NEWPORT County AFC manager Terry Butcher was left frustrated and hurt after watching his side go down 1-0 at Hartlepool United despite another encouraging display.

The Exiles were the better side before the break but failed to capitalise on their superiority and were punished when Scott Fenwick hammered home the only goal of the game on 51 minutes.

The defeat leaves County 21st in League Two with one point from three games and they host top of the table Leyton Orient at Rodney Parade this coming Saturday.

"The difference between the two teams is that when they had a shot they hit the target and we didn't," said Butcher

"It hurts your pride when you lose a game like that - you feel you've gone toe to toe but haven't got the points decision at the end of the day.

"You feel perhaps you should've done more and landed a few more punches, but it hurts to lose.

"If you go out and get well beaten then you can hold your hands up and say ‘fair play, they’re a good side’ like Cambridge where they’ve got the players who can make a difference

"But it’s frustrating because it’s one of those losses where you think ‘we’re so close’ and it just won’t come for you.

"I thought we were the better team in the first half; we passed it well and created one or two reasonable half chances," he added.

"We felt we should have done more in the final third in the first half and we didn’t do anything in the final third at all in the second half.

"And that was the difference between us getting something from the game and not getting something.

"When you get a goal up and you have something to hang on to it gives you that extra edge and you run harder and work harder and that’s what Hartlepool did.

"Over the piece there was nothing to choose between the two teams but they’ve got four wins out of four and nine points out of nine and we’ve got one.

"I didn’t see an eight-point difference between the two sides on that performance."