By David Williams
Newport County may be top of the table, but Michael Flynn is refusing to get carried away as his team aims for a fifth successive win for the first time since returning to the Football league in 2013.
Newcomers Harrogate stand in the way of another notable landmark for County this weekend when they visit Rodney Parade.
Their task will be to try to find a way to penetrate a defence that has only conceded one goal in the last 389 minutes of action.
But not even a solid defence and a two-point cushion at the top will allow County manager Flynn to take his eye off the ball.
He just wants his side to get better at what they are doing well and to improve the little things they aren’t so good at.
“I can remember Morecambe winning six games and having two draws in their in a row in this league a few years ago when I was still playing and thinking what a great achievement that was,” said Flynn.
“But we aren’t concentrating on records, we just want to win the next game. The fans are happy now, but we all know that if we lose a couple of games it will be all doom and gloom.
@NewportCounty #ExilesPumpkin pic.twitter.com/dpfix6UNGC
— Lynsey Hinchcliffe (@townieheart) October 30, 2020
“You are either on top of the world, or rank bottom – there is no happy medium. We need to be realistic, keep our feet on the ground and not get too carried away.”
Flynn knows that trying to keep a lid on mounting expectation among County fans is something he cannot control, but he is in charge of his players.
He has made his squad more competitive with a string of impressive and canny signings and has greater strength in depth, and experience, than ever before.
“I’m not averse to changing a winning team and the players all know that. We can be a little bit more ruthless in the final third and we can move the ball a bit quicker at times,” he added.
“They are doing well and all I want is for that to continue. I need to keep on top of them and keep them all focussed.
“We can’t afford to think we are just going to be able to turn up and get three more points. If the players think that they’ll get nothing.
📖 | “Newport County have taken 22 points from their opening nine games, scoring 15 and conceding just five in the process”
Read about this and more in our latest match preview 🤓 #ProudToBeTown
— Harrogate Town AFC (@HarrogateTown) October 29, 2020
“Harrogate are a high energy team who have started well since coming into League Two. They haven’t come up to just make up the numbers and they have a real togetherness and we know the pitfalls if we switch off.”
The luxury of back-to-back home games this week – they beat Colchester 2-1 on Tuesday night at Rodney Parade – won’t have been lost on Flynn.
They face a long trek north to Carlisle on Tuesday night and then head to Leyton Orient on Sunday for what the manager hopes will be the first of a number of FA Cup assignments this season.