Exiles braced for tough test

NEWPORT County manager Graham Coughlan has warned his players to expect the toughest possible examination of their physical and mental abilities at Barrow today.

The Exiles made the arduous 260-mile journey north yesterday as they aim to build on last week’s surprise home win over Swindon Town and put some more distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Like Swindon, Barrow are chasing promotion to League One. But County are 19th in the table – just five points clear of the bottom two after 27 games – and the prospect of a return to nonleague football is too close for comfort.

“It was a big win against Swindon and the challenge to the lads now is to get a couple of wins and to get some consistency in our game,” said Coughlan. “The performances have been strong and long may that continue, and hopefully the points keep coming.”

But the Irishman knows that Barrow will be a tough nut to crack at their Holker Street home.

And the test started with the coach journey to the Lake District, according to Coughlan.

“Long trips are not ideal, but they’re part and parcel of a league campaign and they can be good for team spirit,” said the Exiles boss.

“There will be a mental battle and a physical battle,” added Coughlan. “The mental battle will be the six or seven hours on the coach getting up there. The physical battle will come between 3pm and 5pm on Saturday. We’re going to have to bring our A game because we’ll have to fight for every inch, every first ball, every second ball, every contact – it’s going to be a real battle.”