NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn believes his side’s FA Cup win at Maldon & Tiptree should silence the critics and he’s urged the club’s fans to stick together.
Flynn and the team were booed off by a minority of supporters as they lost 1-0 at home to Oldham Athletic last weekend to drop to 11th in the table.
That was a third league loss on the bounce and second successive home defeat in the league but County still have two games in hand over many of the teams above them.
And Padraig Amond’s late header earned a 1-0 win over non-league Maldon on Friday night to put the Exiles into the hat for Monday’s third-round draw.
“Everyone’s going on about it as if it’s a crisis,” said Flynn after the match.
“But we’re 11th in the league and we’ve got two games in hand, which could take us fourth.
“Yes, we’ve got to win them. And, yes, we’ve got a lot of injuries.
“But, look how far we’ve come. And, you know what, it’s a good sign that people are frustrated that we’re only 11th – I can take that.
“I can take the expectation levels, I can take criticism, but those players deserve a lot of support as well.
“With everything they’re giving for this football club and the memories they’re trying to create and that they have created, they deserve support at the first sign of a little wobble.
“People should get behind them, because that’s what us Newport people do – we get behind each other.”
The win over Maldon means County are into the FA Cup third round for the fourth time in five years.
“It’s not bad for a club that is struggling,” said Flynn.
“We were nearly relegated but we stuck together and got out of it. Then we had a good cup run and finished well in the league.
“Then we got to the play-off final last year and had another good cup run. And now we’ve got another cup run and earned the club another load of money. I don’t really see what the problem is.
“Everybody has bad performances and I can take that on the chin, trust me,” added the Exiles boss.
“But when they question the effort…it’s the easiest thing to say. They can hide behind a keyboard or shout something random. It’s an easy thing to say.
“Come and watch them train day in and day out, come and watch the amount of work they put in. Have a look at their GPS data and you’ll see – they run; they work.
“But it doesn’t always mean we’re going to win the football match.”
Flynn praised the small band of fans who made the long trip to Essex to watch Friday’s tie, which was also shown live on BBC Two.
“I thought our fans who travelled were excellent,” he said. “We could hear them throughout the game and it’s a credit to them for travelling so far on a cold Friday night when it was live on TV.
“Fair play to them, it does go a long way and they won’t understand how much we appreciate their support.
“I get as frustrated as them because I want to win for Newport County AFC. I want to win for myself as well, and I want to win for my players. We’ve all got the same goal.
“I feel their frustration, but I also look at it from a different angle and we all need to stick together.”
Read more: Newport County boss relieved to avoid FA Cup shock at Maldon & Tiptree
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