The atmosphere of crisis at the club was heightened when some angry fans called for chairman Huw Jenkins to quit.
Former Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer’s flicked finish after just 10 minutes proved enough for Swindon to leave Rodney Parade with all three points — and extend Newport’s run to 10 losses in 11 games.
The home crowd’s patience snapped, with chants of “We want Jenkins out” echoing across the stadium.
But Hughes, under mounting pressure, refused to back down.
“I absolutely believe we can turn results around,” said the Exiles boss.
“The performance of the players in the second half tells you that they believe they can. And the fans stayed with them because they can see the intent.
“The first half was a little bit scrappy and we switched off at a set-play, but in the second half I thought we were excellent,” added Hughes.
“They've had three shots on target and we've had two and that tells the tale of the game. There wasn't a lot in it.
“I can't criticise the players for their intent to try to get back into the game. We're just missing that level of composure in the box. We lacked conviction in the final third.”
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It was another afternoon where effort counted for little.
Swindon — who briefly topped the table before Walsall later overtook them — were clinical when it mattered.
Newport created half-chances through Michael Reindorf and Seb Palmer-Houlden but couldn’t find a way past keeper Lewis Ward.
Hughes, however, said there is no panic behind the scenes and praised Jenkins for his continued backing.
“He's totally committed,” the manager stressed.
“I had an hour with him yesterday [Friday] discussing what we had, what we thought their threats were and how we were looking to try to play. Our principles are clear – for anyone watching us it's clear what we're trying to do.
“We speak all the time. When you're the manager you want to leave it [the club] in a better place – you want to leave a footprint for other people.
“At the moment, certainly, that's not a footprint that we're proud of in terms of results.
But, crucially, the culture and the environment [is there] and there are some areas that we do feel are lending themselves to that [positive] result coming.”
It has been a bruising start to life in the Newport dugout for Hughes, who stepped up to take charge in the summer.
His team have not won since 9 August and have scored just once in their last four games.
Even so, the manager believes performances show signs of life — and that his squad is united in the fight to climb off the bottom.
“I thought the supporters stayed with us [the team] right to the end,” he said. “They can see the levels that the players are trying to deliver.
“They don't want to see negative body language – players throwing their arms in the air and pointing the finger of blame at their team-mates.
“That's really important and they're definitely all in. We're fully committed to change the run that we're on and bring it to a halt.
“And when it does [end] it will have been well earned by the players' efforts over a period of time.”
Palmer’s goal — his second in as many games since returning to the starting lineup — left Swindon celebrating another step toward promotion, while Newport’s misery deepened.
County’s next chance to respond comes quickly, with a midweek EFL Trophy tie at Cardiff City before a vital league trip to Accrington Stanley.
For Hughes, those fixtures are opportunities to prove his conviction right.
“I absolutely believe we can turn results around,” he repeated.
“We’re fully committed to change the run that we’re on and bring it to a halt — and when it does, it will have been well earned by the players’ efforts.”
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