FLOURISHING EXILES
Newport County midfielder Matty Dolan on their fine start to the season
IF NEWPORT County are flying high in League Two at Christmas, they can start to think about a genuine promotion push.
That’s the message from Matty Dolan, a key figure in the Exiles’ engine room, following their bright start to the season.
Heading into the weekend, Michael Flynn’s men were third in the table, behind pacesetters Lincoln and Exeter, the latter just by virtue of goal difference.
With more than a quarter of the season already gone, there is now a mood of optimism around Rodney Parade. However, midfielder Dolan, the club’s set-piece specialist, isn’t getting carried away just yet.
“I don’t think anyone wanted to set very high targets at the start of the season,” said the 25-year-old. “We have worked hard and gone weekby-week on performance.
Confident
“At the moment we are in a good position and the boys are full of confidence which leads to better performances. Hopefully we can keep it going, we believe in ourselves.
“If we get to Christmas and are still there, we are going to have to think about it (promotion) then.
“The football club will go the right way about it, perhaps strengthen in January.”
The thought of promotion may yet be premature in the long, hard slog of a gruelling League Two campaign, but Hartlepool-born Dolan, who came through the ranks at Middlesbrough, does know what it feels like.
He spent the latter part of the 2012-13 season on loan at Yeovil, who won promotion to the Championship by beating Brentford 2-1 in the League One play-off final at Wembley.
“Ultimately as footballers, you want to play in the best leagues possible,” said Dolan, who came on a late sub at Wembley. “It was special being part of it on loan at Yeovil and you keep in touch with your mates from that team.
“We had a very good squad under Gary Johnson and I was lucky enough to be part of it. Once you’ve had a taste of it, you want a bit more.
“With the tightness of the group here now, it would mean a lot if we could do it. We don’t want to be a flash in the pan and then tail off – we were frustrated we did that last year (Newport finished 11th).
“We don’t want to be sitting comfortably in mid-table at the end of the season, we want to strive to be the best we can be as a group. We want to be up there and I believe we can be.”
What gives Dolan cause for optimism is two things – the strength of the County squad and the impact of boss Michael Flynn.
“We’ve kept quite a lot of the core from last season, but we’ve also recruited well over the summer,” said Dolan, now in his second season with the Exiles. “Bringing in the likes of Andrew Crofts and Fraser Franks means standards are high. Crofty has played in the Premiership and has a wealth of experience, while Fraser knows the league well and has performed very well.
“I spoke to the manager after he’d kept the club up against the odds a couple of seasons ago – everyone had written them off and it was incredible what they did.
“He’s strengthened well and his enthusiasm around the place is infectious. Sometimes when things aren’t going well, you need that enthusiasm he has to give everyone a lift. His man-management is very good.”
Competition
A stronger squad means greater competition for places, but Dolan isn’t complaining.
“You have to be on your game, but I’ve been pleased with my form up to now,” he said. “With three in the middle, we’ve got the freedom to play when we can and I like to get on the ball.
“I take all the corners and pride myself on that delivery – we have been a threat from set-pieces.
“Around ten outfield players have scored for us this season, so everyone is chipping in and that’s helping to take pressure off our strikers. We’ve shown we’ve got resilience, too.”