Newport County chairman Chris Blight has called on supporters to back his dream- to get Newport County back into the Football League.

Blight, who took over the reins at Spytty Park in the close season, said: "I have the enthusiasm and drive to get Newport County back to where we belong, in the Football League.

"Our management team are assembling a squad that should be challenging at the top of Conference South this year and we need the people of Newport to help us fulfil our objectives.

"The players we have brought in and are talking to, like Jason Bowen and Scott Young, come at a cost and the simple fact is we need supporters to come to matches.

"We need 1,000 people at every home match and I believe we can achieve this. I would be thrilled to see in excess of 1,400 people at home games.

"Currently only around twenty per cent of our expenditure comes from supporters' revenue. The rest is made up from sponsorship and also investments made by the board members, which are substantial.

"The only way to continue to bring quality players to Newport is for people to come through the gates, but to do this we have to be playing attractive football at a higher level.

"That is why we going for it this year, because if we ran the club on the basis of supporter income we would remain a middle of the league Conference South club.

"I am not prepared to tolerate that."

The chairman admitted the club was gambling on success this season but he is confident Peter Nicholas and Glyn Jones can lead the side to promotion inside two years.

He said: "We sat down with Peter Nicholas at the end of the season and told him that we were not setting a budget and nailing it to him.

"We said to Peter, 'go and find the players that will get us to the Conference and we will do everything we can at our end.' Peter came back with a list and the signings plus the ones we are in talks with to show that we mean business.

"It is a gamble but I believe that by bringing quality players to Newport, playing a brand of football that is entertaining, the supporters will come and we can compete with every side in the division.

"There is a buzz about Newport at the moment and a real feeling of anticipation about this season.

"Hornchurch and Weymouth may be able to offer four-figure weekly salaries but we believe that this squad should and will be aiming to finish not just in the top five, but the top one."

Blight said the board were working 24/7 for the benefit of Newport County.

He said: "I don't think fans realise how much hard work we put into the club. None of the board is paid and we are fuelled only by pride and a desire to see Newport County back in the Football League.

"We have two short-term objectives, to have liquidity and to obtain promotion.

"I have the enthusiasm and the drive to work as hard as possible to achieve this but it is not easy. We don't have a benefactor like Tony Brown (the money-man behind the Newport Gwent Dragons) but we would welcome anyone in the local business community that shares our passion.

"If there is a Sir Terry Matthews out there I would love for them to come and help fulfil this club's potential."

NEWPORT County have completed the signing of former Cardiff City duo Jason Bowen and Scott Young.

The double signing takes Peter Nicholas' summer shopping spree to six players.

Young put pen to paper last night followed by Bowen this morning.

They join new faces Roger Freestone, Kevin Aherne-Evans, Jonathan Coates and Carl Wilson-Denis in time for the new campaign which kicks off on August 14 at Hanvant and Waterlooville.

Both arrive with experience in abundance with Bowen having tasted the Premiership with Southampton and Young famous as the man who dumped Leeds United out of the FA Cup while at Cardiff.