NEWPORT County AFC boss Michael Flynn said his only grumble after their stunning cup upset against Swansea was that Exiles supporters couldn’t join in the celebrations.

County kicked off their 2020/21 campaign with a 2-0 Carabao Cup win against the Swans, who were semi-finalists in the Championship play-offs last season.

A double by Tristan Abrahams earned a well-deserved success for Flynn’s men, who were organised and energetic.

Yet the coronavirus pandemic meant that Rodney Parade was near-empty, meaning there was no repeat of the wild celebrations that followed wins against Leeds, Middlesbrough and Leicester.

READ MORE: Match report from County's stunning win

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“It’s brilliant to win a Welsh derby, it’s just a big shame that the fans weren’t here,” said Flynn.

“Imagine Rodney Parade after a 2-0 win against Swansea, it would have been absolutely rocking, and it would’ve been some good money for the football club.

"It's the times we are in, we can't change that and I just hope that the supporters enjoyed that on the iFollow (streaming service).

"Hopefully we will be one of the teams they are piloting with (next round) and we are allowed to get 2,500 in, that'd be a start.

"It's a shame but we've got to adjust and get on with it. It's my first time and the players' first time playing behind closed doors and I didn't enjoy it if I'm honest.

"It's all about the fans and the atmosphere, even when things are going great.

"It's that buzz around the place and it's a shame that they have missed out but the performance of the players has hopefully made it up for them."

County were more than good value for the win despite the Swans heading to Newport with a strong side featuring the likes of Andre Ayew, Wayne Routledge, Joe Rodon, Matt Grimes and Morgan Gibbs-White.

“We were excellent from start to finish and the only disappointment was that we didn’t score more goals,” said Flynn.

“We can only concentrate on ourselves, Steve (Cooper) is going to be a bit disappointed but my players were excellent and I couldn’t ask any more of them.

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“The amount of work that Tristan Abrahams got through was unbelievable – he looked like a Championship striker today. He was superb.”

It was County’s first competitive game since losing their League Two fixture at Carlisle in March but their energy didn’t dip as the Swans looked for a way back into the game.

“It’s a credit to the players and how they looked after themselves during the off period and it’s credit to my staff,” said Flynn.

“(Coaches) Wayne (Hatswell), Danny (Elliott), Jim (Hollman), everybody involved has got the players as good a condition as we could, albeit with a shorter pre-season than we would have liked.

“It’s a real team effort and I can’t fault them, to a man they have been spot-on.”