NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn blamed poor finishing and a defensive error from substitute Taylor Maloney as his side were denied a win over Cheltenham Town at Rodney Parade.

Tristan Abrahams appeared to have set County on the road to a first league win since October 19 as he opened the scoring two minutes after the break.

But former Exiles midfielder Ben Tozer got away from Maloney in the box to rescue a point for the Robins four minutes from the end of normal time.

“It was a terrible goal to give away,” said Flynn. “[Some] players don’t want to do the horrible part of the game.

“They worked their socks off for the whole game and we should have been 3-0 up.

“We missed chances and Cheltenham didn’t have a sniff, and then one of the players can’t be bothered to track a runner and we end up conceding.”

Asked if he was blaming Charlton Athletic loanee Maloney, who replaced captain Joss Labadie on 75 minutes, Flynn said: “Yeah, I am.

“They need to take responsibility and grow up into the men’s game.

“This isn’t under-23 football where results don’t matter. Results matter and by not doing his job, he’s cost us two points.

“And I’m gutted for them because the majority of them gave everything out there.”

South Wales Argus:

But Flynn was also critical of his strikers, with Abrahams and Jamille Matt spurning opportunities to extend the lead and Matt also inadvertently blocking a shot from Labadie before the break.

“We’re not scoring enough goals,” he admitted. “Hopefully we’ll get a striker in January. We need to strengthen.

“Jamille and Tristan should have put us further ahead and there was the one where we cleared off the line ourselves in the first half. We should have been 3-0 up so it’s disappointing.”

Cheltenham claimed a seventh draw in their last nine games in League Two to stay in eighth, six places and eight points ahead of the Exiles.

And manager Michael Duff felt a point was the least that his side deserved.

“We were the better team and there was only side going to win the game at the end,” said the Robins boss.

“The frustrating thing for me is in our last two games we have played against big, physical teams. It was the same against Northampton as it was here.

“We’ve stood up and matched both teams in all aspects so it’s disappointing to concede from a set play again. You can’t give up soft goals like that at places like this.

“It gave Newport a lift and we have to be a little bit cuter and savvier. We are too honest at times and that’s a frustration of mine, but I thought Tozer did well as we asked him to play a different position.”

Flynn’s men are now nine points below seventh-placed Northampton Town with two games in hand before Saturday’s FA Cup trip to Millwall.

Read more: Newport County 1 Cheltenham Town 1 - match report from Rodney Parade