BARNET manager Dean Brennan admitted the better team won as his side were blown away by Newport County AFC in the first 25 minutes of Tuesday’s FA Cup second-round replay.

County stormed into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Lewis Payne and Omar Bogle and an own goal by Danny Collinge.

Barnet captain Harry Pritchard pulled one back for the hosts in unusual circumstances when he punched in from close range before half-time, but Seb Palmer-Houlden settled the tie with a fourth for the Exiles 14 minutes from time.

Brennan conceded that such a poor opening was the death knell for his side’s chances.

“Our defending in the first 25 minutes was kamikaze, you can’t go three down that quickly in a game of this magnitude,” said the Irishman.

“We managed to pull a goal back, and we were reaching for the second – we hit the crossbar, but the better team won.

“We never give in, maybe it was the class of the division above that was the difference. We haven’t got enough of that class.

“Their finishing was clinical, the fourth goal was a great counter-attack from them, and the third goal was just schoolboy stuff.

“The game is about both boxes – they defended their box better than we did.”

The Exiles will now host Eastleigh, another National League side, in the third round next month and the Spitfires’ boss Richard Hill was impressed with Graham Coughlan’s side.

“They did really well,” aid Hill. “I’m surprised – I tipped Barnet at the start of the game, so it shows you what I know!

“I thought they were very compact, very tight and they worked really hard.

“All 11 of their players played well and it’s going to be very difficult for us going down there. If we don’t play well, we won’t win.”