Newport County's Will Evans ready for Boxing Day at Wimbledon

The 25-year-old is enjoying a breakthrough season with the Exiles after his performances in the Cymru Premier, first with Cardiff Met and then Bala, earned a shot in League Two.

Evans has made 27 appearances and is likely to be a key figure at AFC Wimbledon on Boxing Day, a clash that is swiftly followed by home fixtures with Leyton Orient and Crawley.

The forward is aiming to prove himself as a professional by showing the work ethic developed on the family farm in mid-Wales featuring 800 milking cows, 2,000 cattle overall plus poultry.

While plenty clock off for Christmas, work continues both on the farm and at County’s training ground.

County forward Will Evans

Evans said: “This will be the second or third year that I've woken up and haven't had to do the milking on Christmas morning!

“That will be quite pleasant and I’ve got an added incentive because I want to be in Newport rather than the parlour at 4.30am.”

Evans, who started the season as a left wing-back before returning to his favoured position up top, has taken well to the physical and mental demands of being a full-time footballer.

The Wales C international is on a steep learning curve but profits from working closely with a pair of experienced strikers.

Evans has joined forces on the pitch with Omar Bogle and can pick the brains of Wilfried Bony on the training pitch as the former Swansea and Manchester City forward continues to work with Newport.

Wilfried Bony celebrates scoring for Manchester City as Kevin de Bruyne approaches

“It’s a bit of a mad one and big Wilf is very good with me in training,” said Evans, who learnt from ex-Wales midfielder David Edwards at Bala.

“If I get frustrated about snatching at a shot or a chance then he will pull me over to one side and tell me to calm down, reset and make sure X, Y and Z is right.

“I’ve built a good relationship with Omar and if I can emulate his career then I’d be very happy; we are working on the minor details that can push our partnership up to the next level because there have been glimpses.

“When you are learning off Omar Bogle and Wilfried Bony you can’t complain. They might be more hold-up players or silkier but ultimately we all want to put the ball in the back of the net.

“It's the timings of the run and the composure on the ball, they are good details that are helping me.”

Evans will hope to show those traits at Plough Lane on Monday against a Wimbledon side who are a win away from the play-off spots.

“They had a bit of a slow start but have started to hit form,” said the forward. “They are 12th and there is not a lot between them and the play-offs.

“They will fancy themselves to put on a bit of a show for their fans on Boxing Day and will want nothing less than three points.

“But we are not going to just lie down and let them run all over us. We will stand our ground and if we play like we know we can then we can get the three points.”