Stockport manager Dave Challinor admitted his side got what they deserved as their 12-game winning streak came to an end with a 2-1 defeat at struggling Newport.
A 13th win on the bounce would have broken the record for consecutive victories in the fourth tier set by Luton Town in 2002.
But goals from Bryn Morris and Shane McLoughlin either side of half-time put the home side in charge and Isaac Olaofe’s stoppage-time consolation was too little too late for the League Two leaders.
“It’s disappointing; we got from the game what we deserved to get from the game because we weren’t good enough and we didn’t compete how I’d expect us to compete,” said Challinor.
“Credit to Newport, they deserved to win, but it was no shock. The players knew what to expect, they just didn’t cope with it. Technically we were terrible.”
Challinor rejected the suggestion that his players had been affected by pre-match talk of the record.
“There was no pressure,” he said. “Records are great but, ultimately, they mean nothing.
“If we’d won 15 in a row and not got promoted that record is irrelevant. Who’s bothered? The fans aren’t, I’m not and the players’ aren’t.
“All the 12 wins have done is earn us 36 points. It’s about getting to 90 points as quickly as possible – if we get somewhere near that, we’ve got a chance.”
Challinor felt his side should have had a penalty for a foul on Olaofe at 1-0, but he refused to blame referee Darren Drysdale for the defeat.
“We should have had a penalty – the foul on ‘Tanto’ was a nailed-on penalty,” added the Hatters boss. “If they’re honest about what they’ve seen, we’ll get an apology over that one, but I don’t think we deserved anything from the game.
“It would have given us a lifeline and could have changed the momentum, but we didn’t get the decision and we move on.”
Exiles manager Graham Coughlan was pleased with the three points that lift his side to 16th – seven points clear of the bottom two – and he demanded more of the same from his players.
“I’ve said to the lads, you can see why I get frustrated, annoyed and angry because they are capable of that, it’s just getting that consistency and keeping those standards,” said the Irishman.
“It’s a great victory but, as I said after beating Gillingham and drawing with MK Dons, we want to be a consistent team, not one that delivers twice a month.
“It’s about building and kicking on, let’s not get carried away and too excited about the victory, let’s string a few together and then I might crack a smile.”
O'Neil: Pressure has given Wolves 'opportunity' to shine
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil believes his players are beginning to see a deserved reward for their hard work after a difficult start to the Premier League season.
Matheus Cunha's double caught the eye in their 4-1 win against Fulham, alongside goals from Joao Gomes and substitute Goncalo Guedes, as Wolves showed their attacking quality in equal measure to ease some of the tension surrounding O'Neil.
The opening months of the 2024-25 campaign have caused pressure to rise on O'Neil's position after they claimed just one point in their first eight games.
They have now claimed eight points in their last four league games and climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time this season with their victory at Craven Cottage.
O'Neil praised his players at full-time, referencing the battling qualities shown by the squad after key summer exits, and a run of form that could have seen them lose faith in him.
"It's probably one of my favourite performances in my time here as a coach. We knew this was going to be a really tough test with the players we were missing," he told BBC Sport.
"It's been a tough run overall, and we had a tough transfer window. Any team who loses its captain and one of its top players will always have to find a new way to do things in the following season.
"We were given a tough fixture list to start the season with, and the league position brings with it pressure and noise, and that was for us to deal with.
"That pressure also brought an opportunity for us to stand up and show who we are and every single one of them have done just that. We can enjoy this win, but there is still plenty of work to do."
Meanwhile, Fulham have lost three of their last six Premier League games (W2 D1), as many as in their previous 12 games in the competition (W5 D4).
Despite matching Wolves' 10 shots, and creating a similar expected goals (1.01 to Wolves' 1.26), Fulham struggled against their clinical opponents, especially while playing with 10 men following Joachim Andersen's injury, with no substitutions left.
"It was really weird game. That's the Premier League," Marco Silva told BBC Match of the Day. "It's easy for us to say we were really unfortunate. It was a situation [where we had to] play with 10 men without a red card.
"We can't just be looking at the score. The two goals when we were with 10 men didn't reflect the game, in my opinion."
Clement 'cannot ask much more' from Rangers despite Dundee United draw
Philippe Clement was left frustrated following Rangers' 1-1 draw with Dundee United, but acknowledged he "cannot ask much more" from his players.
The Gers dropped their first points at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership season, and could trail leaders Celtic by 11 if the Hoops beat Hearts later on Saturday.
Sam Dalby's 36th-minute header put the visitors in front, though Vaclav Cerny's smart finish levelled the contest midway through the second half.
The hosts pushed for the winning goal, with Ianis Hagi and Robin Propper denied by United goalkeeper Jack Walton later on.
Yet, despite over 70% of the possession and nine shots on target to their opponents' one, Clement's side were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.
"We need to reward ourselves, and we need to play like we played in the second half, 90 minutes long," he told Rangers TV. "Like that, you strangle teams like you did in the past, and that's the football I want to see.
"I cannot say anything about commitment in the second half, the team pushed until the last seconds to score a winner, and the goalkeeper made some excellent saves. The team was not rewarded in that way.
"It's frustrating to lose points in a game where you face one shot on target, and it's a goal. Last season, we won these games and, now, you lose points, so we need to get back to the level of before.
"They fought until the end. We had really good opportunities. You cannot ask much more, only to score the second goal. Then, you have a totally different feeling after the game."
Meanwhile, Jack Butland was left to rue what might have been, with the goalkeeper insisting he and his team-mates must up their game.
"It can't take until the second half to get going," he said. "We've got to be better. We've given away too many easy goals against teams that are just looking to hang onto something.
"It's not a great result at all. It feels like a loss. These games have got to be wins. It's not what the fans deserve from the game today. We need to do much more."
Villa 'deserved more' from draw with Palace, says Emery
Unai Emery suggested Aston Villa "deserved more" than a point after coming from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
The result sees Villa's winless streak extend to six matches across all competitions (D2 L4), equalling their longest run without a victory under Emery (also six in April-May 2024).
After Ismaila Sarr's early opener, the hosts needed Ollie Watkins to pull them level before Ross Barkley cancelled out Justin Devenny's strike with 13 minutes to go.
Yet having seen a penalty saved and hitting the woodwork, Emery felt his team should have got more from the match.
"We deserved more, but we made some mistakes that we need to correct. We had chances to score, we came back. The penalty was a key moment," he told Sky Sports.
"In the second half, we pushed and felt close to scoring, but we have to accept one point."
Youri Tielemans had the opportunity to put Villa ahead on the stroke of half-time from the spot but placed his shot at a saveable height for Dean Henderson, who guessed the right way.
It allowed Palace to break down the other end through Sarr, who squared to Devenny to send the visitors into the lead just before the break.
Emery admitted his players are "concerned" about their vulnerability in transitions and rued the mistakes being made.
"Here at home, we were thinking how strong we were, winning 15 games in a row and how we can recover confidence, impose our gameplan. We are losing some opportunities. We are conceding a few chances for the opponent and making some mistakes," he told reporters.
"We are not getting three points but deserving here at home to win. We played well against Arsenal, Bournemouth, Man United and here. But we are making mistakes and they are punishing us.
"Overall we had more chances, we dominated the match. We have to correct matches where we play like we did today and get more points."
Villa led their opponents comfortably on expected goals (xG), accruing a total of 3.18 compared to Palace's 1.27.
The visitors also had key players Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton out, leading Oliver Glasner to be pleased with his side's fighting display.
"I'm very proud of the team's performance. We’re missing some key players in attack, but we still scored two amazing goals," he said.
"I'm very proud how they played together, worked together, fight together and believed in getting a point here.
"Overall, it was a good performance for us, and we go home very pleased with the point."
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