NEWPORT County defender Ryan Jackson has confirmed he is in talks about a new deal with the club, but for now he is just focusing on trying to regain his spot in Justin Edinburgh’s starting XI.

The former Macclesfield man has been out of the starting XI since County’s defeat to Bristol Rovers in January and he was one of the names facing internet speculation this week.

Several County supporters took to social media and it was rumoured that Jackson, like Pipe and Flynn, wasn’t playing for contractual reasons and would be leaving the club.

That was angrily denied by County and boss Justin Edinburgh who revealed Jackson is a big part of his plans going forward.

And Jackson himself is targeting a return to selection and a long stay at Rodney Parade.

“I know my name has been mentioned this week and then the gaffer has said he wants to keep me here and that’s nice to hear you know, he's told me that,” he said.

“It’s good to be spoken about positively, but the main priority for me is trying to play as many games as I can between now and the end of the season and then we will sit down and let whatever is going to happen, happen, on the new deal.

“I haven’t been in the side and I need to grab that spot back when I get the chance.

“I’ve had a few niggles since I was playing regularly, minor injuries here and there and with so many games off, I’ve maybe not been at my sharpest.

“But I’m just being patient, there are a lot of games coming up for the boys and we know we’ll all get our chance in the games coming up.”

Jackson insists the news that captain David Pipe and popular midfielder Mike Flynn are to leave the club in the summer hasn’t disrupted the harmony of the dressing room.

“It’s still a great vibe, banter, we haven’t seen any effect from it of all,” he said.

“And we’ve all remained positive after Wimbledon. We know we can bounce back even though we expect a hard game against Scunthorpe.

“It’s been a tough couple of results and hopefully we can bounce back from the bad run we’ve been having and find some consistency.

“If we can do that, we can get right back into the chasing pack.”