Michael Flynn says he’s eagerly awaiting a return to former club Bradford City tomorrow afternoon but insists there’s no place for sentiment as Newport County AFC look to get their League Two campaign back on track.
Flynn played for Bradford between 2009-2012, registering 104 appearances and 14 goals, including an absolute cracker away at Elland Road in a Yorkshire derby with Leeds United.
Tomorrow will be his first return to Valley Parade since leaving the club to return to Newport and he admits County will be in for a stern test against a side he tipped for promotion right from the start of the campaign.
He affirmed: “It will be my first time back at Valley Parade. For one reason or another since I moved back down, I haven’t been able to get back up but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.
“I’ve got some really good memories; the fans were fantastic there and it’s always nice to play at one of the big stadiums. The atmosphere will be fantastic, and we need to use that to our advantage.
“Bradford are obviously a club I’m fond of. They’re a fantastic football club and it’s going to be a really tough weekend – long trip, injuries but we’ll go there with nothing to lose.
“The pressure is on them because they haven’t won in five but that’s not my concern. We’ve got to go there, give it our best shot, and hopefully come away with a positive result.
“If you’re not looking forward to play Bradford, then you need your head read. It’s an old-school stadium, big crowd, it’s what you dreamt of when you wanted to become a footballer.
“Bradford have got some really good players. They’ve got a good manager in Gary Bowyer who has been there, seen it, done it at this level with Blackpool.
“He’s managed Blackburn Rovers as well, so he’s got a really good CV as a manager. I spoke with the press in Bradford earlier and I said that I think people kind of underestimate the job he’s done down there.
“Looking from afar and speaking to people, the club was a mess, but Gary is putting it all back together and I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.”
The Exiles will be hoping to head to West Yorkshire with confidence from their recent cup exploits, which saw them beat Maldon & Tiptree in the Emirates FA Cup seven days ago before Leasing.Com Trophy progression in midweek.
Flynn continued: “We’ve lost the last few in the league but let’s not forget where we’re at. We’ve had ten out injured, missing big players from near enough the start of the season, yet we’ve still got some fantastic results.
“Some performances could be better, but the boys have dug in. The important thing is to hang in there, get to January, then we can refresh things.
“It’s not all doom and gloom, yes we want to win every game, but it’s not for a lack of effort. We don’t get too down; we try and rectify a bad result and it shows how far we’ve come that we’re disappointed to lose a league match.
“We’re in a good position with games in hand so there’s a lot to look forward to.”