Morecambe manager Ged Brannan was thrilled to see Charlie Brown join the endless list of players to have haunted their old clubs after his late winner snatched a 1-0 victory at MK Dons.

Former Chelsea youngster Brown scored just three goals in 32 appearances for the Dons and struggled to get into the Shrimps side in the first half of the season after joining them last summer.

After opening his Morecambe account in the draw against Mansfield last week, it was his strike in the second minute of stoppage time that completed an impressive second-half turnaround at Stadium MK.

Brannan said: “You couldn’t write it, could you?

“Absolutely brilliant, what a lad, last week he scored again, he’s come on today and caught them on the break, dropped the shoulder and it was a great strike into the bottom corner.

“I’m made up for him, top lad, it was a great finish.

“You don’t want to know (what was said at half-time).

“We’ve had loads and loads of talks about conceding early goals, early in the second half as well, and to go and concede a goal after one minute was devastating because we know how much we’ve been working on it.

“We had a little heated debate at half-time, got a few things sorted out and, as you can see, it worked.”

The play-off chasing Dons were ahead inside 75 seconds thanks to an excellent curled finish from Max Dean and only excellent saves from Archie Mair to deny Warren O’Hora and Dean prevented them from building a commanding lead.

Morecambe hit back after 51 minutes when debutant goalkeeper Filip Marschall missed Jake Taylor’s corner and Jordan Slew bundled in.

Brown then provided the sting in the tail when he pounced on a slip by Lewis Bate before finishing beyond Marschall to earn just a second win in 12 Sky Bet League Two games for the Shrimps.

Dons boss Mike Williamson said: “I think in the first half every time they tried to press, we found a way and I thought we connected the centre-halves to the 10s a little bit better, and our movement was very good.

“We’ll have to watch it back and I thought for them coming out for the second half, they were disappointed from the first one and they can afford to take a few more risks and get on the front foot.

“That’s the nature of it when you’re 1-0 up, it’s always in the balance and we just needed to improve our ball speed, more than anything, and keep moving them like we did in the first half.

“But the lads have been fantastic. We focus on the things we can control and I thought they were very good at doing that today.”

Youngsters Lewis Billington and Matus Holicek scored their first senior goals to earn Crewe a 3-1 victory over SkyBet League Two play-off rivals Barrow at Holker Street.

Billington, fresh from signing a new contract 24 hours earlier, netted a 64th-minute header to put Lee Bell’s side on the way to a fourth successive victory.

And 18-year-old Holicek, one year his team-mate’s junior, came off the bench to score six minutes from time.

It was a rare afternoon to forget for Pete Wild’s Cumbrians. Midfielder Robbie Gotts gave the home side a ninth-minute lead with his first goal of the campaign.

However Crewe, who remain unbeaten in 2024, struck back within 10 minutes as Elliott Nevitt converted Chris Long’s cross for his 11th goal of the season.

Nevitt wasted two other chances to put Alex in front before the break.

However, Billington made no mistake after Shilow Tracey chased the ball to the byline and crossed into the six-yard box.

Holicek made it 3-1, heading in the rebound after Courtney Baker-Richardson’s shot had been saved as Barrow lost their unbeaten home record at the 13th attempt.

Charlie Brown struck the winner in the second minute of stoppage time against his old club as Morecambe came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory at MK Dons.

Brown’s heroics came a week after his first goal for the Shrimps earned a draw against Mansfield and this time they secured his side just a second win in 12 games in Sky Bet League Two.

The play-off chasing Dons were ahead inside 75 seconds when Max Dean bent in a superb effort after Morecambe were unable to clear Joe Tomlinson’s cross.

The hosts were controlling proceedings and Shrimps goalkeeper Archie Mair needed to be at his best to claw away Warren O’Hora’s header and somehow keep out Dean’s shot from Tomlinson’s cutback.

But his opposite number Filip Marschall, who was making his Dons debut, had a moment to forget in the 51st minute when he missed Jake Taylor’s corner and Jordan Slew bundled in the equaliser.

A slip from another debutant, Lewis Bate, led to Morecambe’s late winner as Brown took up the loose ball and ran past Dean Lewington before finishing into the bottom corner.

Forest Green ended a turbulent week with a 1-1 draw at Gillingham to move off the bottom of the table.

Two days after manager Troy Deeney left the Gloucestershire club following a much-publicised six-game spell in charge, Callum Jones’ equaliser lifted Rovers above Sutton on goal difference.

The Gills, who had won their three previous league games, had a Macauley Bonne goal ruled out for offside before Oli Hawkins headed wide after meeting debutant Remeao Hutton’s delivery.

Hawkins made amends for his miss on 67 minutes as he rose highest to head Connor Mahoney’s corner past Rovers goalkeeper Luke Daniels.

Jones fired into the top corner to equalise for caretaker manager Dan Connor’s side after 75 minutes following good play by Kyle McAllister.

Having been singled out for criticism by Deeney following last week’s defeat to Harrogate, substitute Fankaty Dabo squandered the chance to win the game for the visitors when he shot at Gills goalkeeper Jake Turner a minute after coming on.

Newport warmed up for next week’s FA Cup visit of Manchester United with a hard-fought 1-0 win over 10-man Wrexham in an all-Welsh battle at a packed Rodney Parade.

The visitors had defender Will Boyle sent off for a wild challenge on Shane McLoughlin in the 18th minute and County used their numerical advantage to great effect.

Seb Palmer-Houlden’s deft flicked header from Ryan Delaney’s cross found the top corner for what proved to be the only goal in the 34th minute.

And the visitors were grateful to goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo for keeping them in the contest thereafter.

The Arsenal loanee was at full stretch to keep out a 30-yard rocket from Bryn Morris before the interval.

And he had to be alert to deny Palmer-Houlden a second after the break when the striker, on loan from Bristol City, intercepted a poor pass to put him through on goal.

Okonkwo was again called upon to save from Adam Lewis and Will Evans before Harry Charsley fired over the bar.

Six games in the English Football League this weekend have fallen victim to freezing conditions gripping the UK.

Saturday’s Sky Bet League One matches between Cheltenham and Carlisle and Port Vale and Wycombe were both postponed due to frozen pitches.

League Two games at AFC Wimbledon, Bradford, Mansfield and Swindon were also called off, with temperatures dropping to minus 7C in some parts this week.

“A Football League appointed match official conducted an 11am pitch inspection at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium this morning,” read a Cheltenham club statement on Friday.

“After consultation with the Football League the decision has been made to postpone tomorrow’s fixture.

“The frost covers have been on the pitch all week, but temperatures for the past two nights have fallen so low that a considerable amount of frost has got into the pitch.

“On balance it was felt that temperatures are not forecast to rise high enough to remove the frost before kick-off so the decision has been taken to postpone the match.

“The timing of the decision has also taken into account the considerable journey faced by opponents Carlisle and a desire to inconvenience them as little as possible.”

Wycombe’s fixture at Port Vale also fell later in the day following a pitch inspection.

Mansfield, who quickly announced that Sutton will now visit on Tuesday, said: “Frost covers have been in place on the pitch for 10 days as part of the club’s efforts to protect the pitch from sub zero temperatures as well as industrial hot-air blowers.

“Temperatures in Mansfield, however, have been as low as minus 7C. Following a pitch inspection by an EFL appointed referee the pitch has been deemed unplayable.”

Bradford reported sub-zero temperatures of up to minus 7C this week ahead of their Yorkshire derby with Doncaster, saying areas of the Valley Parade surface had been left frozen.

The Bantams added: “Frost covers, effective to minus 4C, have been covering the pitch since last Friday, with every effort made to host the fixture.”

Wimbledon said of their Plough Lane fixture with Crawley being called off: “Every effort was made to get this game on by our staff, and volunteers helped to cover the playing surface earlier this week to protect against the elements.

“However, the pitch was today deemed to be unplayable with parts of it still frozen.

“Though temperatures are due to increase by mid-morning on Saturday, conditions are still predicted to be low at this time, so there’s no guarantee that the pitch would be playable by 1.45 pm when it’s needed for pre-match.”

Swindon’s home game with Tranmere was also postponed on Friday.

Troy Deeney’s sacking after less than a month as Forest Green manager leaves the club searching for their fifth permanent boss in less than a year.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the turnover in the Rovers dugout.

Rovers enjoyed stability in their early years in the EFL, with Mark Cooper in charge for five years as he took them up from the National League and Rob Edwards seamlessly continuing their progress.

Edwards was in charge for just less than a year but took the club up as League Two champions before being head-hunted by Championship side Watford. His 45 per cent win ratio, 24 out of 53 games, is the best of any Rovers manager in their EFL era.

His replacement Ian Burchnall lasted just under eight months in charge, losing more than half of his 37 games – but if his sacking on January 25 last year was intended by owner Dale Vince to stop the rot, it has had the opposite effect.

Duncan Ferguson took over but lasted only the remainder of the season, with 14 defeats in 18 games as Rovers were relegated back to League Two.

Hannah Dingley took interim charge for a pre-season friendly against Melksham, becoming the first female head coach of a professional men’s team in England, before David Horseman was named as Ferguson’s permanent replacement.

He was sacked in December after 28 games, winning just seven, with the club turning to Deeney, already registered as a player.

His winless six-game run – three draws and three losses – ended with a spectacular post-match rant after last week’s defeat to Harrogate, in which he bemoaned the “nonsense” and “babies” at the club and singled out Reece Brown and Fankaty Dabo for criticism.

Deeney was handed a four-match touchline ban on Thursday – equivalent to two-thirds of his managerial experience thus far – for his red card at Swindon and subsequent protests, before being sacked later in the day.

In 89 games since Edwards’ departure, Rovers have won 19 – just 21 per cent – drawn 18 and lost 52 (58 per cent). They had the worst points-per-game ratio of any EFL club in 2023 at just 0.51.

Edwards, now impressing in the Premier League after taking Luton up through the play-offs, lasted just 11 games at Watford before being sacked and leading their rivals to success.

He was the 16th of 19 permanent managers appointed by the Pozzo family since taking charge at Vicarage Road in 2011 – current manager Valerien Ismael’s 29 games in charge is already the eighth-longest spell among those managers and seven games away from cracking the top five.

Deeney himself referenced that turbulent situation as he recently told his Football Firsts podcast on BBC Sounds: “I was at Watford for 12 years – I had 18 managers.”

Somewhere between Edwards’ departure and Deeney’s appointment, Rovers appear to have caught the same bug and their next boss faces the task of restoring stability.

Swindon have announced the departure of manager Michael Flynn after a little more than eight months in the role.

Flynn took charge on May 8 and officially assumed the reins after their final match of last season, signing an initial two-year deal before extending his contract to the end of 2025-26 in November.

But the Robins’ fortunes have faltered since the end of November and just one win in their last eight outings has seen them slide from eighth – and a point behind the Sky Bet League Two play-offs – to 15th.

There have been six defeats in that time, while they have lost 10 of their last 15, including a 2-1 reverse at Crewe on Saturday.

While they are still only eight points adrift of the top seven, Swindon confirmed in a statement that “amicable discussions” between Flynn and club owner Clem Morfuni had led to a parting of the ways.

Flynn said: “I want to thank the owner for the opportunity to manage this great football club and wish everyone associated, especially the fans, the very best for the future.”

Assistant Wayne Hatswell joins former Newport and Walsall boss Flynn in leaving the club, with Gavin Gunning set to take charge of the first team on an interim head coach basis.

Scott Lindsey hit out at the Crawley boo-boys after a late goal from substitute Kelly N’Mai sentenced the Red Devils to a 1-0 home defeat against struggling Salford.

Lindsey, taking charge of the team for the 50th time in Sky Bet League Two, admitted it was the worst performance under him but was left dismayed by the reaction of a section of supporters.

He said:” We let ourselves down today but I don’t want to hear my team booed.

“This time last year we were third from bottom and fighting for our lives. People need to remember we went into the game level on points with the play-off positions.

“I’m a bit disappointed with the booing; it doesn’t help and the players don’t want to hear it.”

Lindsey said his team would have lost “seven or eight nil” but for the performance of his goalkeeper Corey Addai and confessed he “didn’t see the performance coming.”

The former Swindon boss added:” Salford had 35 shots, 12 on target, and it was the worst performance since I’ve been here.

“We looked lethargic, slow in our build-up, and sloppy. We didn’t look great today. You can become a bad team if you switch off.”

Ryan Giggs was spotted amongst the 95 travelling fans as the Ammies produced their first win in 12 league games, with new head coach Karl Robinson taking charge for the second time.

Former MK Dons and Oxford boss Robinson said he could not understand why it took his men so long to take the lead, with N’Mai’s third goal of the season not coming until 10 minutes from time.

Robinson said: “We had 34 shots before we got that goal, why did it take so long?

“But we’ll take the three points and be happy about it.”

Salford had not won in League Two since a 3-0 win at Doncaster on October 24 and this success lifts them eight points above the drop zone.

Robinson added: “Clearly we’ve got to do a lot of improving. It’s my responsibility and I will make sure everybody steps up, we’ve got to tighten up.

“And that includes the staff. We’ve all got to do better, that is what the football club is all about.

“It is an awareness of what the club s supposed to be doing. But it is a start and we need to go on from here.”

Forest Green boss Troy Deeney called his players “babies” and says he has to put up with “nonsense” after a 2-0 home defeat to Harrogate.

Goals from Jack Muldoon and Abraham Odoh gave the visitors all three points against a 10-man Rovers side.

Defeat left Deeney winless in six matches as Forest Green boss and his side dropped to the bottom of Sky Bet League Two.

“If I was able to tell you the amount of nonsense you have to deal with at this place from the players, it is embarrassing,” said Deeney.

A mix-up between Tommy Simkin and defender Dom Bernard gave Harrogate a free-kick 20 yards out but George Thomson’s strike deflected narrowly wide.

Alex Rodriguez was then given a second yellow card for a late challenge on the dangerous Odoh.

Minutes later Odoh drilled a low delivery across the six-yard box that was diverted in by forward Muldoon.

Matty Stevens was denied a superb solo goal at point-blank range by former Rovers goalkeeper James Belshaw.

Town winger Odoh then doubled the visitors’ lead, side-footing past Simkin into the far corner.

Deeney added: “I was trying to cosy my way into it but the sledgehammers are going to have to come out and there will be a lot that won’t like it – I don’t care.

“My job is to save this football club in the short term and put it in a better place. At the moment, there are too many babies from top to bottom.

“Reece Brown is 28 years old and my senior midfielder and can’t turn up to work on time. That’s a simple one but Reece is my senior leader of pros and that’s what he does. What example does that set?

“It’s a continuation of nonsense. It won’t be tolerated.”

Harrogate boss Simon Weaver said: “It was a thoroughly satisfying afternoon.

“You can’t allow yourself to become frustrated (at half-time). We said that if we kept playing like that, we’d more often come out with a win if you just add that edge and have that composure.

“We wanted to have that extra edge after half-time because we were queuing up at times. We were on the front foot, we needed that edge in front of goal but we showed that.

“Everybody is growing in confidence, we’ve got to make sure we do the same in training and build towards hopefully another good performance next weekend.”

Michael Flynn says his recent signings have boosted morale at Swindon despite the Robins falling to a sixth defeat in their last six outings as Crewe triumphed 2-1.

Striker Paul Glatzel and goalkeeper Jack Bycroft arrived at the County Ground on permanent deals from Liverpool and Southampton on Friday and both started at Gresty Road, where Flynn bemoaned poor defending for allowing the in-form Railwaymen to register their third successive win.

Swindon skipper Charlie Austin cancelled out Elliott Nevitt’s opener in the first half, but a clever finish from Crewe substitute Courtney Baker-Richardson, who backheeled a loose ball home, secured Crewe a late winner.

“We had a long list of targets for a keeper and we looked at around 12 and came up with Jack and I don’t think he’s a bad choice,” said Flynn. “He was very good considering that he hasn’t had time to train with the team.

“The new players have helped morale and it refreshing seeing new faces, it’s what we have needed and there will be more new faces in next week.

“While we didn’t defend the box well enough, we did acquit ourselves quite well although the end product wasn’t there. We lost Saidou Khan with a dislocated finger. But there is light at the end of the tunnel as I feel the squad is getting stronger and players are becoming available who were injured.

“We’ve conceded too many goals this season and we didn’t do well for Crewe’s second – we left a big gap and gave Conor Thomas the freedom of the box to run into.

“But despite our defending, I thought the players put in a shift and we had our moments in the game, but we need to be better than that.”

Flynn’s side were on the back foot early on when Nevitt took his tally in Sky Bet League Two to eight with a stunning finish to put Crewe ahead. Bycroft, who was making his EFL debut, was beaten all ends up as the striker thrashed Aaron Rowe’s cross into the top corner in the 13th minute.

But veteran Swindon striker Austin hit back on the half-hour mark when he turned and fired in after a cross from Tyrese Shade was not cleared.

Chris Long went close for Crewe in the second half before Baker-Richardson made it count in unorthodox fashion with a 71st-minute finish after Conor Thomas’ effort was blocked.

Crewe boss Lee Bell praised his players’ fitness levels and commitment to secure the hard-fought win.

“It was a clever finish from Courtney, you want your subs to make an impact and he certainly did,” said Bell.

“I have to give full credit to my players as some of them are as fit as they’ve ever been. They are applying themselves properly and putting in real shifts.

“They are very adaptable and that was always going to be the key to the season as it enables us to change in games and we will have to continue to do that and I have my backroom staff to thank for being able to pick things up in games so we can do that.

“Joe White has been excellent on loan and he is a good, honest lad who wants to do well. He’s going back to Newcastle now and will have a conversation with Eddie Howe and hopefully we will hear something in the next couple of days as we’d like to keep him.

“We will also carrying on looking in midfield, but I am relaxed about the transfer window as we have options and we don’t want to bring in players for the sake of it.”

Newport manager Graham Coughlan is delighted with the momentum his side are building after winning 1-0 at Doncaster.

The Exiles have lost just twice in their last 12 matches in all competitions and head into an FA Cup replay against Eastleigh with the carrot of a home tie against Manchester United awaiting the winner.

Their performance at Doncaster was not particularly strong but Seb Palmer-Houlden volleyed home in stoppage time to snatch the victory.

“I didn’t particularly enjoy the game,” Coughlan said. “There wasn’t a lot of quality from both teams.

“It looked like two tired teams coming off a lot of games over the Christmas period, but we got the victory and held on to keep a clean sheet too, which is pleasing because that has been a long time coming and Nick (Townsend) pulled off two great saves for us.

“It feels like we are building a nice bit of momentum and, hopefully, we can keep that going.

“Our performance levels over the course of the season have been really high for 90 per cent of the games, but you don’t always have to perform well to get a victory in League Two – you just have to make sure you get your basics and intensity levels right.

“I don’t think they were in the first half, but we maybe got to grips with those aspects of the game better in the second half and it was a squad victory, not just a team victory, as the lads who came off the bench made a real impact when they came on.”

Doncaster manager Grant McCann was left scratching his head at how his side came away with nothing.

The hosts had the better of the chances on a lacklustre afternoon but were undone in added time.

“We certainly shouldn’t have lost it,” McCann said. “I think we were the better team.

“I know Graham Coughlan and I expect he’ll say they’ve done the turn on us but at the end of the day, with the chances we’ve created in the first half and the good chance in the second, they’ve got to go in.

“You have to score in those moments, particularly when you’re on top.

“We should have been two or three up. I said to the players it’s a disappointing day because they can hold their heads high at the performance but we need to take the chances to make it into a good win.

“Lapses at vital moments are doing us, and that applies at both ends of the pitch at the minute.”

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough was left frustrated as his side slipped to third in the table after being denied three points by a spirited Morecambe comeback.

A Baily Cargill goal on the hour looked set to be enough to give the Stags the three points over the Shrimps, but a Charlie Brown goal 12 minutes from time gave the home side a point.

Clough said: “The conditions were difficult for both sides but we scored a really good goal and should have seen it through.’

“At the end of the day it was a good point but you would like more when you go a goal up in a game like this.

“They came at us after we scored and I thought we had got over it but then we gave a sloppy goal away, a goal we shouldn’t concede. We came for the three points, we tried to get the three points but the timing and the nature of their goal was really frustrating for us all.”

Morecambe manager Ged Brannan, who saw four key loan players return to their parent clubs in the week, said: “Mansfield are probably the best team in the league and they will be delighted to be going home with a point because we were by far the better side today.

“We had the better chances and played the better football and I’m delighted for the lads. We went a goal down against the run of play but everyone puffed their chests out, rolled their sleeves up and we scored a tremendous goal and we could have sneaked it.

“There were some outstanding performances all over the park and the reaction from the fans at the end said everything.”

Morecambe started the better with debutants Gwion Edwards and Joe Adams both going close before Mansfield went close to taking the lead on the counter.

George Maris saw a goal-bound shot blocked by Stags’ striker Lucas Akins before top scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn saw a stinging long-range shot tipped onto the crossbar by new Morecambe keeper Archie Mair.

Cargill’s goal came after a swift counter, with the defender left unmarked in the box before producing a fine finish.

The Shrimps hit back with a fine goal late on. Adam Mayor played in Yann Songo’o down the left and his low cross was converted by Brown at the far post.

Sutton’s new manager Steve Morison is hoping his players can take confidence from their performance after his first match in charge ended in a 2-2 draw against Barrow.

The match at Gander Green Lane seemed to be going to form as the promotion-chasing visitors controlled the first half and went ahead through Ben Whitfield’s opener.

However, United struck back with goals either side of half-time from Harry Beautyman that threatened just a fourth league win of the season for the team who began Saturday bottom of League Two.

Morison, whose side remain six points off safety, said: “You’ve got to believe in yourselves, you’ve got to be confident.

“I’m obviously asking them to do a couple of things differently, but the fundamentals in football are you run, you work hard and I’m just trying to ask them to be brave on the ball.

“Obviously, I thought they did it for large parts, they mixed it up, but you’ve just got to believe.

“The question is: ‘Do you believe you can do it?’

“I didn’t say those exact words at half-time, but they came out and had an extra spring in their step.

“We tried to play in a little bit of a different style, we kept the ball quite well but just didn’t quite have that final-third impetus, which in the second half we did.

“We put Barrow on the back foot and they had to make a double change to stop our flow.”

Barrow led after 35 minutes when Whitfield turned in Elliot Newby’s low ball from close range, but Beautyman made the most of some hesitant defending to equalise for Sutton before half-time.

Beautyman then completed the turnaround with a header from Joe Kizzi’s cross before Niall Canavan ensured a share of the spoils by finishing off a goalmouth scramble.

Barrow boss Pete Wild said: “We felt really frustrated because we were in complete control of the game, we should go 2-0 up, after we’d gone 1-0 up, with Jamie Proctor.

“The game’s then dead and buried and we enjoy the game, but from something out of nothing, the goal they get gives them something to hang on to.

“If there’s one frustrating point of today’s game, it’s giving them something to hang on to because large parts of that game were really good from us.

“We talked about needing to match their intensity and I felt we did that for 90 minutes.

“I think the biggest thing to take from today is the character that we’ve shown.

“When you don’t have good days, it’s important that good teams find a way to at least get a point.

“We’ve gifted Sutton two goals, but we’ve found a way to come away with a positive result.”

MK Dons manager Mike Williamson felt his side were rewarded for their efforts after a last-gasp goal from substitute Ellis Harrison sealed a dramatic 2-1 win over Tranmere at Prenton Park.

During the early exchanges, the visitors looked the more dangerous and took the lead after nine minutes when Alex Gilbey was given the space to charge at the Rovers defence before smashing the ball home from 25 yards.

Tranmere levelled three minutes later when Kieron Morris unleashed a long-range shot of his own that found the net via a deflection, catching Dons goalkeeper Michael Kelly off guard.

Both sides went in search of a winner, with Jordan Turnbull and Connor Jennings each coming close for Rovers and Kyran Lofthouse firing just wide at the other end.

Harrison spurned a glorious chance in the 84th minute, dragging wide of the far post with only Luke McGee to beat.

But he made amends with almost the last kick of the game when he prodded the ball home from close range after Tranmere failed to clear the danger from a corner.

Williamson said: “Credit to the lads. These are the moments you are in football for.

“I thought it was a really good performance, front to back, and we deserved it and the manner in which we got the winner just topped it off.

“Ellis Harrison deserves that because he’s such a great guy, he’s great to have around the place.

“He’s had limited opportunities on the pitch but he has such a positive impact around the club and he deserves all the credit he gets for that winner.

“I have no criticism of the overall performance, we lacked that killer touch in the final third and the scoreline was slightly frustrating at times, but when you put it into context, Tranmere’s goal came from a deflected shot.

“Ultimately, when you look at the stats, it was a very comprehensive performance, so I’m very pleased.”

Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins said: “It was a tough game for us. I highlighted before the game that they are a good footballing side and that’s why the manager has been voted manager of the month.

“We went behind early doors when we were on the attack but great credit to the players, we got back into the game.

“We knew they were going to be a possession-based side and our game plan was to be aggressive, but it’s fair to say we weren’t good enough in the first half.

“We changed the shape in the second half and looked better with three up front and I thought we were in the ascendancy, but obviously at the very end they scored from a set-piece.

“The lads have been fantastic and we’ve had a good week going into the game, but this is how you’re measured and I’m really disappointed we didn’t see it out.”