WITH two wins and a draw from three games, Newport County AFC are enjoying a positive start to the season.
Coupled with an impressive display against Premier League Newcastle in the Carabao Cup earlier this week, Michael Flynn's men have hit the ground running.
As well as the good results, the Exiles are also playing football which is as exciting to watch as it is effective,
Manager Flynn said that this has always been his ambition, despite some people perhaps not thinking this was the case.
"We’ve always tried, whether people believe it or not, we’ve always worked on playing football," he said.
"Sometimes you get drawn into the circumstances i.e. the pitch."
READ MORE:
The pitch at Rodney Parade had been notorious in the past for becoming waterlogged after a period of poor weather.
Many a time games would be called off at the last minute which was just as frustrating for the players as it was for the fans.
Now however, a new pristine surface looks to be paying dividends for Flynn's side.
"What I learnt from that is that it kind of led into away games, the mentality we had to have in home games," he said.
"We wanted to change that.
"During the off-season we sat down and went through a lot of patterns of play and rotations that we wanted to work on.
"This season we gave a presentation to the players and explained to them why and how we wanted to do things.
"That helped with the players we brought in and the technical ability of them."
One player who has been a mainstay of the County squad for a while now is Matty Dolan, who has found a new position and a new way to influence the team.
Now playing in a deeper role, Dolan is able to influence the play more according to Flynn.
"He can run forward from centre back more than he ever did in midfield," joked Flynn.
"He’s a good footballer Matty. He sees the game well.
"We see him as a player who can start our attack from the back. We want to build from the back.
"He’s also at the right age. He’s got that experience where he knows when and when not to do it.
"It’s a good blend."
However, the County manager stressed that this season's good form had not been a case of “right, ok. We want to play football so let’s go and do it”.
"It’s personnel at times and at the minute we’ve been able to change a few and get a few in so we can that properly," he said.
However, he remained coy on whether there was any position in particular that County were looking to strengthen.
“Possibly,” he said, remaining tight-lipped for follow-up questions about whether he could elaborate.
“No,” he said.
It depends if somebody goes. Then I’ll have to look at it."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel