Flynn sees red over dismissal

WYCOMBE ........................ 2 NEWPORT CO ................... 0

NEWPORT COUNTY boss Mike Flynn hit out at referee Charles Breakspear after his team was reduced to 10 men for the second match in succession.

Flynn saw Mark O’Brien sent off in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Lincoln and Joss Labadie picked up a second yellow in the final minute of their Boxing Day defeat at Wycombe Wanderers.

O’Brien missed the trip to Adams Park and both players will now be out of Newport’s next match at nearneighbours Cheltenham Town this Saturday.

“It was absolutely awful,” said Flynn. “I spoke to the referee and said ‘I know what you’re going to say, you’re going to tell me it’s persistent fouling’ but he said no, which is even more bizarre.

“He said Labadie looked at him intentionally and fouled him intentionally.”

Flynn felt his side should have been awarded a penalty in the first half when Shawn McCoulsky appeared to be brought down in the area.

“The referee hasn’t cost us the game, let’s be clear about that, but you tell me the difference between the foul Labadie got sent off for and the penalty claim we had,” added the manager.

“I’ll let you answer that one because I don’t want to get into too much trouble.”

The Exiles were already 1-0 down at that stage after Nathan Tyson had broken the deadlock with a smart finish to a flowing Wycombe team move in the 15th minute.

The visitors enjoyed some good pressure either side of half-time and Labadie was unlucky to see a piledriver cannon of the bar from distance in the first minute of the second half.

But any thoughts of a County comeback were ended by Adebayo Akinfenwa’s superb chest control and volley to kill the game off 12 minutes from time.