.”
With County now more than seven hours without a goal, Fuchs acknowledged the concern around the lack of cutting edge.
“Of course it is concerning. That is where games are decided. The ultimate goal in football is to put the ball in the net, not just to play nice football. That is where we must improve.”
He stressed that improvement must come through daily work on the training ground, despite a demanding fixture schedule.
“There is not a lot of time on the pitch at the moment, but we are trying to put in finishing sessions between games. The players understand how crucial this moment is.”
There were positives to take, including Jordan Wright’s penalty save after the early setback.
“If we were being outplayed and on the back foot all the time, that would be worrying. But everyone can see this team is alive. We are creating chances. As long as we keep getting into good positions, I remain positive.”
Looking at the league table, Fuchs insisted his focus remains on performances rather than positions.
“It would be bad advice to look too much at the table right now. We are competing with strong teams and showing we can match them. But we have to start scoring goals, otherwise it becomes very tough.”
On Ciaran Brennan, who was forced off, Fuchs confirmed the defender will undergo further assessment.
“He felt something in his hamstring. He will have an MRI soon and we will know more after that.”
Attention now turns to Tuesday’s fixture, with Fuchs clear on the approach.
“We will approach it the same way. The performances have been there. We need to be better in both boxes and cut out the small mistakes that are costing us. That is the focus.”
