Wales manager John Toshack refused to blame Danny Gabbidon after the centre-back's mistakes cost both goals in the 2-1 defeat to Montenegro in Podgorica.

"I have no problem with Gabbidon," he said. "He has been out for almost two years with injuries, it was just good to see him back on the pitch for us.

"Danny was always going to stay on for the full 90, unless he said otherwise.

"He desperately needs game time... if he is going to be in any position to play against Russia next month."

West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon was making his first Wales appearance for 18 months after serious abdominal problems.

He gave away the penalty for the first goal at the Gradski Stadium, then appeared to be out of position when Simon Vukcevic set up Radomir Djalovic for the second.

"I felt the penalty was a really soft one," said Toshack.

"I suppose that when you play away to Montenegro and they have a Serbian referee, you wonder what is going to happen.

"But there may well have been an earlier penalty that was not given, so I have no real complaints... we were beaten by the better side on the night."

Sam Vokes raised Wales' hopes with a headed goal early in the second half, but Toshack's team barely threatened after that.

We depend on getting the full-backs forward, but it did not happen John Toshack

"The lads did well to get back into the game, but after we scored they just did not take it on and produce more," said the veteran Wales boss.

"It was very, very hot out there and a lot of the boys have not played much football yet. So it was tough.

But those two goals near the end of the first-half changed the game, it was very hard to come back after that.

"There were [things apart from Gabbidon] that didn't function about our side.

606: DEBATE Give your thoughts on Wales' defeat

"We depend on getting the full-backs forward, but it did not happen.

"And maybe we did not get a grip of their clever midfielders, Jack Collison was left having to do a lot of running around with Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey getting pulled out of position to go wide, where we should have had full-backs doing that.

"Even after we scored, we did not really trouble their defence too much, and that was a disappointment."

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