MANAGER Michael Flynn insists there are no nerves in the Newport County AFC camp ahead of tomorrow’s make-or-break final-day showdown in Morecambe.
County need a win at the Globe Arena to guarantee their place in the League Two play-offs.
A draw will also be enough to seal a top-seven spot, as long as Exeter City don’t win at Forest Green Rovers.
But a defeat against the Shrimps will almost certainly be the end of the Exiles’ season.
If they are beaten, they’ll have to hope that Exeter also lose and that Colchester United, Carlisle United and Stevenage all fail to win.
But Flynn is remarkably relaxed as he prepares his players for their final test of the regular season.
The Sky Bet League Two manager of the month for April is confident that his side will get the three points and he definitely doesn’t want to be worrying about scores elsewhere.
“They are fine and I’m fine,” said Flynn. “I’ve been so relaxed in the last six weeks.
“I’ve just got so much faith in the players and my staff and it’s been enjoyable.
“I’m not worrying about anything. What will be, will be.
“I’m happy with the place that we’ve got ourselves in and I know that if we stick to what we’ve been doing then we’ll be in the play-offs.”
County extended their unbeaten run to nine games with home wins over champions Lincoln City and Oldham Athletic over the past week.
Tuesday’s victory over the Latics moved his side into the top seven for the first time since December 22 and Flynn believes the players will handle the pressure on the road this weekend.
“They enjoy playing for the football club and playing for each other, so it’s an easy job for me,” he said.
“The way they handled the games against Lincoln and Oldham was absolutely fantastic.
“The pressure was on us on Tuesday. That was massive, because we had to win to get ourselves into this position.
“Now I want to finish the job. It’s great having the plaudits, but I want to extend the season. I want to get into those play-offs.
“It’s the last game and it’s in our hands. There’s one to go and if we fell at the last hurdle, I’d be absolutely gutted for this group of players.”
Morecambe veteran Kevin Ellison would love to spoil County’s party and Exiles academy graduate Aaron Collins will be keen to prove a point against his former club.
“It’s going to be tough; we know that,” added Flynn. “But if we go there with confidence and belief and we play to our levels, we should win the game.
“And we need to win, because I don’t want to be looking at the phones and relying on anybody else.”
Joss Labadie could return to boost the Exiles after missing the last five games.
But fellow midfielder Ben Kennedy has played his last game for the club.
The 22-year-old, who is on loan from play-off rivals Stevenage, revealed on Twitter that his season is over due to injury.
“Gutted my season has had to come to an end,” he said. “I would like to thank everyone at Newport County for the last few months.
“The players, the staff and the fans have all been amazing.
“Go finish the job and, fingers crossed, save me a ticket for Wembley.”
Read more: No special plan for Kevin Ellison, says Newport County boss
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