Exiles' midfield baby-face enforcer Sven Sprangler says everything must be given for the badge if Newport are to remain a Football League club next season.
Austrian Sprangler, 30, landed at NP19 from Scottish Championship outfit St Johnstone just before the January transfer window slammed shut last Monday evening and stands by for a County debut in the crucial clash with Grimsby Town at Rodney Parade this Saturday [15.00].
Born in Austria's Burgenland, the midfield ball-winner rattled up around 250 matches in the Austrian Bundesliga tiers at SV Mattersburg, TSV Hartberg, Wolfsberger AC and SK Vorwarts Steyr before the leap to Scotland a couple of years back.
The energetic linkman has joined County's bid to close the three-point gap on 22nd-placed Shrewsbury, the club holding the final safety spot in League Two. When asked about what it takes to win a relegation battle, he said, "We have to put everything on the line. Every point and game matters now. You have to be mentally ready, in a game all the action matters. You can't switch off at any time. You have to be switches on for the whole 90 minutes [or more].
Sprangler, who made over 50 appearances for St Johnstone, was involved in The Saints' courageously failed fight to remain in the Scottish Premier League last season, but argues, "In December we were 10 points behind. By the end of last season we were only three points behind. It was tough. But I grew as a person from the experience, I know exactly how it is and was."
Sprangler is convinced the Port will remain an English fourth-tier club come May saying, "From what I have seen in training, the quality is there - and the mentality. Now, we have to bring this to the pitch. Of course it's a challenge. We have to put everything into every game now because our life depends on it.
"I am a fighter and a team player. I will give everything for the team and the badge. we have to put everything on the line."
Sprangler had no hesitation in quitting McDiarmid Park, Perth, the moment he knew fellow Austrian and County manager Christian Fuchs had an interest in signing him.
He said, "I spoke to the gaffer [Fuchs] before I came here. For me, when I heard there was an opportunity to come it was a no-brainer."
Sprangler says 78-times capped ex-Austrian international skipper and former Leicester City Premiership title and FA Cup winner Fuchs is held in high esteem in the land of his parents saying, "He is a legend to be honest. Everyone knows his name in Austria. He was captain of the national team, who [helped] bring us onto European [international stages].
"What he did at Leicester was incredible. For him to win a English Premier League title, great respect. It is still a big story, he is a role model in Austria. An Austrian guy who got into the Premier League through hard work and dedication.
"Everything is possible when you [see someone] achieve this sort of stuff. When you are at an academy and see what the guy from a small village in Austria has achieved, you are asking 'why can't I do that?' If you stay fit, have a good heart and dedicate your life to football, everything is possible."
Sprangler is relishing the chance to derail Grimsby's lingering play-off charge at Rodney Parade this Saturday. He will take the away trips that follow to Swindon, MK Dons and Salford over the next nine days that follow in his stride.
He said, "I really appreciate the chance he [Fuchs] gave me to play for this club. I want to give everything back. I will give everything for the badge."
Committed Sprangler will enjoy every moment in Gwent saying, "The people here in the UK love and breath football. It was always my dream to play here in the UK. I'm enjoying every single moment. It's an amazing adventure to be here.
"In Austria everyone is trying to cope with the German Bundesliga. Here [the UK] it is more physical and a greater tempo, I think. This suits my playing style better. "
