NEWPORT County AFC hope the willing running of Courtney Baker-Richardson can give them an extra threat as the forward prepares to return to Barrow on Friday.
The 25-year-old made his debut for the Exiles off the bench in the 2-1 win over Walsall at Rodney Parade last weekend.
Baker-Richardson signed from Barrow in the summer and was influential in pre-season until suffering a quad injury in the preparations for the League Two opener at Oldham.
He missed 10 games but made his long-awaited debut after 57 minutes against the Saddlers when manager Michael Flynn brought him on for targetman Alex Fisher.
"It was good to see Courtney back. He's a different sort of forward with a willingness to run in behind," said coach Wayne Hatswell.
"He's got physicality as well and is a pest around our place, let alone to opposition centre-halves! He is very confident in what he does and it was great for him to get minutes after being out for so long.
"It was another plus from the Walsall game because Courtney has been raring to go and it's been about us stopping him and making sure he is right so that he can have an impact for us this season."
Baker-Richardson was on Barrow's books last season, although he never played for the Cumbrians.
The former Swansea City forward suffered a hip injury and then left for Barnet in loan in January, making 17 appearances and scoring three times for the National League club.
He is set to be in the Exiles' matchday squad for the trip to Holker Street after backing up Fisher and Dom Telford last weekend.
County also have Timmy Abraham, Lewis Collins, Jermain Hylton and Jordan Greenidge as forward options.
It will be a surprise if Flynn makes many changes to his squad after the display and well-deserved win against Walsall.
County headed into the game on the back of a poor showing when beaten 1-0 by Northampton but responded thanks to a pair of goals by defenders, Mickey Demetriou early on and James Clarke at the death.
"We needed to bounce back," said right wing-back Cameron Norman, who set up the winner. "The gaffer mentioned before the game that it was big to get a result and a performance after we were missing both against Northampton.
"It was fully-deserved and in the first half we were brilliant and should have been further ahead. We kept going until the end and got our rewards, so hopefully it's the start of a good run.
"We could have felt sorry for ourselves that we didn't have a couple more goals but we kept going until the end."
County are ticking off the trips early in the season with Barrow coming after Oldham, Mansfield, Tranmere, Salford and Harrogate. They have taken seven points from games that provided just two last season.
"It's been a tough start because of the travelling. We were dealt a bad hand," said summer signing Norman. "Hopefully the win against Walsall has given us good footing to climb the table now."
Last season County beat Barrow 2-1 at Rodney Parade but the tables were turned at Holker Street.
The Exiles led 1-0 at the break thanks to a goal by Scot Bennett but lost 2-1 with the winner scored by Jamie Devitt, who spent the first half of the season in Newport.
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