CAPTAIN Scot Bennett says the Newport County AFC players are just as much to blame for the club’s poor start to the season as Warren Feeney, who was sacked this morning.

Feeney paid the price for three successive defeats as County slipped to the bottom of League Two.

The manager was dismissed after last night's unfortunate 1-0 defeat at Grimsby Town, courtesy of an 88th-minute penalty given away by left-back Dan Butler.

Reacting to the news, Bennett wrote on Twitter: “Absolutely gutted waking up to the news on the gaffer and Toddy being sacked.

“We as players have really [let] them down with costly mistakes.

“[He is a] top manager and a top bloke and all I can do is wish him the very best in the future.”

And, speaking before Feeney’s departure, Bennett admitted the players had underperformed.

“I think he’s built a really good squad and we’re trying to play for him,” said the skipper at Blundell Park.

“We’re all really behind him and sometimes the fans have got to look at the players.

“It’s us making the mistakes – not him.

“I know he’s picking the team but we’re the ones making the mistakes.

“We feel we should be further up the league,” he added. “We should be up near the top with the squad we’ve got and it’s really frustrating that we keep making these mistakes.

“But if you keep doing it then you can’t keep saying it’s hard luck.

“We’re all trying to put in a performance and I feel we did today. The lads worked really hard and unfortunately it’s just a silly mistake.”

Bennett revealed that Butler had apologised to his teammates in the dressing room at Grimsby.

“It’s frustrating when we’ve played so well and then in the 88th minute we get the chance to put the ball in the stand and unfortunately Buts isn’t quite thinking,” he said.

“He’s had a really good game and then he’s tried to play it off the player instead of just putting his foot through it and that’s cost us.

“I think we’re all feeling bad but when you’re the one that makes that mistake [it’s worse].

“You go in and you have words because you’ve got to dig people out sometimes when things go against you.

“But he came straight in and he apologised. He’s down and we’ve just got to pick him up now going into Saturday.”

Asked for his message to the fans, Bennett added: “The fans see the results and they’re not happy. They’ve got a right not to be happy but I think they need to just stick with us because we’re going to get it right.

“We’re going to turn it round. I’m confident of that.

“Hopefully they’ll get behind us again on Saturday and hopefully we can turn it around. We need to start doing it quickly.”