"We never really got the control in the game we were looking for" - Millington left frustrated after Shaymen pegged back by late Fylde leveller

The Shaymen battled back from going 1-0 down through goals by Jack Hunter and Rob Harker but were forced to settle for a point after Taelor O'Kane's second goal deep into added time.

"Disappointing, we had loads of opportunities to win it and we didn't play particularly well," Millington told the Courier.

"I thought there were a number of players who, not for lack of effort, lack of desire and willingness, but had poor days, weren't quite at their maximum.

"It's very frustrating you get so many players having an off day in one go but the flip side is we're still disappointed we didn't win it.

"So in a perverse kind of way, that's a positive."

Millington had no qualms about the result and praised the visitors for their part in the game.

"I think we've got to give Fylde credit, Fylde are fighting for their lives, they're a good team one to 11," he said.

"You look at their players and their bench, bringing on players like Nick Haughton, so they're a very good team and we don't underestimate them.

"We knew they'd come scrapping for their lives, play a direct style of football, fight for everything, make life uncomfortable for us and they did that.

"I think the disappointment for me is that when the opportunity presented itself for us to have a spell of control in the game, we never really maximised that.

"Players were in a bit too much of a hurry to beat a man or move the ball on and didn't do it with enough quality, so we never really got the control in the game we were looking for.

"Had we done that I've no doubt we would have gone on and won it, but we've got to give Fylde credit, they've deserved a point tonight."

Town could have lost it with the last kick of the game but for a very good save by keeper Sam Johnson.

"One of those insane games where for the neutrals it was a really good watch, but people know me well enough - I want to be controlled and boring," said the Town boss.

"We weren't controlled enough to be boring tonight, we were a bit too gung-ho and in a bit too much of a hurry to get the third and fourth and fifth.

"On another night we would have done, on another night we would have exerted a bit more control in the game.

"But we've got to accept we only deserved a point tonight "

When asked what he had said to his players after the game, Millington said: "Not a lot, I'm trying to be a bit restrained after the game rather than shooting my mouth off and saying too much initially.

"There's things we've got to learn and do better for sure because it almost felt like a cup-tie at times.

"I know a lot of the players know each other so maybe there's that little bit of extra feeling and emotion in trying to get one over on their mates.

"But we should have controlled the game better when those opportunities presented themselves.

"It's about emotional control. It felt like a good occasion in the stadium, I thought the fans were magnificent, the atmosphere they created was fantastic.

"I think the players being so familiar with the opposition probably adds a little bit of spice and I think in those games you've got to have that little bit of emotional control.

"We needed more players with a cooler head to put their foot on the ball and link together four or five passes to just take a bit of that heat out of the game.

"But there were any number of players who, for no lack of effort, weren't as effective as they would normally be."

Millington was frustrated at how many free-kicks his team gave away and felt his side could have defended better for Fylde's goals.

"The frustration firstly is that we're giving away soft free-kicks and giving them opportunities to put the ball on us, which we knew they were going to do if we gave them silly free-kicks," Millington said.

"It gives them the opportunity to put another one on us which leads to a phase of play in our half and the result of that is we give them an opportunity.

"So the first thing we've got to do is stop giving away silly free-kicks and unnecessary free-kicks.

"We pride ourselves on stopping crosses and winning first contacts and when you don't do that, you end up dropping points like tonight."

One positive for Town was striker Rob Harker getting back among the goals after his injury absence.

"Rob had an impact when he came on, not just the goal, a wider impact in linking play, receiving the ball for us and just establishing us a bit higher up the pitch," Millington said.

"So it's an encouraging return for him."

Read more from the Town boss later this week on the Courier website.