THERE was a strong sense of déjà vu about this defeat for Newport County AFC.

The Exiles are bottom of the League Two table because they haven’t been good enough all season but the football gods are certainly not smiling on Graham Westley’s men at the moment.

If it can go wrong it seems as if it will go wrong right now.

A week after a controversial penalty and a red card that was subsequently rescinded cost them a point at Cambridge United, it was a strikingly similar story at Mansfield Town.

Again Ryan Bird gave them the lead, again they were pegged back by the hosts and again a sending off and a penalty led to another defeat – the 17th of the season.

Bird’s tap-in from Craig Reid’s cross after just five minutes was cancelled out by Krystian Pearce just over 10 minutes later.

Both sides had their chances but County looked to be on course for a point at least before a twist of fate on the hour mark.

Westley was preparing to replace Jaanai Gordon and the fourth official even got as far as displaying the numbers on his board before the manager rushed from his technical area to halt the change.

Aaron Williams put his training top back on and took his place on the bench once again and within five minutes Gordon was sent off for two yellow cards – the first perhaps a little lenient, the second certainly very harsh.

“He’d cramped up and Aaron Williams was just about to replace him,” explained the manager.

“I’d gone to the fourth official to ask him to make that change.

“We were going to make it slightly before but he said he could carry on.

“We felt we were going to freshen that front line and what happened happened.”

What happened after the red card had a sense of inevitability about it for the long suffering County fans.

The Stags hunted the victory they sensed was there for the taking and they sealed it from the spot after the ball struck Reid’s arm as he blocked a Shaquile Coulthirst shot.

Coulthirst beat Joe Day from 12 yards and there was no way back for the visitors, despite a late show of resistance that saw a chance for Bird to level at the death and gave Westley cause for optimism.

“I think the last 20 minutes or so the boys went forward and showed great character,” he added.

“They managed to create the last chance and if Birdy lifts that over the goalkeeper and into the net it’s a fantastic point.

“These have been going very well, they’re on a good run of form on the whole and it was never going to be an easy trip for us.

“But, credit to our players, bearing in mind the injuries we suffered going into the game and pre-match and the decisions they never let themselves stop, they stayed on the front foot.

“And with a late equalizer from Bird it was a very precious and important point that we could have been talking about.”

Fans have endured a season of ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves’ and this was clearly the breaking point for some.

Westley was confronted by a small group of travelling supporters after the final whistle at Field Mill and they made it clear that they’d had enough.

With 13 games to go time is running out and next Saturday’s battle of the bottom two against Leyton Orient is a must-win game if ever there was one.

Anything less than three points and it could get ugly at Rodney Parade.

County: Day; Jones, Bennett, Demetriou; Samuel, Flynn (Bignot, 27, Sheehan, 79), Rose, Butler; Reid (Jackson, 85), Bird, Gordon

Subs not used: Bittner, Owen-Evans, Williams

Booked: Rose, Gordon, Bird

Sent off: Gordon

Referee: Ross Joyce

Attendance: 3,824