Ben Guest
Tony Pulis had to admit that he was disappointed his Middlesbrough side were unable to take their chances having been held to a 1-1 draw by League 2 Newport County.
Having beaten Leicester in the third round, Newport relied on another late goal, with Matthew Dolan scoring a 93rd minute equaliser at the Riverside to earn the Welsh side a replay in dramatic fashion.
Speaking after the game, Boro boss Pulis lamented his side for not taking advantage of their domination, adding that a number of his squad have been suffering with an illness.
“We should have dealt with that one (the goal) a little bit better, they had a good chance before that too. You have got to give them credit,” Pulis told the BBC.
“For 25-30 minutes we completely dominated and you have got to create chances and take opportunities, and we didn’t finish them.
“There has been a bug around the place and one or two players and staff have suffered but I don’t want to take anything away from Newport today, they kept it going until the last minute and I am disappointed we conceded late on.
“We need to make sure everything is cleared up with illnesses and move on. John Obi Mikel did smashing, that was his first game for a long time. He is so composed on the ball, he lifts the rest of the team, he is that type of player.
“Obviously there has been a lot of talk about me and Michael (Flynn) but it was a game and once the game starts you want to win.”