Home ground a welcome sight, says Exiles boss
NEWPORT County boss Graham Coughlan admits his players can’t wait to get back to their home comforts tonight after suffering late heartbreak at Stockport County on Saturday.
The Exiles were undone by a 93rd-minute goal at Edgeley Park and will look to bounce back with a victory this evening against fellow play-off hopefuls Morecambe at Rodney Parade.
A win or draw would mean they hit Coughlan’s first target for the season of 50 points before moving on to beating last season’s tally of 57.
Only then will the manager think about a challenge for the top seven after back-to-back defeats at the hands of the top two left his side six points below the play-off places with 10 games remaining.
“Tuesday can’t come around quick enough, a home game with our fans behind us,” said Coughlan.
“Losing 1-0 to Mansfield and then 1-0 at Stockport does sting but the lads have come on leaps and bounds.
“We can now compete with sides like that, so we are building and hopefully we can gather as many points as we can between now and the end of the season, finish strongly and then reassess.”
Morecambe are in 10th place after their home loss to Wrexham on Saturday, one point off the play-offs and five ahead of the Exiles.
The Shrimps will provide another stern test and County will need goalkeeper Nick Townsend to continue his recent excellent form.
The Birmingham-born stopper made a host of excellent saves at the weekend, including one from the penalty spot, and Coughlan believes ‘poking the bear’ has brought the best out of his number one.
Townsend has kept five clean sheets in 13 games since being criticised by his boss after a mistake at Sutton United on New Year’s Day that cost County two points.
“I had a nibble at him at Sutton and sometimes you have to poke the bear to make it angry,” said Coughlan.
“He probably hasn’t spoken to me since the Sutton game, and I don’t mind that!
“I poked the bear and Nick has been outstanding, those are his standards and I want that every game that he plays.
“He was outstanding at Stockport and has been since Sutton. He has been really good and kept us in it at Stockport.”
Townsend will definitely be between the sticks tonight – injury or illness permitting – but Coughlan may have to make changes elsewhere, just as he did during the Stockport clash.
“Ideally you don’t make changes,” added the Irishman.
“It’s not ideal in the last 15 minutes to chop personnel and take centre-halves and left wing-backs off.
“You wouldn’t normally do that but under the current circumstances we have to.”
Wrexham will look to boost their hopes of automatic promotion when they host Harrogate Town.
Phil Parkinson’s side go into the clash lying third in the table, while Harrogate are back in 14th.