Summer targets are still in place, insists Exiles boss
NEWPORT County manager James Rowberry insists the lateseason collapse that saw his side slump from third in mid-March to 11th in the final League Two table hasn’t altered his transfer targets for this summer.
County ended their campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Rochdale at Rodney Parade on Saturday – their fifth successive home defeat and the club’s worst run of home results in the Football League since 1988.
But Rowberry is in no doubt that he can bring in the players to mount another promotion push next season.
“I know what I need,” said the 37-year-old. “I have known from my first training session and my first game what is needed for us to do what we want to do.
“I have got a very supportive chairman (Gavin Foxall), who is very hands-on and helps me to where I need to be, and a sporting director (Darren Kelly) who does all my phone calls, which is the hardest bit speaking with agents to get things done.
“They have been brilliant and it’s going to be a challenge, and I am looking forward to it.”
Exiles strikers Rob Street and Dom Telford, the fourth tier’s golden boot winner with 25 league goals, were guilty of missing several chances in the second half on Saturday.
But Rochdale secured the three points to climb to 18th thanks to goals from Matty Done in the 16th
NEWPORT COUNTY.........0 ROCHDALE........................2
minute and substitute Abraham Odoh in second-half stoppagetime.
“We’ve got to be better in both 18-yard boxes, and we will be. We will get a pre-season in us and recruit well,” said Rowberry.
“We produced some really good moments in that game but we just didn’t take our chances to score, then defensively as a team we need to be better.
“I am looking forward to next season and I have got to learn from certain elements and so have the players and the staff to move this club forward.”
Rowberry’s men had the backing of another crowd of more than 5,000 at Rodney Parade and the manager, who was linked with the Queens Park Rangers job last week, believes he is the man who can deliver the promotion that the fans crave.
“The crowd could see that performance-wise (we did well),” he said, “we just conceded two really poor goals.
“It felt like one of those days and the final delivery into the box wasn’t quite there, the final tackle in the final third wasn’t quite there at times.
“That’s where we are at, we will get better, and I am looking forward to the challenge. It’s a big challenge and a big job which I am extremely excited for. That’s why I came to the club.”