GARETH Ainsworth was left bemused at a nervous performance against Newport County, saying his side only started playing confidently once they’d fallen behind.

Any confidence gained from Saturday’s dismantling of Northampton Town and back-to-back last minute equalisers that preceded it appeared to have evaporated during this afternoon’s 1-0 defeat against the promotion-chasing Welsh side, the Blues boss said.

Ainsworth added the nerves in today’s performance disappeared once Mike Flynn scored what turned out to be the winner with a stunning lob and it was only then that Blues created chances.

But he said his players were then too wasteful with their opportunities, meaning they have not won on home soil since October.

The 40-year-old said: “Obviously I want to start winning at home but I’m not concerned about it. We just seem to be a bit nervous at home sometimes, a bit tentative, and we don’t play the flowing football until we go a goal down, and then we get a kick up the backside and start to play.

“We didn’t create enough and I’ll be the first to admit that. We didn’t create enough, not like we have been doing lately – but the ones we did create, we need to take. I can think of three really good chances we didn’t convert. They’ve created two chances first half and scored one. That’s been the difference.

“I said after the last home game against Scunthorpe these chances are so precious, we have to take them. You get 25 games a season where there’s nothing between them and that was one of those games.”

Asked why his players appeared to be nervous, Ainsworth said: “I’m not sure at all. It’s a normal home game. We have that little nervous bit of not wanting to create.

“I was really confident this morning after Saturday’s performance. My policy is when they do well, I stick with them and give them a chance. If you’ve done it for me you keep the shirt, but today there were a lot off it. There were a few negatives around – balls down the side weren’t right, sometimes we slashed at balls and they ended up going in the air.

“If we get the ball down like I know we can and shift the ball, we’ll have a right good chance of winning.

“I didn’t think they caused us too many problems but we never got the ball down and played through them and played round them. I wanted us to get the ball down a lot more.

“We seemed to be a little bit nervous in possession today and a little bit wasteful. It’s down to me to correct that and hopefully we can crack that for Sunday because we’ve got games thick and fast now.”

The games don’t come any easier for Wanderers as another side with aspirations of promotion, big spending Fleetwood Town, arrive at Adams Park on Sunday and Ainsworth added changes may be in order after keeping faith with the side that put Northampton to the sword.

He said: “We gave them a go second half but we didn’t get the ball down like we have been doing. There were a few off it today and I’ll be looking at that for Sunday.

“I know there’s players wanting to come into the team and maybe I’ll have to have a look at a reshuffle, because this is going to be a big test on fitness and recovery now.”