We’re in another mini-season now
“We’re hoping we can put in a performance where we feel like we are in the ascendancy as much as we were [against Bradford] while creating more clear-cut chances so we can put the game to bed this time.
“We’d rather that than have to hang on towards the end, especially in the high-pressure situation we’re currently in. Straight after the game [on Monday], the group were pretty deflated, but you have to move on quickly.
“It’s pointless dwelling on things like that, and it is similar to what we said after the Doncaster game. We’re in another mini-season now, and we have to reset in terms of what our objectives were at that point and what they are now.”
Newport have had their play-off dreams crushed recently with three defeats in a row, including a 4-0 hammering against seventhplaced Crawley Town last time out. Therefore, from a psychological standpoint, Town should have the edge given wins are much more important to them at this stage.
David Artell’s side did not have the ruthlessness to finish off their opponents on Monday, and they have not had it for most of the season, having drawn more games than anyone in League Two.
Pearson explained: “We’re in the thick of it now, and the games come thick and fast, so it’s another opportunity for us to get three points. Watching the [Bradford] game back, we got into some good situations, and we didn’t work them well enough to create the chances we could’ve done, so we have to do that better.
“It comes down to various things, including picking a better pass, timing the pass better or judging the weight of the pass correctly, and if we do those things better, we end up with two v one or three v two situations which lead to chances.
“It’s a cliche thing to say, but anyone can beat anyone in this league, so every game is difficult and brings its own challenges. [Newport] have lost the last couple so hopefully, we can take advantage of that and make them feel uncomfortable early on.
“They’ve got some good attacking players like Will Evans who is one of the top scorers in the division, so we’ll have to remain as solid as we know we can be defensively while hopefully having more of a killer instinct at the other end.”