MALLIK IS MAKING HIS POINT
MALLIK Wilks struck late to earn Accrington a home point against Newport County, but Stanley boss John Coleman believes his side deserved to take all three.
Frank Nouble struck early in the second half to give the visitors the lead, but it was one-way traffic from there on before Wilks’ late equaliser.
However despite a third consecutive draw, Coleman is confident with a bit more luck in front of goal, Stanley will soon return to winning ways.
“We’ve got a point late on but we certainly didn’t snatch it,” he said.
“If anything, we’ve had two points snatched off us. On the balance of play, I think we deserved to win.
“I thought we played ever so well second half, and particularly the last 20 minutes I thought there’d only be one winner.
“Fair play to Newport, they’ve stuck in there.
“At the start of the season the chances were all going in. They’ve stopped going in at this moment in time, but if we keep making them it’ll turn our way again.”
The first half was a fairly even affair, though Kayden Jackson went closest for Stanley on the halfhour, turning well with his first touch before shooting wide across the face of goal.
Billy Kee then turned onto his left foot on the edge of the box in the 45th minute, but Joe Day gathered his shot at the second attempt. Just three minutes into the second half Newport were in front, however, as Nouble raced to the near post from Robbie Willmott’s low corner and hammered in high beyond Aaron Chapman.
Kee could have equalised on 72 minutes, when Sean McConville’s free-kick was headed back across goal by Ben Richards-Everton, but the striker’s header clipped the top of the bar.
But Accrington’s pressure finally paid off in the 88th minute, as the ball fell loose after a scramble in the area and Wilks smashed in the equaliser.
Scott Brown almost snatched a dramatic winner in the third minute of stoppage time too, but his goal-bound volley was brilliantly blocked by Scot Bennett.
County boss Mike Flynn admitted: “I’m gutted we didn’t win the game. We didn’t look like we were going to concede for 85 minutes and then we looked like we were going to concede at will. “The last few minutes were crazy. It’s a cheap goal to concede and it’s taken the gloss of what would have been a perfect away performance. “Would we have taken a point before the game? Probably. “But I’m disappointed we haven’t won. “The boys put in an unbelievable shift, but unfortunately switched off for that moment.”