Priestley Farquharson backed to learn from Newport howler

The defender has hardly put a foot wrong since stepping up to the Football League after moving from Connah's Quay Nomads in January.

The athletic 23-year-old made his debut off the bench against Grimsby as a makeshift right-back and grasped his chance to force his way into the starting line-up.

But Farquharson hit his first bump in the road against an impressive Bradford side at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday evening.

After carrying the ball out of defence in the opening minute of the second half he turned, turned, turned again and then passed the ball straight to Andy Cook who ran in on goal and fired past Nick Townsend.

A second blunder came from the central defender late on with the score at 1-1, but thankfully this time he was able to scramble and deflect a cross behind for a corner.

TEST: Bradford gave Newport defender Priestley Farquharson a challenging night

"Priestley, get your head up!" Michael Flynn bellowed from his dugout, a point that he hammered home after the dramatic 2-1 win.

"I am asking my players to play football and when they make mistakes I can't then hammer them for it," said the manager, whose side also escaped in the first half after a poor Josh Sheehan backpass.

"They are bad mistakes but that's what happens when we want to play a more attractive style of football.

"I've told Priestley that he made a mistake but he can't let him affect it for the rest of the game.

"You could see that his head was down and he looked a little bit nervous but it was the first mistake he has made.

"He has been exceptional and he will learn from that because he's bright and it will only make him better.

"Priestley is a proud man and is not used to making mistakes like that - especially on that pitch. We can't make any excuses and it's not like it bobbled up.

"He just under hit the pass and we did the same at Bradford last season with Ryan Inniss when we lost 1-0."

STRONG: Priestley Farquharson in action for Newport at Colchester

Two-goal hero Matty Dolan was pleased to bail out his centre-back, who is certainly in credit in a County jersey.

"He has made a massive step up and hasn't put a foot wrong," said the ball-playing defender, who fired home a sublime free-kick then kept his cool with a penalty at the death. "Priestley is strong, athletic and is good on the ball, it was just a lapse in concentration by him.

"But he has got his head up and the changing room was buzzing, so he can move on and carry on going from strength to strength."

County were forced into a defensive change in the capital after Ryan Haynes missed out through injury.

Flynn opted not to give Morecambe any clues about whether the left-back will be fit for Saturday but he did praise the performance of Aaron Lewis on his first start since December.

The versatile former Wales Under-20s defender, who signed on a permanent deal after spending the first half of the campaign on loan from Lincoln, started down the left before giving way to Kevin Ellison as the Exiles chased the game at 1-0 down.

"I thought that he did very well," said Flynn. "He was steady but could have maybe got one or two more crosses in when he came back out (onto his right foot). First half he put one in with his left and he is two-footed.

"Aaron is a very good technical player and did an important role for us. I said to him when he came off that it was nothing to do with the performance, it was all to do with trying to get back into the game."