“I THOUGHT it was a terrible game of football,” fumed Morecambe manager Derek Adams. “I haven’t seen a worse game of football as a manager or a player.”

It was far from a classic and, with the current state of the pitch, it’s fair to say we won’t see much free-flowing football between now and the end of the season at Rodney Parade.

But it was all about the result for Newport County AFC on Saturday.

Michael Flynn’s men desperately needed a win to banish that 5-0 hammering at Oldham Athletic from their memories.

And they got the three points thanks to one moment of quality from Dale Gorman midway through the second half – a delightful chip over Christoffer Mafoumbi into the far corner of the net.

That apart, it was an ugly win but one that the hosts deserved for an improved second-half showing after a lacklustre 45 minutes.

Morecambe could easily have nicked a point as they almost took advantage of some nervy defending from the otherwise-excellent Scot Bennett in the closing stages.

But County dug deep in the mud, battled through adversity and hung for a vital victory.

According to Adams, though, the match shouldn’t have gone ahead at all after the Dragons v Benetton match on Friday night.

South Wales Argus:

“I thought the surface we played on was very poor and it didn’t help either team pass the ball,” said the Shrimps boss.

“It allowed Newport, as they do, to play to their strengths at home and become really physical – playing for fouls, corner kicks and long throw-ins, and eventually they scored a very scrappy goal.

“That summed up the afternoon. It was a terrible afternoon of football.

“If we’d won, we’d have said the same. It’s not a good standard to watch and it probably shouldn’t go ahead with the surface as it is.

“The rugby was on it [on Friday night] and less than 24 hours later, you have to play a football match on it.

“I don’t think it’s right for the Newport supporters, or the away team’s supporters. It’s not a spectacle.

“It was an afternoon that wasn’t good for League Two football.

“It’s the same for both teams,” added the Scot. “But it does suit Newport because they obviously recruit players to suit playing at home on this surface.

“We had to deal with the threat of them going forward with the long ball to their strikers and they do it well.

“But I don’t think there was a deserved winner in the game. Newport have gone away with the three points but a draw would have been fair.”

That frustration was evident after the match as the Morecambe players and staff were involved in a fracas on the pitch with their County counterparts.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the melee in the mud, the home fans would have been pleased to see their players and staff stand up for each other.

They literally demonstrated the fighting spirit that was sorely missing at Boundary Park.

And the way in which Flynn’s men celebrated after Gorman’s goal, and after the final whistle, showed how much it meant to them.

There was no doubt about their commitment this weekend. Now they must show similar resolve at Carlisle United, Stevenage and Crawley Town over the next nine days.

County: King; Inniss, Bennett, Demetriou; Willmott, Gorman, Dolan, Haynes; Sheehan; Matt, Abrahams (Green, 62)

Subs not used: Howkins, Woodiwiss, Collins, Waters, Khan, Amond

Booked: Gorman, Dolan

Referee: Neil Hair

Attendance: 3,048 (Morecambe 60)