Midfielder, Shane McLoughlin is confident that although the Exiles face an in-form Mansfield side this coming Saturday, his team can take a positive result from Field Mill.
Going into the clash, McLoughlin is optimistic that his side can continue the good run of form they've picked up, both on a squad level but on a personal level too: “I think we’ve been in a good run of form recently.
“I think the key now is to bring back and maintain that solid base we’ve implemented over the past few months and proceed to build from there.
“Overall, I think we’ve been very good, it’s now working on finishing our chances when they come.”
As the clash fast approaches the midfielder shared what he thought the Exiles would need to do in order to bring a positive result back to South Wales: “I think first and foremost we need to be solid,” he stated.
“We need to deal with the spells of pressure they’re [Mansfield] going to impose on us, as well as improve in the final third, break quickly on the counter-press and take our chances, when they come.”
Due to the injury list at Newport, McLoughlin has been able to showcase his versatility by playing a number of positions in recent weeks but it’s something he enjoys doing: “I’ve always been able to play a number of positions throughout my career,” he continued. “It can be both a blessing and a curse as you have to adapt when you learn new positions, but it helps me understand what my teammates want from me as I experience the game in their shoes.”
Manager Graham Coughlan has also struggled to play a formation that best suits his players in recent weeks due to the injury issues, but McLoughlin confirmed that whichever formation Newport play, each player will give their all for that 90 minutes: “It’s been difficult for the Gaffer to perhaps play a certain way that he wants to, trying to put together the strongest team we can with the injuries we’ve had has obviously been tough.
“These lads, however, will give their all for him [Coughlan] in which ever way we set up from week to week. It doesn’t always come down to formations though, sometimes we have to do better on the field, we are aware of that, and we will take everything into that game with Mansfield tomorrow.”
The Stags are unbeaten in the league this season, Nigel Clough’s side have played 16, won 8 and drawn 8 and are sat comfortably in third place in League Two, they are one of the only teams in the whole 92 that remain unbeaten at this stage. That is a stat that would deter a lot of people, not McLoughlin though, who is excited to see how his side fare against a 'high-flying' side: “They are a side we want to test ourselves against,” Shane began.
“Mansfield will be a good side, but we’ll be confident. The lads are raring to go, and we’ll be ready to deal with the challenge in front of us, for sure.”
You can secure your tickets for tomorrow’s action by clicking HERE or alternatively can secure your tickets from the ticket office at the One Call stadium prior to tomorrow’s game.