Graham Coughlan vented his fury at the officials after Newport conceded a last-gasp goal to lose 1-0 at Stockport in Sky Bet League Two.
Paddy Madden put his earlier penalty miss behind him with a dramatic stoppage-time winner, finally finding a way past goalkeeper Nick Townsend – who did brilliantly to palm his 73rd-minute spot-kick away.
But while Stockport had been utterly dominant, it was the performance of Tom Reeves in the middle that enraged the Exiles boss, particularly the awarding of a free-kick award that led to Madden’s late strike.
“Stockport were obviously the better team, we expected that because they’re up at that end of the table for a reason,” boss Coughlan said.
“The pressure was relentless but our lads stood tall. We didn’t have a particularly good game with the ball but defensively we were organised and structured.
“Nick Townsend was outstanding but the good teams get decisions and the breaks of the ball.
“On the whole Stockport probably deserved to win the game, let’s have that right, but under the circumstances we deserved to come away with a clean sheet, given the defensive structure, the organisation and the commitment that the lads showed.
“I can’t get away from the standard of the officiating though, it’s week in, week out. It’s absolute nonsense and it’s very hard to accept.
“I have to laugh, to be quite honest, because I’m all for battling and for fighting but, please, if you’re going to go and manage the game like that throughout don’t give them a foul like that right at the end when the rules have gone out of the window.
“We don’t get treated fairly and that’s the hard part. We need someone to look at the decisions and make a call. It’s not just today, it’s gone on all season and it’s become a bit of a pantomime.”
Stockport boss Dave Challinor admitted he felt victory was slipping away before Madden’s instinctive strike gave the Hatters their first win in five games, keeping them second.
“You never write it off because you know what football’s like, it changes in a moment,” he said.
“You always have that little bit of hope but the longer it goes on the smaller that hope gets.
“It can be one deflection, something dropping for you in the box to get an opportunity, so to win is great.
“Would I like to have won in a better manner? Absolutely, but the most important thing is three points and we’ve got that.
“The keeper was saving everything. I would have liked to have worked him more with what we had, we were sloppy in possession and gave the ball away far too much for a team of our ability.
“Playing on a bowling green of a pitch, we turned the ball over far too often, especially in the first half and that didn’t allow us to maintain or sustain attacks.
“Did we do enough with the possession we had? No, I think we need to do more, that always helps if you score early.
“We had chances but the keeper made some decent saves, you’ll always question if it’ll be one of those days when you miss a penalty but thankfully today that wasn’t the case.”
USWNT goalkeeper Naeher to retire from international football
United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is to retire from international football next month.
Naeher has won 113 caps for the USWNT and was a regular between the sticks during their most recent World Cup-winning campaign in 2019, also starting for Emma Hayes' Olympic Gold medallists in Paris earlier this year.
The 36-year-old, who has represented the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL since 2016, will link up with Hayes' side for their upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands, but that will be the final camp she attends.
Naeher said in a statement posted to her Instagram account: "With immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game.
"Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honour.
"This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.
"I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."
Hope Solo (202) and Briana Scurry (175) are the only goalkeepers to make more appearances for the team than Naeher, who made her debut versus Argentina in December 2014.
Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe's position in attack paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.
Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.
However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a topic of debate since he joined the Spanish champions, with Mbappe having often played out wide while at Paris Saint-Germain.
And Ancelotti elected to switch Mbappe out to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior spearheading Los Blancos' attack.
"Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside," Ancelotti told reporters.
"We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they're both improving.
"Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing.
"Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher."
Mbappe was not called up by France coach Didier Deschamps for this month's Nations League games, despite being Les Bleus' captain.
With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool coming up, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.
He was also upbeat about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while filling in at right-back.
"The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well," said Ancelotti of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband.
"He's a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team.
"Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions."
Jude Bellingham netted Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's team closed to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Madrid also have a game in hand on Hansi Flick's side.
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