NEWPORT County will avoid the dreaded drop, manager John Cornforth insisted last night.

The Exiles plunged into the bottom three of the Nationwide South after last week's 3-1 home defeat to Eastbourne Borough but Cornforth believes his side can avoid relegation.

"I honestly believe that we won't go down," Cornforth said. "I think that we have enough to stay up but we need to get wins under our belt.

"Last week everything that could go wrong, went wrong and sometime our luck has to change.

"We are not looking at the league table because we know there are still seven, eight or nine clubs who are still in the mix and who are capable of beating each other."

He added: "Before Saturday we had lost just once in five games (including draws at Grays and Hornchurch) and if we keep that up to the end of the season we will be all right."

County travel to Redbridge tomorrow to take on the side currently languishing at the foot of the table (kick-off 3pm) but Cornforth doesn't think that it is a do or die match.

"It is a massive game, no doubt," He said. "But if we win, we will not be safe and if we lose, we will not go down.

"Every game from here on in is big regardless of who we play.

"All of the teams are capable of beating each other and Redbridge will be no different.

"They have had to make cuts in the budget but apart from maybe Grays, who hasn't?"

Cornforth has secured the services of Jeff Eckhardt for a month on loan as cover for injured defenders Scott Morgan and Andrew Thomas and he is still wheeling and dealing to try and bring in more new faces.

"Jeff heard that we were struggling for bodies and was keen on coming and lending a hand," he said. "I have been working all week on bringing in a couple more on loan but it is not easy to tempt them to come to Newport with the travelling and the type of money that we can offer.

"You can only play with the hand you have been given and we will be going there to put on a good, honest performance and hopefully we can be rewarded."

County will be hoping to avenge a 3-2 defeat by Redbridge at Spytty Park last November and can take heart from the fact that Redbridge have picked up just one victory in the 13 league games since, with 11 defeats.

County welcome back Chris Curran and Jamie Moralee from injury and illness respectively and Andrew Thomas and Scott Morgan will receive late fitness tests.

Squad (provisional): Delve, L Phillips, Morgan, Curran, D Jones, Eckhardt, Thomas, Davies, G Jones, Hooper, Williams, Bowen, Moralee, J Phillips, O'Sullivan, Evans, Brimfield, Passmore.

l The Bishop's Stortford home league match, originally due to be played Saturday week but postponed due to their involvement in the FA Trophy, has been rearranged for Wednesday April 6, kO 7.45pm.