Tranmere manager Darrell Clarke calls conceding late equaliser ‘sickening’

Tranmere manager Darrell Clarke admitted it was “sickening” to see victory snatched away from his side by Newport as the hosts made it 2-2 in the 90th minute at Rodney Parade.

Clarke’s men looked to be on their way to a second win in three games after Zane Okoro cancelled out Shaquille Gwengwe’s first-half opener in the 71st minute and substitute Dylan Jones added a second to make it 2-1 to the visitors four minutes later.

But Gwengwe rescued a point for the home side with a last-gasp leveller – his second of the game and his fourth in three League Two outings since his summer move from Poole Town.

And the timing and nature of Gwengwe’s equaliser, from a long throw into the box, left Clarke fuming.

“It’s very much mixed emotions,” said the Tranmere boss. “I’m raging with that first 45, if I’m honest and raging that we’ve conceded the [second] goal from a set-piece, which was probably their only opportunity of the second half. It’s two points chucked away.

“But, then again, on balance of play, they’d have thought they at least deserved a point after that first half because we were nowhere near good enough.

“They responded and we made some changes and looked in control, and then we chucked two points away at the end so it’s a really frustrating afternoon.

“We should be seeing that game out. The boys had earned the right to be in front and then to give that goal away at the end is sickening.”

County manager Hayden Mullins praised his side’s never-say-die attitude as they preserved their unbeaten start at home following an impressive 3-0 opening-day win over Rochdale.

“The one thing I see in this team is good character, grit and desire to fight for the badge,” said Mullins, whose side also fought back from 3-1 and 4-2 down to push Bristol Rovers all the way in the 5-3 defeat at the Memorial Stadium last weekend.

“At home we’ve got to make this a tough place to come and get three points and I think we’re starting to show that.

“I think our first-half performance was really good. We got the goal and we looked a threat. We were high energy and we really put Tranmere on the back foot for long periods of the game.

“We’ve got to be able to manage a game better and see it out and a little bit of complacency from us let them back in the game.

“But the character to come back was first class and, as a manager, when you see your team fighting like that you can’t have too many complaints.”