Newport County AFC had to settle for a point after Fleetwood Town fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 on Saturday. Here are the talking points from Rodney Parade...
Two points dropped
Many County fans would have probably settled for a point before the game against a Fleetwood side who have not lost since Easter Monday, but the feeling after the final whistle was one of frustration.
Exiles boss Hayden Mullins admitted that it was "a game that got away" and the stats back him up with his side finishing with an xG of 2.19 compared to 0.95 for the visitors.
Christian Doidge, Kyle Cameron and Cameron Norman all wasted great opportunities before Doidge broke the deadlock seven minutes before the break. And Doidge sent a diving header agonisingly wide before Fleetwood snatched their equaliser midway through the second half.
Of County's 16 shots, only two were on target and Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch made just one save.
It's clear that Mullins' men are still lacking a ruthless edge, but he was happy with their determined display.
"We carved out chances through hard work and on another day we win 3-0, there's a sending off and everyone's happy," he said. "It wasn't to be but we're still unbeaten at home, it's a point on the board and a really good performance."
Keeping discipline key
Mullins mentioned that there could have been a red card for Fleetwood and it's true that referee Sunny Singh Gill was perhaps a little lenient. Another official may well have opted to send off Finley Potter, for sending Michael Adu-Poku flying with a robust challenge, or Ched Evans for a hand in the face of Lee Jenkins.
"There was definitely one in the first half on young Michael which was a bit of a bad tackle," said Mullins. "I think he got that one wrong. And then their striker struck out and hit Lee Jenkins in the face. He gave a yellow for that. I'm not too sure what you needed to do to get that next one. I'm not one for calling for players to get sent off, but the ref was a little bit lenient."
Fleetwood picked up five yellow cards to County's none and it was vital that the Exiles players didn't get drawn into tit-for-tat challenges and give the referee a decision to make.
"I spoke to our lads at half-time and told them not to get drawn into what was going on," added Mullins. "There were a couple of challenges that we were on the wrong end of and they definitely weren't punished."
Doidge gets reward
It's been a long time coming, but finally Doidge had his first goal for his hometown club. The striker has only made five appearances since his summer arrival, having missed the last two games through injury, but he has been waiting for this moment for a lot longer and it showed in his passionate celebration.
The Newport-born front man had a trial with the Exiles under Justin Edinburgh back in April 2014, when he was just 21 and shining for Carmarthen Town, but no move materialised and he had to wait a further 12 years before coming home to Rodney Parade via Dagenham & Redbridge, Dartford, Forest Green Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Hibernian, Kilmarnock and Forest Green again.
At 34, he's unlikely to be a goal machine in League Two this season but he is a vital cog in this team - as evidenced by how much he was missed at Salford City and Northampton Town - and Mullins certainly appreciates his contribution.
"He's a warrior up there and he's getting on but he looked a threat so we kept him on," said the manager.
"Doidgey does so much work for the rest of the guys and I think Shaq [Gwengwe] has benefited a lot from that.
"He puts his body on the line," added Mullins. "He missed two games after taking a real bad whack against Tranmere, and I think there's a lot of work that Doidgey does that maybe not a lot of people pick up on. But we understand how vital he is for us. He wins a lot of headers, there are a lot of knock-downs for [Harrison] Biggins or Shaq to pick up the second ball. He does a lot of really unselfish work for the team, so for him to get that goal was brilliant."
Jacob's a cracker
It's early days, but it looks like County's deadline-day business could well turn out to be very successful.
Matty Jacob, who joined on loan fron Premier League Hull City, is not yet fully fit but he is a solid addition at left-back and showed his undoubted class on a couple of occasions going forward on Saturday - creating a chance for fellow new boy Matt Dibley-Dias and then linking up with captain Cameron and putting the ball on a plate for Doidge to tap in.
Adu-Poku also got the seal of approval from the Rodney Parade crowd for his industrious work in attack and defence on the right flank, despite being on the end of some very questionble challenges from the visitors.
Tanatswa Nyakuhwa, who is nursing a hamstring issue, has yet to make a big impact but he offers another option out wide, and Kion Etete is yet to feature as he recovers from injury. With him and James Crole still to come back, Mullins will have the options to shake up his attack when needed.
"The new boys we've added have been really good," said the manager. "Michael was really bright. Matty Jacob is managing himself back into full fitness. Before we took him he had a bit of a hip flexor problem, but he's done really well. He's fitted into the group, as have Tan and Michael."
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