Michael Flynn refuses to give up Newport County’s fight to earn promotion to League One.
The Exiles lost 1-0 at home against Stevenage, but manager Flynn said: “It looks improbable, but we just have to keep going.
“We have to keep battling and listen, a few of the players are out of contract in the summer.
“You are only as good as your last game is a famous old saying and that was coming against a team who really have nothing to play for. They did look up for it.
“We lost the game because of our first-half performance.
“It was a terrible goal to concede because it was a free header in our box. The first-half was poor for me if I’m honest. Stevenage wanted it more, they won more challenges and they looked stronger than us.”
Flynn said: “It is in danger of petering out. I don’t understand why that is because if we had won then we would have closed the gap again because all of the others lost.
“It’s even more frustrating now seeing the table – but I’ve just said and given them a rude awakening in that it’s lucky that we’ve got points on the board at the moment because we are making some terrible mistakes and we didn’t really look like scoring today.”
It now looks an impossible dream for Newport to claw back a difference of 11 points from the final six league matches if they are to stand any chance of aspiring into a play-off position.
Captain Chris Whelpdale scored his first goal of the season to earn Stevenage victory, heading in a Ronnie Henry cross.
The energetic Aaron Collins was providing County with some attacking intent during the first-half, but the Exiles wasted their chances.
A clean sheet for Stevenage goalkeeper Tom King meant he was only the fourth goalkeeper in 26 matches to keep County out at Rodney Parade.
The Exiles were missing captain Joss Labadie, Mark O’Brien, Paul Hayes and Shawn McCoulsky and Flynn believes missing those players for the game contributed to the defeat.
“We had a few missing, but the boys on the pitch still should have done better. I’ll take responsibility for that.”
Those players missing through injury now have a further six days to rest and recover before County go again against play-off chasing Swindon Town next Saturday.
O’Brien’s absence from the squad was revealed post-match as being down to a knee problem, while Paul Hayes didn’t recover in time from calf injury.
Newport County: Day, Pipe, capt (Reid 77), Demetriou, White, Tozer (Jackson 80), Butler, Dolan, Willmott, Collins (Sheehan 60), Amond, Nouble. Subs not used: Bittner, Bennett, Touray, Jahraldo
Stevenage: T King, Henry (capt), J.King, Wilkinson, Martin, Whelpdale, Sheaf (Godden 82), Amos, Kennedy (Gorman 67), Revell (Franks 87), Newton. Subs not used: Fryer, Goddard, Samuel, Vancooten
Referee: Ollie Yates
Attendance: 4,007 (102 away)
League Two 2017-18
| | HOME | | AWAY | |||||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Accrington | 40 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 38 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 22 | +27 | 83 |
| 2 | Luton | 42 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 56 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 31 | 21 | +44 | 80 |
| 3 | Wycombe | 41 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 42 | 31 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 33 | 24 | +20 | 74 |
| 4 | Exeter | 41 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 31 | +10 | 72 |
| 5 | Notts Co | 42 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 26 | +19 | 70 |
| 6 | Lincoln | 40 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 35 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 22 | 21 | +15 | 67 |
| 7 | Coventry | 41 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 21 | +11 | 65 |
| 8 | Mansfield | 41 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 40 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 23 | +13 | 63 |
| 9 | Swindon | 41 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 37 | 27 | +1 | 63 |
| 10 | Carlisle | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 28 | 29 | +7 | 61 |
| 11 | Colchester | 42 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 26 | +5 | 61 |
| 12 | Crawley | 42 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 28 | 26 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 33 | -6 | 57 |
| 13 | Newport Co | 40 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 26 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 30 | -2 | 54 |
| 14 | Cambridge U | 41 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 35 | -11 | 54 |
| 15 | Cheltenham | 42 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 24 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 32 | 36 | +2 | 51 |
| 16 | Stevenage | 41 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 34 | -2 | 51 |
| 17 | Crewe | 42 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 29 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 27 | 39 | -14 | 47 |
| 18 | Yeovil | 39 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 40 | -9 | 45 |
| 19 | Port Vale | 42 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 32 | -13 | 43 |
| 20 | Morecambe | 40 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 23 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 28 | -13 | 42 |
| 21 | Grimsby | 42 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 40 | -29 | 41 |
| 22 | Forest Green | 41 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 31 | 32 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 17 | 38 | -22 | 40 |
| 23 | Barnet | 42 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 19 | 38 | -25 | 36 |
| 24 | Chesterfield | 39 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 25 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 39 | -28 | 34 |
