It’s match day. The whole of Newport, perhaps the whole South Wales (and even a couple of lads from California) are backing the boys and with Rodney Parade sold out, the atmosphere is going to be amazing!
The Exiles have pulled off something near miraculous in the last 62 days closing an 11 point gap to climb out of the relegation zone and have their destiny in their own hands on the final day of the season. With one huge “cup final” to go, Mike Flynn insists the players are in the right frame of mind to secure safety in the “crucial” game against Notts County.
A win will do for the Exiles on Saturday as they look to prolong their four year stay in the Football League, writes Ryan Robinson.
And Flynn believes the players will get the job done.
“Let’s not dress it up, its massive. Its huge,” he said.
“The result will be crucial to this football club. I’m feeling positive, the boys have been fantastic which credit to them has been the case since I took charge and we’re thinking positively.
“We fought so hard to get back into the Football League and we did that four years ago and now it’s time to stay in the league. There’s been so much hard-work gone into it by some amazing fans and we don’t want that to go to waste.”
He added: “We said this is where we wanted to be when I took over.
“I said realistically that I wanted to go into the last day and have something to fight for and we’re a bit better than that as we are two points clear.
“We had to fight, we had to scrap to get here and we want to finish the job off on Saturday.”
The Exiles are set to be cheered on by 7,000 Exiles. Flynn says the support will only go to help his side.
“Unbelievable support, it really is,” he continued.
“It’s been amazing especially since I’ve been back at the club.
“They’ve been through the mill over the years – playing away at Moreton in Marsh, reforming and getting back into the Football League after 25 years.
“They’ve been there through thick and thin and this is something we’ve all come together to achieve. We will do them proud on Saturday.
“They raised the money to buy the club so showed the support there. They are showing that support again on Saturday and I just want to do it for the fans. “
The stage is set for County to pull off the ‘Great Escape’ but Flynn insists the mentality of his players will not be affected by the occasion.
He said: “They need to just go out and play the game and not the occasion. They just need to keep doing what they have been doing, keep fighting, keep playing well, take their chances. Just go and enjoy it.
“With nerves, comes a little bit of confidence. Every time we’ve had a setback, the boys have responded amazingly. That’s all I can ask for. I can’t praise them enough.
“We’ve taken one game at a time and we’ve proven a lot of people wrong.
“There is an enjoyable atmosphere around the place which helps. We’ve got to prepare for it as if it were a cup final.
“I really think we can build on this next season and I’m sure the boys will finish the job because they’ve been fantastic.
He added: “I’m either going to be the person that came back and saved the club or the person that sends them down.
“For me, the job was never impossible. I knew it was going to be hard but we’ve kept fighting.
“I’m sure we will stay up Saturday.”
WE FIGHT TIL THE END