County Eyeing Up Late Push For League Play-Offs Slot

Exiles manager Michael Flynn is refusing to get carried away by his side's start. Pic: Newport County.

County Eyeing Up Late Push For League Play-Offs Slot

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Newport County have seven matches left – four at home and three away – in their quest to snatch a League Two play-off place.

The Exiles are 13th, six points outside the top seven, after their goalless draw against Tranmere Rovers, but have at least one game in hand on the teams above them.

They could jump to ninth by beating Swindon Town at Rodney Parade on Tuesday and manager Mike Flynn says: “We have to keep going.

“They’re all big games, all of them. 

“No extra pressure on Tuesday whatsoever. We have a game at home and if we win, great. If we don’t, we go onto Saturday.

“We’re doing well but it is frustrating.

“I don’t want to look back when the season is over and rue a couple of games which are still doing my head in even now.”

Flynn was delighted with his teams ‘excellent’ defensive performance in the 0-0 draw against Rovers at Rodney Parade.

County thought they had snatched victory when Joss Labadie fired into the roof of the net late on, only for the offside flag to be raised and cut short celebrations.

“The boys defended excellently and the effort they put in was unbelievable,” said Flynn. 

Tranmere hit the wood worth twice, while Newport also created good chances.

Padraig Amond recovered from a fractured elbow make his 100th appearance for County, going on as an 83rd minute substitute, while Dan Butler played his 150th Newport match.

“I wasn’t tempted to bring Padraig on earlier,” said Flynn. “We felt Ade Azeez would stretch Tranmere with his pace and he did that. It just didn’t quite happen for him when he got into those positions.”

Flynn made one change to the starting side from the 3-1 success at Yeovil Town. Harry McKirdy was on the bench and Flynn rewarded Keanu Marsh-Brown for a scintillating substitute appearance in Somerset by naming him in the starting line-up.

Chances were few and far between for either team and County kept Tranmere’s 29-goal striker James Norwood quiet.

Newport County AFC (4-4-2): Day, Butler, Demetriou, O’Brien, Poole, Kennedy (Dolan 69), Labadie, Sheehan, Willmott (Amond 83), Matt, Marsh-Brown (Azeez 62). Subs not used: Pipe, Randall, Crofts, McKirdy

Tranmere Rovers (4-2-3-1): Davies, Ridehalgh, Ellis, Monthe, Caprice, Smith (Dagnall 58), Perkins, Jennings, Banks, Morris, Norwood. Subs not used: Pilling, Buxton, Nelson, Harris, Mullin, Gilmour

Referee: Alan Young

Attendance: 3,970 (670 away)

Remaining Newport fixtures.

April

Tuesday 9 v Swindon Town (home)

Saturday 13 v Cambridge United (away)

Friday 19 v Bury (home)

Bank Holiday Monday 22 v Macclesfield (away)

Saturday 27 v Lincoln City (home)

Tuesday 30 v Oldham Athletic (home)

May

Saturday 4 v Morecambe (away)

League Two standings

POS. P W D L GD Pts
1 Lincoln City 41 23 14 4 35 83
2 Mansfield Town 41 19 15 7 27 72
3 MK Dons 41 21 9 11 23 72
4 Bury 41 20 11 10 24 71
5 Tranmere Rovers 41 19 11 11 15 68
6 Forest Green Rovers 41 17 13 11 18 64
7 Exeter City 40 17 11 12 11 62
8 Carlisle United 41 18 7 16 6 61
9 Colchester United 41 17 9 15 8 60
10 Swindon Town 40 15 13 12 3 58
11 Oldham Athletic 40 15 12 13 12 57
12 Stevenage 41 16 9 16 -5 57
13 Newport County 39 16 8 15 -8 56
14 Northampton Town 41 12 17 12 -2 53
15 Crewe Alexandra 41 15 8 18 -4 53
16 Cheltenham Town 41 14 10 17 -6 52
17 Grimsby Town 41 14 7 20 -12 49
18 Port Vale 41 12 11 18 -10 47
19 Morecambe 41 12 10 19 -17 46
20 Cambridge United 41 12 9 20 -21 45
21 Crawley Town 41 12 7 22 -20 43
22 Yeovil Town 41 9 10 22 -22 37
23 Notts County 41 8 13 20 -31 37
24 Macclesfield Town 40 8 12 20 -24 36

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