Morecambe manager Ged Brannan admitted his players were “devastated” after clawing their way back to parity before shipping two late goals to lose 5-3 to Newport in a chaotic clash at Rodney Parade.
Aaron Wildig opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute when he slotted in Lewis Payne’s cross against his former club.
Adam Lewis made it 2-0 six minutes later with a sublime volley to convert Bryn Morris’ chipped cross to the far post.
But Welshman Gwion Edwards waltzed through the home defence and confidently swept the ball past Exiles goalkeeper Nick Townsend to half the deficit.
Wildig then re-established a two-goal cushion for his side as he diverted in Lewis’ cross on the volley nine minutes into the second half.
But play-off chasing Morecambe stunned the Welsh side with a quickfire double as defender Chris Stokes rolled one in off the post and Edwards nodded in his second to level in the 74th minute.
Edwards then missed a big chance to complete his hat-trick as he blazed wide from close range.
That proved costly as Harry Charsley curled in County’s fourth with 12 minutes remaining, and Seb Palmer-Houlden had the final say in the seventh minute of added time.
“The players are devastated,” said Brannan.
“I thought at times we were breathtaking on the ball, but we can’t defend crosses like that. We all know. We can’t come away from home and create eight or nine chances and get beat like that.
“We started the game really well, we had a good chance and they had one break and they had a tap-in.
“If we want to get to the play-offs we’ve got to shore up at the back, we’ve just got to.
“Gwion was unplayable at times, going through their defence like a knife through butter.
“We got it back to 3-3 but conceded straight away. We had the better chances, we really did, but you can’t concede goals like that.”
The win lifted Newport to 12th, two points below Morecambe and five adrift of seventh-placed AFC Wimbledon – where they go on Saturday – with a game in hand.
Exiles boss Graham Coughlan has always insisted that the usual safety mark of 50 points was the first goal for his team and he was delighted to reach that target.
“I don’t know where to start,” said the Irishman. “I thought it was a brilliant advert for League Two football.
“That was Morecambe chucking everything at us, but we could have scored 10.
“We’ve got to 52 points now and that’s magnificent and a brilliant achievement, but this group of lads want more, I want more, and I am sure the fans will want more.”
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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