IN THE end Saturday wasn’t about the football for Newport County AFC.

Just as well really, as the Exiles slipped to a fifth defeat in six games.

But, once the play-off dream finally ended despite the victory at York City last week, Saturday was all about saying thank you and goodbye to Jimmy Dack.

It was a day to put aside the disappointment of missing out on the League Two play-offs and mark the end of an era for the club.

And what an amazing time it has been for County fans over the last four seasons.

Ever since Dack and Justin Edinburgh swapped Essex for Newport to replace Anthony Hudson at Spytty Park in October 2011 the club has been on an upward curve.

Two unforgettable trips to Wembley, the second sealing a return to the Football League after 25 years, followed by 14th and now ninth-place finishes in League Two.

It’s been quite a ride and the fans demonstrated their gratitude to Dack before, during and after the match.

Never far from tears on an emotional day, Dack also showed how much the club has come to mean to him.

Despite eye-catching wins on the road at Wycombe Wanderers and eventual champions Burton Albion and a five-game unbeaten run up to Easter, it hasn’t quite worked out for Dack since he succeeded his good friend Edinburgh.

There are various reasons for that – the lack of goals, the failure to add a striker on loan, the injuries, the off-the-field problems – but nobody could accuse the manager or the players of a lack of effort or desire.

He and they have given everything for the cause and just fallen a little short of being genuine promotion contenders.

There is plenty of work for new boss Terry Butcher to do this summer but, on the evidence of the campaign as a whole, he won’t need to completely overhaul the squad.

The majority of the players have proved they are good enough to challenge at the top end of the fourth tier and Butcher will know that he needs to add quality rather than quantity before pre-season.

The former England skipper, who generously declined to be introduced to the crowd so as not to take the attention away from Dack, will have seen plenty of positives from his seat in the stands.

Not that Mike Flynn did much to enhance his claims for a new playing contract.

The hometown hero was desperate to impress in his 100th start for the club and nearly scored with an early volley.

But his afternoon ended earlier than he wanted as he was dismissed for a challenge that the referee deemed to be reckless just before the break.

By then the hosts were 1-0 down to a wonderful strike from Kemar Roofe on 30 minutes that flew past the dive of goalkeeper Jamie Stephens, given a rare start in place of Joe Day.

The ten men showed plenty of fight after the break and there was a big boost as Robbie Willmott finally returned to fitness after a season wrecked by injuries.

Lee Minshull impressed again at centre-back, adding experience to a defence missing Darren Jones, Ismail Yakubu and Andy Sandell.

And wing-backs Ryan Jackson and David Tutonda – two players that Butcher would surely love to keep – were again a real threat going forward.

Kevin Feely, who took up his option of a one-year contract extension on Friday, went closest to leveling the match with two headers that were cleared off the line.

Miles Storey also looked dangerous before he was withdrawn but Aaron O’Connor looked a frustrated figure up front as the season ended as it had begun at Rodney Parade – with a home defeat.

But it wasn’t about the football and the fans knew that as they celebrated the end of one chapter and looked forward to the start of another.

County: Stephens, Jackson, Poole, Minshull, Feely, Tutonda, Flynn, Klukowski, Byrne, O’Connor, Storey (Willmott, 51)

Subs not used: Day, Sandell, Jeffers, Patten, Parker, Collins

Booked: Byrne, Storey

Sent off: Flynn

Oxford: Ashdown, Long (Humphreys, 86), Whing, Dunkley, Skarz, MacDonald, Ruffels, Collins (Hoban, 69) Rose, Hylton (O’Dowda, 89), Roofe

Subs not used: Crocombe, Ashby, Roberts, Hawtin

Booked: Hylton, Ruffels, Roofe

Referee: Mark Heywood

Attendance: 4,295 (Oxford 732)