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NEWPORT County manager Mike Flynn has demanded a reaction from his players in Tuesday’s FA Cup replay with Wrexham after a below-par performance in defeat at Swindon Town.

The winners of the all-Welsh cup clash at Rodney Parade will host former Premier League champions Leicester City in a televised thirdround tie in January.

But Flynn knows his side will have to show a big improvement form Saturday’s disappointing display as they went down 2-1 at the County Ground to slip to sixth in the League Two table

Newport were behind after just 64 seconds as Michael Doughty fired past Joe Day and Swindon could have extended their lead several times in a one-sided first half.

The visitors improved after the break, levelling through a Padraig Amond header on 47 minutes, and they had chances to win it before Kaiyne Woolery snatched all three points for Swindon eight minutes from the end.

“We just didn’t start at all,” admitted Flynn. “To concede a goal after 64 seconds is poor. It’s inexcusable, really.

“The amount of time he had to bring the ball down and turn and shoot without a challenge on him is not good enough.

“Then Josh Sheehan missed a sitter and we could easily have conceded three.

“It wasn’t good enough in the first half. I got a reaction in the second half, but that doesn’t mean anything when you go and lose the game.”

Flynn sent on striker Antoine Semenyo in a tactical switch after just 26 minutes, but he then lost both Andrew Crofts and Mark O’Brien to hamstring injuries.

With the wind in Newport’s favour after the break, Flynn felt his side should have won the game.

“The conditions were against us in the first half and they helped us in the second half, but we did improve a lot,” he said.

“We should have killed the game off, but that’s why we’re where we are and not at the top. We’re not ruthless at all.

“We let in sloppy goals and we don’t hit the target or make the goalkeeper make a save when we’ve got opportunities.

“The amount of chances we put over the bar or slice wide is not good enough” .

Looking ahead to the Wrexham replay, the manager added: “I want a reaction from the players now because even though we were the better team in the second half, we weren’t good enough.

“We weren’t anywhere near where we should be, or where we can be. I want a reaction.” NEWPORT: J Day; F Franks, M O’Brien (J Labadie, 67), M Demetriou; D Pipe (A Semenyo, 26), A Crofts (S Bennett, 44), T Bakinson, D Butler; J Sheehan; P Amond, J Matt SUBS NOT USED: N Townsend, C Pring, T Forbes, M Harris BOOKED: Demetriou, Semenyo, O’Brien REFEREE: Dean Whitestone ATTENDANCE: 6,204