Christian Fuchs finds positives from first Newport defeat in charge

New Newport manager Christian Fuchs got to know the size of the job after his side lost 3-0 at Oldham in his first match.

Fuchs has gone from being a Premier League winner with Leicester City to managing the club which is bottom of League Two and five points from safety.

The Exiles fell apart in the second half when a Josh Hawkes double and strike from substitute Joe Quigley earned Oldham only their second home league win of the campaign.

The former Austria captain took positives from the defeat and believes Newport can pull clear of the bottom two relegation places.

Fuchs, who was appointed on Thursday, said: “In training on Friday, there was a lot of energy which gives me hope.

“The boys left it all out there. They tried hard, never stopped and tried to give their best.

“How the boys reacted in the dressing room, you could tell their heart is in the right place and they care about the club and their performances.

“We can put in all the effort, but we need to put points on the board.”

“What let us down, as has done in other games this season, is that we were not decisive enough in the moments to prevent goals.”

Fuchs took encouragement from the way his side defended in the opening half when put under pressure.

He continued: “Unfortunately, a couple of mistakes when we were not disciplined enough without the ball cost us.

“We need to get back to basics and solidify our defence. If we do that, it gives us the chance to at least get a point.”

Fuchs said he understands how the team are feeling because of similar situations in his playing career.

Oldham manager Micky Mellon was delighted after his side recorded only a second home league win of the season at the ninth attempt.

It was a rock-solid defensive display – a ninth clean sheet in 17 league matches means Oldham still possess the best defensive record in the division.

Mellon said: “We needed to win today and in the first half it was drab and not a good version of ourselves.

“We tweaked things and were a lot better in the second half.

“The message was to get on to the front foot. We also needed some more width to get at them down the sides.

“There are still improvements to be made, but it was a big result for us.

“To score three goals and keep a clean sheet is going to do us the world of good.”

Mellon praised the substitutes for making an impact after Mike Fondop and Kane Drummond came on for the second half, saying they gave the team good width and energy.