Newport County's players have less than a month in which to impress or they will be out, says new boss John Cornforth.

Cornforth, who took over at County on Wednesday, said: "The players have got three or four weeks to impress me and show me they are worthy of a place in the side.

"If after a month I think I need to strengthen, then I will do that. So it is up to them to prove that they want to be a part of things here.

"Management can be a short career so it is important that they get the message right away."

Cornforth has an abundance of contacts in the south and west as he had been working as a scout for Sheffield Wednesday.

He has already sounded out potential recruits for the near future.

Meanwhile, the straight-taking Geordie takes the side for the first time on Saturday in County's FA Cup second qualifying round tie at Corsham (kick-off 3pm) and Cornforth sees it as the ideal start.

He said: "You can't get any better than starting off in the FA Cup.

"It is the best competition in the world and a good run is even more important for the lower league clubs.

"For us, every round is a cup final and it we have that attitude, we might get far enough to have a crack at a big club.

He added: "I will be speaking to Glyn (Jones, who was in charge for the last four games) about the players, because I have only seen them play once and he will help me in picking the team.

"There will be some changes to the formation from Saturday (the 2-2 draw against Hornchurch) because I am a big believer in playing 4-4-2 with two forwards.

"What I have seen so far, I have been impressed with. They are an honest bunch of players and there is a bit of quality as well."

Straight away Cornforth has identified winger Jason Bowen as the key man for County.

He said: "I will be looking to get the ball to Jason as much as possible because he has the ability to make things happen.

"A lot of fans sometimes grumble that he does not do enough when he doesn't have the ball but that is not his job.

"That is just his style and he works hard, he has always played that way. It is just that he is far more effective with the ball at his feet.

"Getting the ball wide to him and Jonathan Coates is something we will be working on in the next few weeks." Squad: Freestone, L Phillips, Thomas, Morgan, D Jones, Davies, Williams, Bowen, Coates, Moralee, Wilson-Denis, J Phillips, O'Sullivan, G Jones, Passmore.

l Newport County chairman Chris Blight has paid tribute to Academy director Glyn Jones for holding the fort while the board searched for a new manager.

Jones took control for four games after Peter Nicholas was sacked and managed a win at St Albans and a superb draw and performance at home to Hornchurch.

Blight said: "Glyn has been a stalwart for us, especially when you take into account that he had only just taken a step back from his first team duties to concentrate with the Academy when we lost our manager.

"He does a tremendous amount of work there and the benefits can be seen on the pitch."

He added: "The match against Hornchurch was his crowning glory and he showed that he has the attributes and technical know-how that are required for a manager's job.

"I know that he would rather focus his attention with the Academy but this has been a tough three weeks for the club.

"We have to thank Glyn for the work he has done in building a platform for the new manager to come in."

l County's Nationwide South trip to Margate next Saturday (October 9) has been brought forward to a 1pm kick-off to allow for the World Cup qualifier between England and Wales at Old Trafford.