Newport County boss David Hughes delighted with positive start

South Wales Argus

5 days ago

The Exiles remain unbeaten under Hughes after following up their victory on penalties at Barnet in the Carabao Cup and last week's 1-1 home draw with Notts County with a hard-fought 2-1 victory in Sussex.
Second-half goals from Kai Whitmore and Liam Shephard earned County their first win on the road since February and set them up perfectly for Tuesday's Carabao Cup clash with Millwall at Rodney Parade (kick-off 7.30pm).
"It's really pleasing," said Hughes. "You look at the effort that went into the last 12 days; Barnet - unbelievable effort to come away with a really positive performance; last Saturday against Notts County - a top team with aspirations to get promoted and we were disappointed not to come away with more; and then [a win] against a team who have come down from League One and have invested in their squad.
"Let's be honest, at times they played some good football and our players deserve great credit because of how they've gone about their work, how they've shown discipline and a structure.
"I'm really proud of the players," he added. "It's not an easy place to come because they've got good players and a good style of play, so to play the way we did was really pleasing.
"Away from home we were aware that we had to manage the momentum of the game in key moments and at half-time we felt we had more in the tank and that, with a couple of subtle changes, we could get three points."
(Image: Gareth Everett) Hughes one again praised his players' attitude and commitment to cause.
"Success for us is making sure that everybody is all in - we don't carry anyone at any point in any game - and also understanding that the starters and the finishers have huge importance and that's been evident in every game so far," said the Exiles boss.
"We're not reinventing the wheel, we're just trying to be positive, get on the front foot and try to pass it, and ultimately let the players express themselves as well as having a structure and being difficult to play against.
"I'm delighted with the players and how they've applied themselves, but I'm not surprised because of the way I see them work."
(Image: Gareth Everett) County captain James Clarke missed Saturday's win after sustaining a minor injury in training and is unlikely to feature against Millwall.
"We'll see how he is on Monday," said Hughes. "He picked up a little knock in the week, just a little niggle, and he felt a bit tight after [training last] Tuesday. We are trying to manage him. We don't want to rush him, we want to ensure that what might be three or four days [out] doesn't become five or six weeks [on the sidelines].
"We want to make sure we've got him right for the next period of games where we play Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday. We need everybody to be fit and available."