Manager Graham Coughlan has challenged his Newport County side to finish the season strongly and give the club a platform to build on.
The Exiles take on Grimsby Town at Blundell Park tomorrow afternoon following a challenging run of fixtures which has seen them meet several play-off pushing sides in League Two.
Winless in their last three league outings, Coughlan is now challenging his players to raise their standards ahead of the final few fixtures and is eager to return to winning ways, starting with tomorrow's trip to Cleethorpes.
“You want the players to bounce back,” said the Exiles boss.
“We are hurting and we are in a little spot that we don’t want to be in. It’s a staggering fact that we’ve spent 42 hours on the road travelling recently so there’s been some staggering stats unveiled this week.
“I don’t want to live on stats or live with disappointment but if you win a game it all goes away. We are looking to bounce back tomorrow and give a good account of ourselves.
“We’ve got five games left and we’ve got to roll our sleeves up and get through it. We can’t use injuries as an excuse, we’ve got to give a good account of ourselves because that’s all people will remember.
“It’s about how you finish the season not about how you start it. It’s the same as that in every race and in every competition.
“I want us to finish strong and I want us to finish with pride, not with a whimper. With pride and with passion - the way they have represented the club all season. They’ve got to understand the importance of the last few games and where it puts us.
"There’s a tinge of excitement about tomorrow because there’s one thing these group of players do and that is bouncing back.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a few of the young lads on show too, to see what they can do and how they perform."
Omar Bogle made his return from injury last week featuring in our Easter Monday defeat to Crawley Town.
It was the first time the forward featured since Boxing Day after three months out and Coughlan was pleased to see his player back out on the pitch.
“It’s good to see him getting back,” added Coughlan.
“He’s worked hard and he’s been out for a while. Again, it’s going to be one of those where we’re going to have to manage his minutes.
“He got a little run out on Monday so it’s about trying to build on his minutes now and get him back up to speed.”
You can watch Graham Coughlan's full pre-match press conference HERE.