Five points on...Newport County

The return of our occasional feature where we take a closer look at our next opponents - as we prepare to face Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Rodney Parade on Saturday we turned to Andrew Penman, who follows The Exiles week in, week out in his role as sports reporter at the South Wales Argus, for the inside track on the League Two contenders...

Point 1 - the club

Andrew: "After ending their 25-year exile from the Football League by winning promotion in 2013 under former Spurs hero Justin Edinburgh it has been a tough few years for County. The past two years have seen them engaged in season-long struggles to avoid relegation but they have been on the up and up since current boss Michael Flynn replaced Graham Westley in March last year. County were 11 points adrift of safety when he took over but the hometown hero masterminded seven wins in the last 12 games of the season to seal the ‘Great Escape’ from relegation in the final minute of the final day in May. And this season has been a revelation as Flynn’s men have mounted a surprise bid for the play-offs in League Two and reached the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since 1979."

Point 2 - form

Andrew: "County have started 2018 in superb form, picking up 10 points from a possible 12 in League Two to climb to eighth at the time of writing. They recorded four successive 2-1 wins - against Exeter City, Grimsby Town and Crawley Town in the league and against Leeds in the cup. Tuesday night’s 1-1 home draw with struggling Morecambe was a disappointment but Flynn’s men are far exceeding pre-season expectations and they see promotion as a real possibility this season."

Point 3 - key players

Andrew: "The club’s most consistent performer so far this season has been captain Joss Labadie - a driving force from box to box in midfield and a goal threat too - but he is a big doubt for the game after picking up a hamstring strain at Grimsby on January 13. Goalkeeper Joe Day and defenders Ben White, on loan from Brighton, and Mickey Demetriou have all performed superbly this season. Strikers Frank Nouble and Padraig Amond are a handful for any defence in League Two and they are currently keeping out super-sub and top scorer Shawn McCoulsky. But the in-form player at the moment is winger Robbie Willmott. He was man of the match against Leeds and has scored twice and created countless chances this month. He was stacking shelves in Tesco before Flynn brought him back to the club from non-league obscurity last summer and he’s starting to repay the manager’s faith in him."

Point 4 - Michael Flynn/tactics

Andrew: "County began the season using a three at the back system, usually 3-4-1-2, but in recent weeks Flynn has switched to a simpler 4-3-3 formation and this has got the best out of Willmott. He has produced his best football playing wide in a front three and swapping wings with former West Ham and Chelsea man Nouble, while Amond makes a nuisance of himself in the middle. Willmott and Nouble are the main creative sparks at the moment in the absence of Labadie in midfield. In the last few games Ben Tozer and Scot Bennett have protected the back four while Josh Sheehan, who has just been signed from Swansea City, attempts to pull the strings behind the front three. Full-backs David Pipe and Dan Butler also like to get forward as much as possible. Flynn’s team have been labelled as ‘direct’ by some opposition managers and they do on occasion look to get the ball forward quickly. They are also very dangerous from set-pieces with many goals coming from corners, free-kicks and long throws into the box."