Lowe calls on Bury players to 'stand up and be counted' after their 'worst performance of the season'

Mickey Demetriou's two goals and another for Jamille Matt helped Newport keep alive their play-off hopes while denting Bury's automatic promotion ambitions.

The Shakers have now lost four of their last five games to slip outside the top three in Sky Bet League Two ahead of Easter Monday's visit of Northampton.

“I think it was the worst we’ve played all season," Lowe told the Bury Times. "Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition, but we knew what they were going to do, and we caused our own problems.

"We should have dealt with their threat better. We wanted to ask more questions of them.

“We’ve had some harsh words said and we don’t want to be staring in the mirror come the end of the season asking, ‘what if?’

“I’m disappointed in the football, we knew we couldn’t play as much as we would have liked on this pitch against a dogged side.

“It’s not the result we wanted but we have three more lifelines to get where we want to get to. I’m asking the lads to stand up and be counted.

“We had a lack of quality in certain areas and individuals, but the players have been brilliant, you feel for the lads and the fans, but we still have a great chance.

“We’ve still got a massive opportunity to get promoted in these final three games, even though it isn’t in our hands now. It was a really tough game, we need to recover for Monday and go again.”