Assistant Manager Wayne Hatswell insists there’s no better way to start the Festive period than by getting three points and that’s exactly what Newport County AFC will be targeting when they head to Morecambe tomorrow.
Saturday’s fixture at The Globe Arena starts an intense run of fixtures which, including the Emirates FA Cup Third Round tie at Millwall, see the completion of five games in 14 days.
County’s previous record against the Shrimps isn’t exactly the best, they’ve only won two of out the 12 previous League Two fixtures, but Hatswell says the only people who can change the record are themselves and they’ll be desperate to start tomorrow.
Hatswell affirmed: “There’s no better way to start the Christmas period than by going up to Morecambe and getting all three points, that’s what we’re looking to do.
“It was good to see Jamma get back on the scoresheet last weekend. If the goal would have come five/ten minutes earlier, we’d have definitely won the game. It wasn’t to be, but we’ve got a big trip coming up to start a big period with the fixtures coming thick and fast.
“Our record against Morecambe is awful. It’s only ourselves who can change the past record [against Morecambe]. I’m more focused on us being prepared, getting the travel and preparation right for what is a big game.
“The players have set the standards in that they’ve done really well over a period of time and we’ve always bounced back. People may call it a ‘bad run’ at the moment, it’s unusual – people have got used to us overachieving.”
"League Two is tough, trust me, I’ve been involved long enough to say that. It can be a brutal league."
The main positive from last weekend was Mickey Demetriou’s return to action after 17 weeks out injured with a fibula break and damage to his syndesmosis joint.
Hatswell continued: “It was really good to see Mickey back; it adds to the balance we have in the team. We had to wrap him in cotton wool this week, we didn’t intend for him to play that long [full 90 minutes]. It’s a big plus for us having him back.
“There’s been no reactions, he’s trained well. We know what we’re going to get with Mickey, he’s a good professional and he worked really hard for the 17 weeks out injured.
“That’s a credit to him because he’s come back in and had a dominant display.
“We’ll assess everyone else this morning and go from there. We’re giving it until the last minute with most games now to see [if any others can return]. It’s a delicate balance.”