The Opposition View: Newport County

Last updated : 11 March 2016 By Jim Bonner

What's your assessment of Newport's season so far and what are your hopes for the future?

It really has been one of those seasons for us. I'm sure even the hardened of Newport fans expected a bit of a struggle given what happened pre-season and the lower budget etc. Then we had the Butcher nonsense, and have steadily improved since. As for the future, staying up this season is a must then we can re-assess from there.

What are Newport fans' views on Warren Feeney since he became manager and what is the opinion on John Sheridan?

I believe the fans are firmly behind Feeney. The likelihood is he was being groomed to take over at the end of the season anyway and he has done very well since he came in because he has continued to work on the foundations laid by Sheridan.

As for Sheridan, I can't speak for all us Newport fans however my personal view is that i'm grateful for helping us get out of the situation we were in, however, the way he left has left a very sour taste in the mouth.

There were always rumours that Sheridan would move back north as soon as possible and he was heavily backed for the Notts County job before going back to Oldham so it was always on the cards for him to leave.

What are the main strengths and weaknesses of this current Exiles side?

The main problem we have at the moment is the consistency. We had a decent little run but we've had a couple of stinkers thrown in the middle of the run. We were horrific against Barnet in the week, however we'll probably give you guys a good run for your money - it's just how things have gone for us in recent months.

Scott Boden is our main strength at the moment. He's got the scoring knack at the moment so I'd fancy him to put one away given the chance.

Who are the key players in the Newport squad?

Scott Boden is on fire right now, as I have mentioned I would fancy him to put a decent chance away, if you can keep him quiet you'll be in with a chance of victory. Captain Mark Byrne is always an important player for us and we've also just signed Tommy O'Sullivan on loan again from Cardiff and he did pretty well in his previous spell with us.

Newport have beaten Pompey on their last two visits to Fratton Park but would you take a draw if offered on Saturday?

Most definitely as it would take us a point closer to staying in the division, even more so after the performance against Barnet. 

What kind of match can we expect at the weekend?

Your guess is as good as mine. Recently Feeney has said "It's not about how we play, it's about the end result" so we could just as easily see a free flowing game as we could see a scrappy game.

Predict the outcome of the game.

2-2