Michael Flynn went from proudest manager in the country to feeling ashamed in 90 minutes at the One Call Stadium, Mansfield.
Manager Flynn watched in disbelief as his Newport County team was dismantled and humiliated by Mansfield Town.
County suffered a third successive league defeat, crashing 5-0, and Flynn said: “Let’s not dress it up, six nights ago at Wembley (v Spurs) I was the proudest manager in the country. Now I’m ashamed.
“When you let in goals like that – it is the first time this season they’ve let themselves down like that and it will be the last time.”
Mansfiekld were 2-0 in front after 10 minutes, led by four goals at half-time and went on to make it a five star performance.
Alfie Potter fired a hat-trick for Mansfield, while Danny Rose and Alex MacDonald completed the scoring.
County have slipped to 12th in the table, just above halfway, although they are only seven points outside the play-off positions.
There is still hope for Flynn’s men, who play six of their next eight league fixtures at Rodney Parade.
Padraig Amond was the lone striker for County, who set up in a 4-5-1 formation, while the home team played 4-4-2.
It was all too easy for Mansfield, who looked dangerous time and again.
County’s best chance when when Robbie Willmott went for goal and forced a good save from Conrad Logan, while Joss LAbadie did find the net on for his effort to be disallowed.
Flynn sent on substuitutes Marlon Jackson, making his first League appearance of the season, and Mark O’Brien with Frank Nouble and Matty Dolan went off.
Newport County: Day, Pipe, Demetriou, White, Butler, Dolan (O’Brien 45), Bennett (Tozer 58), Labadie (capt), Willmott, Amond, Nouble (Jackson 45). Subs not used: Bittner, McCoulsky, Reid, Sheehan.
Mansfield Town: Logan, Anderson, Pearce (C), Bennett, Benning, Potter (Penney 76’), MacDonald, King, Hamilton, Rose (Spencer 89’), Hemmings (Miller 78). Subs not used: Olejnik, Diamond, Mellis, Atkinson.
Referee: Ben Toner
Attendance: 2,866 (57 away)
Newport County’s remaining League Two fixtures:
February
Saturday 17: Newport County v Notts County
Saturday 24: Port Vale v Newport County
March
Saturday 3: Newport County v Accrington Stanley.
Tuesday 6: Newport County v Forest Green
Saturday 10: Yeovil v Newport County
Saturday 17: Newport County v Luton Town.
Saturday 24: Newport County v Crewe
Friday 30: Newport County v Coventry City
April
Monday 2: Chesterfield v Newport County.
Saturday 7: Newport County v Stevenage
Saturday 14: Newport County v Swindon Town
Saturday 21: Barnet v Newport County
Saturday 28: Newport County v Cambridge United
May
Saturday 5: Carlisle United v Newport County.
League Two table
| | HOME | | AWAY | |||||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Luton | 33 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 49 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 15 | +40 | 67 |
| 2 | Accrington | 32 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 20 | +19 | 61 |
| 3 | Wycombe | 32 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 37 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 26 | 22 | +17 | 59 |
| 4 | Notts Co | 32 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 34 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 19 | +19 | 57 |
| 5 | Mansfield | 32 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 18 | +17 | 56 |
| 6 | Swindon | 33 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 31 | 20 | +4 | 54 |
| 7 | Lincoln | 32 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 16 | +14 | 53 |
| 8 | Exeter | 30 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 23 | +6 | 52 |
| 9 | Coventry | 32 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 16 | +9 | 50 |
| 10 | Colchester | 33 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 27 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 23 | +6 | 50 |
| 11 | Crawley | 33 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 25 | -2 | 48 |
| 12 | Newport Co | 32 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 21 | 30 | -2 | 46 |
| 13 | Carlisle | 32 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 27 | 0 | 42 |
| 14 | Cambridge U | 32 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 32 | -12 | 42 |
| 15 | Cheltenham | 33 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 21 | 29 | -2 | 39 |
| 16 | Stevenage | 33 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 30 | -6 | 39 |
| 17 | Yeovil | 32 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 34 | -5 | 38 |
| 18 | Grimsby | 33 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 26 | -18 | 36 |
| 19 | Port Vale | 32 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 25 | -11 | 34 |
| 20 | Forest Green | 32 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 27 | -19 | 32 |
| 21 | Morecambe | 31 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 20 | -12 | 31 |
| 22 | Crewe | 32 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 30 | -19 | 30 |
| 23 | Chesterfield | 32 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 33 | -25 | 27 |
| 24 | Barnet | 32 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 31 | -18 | 25 |
