Ciaran Brennan says Newport County are continuing to work towards Hayden Mullins’ vision despite a run of three games without a win, with the midfielder believing the side are “not far away” from where they want to be.
Brennan has enjoyed a consistent run in the Newport County midfield this season, having featured more regularly under Mullins than he did last season.
The 26-year-old has started alongside Cameron Evans in the centre of midfield and has welcomed the opportunity to establish himself in the side.
“It’s good,” Brennan said. “He’s been great with me in that midfield role. It’s a lot of running, but I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been good.
“It’s obviously much better. Last season I had a little hamstring issue, which was frustrating when I felt like I was in a decent run of form at the time.
“But the new manager has come in and he’s been good, playing consistently, and that’s all you want as a player.”
Brennan also believes there is a different feeling around Rodney Parade this season, with new arrivals bringing additional experience and competition to the squad.
“Yeah, I would say so,” he said. “I think there’s just a more positive feeling around. You look at the new lads who’ve come in, there’s a lot of experience that have come in and I just feel like even around the group, away from the pitch, I feel like it’s a really good group of lads.”
While results have not gone Newport County’s way in recent weeks, Brennan believes the performances point towards a team that is moving in the right direction.
“Results haven’t been great of late, but there’s definitely a feeling that we’re getting closer to where we want to be,” he said.
“There is definitely a process in place that we’re working towards and, yeah, we’re not far away, I don’t think.”
County have conceded late goals in their recent defeats to Salford City and Northampton Town.
Brennan says the squad have addressed the issue and believes eliminating those lapses could make a significant difference.
“If you look at the goals we’ve conceded, they’ve all been towards the end of games,” he said. “So we’ve spoken about that and addressed that and I feel like once we eradicate that and little bits of concentration lapses towards the end of the game, it might be fitness, might be concentration.
“I can’t put my finger on it. I can’t speak for everyone, but yeah, we’re definitely getting closer, I think.”
Newport County have remained unbeaten at Rodney Parade this season, with Brennan highlighting the influence of the Amber Army and the front-foot approach the team have taken at home.
“Definitely at home, you see it and we can feed off it with the fans and the crowd,” he said.
“You definitely felt it in the Rochdale game. It was a really good atmosphere. We had the previous games, the pre-season, Roma and Reading, and the fans were right behind us.
“They could feel it was a little bit different. We’re very front foot, forward-thinking. You’ve got fans cheering long throws, corners, we’re just on top of the opposition a lot of the time.”
Brennan believes Newport County can also benefit from being more patient when they regain possession, particularly given the amount of running required when playing without the ball.
The midfielder has formed a strong partnership with Cameron Evans this season, with both players known for their energy and work rate.
“Cam’s a great lad. He’s one of my closest pals here, so it works really well,” Brennan said.
“We’re just two dead honest lads. We’ll run and run and run until we can’t anymore and I think everyone can see that.
“We just need to be a bit more patient when we get the ball back. I think there are times where we can’t be 100 miles an hour all the time.
“We can just maybe have a spell on the ball a little bit more because our possession, if I’m right, hasn’t been over 50 per cent more than once or twice.
“I feel like you can chase and chase and chase as much as you want, and maybe that’s the reason why we’re tired towards the end of games at the minute.
“So I think if we have that little spell of possession, we’ll definitely have more control of games.”
Brennan agrees with Mullins that possession for possession’s sake is not the priority, but believes controlling periods of games could help Newport County manage matches more effectively.
“It’s not so much,” he said. “I’d agree with what the gaffer said there. It’s one of them where if you don’t do anything with it, there’s no point having possession just to pass around the back.
“Fans don’t pay to see that. When I was a little kid, I didn’t want to go to a football game and watch that. You want to see chances and crosses and shots on goal. That’s what everybody wants to see.
“There are times where we can be out of possession for five or six minutes, not have the ball, and we’ll win it back and give it away.
“Whereas I think if we have a little spell on the ball, it doesn’t have to be round the back. It can be wherever. It just needs to be a bit more controlled and just sting you down a bit in a game when you potentially enter the cosh.”
Brennan has also been looking to add more goals and assists to his game, although he is happy to focus primarily on the defensive side of his midfield role.
“It’s something I’ve been waiting for for a long time,” he said. “I spoke to the gaffer about it as well, to be fair.
“There have been a few times it’s fallen to me on the edge of the box and I do feel like I’m getting closer.
“But like I say, I think my role is more to stop them rather than be the goalscorer. I’m quite happy to let the other lads be the goalscorers and I’ll stick to what I have to do.”
With Fleetwood Town the visitors to Rodney Parade on Saturday, Brennan expects a competitive battle in the middle of the pitch.
“They’ll be tough. They have got a good side this year,” he said. “We know, we’ve worked on it this week, we know how they play.
“When our home record’s good, we’re unbeaten at home, I think, so we’ll be looking to get right after them as always, get the crowd behind us and see what it takes us. Hopefully get some more goals.”
Brennan believes winning the midfield battle will be crucial to County’s chances of taking three points.
“It always is. It is every game,” he said. “I think if you win the battle in the middle of the park, then you’ve got a good chance of winning the game.
“I feel like we’ve been quite good at that so far. Second balls, doing the dirty side of the game, I feel like we’ve been quite good at that so far.
“It’s just keeping the ball out the net and putting it in there.”
Competition for places has increased following the arrival of new midfield options, something Brennan believes can only benefit the squad.
“It’s good. It makes people play better,” he said. “The lads who are in the team have got to stay in the team and the lads who aren’t in the team have got to get in the team.
“If you’re in the team, you know that there’s always somebody breathing down your neck and that’s what you want because it makes you play better.
“If it was me that wasn’t in the team, I’d be pushing the lads that were in the team to try and get in. So yeah, I’m sure everyone will be pushing.”
The midfielder also praised Gwengwe for the impact he has made this season, with the striker’s late goal against Tranmere helping County maintain their unbeaten home record.
“Shaq definitely knows where the goal is,” Brennan said. “When he’s on the pitch, there’s always a chance, half a chance here that he might sniff it out.
“He’s been good, but we can’t just rely on one player. We’ve obviously got a load of good forwards, competition in that area as well. You’ve got lads coming back from injury, new signings, so there’ll be a lot of competition in that area.”
Brennan has also embraced his role as one of the players who can provide the type of moment that gets the Rodney Parade crowd going.
“I think that’s more my area,” he said. “Less so the goals, more so the big tackles and stopping other players.
“Fans love to see stuff like that and it’s good when you manage to see a loose ball and you can sprint towards it and go and smash someone.”
After spending periods in and out of the team last season, Brennan is now focused on staying fit and continuing to build on his performances.
“I played 30 games last year and I played 30 games the first year,” he said. “It’s one of them. You might think that I didn’t play much last year. I was in and out, more so at the start of the season.
“I struggled for consistency coming back from injury and, to be fair, when Fuchs came in around December time, I did manage to get a good run and I felt like I was in good form.
“Obviously I had a little hamstring injury, which was about eight weeks, and then towards the end of the season I was playing again.
“I’m one of them, I just need to be fit and firing. I feel good. I’ve had a good pre-season. I feel good, strong.
“I think you could see that in my performances. I’m doing a lot more running. I feel quite robust and yeah, I think people could see that.”
Newport County welcome Fleetwood Town to Rodney Parade on Saturday, September 12, with kick-off at 3pm.
