No respite for County players despite loss of clash with Port Vale
NEWPORT County may have lost another fixture to the weather, but there was no respite for the players.
Instead of trekking all the way to Port Vale today they were getting set for an 11 v 11 training game to prepare themselves for two key fixtures next week, when they host promotion rivals Exeter City and Forest Green at Rodney Parade.
The enforced break is bad news for Liam Shepherd and Scot Bennett, who are still serving time for their recent red cards, but might just be a blessing in disguise after going down to a 1-0 home defeat to the lowest-ranked team in the league, Southend, on Tuesday.
“I was really down after the Southend game – it felt as though the world was going to end,” admitted County boss Michael Flynn.
“There wasn’t much I could say to the players afterwards. It was pretty and it was a game we should have won.
“We’ve got to ensure that when we aren’t playing football that is pleasing on the eye that we are still godo enough to get the three points. It really is as simple as that.”
Having beaten Grimsby Town, only one place ahead of Southend, 1-0 in their previous outing, Flynn thought his players had learned how to “win ugly”. Now they need to go out and prove it to him again when they face two teams at the other end of the table next week.
“We have had a bad run. There have been red cards, postponed matches, individual errors, players called back from loan and Covid – it really has been an extraordinary season,” added Flynn.
“But the belief is still there within the group that they can still go on and achieve something this season. As soon as we cut out the errors and red cards I think we can still be a match for any team in the league.”
The defeat to Southend cost County the chance of moving back into second place.
Their recent run of form may look bad – they have lost five of their last 10 league games and won only once – but they are still sitting in fifth, five points off top of the table Cambridge United with two games in hand.
Joss Labadie is due to return from suspension this week, Shepherd will be available to face Forest Green and then Bennett will be back after that game. Their presence and know-how will be crucial in getting the side back to winning ways.
Their stunning style of football in the first half of the season allowed them to lead the table for long periods. Then came the rain, an unkind transfer window and now the frost.
If the weather and pitches improve, then they should be able to rediscover their passing game and gather some momentum again.
The fact the Dragons are due to play at Rodney Parade the night before County face Forest Green won’t be helpful, but for the next month it might just be a case of playing and winning ugly.