Michael Flynn is fed up and angry after Newport County’s dismal display against Barnet away.
The Exiles manager knew his team were in for a tough time against relegation battlers Barnet, but they failed to match the home teams work ethic.
“That was the worst performance under me,” said Flynn. “I can’t handle that or stomach it. We prepared as usual and nobody saw it coming.
“We all have bad games, but we didn’t have any fight. That’s the disappointing thing I can’t handle.”
Barnet are still deep in trouble near the bottom of League Two, but they kept their hopes of staying in the Football League alive.
County, though, couldn’t even manage a shot on target against a Bees team who won thanks to goals from Shaquile Coulthirst and Ricardo Santos.
Barnet were the better team and could have scored more goals. Dan Butler and Ben White cleared off the line, while goalkeeper Joe Day made a number of top class saves.
There were 240 Newport supporters at the Hive and Flynn said: “It’s the fans I feel sorry for, those that travelled. That performance was something that I will not put up with.
“It was an awful performance, worse than Mansfield. At least we ran around at Mansfield!
“I’m angry and they’ll be in for training in the morning.
“It wasn’t hard for us to improve after the first half performance and we did, but there was no fight and we didn’t create anything.”
Flynn ordered his players in for training on Sunday morning and said: “They are playing for contracts and to impress me for next season. If they don’t then they won’t be here.”
County are at home against promoted Accrington Stanley at Rodney Parade on Tuesday (7.45pm) and the visitors need one point to clinch the title.
The Bees scored after nine minutes from the first chance created by either side.
Coulthirst scored after good work by former Cardiff City and Newport player David Tutonda and Simeon Akinola, firing into the bottom right corner.
Matty Dolan hit the bar for Newport, but Barnet created the better chances and scored their second after 81 minutes.
Santos was the scorer, heading in from a corner.
County dropped two places to 14th in League Two and their last hopes of qualifying for the play-offs have gone.
Flynn selected an unchanged starting line-up from their home win against Swindon Town and set up 3-5-2 with Aaron Collins and Padraig Amond in attack.
County have four fixtures left this season and Flynn wants evidence of which players have the character and fight to play in a team challenging for promotion next season.
Newport County: Day, Pipe (capt), White, Bennett (Martin 77), Demetriou, Butler, Dolan, Tozer (Hayes 45), Willmott, Amond, Collins (Nouble 45). Subs not used: Bittner, Reid, O’Brien, Sheehan.
Barnet: Ross, Tutonda, Nelson, Santos, Sweeney (capt, Watson 55), Brindley, Weston, Akinola (Payne 82), Nicholls, Akinde, Coulthirst (Akpa-Akpro 79). Subs not used: McKenzie-Lyle, Clough, Bover, Fonguck.
Referee: Robert Lewis
Attendance: 1, 816 (240 away)
Newport’s remaining fixtures:
April
Tuesday 24: Newport County v Accrington Stanley (7.45pm)
Saturday 28: Newport County v Cambridge United (3pm)
May
Tuesday 1: Chesterfield v Newport County (3pm)
Saturday 5: Carlisle United v Newport County (3pm)
League Two 2017-18
Current table
| | HOME | | AWAY | |||||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Accrington | 43 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 22 | +33 | 90 (P) |
| 2 | Luton | 44 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 59 | 23 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 22 | +46 | 84 (P) |
| 3 | Wycombe | 44 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 42 | 35 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 34 | 24 | +17 | 78 |
| 4 | Exeter | 44 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 29 | 32 | +11 | 77 |
| 5 | Notts Co | 44 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 43 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 27 | +24 | 76 |
| 6 | Lincoln | 43 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 37 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 22 | +15 | 71 |
| 7 | Coventry | 43 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 22 | +14 | 71 |
| 8 | Mansfield | 44 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 41 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 24 | +14 | 68 |
| 9 | Swindon | 44 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 38 | 29 | -1 | 64 |
| 10 | Carlisle | 44 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 30 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 30 | +7 | 63 |
| 11 | Colchester | 44 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 28 | +2 | 61 |
| 12 | Cambridge U | 43 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 35 | -8 | 60 |
| 13 | Crawley | 44 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 29 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 27 | 35 | -7 | 58 |
| 14 | Newport Co | 42 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 28 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 32 | -3 | 57 |
| 15 | Stevenage | 44 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 39 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 37 | -6 | 52 |
| 16 | Cheltenham | 44 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 35 | 40 | 0 | 51 |
| 17 | Crewe | 44 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 30 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 28 | 42 | -15 | 50 |
| 18 | Port Vale | 44 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 33 | -12 | 47 |
| 19 | Yeovil | 43 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 29 | 48 | -15 | 46 |
| 20 | Forest Green | 43 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 35 | 33 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 38 | -18 | 46 |
| 21 | Grimsby | 44 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 19 | 40 | -28 | 45 |
| 22 | Morecambe | 43 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 26 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 29 | -14 | 44 |
| 23 | Barnet | 44 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 21 | 40 | -23 | 40 |
| 24 | Chesterfield | 43 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 25 | 31 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 47 | -33 | 35 |