MICHAEL Flynn insisted that he picked a team good enough to get a result at Grimsby Town, but he was bitterly disappointed after watching Newport County AFC slump to a 3-0 defeat at Blundell Park.
Flynn made five changes from the midweek draw with Port Vale as he rested Padraig Amond, Dan Butler and Mark O’Brien ahead of Tuesday’s FA Cup fourth-round replay against Middlesbrough.
Scot Bennett and Robbie Willmott also missed out due to a virus and a dead leg respectively.
David Pipe, Vashon Neufville (below), Matty Dolan, Keanu Marsh-Brown and new loan signing Ben Kennedy started and Nick Townsend continued to deputise for Joe Day.
But, after a bright start, the Exiles failed to perform and were well beaten by the end.
Jordan Cook scored either side of the break and Townsend saved a Wes Thomas penalty in first-half stoppage time.
An own goal from Mickey Demetriou completed County’s miserable day six minute from time and Flynn then confronted an angry travelling fan after the final whistle.
“In the first 15 minutes we were excellent but then after that it was terrible,” said the manager. “It was weak, poor. It wasn’t good enough.
“It was shocking. It was terrible, lazy defending – we didn’t track runners.”
Explaining his team selection, Flynn said: “We made a few changes because we wanted to get some minutes into people’s legs.
“I’ve got supporters asking me at the end of the game then ‘why didn’t you want to win the game?’ but if I didn’t want to win the game, I would have just brought the kids. I wouldn’t have messed around.
“I thought what we put out there was good enough to win the football match. Obviously, it wasn’t and it’s told me a few things about a few people.
“I’m not into all that – asking me why I didn’t want to win the game,” he added. “If they think I didn’t want to win the game then they don’t know me.
“It’s just an easy thing to say because we’ve made a few changes.
“I’ve done that before and we’ve won games in the Checkatrade Trophy.
“We’re all quick to get blamed and that’s just a cop-out from that particular fan who said that to me.”
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