The talking points from Newport County 1 Morecambe 0

County bounce back from Boundary Park battering

It’s been a long week since the 5-0 drubbing at Oldham Athletic and County were licking their wounds on the training pitch at Spytty Park.

Manager Michael Flynn questioned his players’ character at Boundary Park and he expected a reaction, as did the fans.

And the Exiles players responded with a fully committed performance to secure a much-needed three points and put the Oldham debacle behind them.

Players fighting for Flynn and for each other  

Just as important as what happened during the match was what occurred after the action had finished.

The usual line in these circumstances is ‘we don’t like to see scenes like that’ but most County fans will have been pleased to witness their players and manager sticking up for themselves and for each other in the face of Morecambe aggression.

Flynn dismissed the melee as “handbags” afterwards but he also pointed to his players’ togetherness and fighting spirit as evidence that they are still playing for him.

Managers united on pitch pains

Morecambe manager Derek Adams claimed it was the worst game of football he’d ever seen and insisted the match “probably shouldn’t gone ahead with the surface as it is.”

And Flynn admitted: “It’s appalling and it’s hard to play any football on it. I don’t ever use the pitch as an excuse, but it has absolutely gone now.”

The rescheduling of the Dragons match for Friday night made a bad situation even worse and it’s hard to see things improving before the summer, when the issue needs to be addressed by all parties at Rodney Parade.

Gorman here to stay?

“It was a great goal from Dale,” said Flynn. “He took it so well and he meant it. He’s a clever footballer and it will be good to hopefully get a good pre-season into him and he’s only going to get better.”

A slip of the tongue, or just wishful thinking from the Exiles boss about the Leyton Orient loanee, who is out of contract in the summer?

It’s fair to say that there was little excitement when Gorman was brought in from Orient in January but he’s proved to be a good addition to the squad, aggressive in the tackle with an eye for a pass, and Saturday’s winner showed he is a clever finisher.

Read more: Newport County boss Michael Flynn laughs off Morecambe melee