DEAN Philpott has finally broken his silence and said 'sorry' after turning Cwmbran Town's dream Euro clash with Slovan Bratislava into a nightmare last week.

The 29-year-old defender was sent-off only 15 minutes into his Crows debut after apparently butting opponent Branislav Obzera. Town went on to crash 4-0 in the UEFA Cup preliminary first-round leg.

Philpott accepts he made contact with the Slovakian player but claims 19-year-old Obzera made a meal of the incident.

Philpott also accepts he should not have reacted to Obzera's bad challenge but said: "He made the most of it - he was up running around a minute later."

Philpott, a summer-signing from Dr Martens league side Merthyr Tydfil, apologised to his team-mates at half-time in the match.

And now he has said "sorry" to everyone at the club.

"I just want to apologise to the fans, players and staff at Cwmbran Town who have made me feel so welcome here since I joined," said Philpott.

"I did make contact with him, I do accept that. But I believe it looked worse than it actually did.

"But Obzera continued to spit at me which, as most footballers would agree, is the worst thing you can do as a player. I told the ref but he didn't seem interested.

"I have put that incident all behind me now and I will concentrate on doing my best for Cwmbran.

"I have been well looked after since arriving here, everyone has been great. And I promise I will make up for my sending-off in helping Cwmbran get three points in our match with Newtown on Saturday - I need to pay them back."

Philpott has been banned for three European matches due to the dismissal therefore missing Cwmbran's away leg with SK Slovan Bratislava on Thursday, August 23.

Cwmbran, Gwent's only side in the League Of Wales, will play the match against their mid-Wales visitors in Port Talbot as Cwmbran Stadium is undergoing a £5 million redevelopment.

Speaking about Cwmbran's chances this season, Philpott said: "We are aiming for a place in Europe and hopefully win some silverware.

"I think our squad is stronger than last season - and we are all confident about our chances in this campaign."

* In the picture: Cwmbran's Dean Philpott is shown the red card.