SWINDON Town head coach Jody Morris admitted his game-plan “went out of the window” after Rushian Hepburn-Murphy’s early red card but said he was mostly disappointed with how the remaining players used the ball in the Robins’ 2-1 defeat to Newport County.

Morris kicked off his time as boss with a loss, not helped by Hepburn-Murphy’s 15th-minute dismissal for pushing one of County’s two scorers, Cameron Norman.

After Norman headed in the opener after half-time, Calum Kavanagh won the game with a 78th-minute tap-in.

MATCH REPORT: Morris makes losing start as Town head coach.

Tomi Adeloye pulled one back in clinical fashion shortly before the end – notching his first for the club – but Town could not find another to snatch an unlikely point.

Reacting post-match, Morris felt there were still positives to take from Town’s point of view.

He said: “We’re obviously disappointed. When you go down to 10 men after 15 minutes and you’ve got to play 75-80 minutes of football with a man less, your game plan goes out the window and you’ve got to see how the players react.

“I was pleased with certain elements of that because it’s never easy being a man down, but I was disappointed with how we used the ball.”

Swindon claimed 57 per cent of the ball at Rodney Parade but only hit the target in the 86th and 90th minute, respectively.

Morris continued his analysis surrounding a lack of efficient passing from the visitors in their defeat.

He said: “I don’t care that they had an extra man, there were moments when we were in possession, and we made far too many easy mistakes.

“Then the more mistakes we made, a little bit of bravery went out the team as far as showing personality and getting on the ball.

“When we went back to a three in defence, we had more options in building the play and we did that a little bit better. But we shouldn’t have to change formations to make more passes.

“There were elements that I was disappointed with, but there are a couple of things that I’ll take away as positives.”