26/04 - 20:00
Losing League Two play-off finalists last season, Newport County were third in the division in October and an assault on automatic promotion looked on the cards.
Fast forward a few months, however, and the Exiles have plummeted down the table to 15th and are currently 10 without a win in the fourth tier.
Although a fantastic run to the last 16 of the FA Cup was partly to blame, Newport were plagued by erratic league form last season only to finish like a train to earn their play-off berth.
Currently 11 points off the play-offs this season, Playmaker caught up with South Wales Argus writer Andrew Penman @argusoncounty to gauge if Michael Flynn's men can rediscover their mojo.
1. Newport were third in the League Two table in October, but now find themselves 15th in the division. What are the main factors behind the slump?
Injuries and illness have played a big part, with an outbreak of mumps even striking the squad before Christmas, but the main issue has been a lack of goals.
This was a problem even early in the season when results were going their way, with only 21 scored in 23 league games to date.
With such a tight defence, County were sneaking wins in the early months, but individual errors at the back and wasted chances in attack have seen them struggle since October and that has affected confidence.
2. Only the bottom two (Stevenage and Morecambe), have scored fewer goals than the Exiles in League Two this season, what has blunted their attacking edge? Do you expect a forward to arrive in January - if so, who's your money on?
Last season’s top scorer Padraig Amond has 11 goals in all competitions so far, while summer signing Tristan Abrahams is now on 10, but Jamille Matt has struggled.
He hit a career-best tally of 20 last season, but only has three so far this term. And the rest of the team have failed to chip in to take the pressure off the front men.
Manager Michael Flynn has stated that he does want to bring in a “goalscorer” this month. He has signed Billy Waters on loan from Northampton Town, but he sees him as a wide man or a number 10, linking midfield and attack.
He was interested in Bristol City’s Saikou Janneh, but an injury has scuppered that deal so I expect another striker to be brought in before the end of the month.
3. Defensively, Newport have been excellent for well over a year, but their backline has been rejigged a fair bit...loanee Danny McNamara being recalled by Millwall necessitating another shuffle of the pack. Is it unrealistic to expect them to maintain such high standards?
Summer signing Dan Leadbitter should be fit by the end of the month and academy graduate Dom Jefferies has impressed when given the chance to fill in at right-back.
But Flynn is looking to bring in a replacement for McNamara, who had to return to Millwall to have an operation on a groin injury.
He could also switch to three at the back and play Robbie Willmott at right wing-back when he is back from a calf injury, which should be pretty soon.
But with centre-backs Mickey Demetriou and Kyle Howkins now fit and available again, I expect the defence to remain a pretty solid base for County to build from.
📈 Most clean sheets fr. 2019 (top 4 tier teams; all domestic comps):
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) January 8, 2020
27⛔: Man C
25⛔: 👊NEWPORT👊, Forest G
24⛔: Exeter
23⛔: Sheff W
22⛔: Oxford#AmberArmy @NewportCounty #WeAreFGR #ECFC #SWFC #OUFC pic.twitter.com/lHqYwG7Ml8
4. The Exiles have shown over recent years that they can string really good runs of form together and climb the table quickly...are they still in the hunt for a play-off place this season?
A winless streak of 10 games, during which they have collected just four points from 30 available, has seen Flynn’s men drop to 15th in the table.
But they do have three games in hand over many teams above them and recent history suggests that it’s unwise to write them off just yet.
As late as March 12 last season they were 13th in the table and eight points off the top-seven but a 10-game unbeaten run saw them sneak into seventh spot on the final day of the season.
And, with 23 games still to play, they are certainly capable of recovering and mounting a challenge for a play-off place once again.
5. Managerial 'cycles' are a popular topic of discussion - the general consensus being that after three to four seasons managers need to move on, or inject fresh ideas and personnel. Does it feel like Newport are nearing the end of such a 'cycle' under Michael Flynn?
Flynn has only had two full seasons as a manager so far and it has been an upward trajectory ever since he replaced Graham Westley in March 2017.
This is the worst run of form he’s experienced since then and is a big test of him and his coaching staff.
It may be that he chooses to freshen up his coaching team in the summer but I would back him, assistant Wayne Hatswell and mentor Lennie Lawrence to turn things around between now and then.
Thanks again to Andrew for his time and insight, give @argusoncounty on Twitter for more great content on Newport County.
🗣 | "If the boys play to the best of their abilities and make no mistakes, then we’ll have a very good chance of getting all three points.”
— Newport County AFC (@NewportCounty) January 10, 2020
Read & watch everything Manager Michael Flynn said to the press pre-@SUFCOfficial this morning 👇#AmberArmyhttps://t.co/t6nxZTOILo
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Abo Eisa 38' | Jamille Matt 72' Pádraig Amond 76' |
