Coleman critical of Newport surface

JOHN Coleman admits that his Accrington Stanley side struggled to cope with the Newport County pitch during their 1-0 defeat.

The playing surface at Rodney Parade has received a lot of attention this season due to the condition it’s in, with Coleman making reference to it in the build-up to the game.

It proved to be a tough pitch for Stanley to play their usual style of football on, and Coleman thought that contributed to the loss.

“It was a very difficult surface and we tried to make light of it but it’s virtually impossible to play a passing game on it,” he told the club’s official website.

“We did our best and created some good opportunities but it was difficult as we couldn’t get any control of the ball on the ground.

“We had to rely on a lot of aerial threat and that’s not our game and never will be our game.

“A few attackers came off the bench late on but you’re damned if you do damned if you don’t and sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth.

Their pitch was horrendous last year too, but that time we played some excellent football and won the game.”