Flynn keeps feet on ground
MICHAEL Flynn refuses to mention the ‘P’ word, but there was no hiding his delight at Newport County’s second away win of the season.
A week after they drew at home with League Two table-toppers Exeter City, County went to fourth-placed Swindon and conjured up a second big away win of the season to move to within two points of the top of the table.
Even so, the Exiles’ manager wouldn’t be steered into talking about the possibility of promotion after only 11 games of another marathon season, although the signs are already looking good.
“I think we’ve had a really good start and I’m delighted with another three points against a very good Swindon team,” said Flynn.
“We have got two away wins against Forest Green and Swindon, two tough teams and two tough places to go. I just hope we can keep on improving on that.
“The players’ shape, their discipline, their work ethic, they were absolutely spot-on. To a man I can’t fault them and it’s lovely being up there near the top.”
Having dominated the home side in the first half, the visitors were forced to hang on in the second before an 82nd-minute volley from Jamille Matt made the game safe.
Swindon may have ended up on the right side of the possession stats with 67% of the ball, but they did little to threaten Tom King in the visitors’ goal.
County piled on the pressure from the start and forced five successive corners but failed to score from any of them. It was a positive start from Flynn’s men and the pressure finally told on 38 minutes when Mark O’Brien headed home from a corner.
It was a fully deserved lead against one of the in-form teams in League Two, who were sitting three places above County after picking up 13 out of their last 18 points with four wins and a draw.
There could have been more had Luke McCormick not turned away a shot from Labadie and Danny McNamara done better with a header from the seventh corner of the half.
Swindon were much improved at the start of the second half and finally got some urgency into their game. The referee booked O’Brien for bringing down the rampaging Kaiyne Woolery on a high-speed breakaway, but the home side couldn’t make the most of their free-kick in a great position.
Moments later, Lloyd Isgrove hit the bar with a rasping shot and County were beginning to look more than a little under siege. They rode their luck and almost emerged with a second goal after a great run from the impressive Ryan Haynes.
As Abrahams ran on to his pass and put the ball in the net, so the linesman waved for offside and the home side were able to fight on.
Not for long, though, because Matt doubled the lead after fine work down the right by substitute Padraig Amond, whose cross was hammered on the volley past McCormick.
SWINDON: McCormick; Hunt, Conroy (capt, May 8), Fryers, Iandolo; Isgrove, Rose (Reid 79), Grant, Woolery (Doughty 72); Yates, Doyle. NEWPORT: King; McNamara, O’Brien, Howkins, Haynes; Bennett; Willmott, Sheehan; Labadie (capt, Dolan 88); Matt, Abrahams (Amond 72).