Michael Flynn was feeling deflated after Newport County failed to earn all three points at Rodney Parade.
Manager Flynn’s Newport County have earned only one point from successive home fixtures, drawing 1-1 against Mansfield Town in their latest match after losing 2-1 against Colchester United in midweek.
“We should have been awarded three, maybe four penalties,” said Flynn.
County were a goal down at half-time and it was substitute Shawn McCoulsky who equalised after 69 minutes.
“I’m massively disappointed,” said Flynn. “Mansfield are one of the big spenders of the league and I thought we dominated, especially in the second half.
“Conditions were the same for both teams and I won’t make excuses about that.
“The reasons I will use are that we should have had three or four penalties for pulling and we gave away a sloppy goal. They are the things that grated on me today.”
Referee Charles Breakspear warned Mansfield defenders about holding as they worked to stop County players at free-kicks and corners, but he was reluctant to take any decisive action when they carried on.
The point gained kept Newport in sixth place, but Flynn was clearly fed up.
With Joss Labadie ruled out by injury, Flynn gave Matty Dolan the job of pushing forward to support strikers Padraig Amond and Frank Nouble.
Defender Mark O’Brien was called up with Labadie missing, wore the captain’s armband and played in the back there with Scot Bennett taking up a defensive midfield role.
Dolan isn’t a natural fit into the midfield attacking role which Labadie does so well and it was a move which didn’t work out as well as Flynn hopes.
It was a wet and windy day at Rodney Parade and there were few chances, but Mansfield went ahead after 21 minutes when a Kane Hemmings shot was blocked and Danny Rose fired the rebound past goalkeeper Joe Day.
McCoulsky netted his seventh goal for Newport when he fired home from Tozer’s long throw midway through the second half, while the young striker only just missed soon after.
His shot flew just over the bar, while Sean Rigg was denied by an outstanding save.
Newport County: Day, White (Rigg 59), O’Brien, Demetriou, Pipe, Tozer, Bennett (McCoulsky 64), Dolan, Butler, Amond, Nouble. Subs not used: Willmott, Barnum-Bobb, Owen-Evans, Quigley, Bittner.
Mansfield Town: Logan, White, Pearce, Bennett, Hunt, Potter (Anderson 87), Butcher, Atkinson, MacDonald, Hemmings (Spencer 72), Rose (Sterling-James 73). Subs not used: Digby, Mellis, Angol, Olejni.
Referee: Charles Breakspear
Attendance: 3,146.
