Ciaran Brennan believes Newport County can take plenty of confidence from their solid defensive display against Grimsby, as Nelson Jardim’s side recorded their fifth clean sheet of the season.
The game ended goalless with the Exiles limiting their visitors to just two shots on target against a Mariners side who travelled to Rodney Parade having won their last five away games.
And centre-half Brennan feels the clean sheet – and the manner in which County dealt with a number of set-pieces and counter attacks – provides positives to build on.
“We really pleased with the clean sheet. It’s something we want to build on and it’s a good foundation to win games,” he said.
"You could see today we had more than enough chances to win the game. We missed a penalty, an open goal almost and it was just one of those days in front of goal.
“We are a young group and I’m sure the goals and points will come. It just takes time. We’ve played some good stuff today and you can see we’re building as a team.
“I thought we defended quite well which is always a pleasing aspect as a defender. It was another good clean sheet for us and a solid performance.
"The mood in the changing room after the game is obviously disappointment. We should have won the game and everyone knows that, but it’s football and there’s a load of points and games left to play for.
“The first feeling is obviously disappointment because we haven’t won the game, but on reflection I’m sure we’ll all be pretty pleased with the performance."
The draw against Grimsby leaves Newport in 15th place with 20 points, just over a quarter of the way through the season.
Reflecting on the season so far, Brennan admitted that while the Exiles have had a mixed start, there are plenty of positives to take forward.
“It’s been a bit up and down, to be honest,” Brennan added, reflecting on the team’s start to the campaign.
"We’ve had moments where we’ve lost a couple in a row and thought, ‘Where’s the next win going to come from?’
"But then we’ve also had runs where we’ve won three in a row, and you feel like you’re never going to lose.
“That’s the nature of the game. You can’t get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. That’s something the manager reiterates to us every day.
“We take each game as it comes, and I’m confident we’ll find that consistency as the season progresses.”
