SUNDAY afternoon left most Newport County AFC fans feeling like they’d missed out on a speedboat on Bullseye.

Plymouth Argyle secured a dream draw and pocketed a huge payday from a sold-out Anfield – just like Jim Bowen telling us “here’s what you could’ve won” while County played an unglamourous tie at Stevenage.

Last Monday County were within touching distance of a shock win at Wycombe Wanderers, but Gareth Ainsworth’s smart attacking side managed to put two past Joe Day and grasp all three points from the Exiles’ hands.

It showed a lack of confidence in the side as they sat back and tried to cling onto the win, when frankly against a top team and with 20 minutes left it was always going to be a very difficult challenge.

So often County go ahead and seem to sit back and defend.

There’s no set way to preserve a lead but if you invite pressure for a long period of time it’s inevitable a top striker can weave his way into the box and level a game.

Portsmouth and Wycombe both came from behind in a week against us.

Maybe that first draw or win can spark some confidence, and County can go ahead and think about a second rather than worrying about conceding.

The mental game can so easily be the deciding factor between well-matched teams, and it’s fair to say there aren’t more well-matched teams than in League Two.

The Exiles slumped to their eighth consecutive league defat at Stevenage on Saturday, with six new faces wearing amber at the Lamex Stadium.

But, despite a bleak opening 20 minutes, there were some good spells for County.

With a new set of players it takes time for them to play as a team – just look at County’s opening day fixture record in the past few years as an example. Jaanai Gordon showed some promise, even if he received little time on the ball, while Sid Nelson’s work ethic gave County that bit of energy they’ve been craving at the back.

But it was Dan Butler who looked the most exciting when given an appearance after Jenison Myrie-Williams departed the field with an early injury.

Butler hasn’t received much time on the pitch since Graham Westley’s arrival and may have done enough to earn himself a place in the starting line-up.

Next up County host Colchester United, another side who have found some form. Now the signing storm is expected to settle, maybe Westley’s men can turn their heads towards a tough encounter at Rodney Parade.