NEWPORT County boss Graham Coughlan caused Manchester United a fright in their FA Cup clash at Rodney Parade.

Coughlan’s side fought back from 2-0 down against the Red Devils to level the score.

And the former Southend United coach was dreaming of a cup upset before United scored twice more without reply to secure a 4-2 victory.

“I was dreaming at two-all,” said Coughlan.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb first 10 or 15 minutes.

“You can’t start a football game like that against that quality of opposition.

“They hit us hard, they were clinical and we learned quickly what the Premier League is all about in that first 10 or 15 minutes.”

On United’s late show costing County a lucrative replay, Coughlan added: “It was just unfortunate we couldn’t reach our cup final and go back to Old Trafford.

“I thought we had them at two-all. They were rattled. They could have gone under, and that’s a strange thing for a League Two manager to say.

“But the Premier League class shone through, so full credit to United.”

Coughlan spent seven seasons at Roots Hall and occupied a number of different roles including making 42 appearances as a player.