CAPTAIN Joss Labadie hopes to repay manager Michael Flynn for ‘having his back’ after a moment of madness by spearheading Newport County AFC’s promotion push.
The Exiles climbed to sixth in the League Two table with a precious win at Walsall on Wednesday evening with their skipper getting the only goal of the game.
Labadie led from the front with an all-action display and will look to maintain those high standards in Saturday’s game against Stevenage at Rodney Parade.
The 30-year-old made the headlines for the right reasons in the West Midlands after costing his side dearly at Oldham in January.
Labadie received the third red card of his County career for reacting to being caught late after just 14 minutes.
Flynn was furious with the midfielder after the 3-2 defeat but brought him straight back as captain after his suspension, saying his physical presence is vital to the bid for League One.
“I know that the gaffer has got my back and I would like to think that I am an important figure in the team,” said Labadie.
“Being captain, I should lead by example and even though I though it was harsh, I gave the referee an opportunity to show a red card. My adrenalin was running high and maybe I was too hyped up.
“It was a disappointing moment and if it was 11 versus 11 then I am sure we would have got maximum points because the boys did brilliantly to dig in until the dying moments.
“I did feel like I owed them after that, and also everyone else associated with the club, but I can’t dwell on that I will just keep doing what I have always done.
"Every game I leave it all out on the pitch and give it 100 per cent, whether my performance is good or bad.”
Labadie wasn’t good in Walsall, he was exceptional.
He shot just past the post, put Nicky Maynard through on goal, produced a stunning outside of the boot pass to create a golden opportunity for Dom Telford, came up with some telling defensive moments and scored the winner.
Labadie is in his fifth season as an Exiles and joined forces with fellow stalwarts Josh Sheehan (fifth season) and Scot Bennett (sixth season) to great effect.
“We’ve played together for a long while,” he said. “I feel that we complement each other really well and it was nice to play on some grass.
“It was a big win and it was long overdue. There is a good feeling in the camp and we’ve got to take that into the Stevenage game now.
“We’ll just have to adapt to Rodney Parade, we can’t do anything about the pitch and just have to get our heads down and be as positive as we can.”
County remain in the hunt for promotion despite a nightmare winter, form that meant the side that were setting the pace at the start of the year were outside the play-offs before kick-off at the Bescot Stadium.
“It’s testament to our start that we are still in the mix after such a barren run,” said father-of-three Labadie, who managed to find a few minutes of calm for an interview while home schooling.
“Maybe over the last few months things have even themselves out after we had been getting the rub of the green when nicking late goals and having red cards go in our favour.
“Hopefully we can now have a bit more of a steady ending and put in some strong performances because everyone seems to be beating each other and it’s all wide open with loads to play for.
“We’ve had a dip, which always seems to be the way with us in the New Year, but there is no reason why we can’t string some results together now.
“Hopefully Walsall will be the start of another run because we are still right in the mix and optimistic about the run-in.”
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