NEWPORT County AFC defender Scot Bennett says the complacency that cost the Exiles a win in the FA Cup must be cut out if they are to continue their League Two revival.

Bennett has played a key role in the team’s upturn in form since his arrival on loan from Notts County – helping John Sheridan’s men to two wins and a draw in their last three league fixtures.

The run has lifted County off the bottom of the table and up to 21st but Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Brackley Town in the cup halted that momentum.

The Exiles were 2-0 up at the break, with Bennett scoring a fine solo goal, before capitulating in the last half hour as a 95th minute leveller forced a Rodney Parade replay next week.

Before that is a tough trip to fourth-placed Accrington Stanley in the league on Saturday and Bennett knows the players have to go into that game with the right attitude.

“We’re always confident going into games that we can win them but in football you never know what is going to happen,” said the 24-year-old.

“We’ve got to prepare right because it’s no good going into the game thinking we are going to win, we need to make sure we win.

“The first half [at Brackley] we were happy with,” he added.

“We were controlling it and popping it around nicely and they never really threatened us with anything too dangerous.

“Then in the second half we let in a very sloppy first goal.

“To concede from a corner like that is disappointing.

“That’s something that we work on day in and day out and it’s something that we should be better at.

“That just let them in the game but even at the end I thought we were playing it around nicely and with four minutes to go you think ‘just keep the ball’ and make them run around, tire them out.

“Even with one minute to go we’ve got the ball in the corner and we’re in control of it and 30 seconds later they’re up the other end and they’ve got the ball in the net.

“It’s another goal that we’ve got to look at because we shouldn’t be conceding goals like that – the guy’s got too much time to cross the ball.

“We were in control of the game and to let them back into the game is something we’ve got to look at.”

On his goal, which followed a Franz Beckenbauer-style run from the back, Bennett added: “I’ve had the experience of playing up front at Exeter when I was there and I got in the position, saw his legs open up and I just thought I’d try to put it through them.

“Luckily it came off and to get my first goal is good but we wanted the result.”