SHAWN EARNS AN EXILES START
NEWPORT County manager Mike Flynn admits supersub Shawn McCoulsky is close to forcing his way into the starting line-up after coming off the bench to earn a deserved point at home to Mansfield.
McCoulsky is now the Exiles’ top scorer with seven goals after he volleyed in Ben Tozer’s long throw on 69 minutes from ten yards out.
That cancelled out Danny Rose’s first-half opener for the visitors, who reacted quickest when the ball broke to him after Kane Hemmings’ header was blocked.
It was the third time in eight days that the 20-year-old striker, on loan from Championship club Bristol City, had scored as a substitute.
“Shawn is knocking on the door for a start now,” said Flynn, whose side remain sixth in the League Two table.
“He’s scoring for fun and he was outstanding when he came on.”
McCoulsky could have had a hat-trick in a frantic final 20 minutes as he clipped another shot just over the bar and headed wide from a Dan Butler cross.
Fellow forwards Padraig Amond and Frank Nouble were also denied by superb saves from Conrad Logan late on as Mansfield held on in difficult conditions.
“We were by far the better team,” added Flynn, who was not happy with the performance of referee Charles Breakspear.
“I thought we dominated, especially in the second half, and their keeper was man of the match.
“We should have had three or four penalties for shirt pulling and we conceded a sloppy goal.
“I’ve spoken to the referee at half-time, in a respectful manner, and I said he had to keep an eye on it.
“He said he would but they kept getting away with it.
“It was bizarre. It happened that many times and I don’t know how they kept getting away with it.”
Stags boss Steve Evans was happy with a point in the end, but it did look as if they would take all three back to the Midlands after a controlled first-half performance, capped by Rose’s neat side-foot finish on 21 minutes after Hemmings’ header.
“I think over the 90 minutes you’ve got to be pleased,” said Evans.
“We were really dangerous and really professional and well set up in the first half.
“In the second half I don’t know what it is but I must have run over four black cats this month.
“The wind gets up, then the rain gets up and it turns and goes in their direction but they’re a good side, they play in a certain way that’s very difficult.
“From every angle they put in long throws, crosses, corners, free-kicks into your box and they’ve got a lot of big lads in there. “But I was really proud of my players because they stood up to that.”