NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn insisted his side won’t give up on a League Two play-off place – despite Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at MK Dons, writes Andrew Penman.
Joe Day saved a first-half penalty at Stadium MK, but the hosts took the points thanks to second-half strikes from Ousseynou Cisse and substitute Chuks Aneke.
The defeat means County remain 15th in the table but they are now eight points below seventh-placed Exeter City.
But, with 13 games still to play and 39 points available, Flynn is adamant that his team will not give up the fight.
Asked if their play-offs chances were now over, the Exiles boss said: “Probably, but we’ll never say never until it’s not possible.
“We’ve got a tough game now next weekend against Carlisle that we need to win.”
The Cumbrians are seven points above County in eighth place having played a game more and Flynn’s men will be looking to avenge their 3-2 defeat at Brunton Park in November.
“They scored a late winner against us up there and that is one where we should have taken a point, definitely.
“But we can’t go back in time and it is what it is.
“They’ve had a great season so far and it’s going to be a tough game.”
Flynn admitted that his side looked “flat” against the Dons after a hectic post-Christmas schedule in the league and the FA Cup.
“It was probably one game too many for them this week,” he said. “It caught up with them.
“We huffed and puffed and we weren’t our usual dynamic selves.
“I felt sorry for the forwards because they’ve played all season and they give their heart and souls game in and game out, day in and day out with the amount of running they do,” he added.
“I felt for them a little bit and we tried to change it up but we didn’t really have too many clear-cut chances, and the ones we did have we put wide.
“I’m very glad that we’ve got no game this week. We’ve had Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday for five weeks now. It’s tough for them.”
Fraser Franks and Joss Labadie missed out on Saturday due to illness and injury respectively and Flynn is unsure whether they’ll be fit to face Carlisle.
“I don’t know, I’m waiting to find out,” he said.
“We did miss Joss. I didn’t think we got hold of the midfield area and it was frustrating.”
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