Newport County

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Newport County assistant manager Mark Smith says the players must stop "going into their shell" when falling behind in games.

The Exiles held their own against high-flying Cambridge United on Saturday, but conceded twice in three minutes late on to fall to a 2-0 defeat.

It is not the first time this season that County have conceded in quick succession having fallen behind.

And Smith - who took charge on Saturday in the absence of the unwell Christian Fuchs - says enough is enough.

"We were in the game, there was just a period of five minutes that it got away from us," Smith told BBC Sport Wales.

"When we go down a goal we cannot let it affect us so much, that's the third time since we've been here that it has happened.

"I think they just felt sorry for themselves at that point, when we make errors we go into our shell, we need more people to say there is plenty of time to put things right."

Defeat leaves Newport bottom of League Two, three points adrift of safety with 13 games left to play.

And while Smith acknowledged the recent run of results, he remained optimistic about Newport's chances of survival.

"We are not where we want to be but at the same time we have time to put things right and we believe that we can," Smith said.

"The players are giving us everything, we saw that against Salford. They are fighting and for a big spell today [Cambridge] were worried but we need to turn that into more.

"Every game now we have to see as a six-pointer, a fight. We knew this was going to be a tough period but it would not define our season.

"There are a lot of home games to go and we still have to play everyone around us."

Ioan Griffiths

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Christian Fuchs says his Newport side "do not have to hide from anyone" as they prepare to welcome third-place Cambridge United to Rodney Parade.

The Exiles come into the fixture following an impressive performance on Tuesday when they beat promotion-chasing Salford 3-1 to boost their survival chances.

County are still 24th in the League Two table, but have closed the gap to safety to just three points.

Despite their precarious position, Fuchs believes his side do not need to fear any side in the division.

"A win is always something you can build on, especially confidence. The boys have seen as well now that they're really good when it comes to a game that requires maybe a little bit more fighting," Fuchs said.

"They've done brilliant in the last game and we do not have to hide from anybody. We can play good football, we can put our stamp on the game, it's just about confidence.

"If we play our game, if we keep it simple and we put the balls into the right areas, the result will come by itself."

County's opponents on Saturday are Cambridge United (15:00 GMT), managed by former Cardiff City boss Neil Harris.

The U's, who are currently third in the table, are unbeaten in their last three matches and are aiming for an instant return to League One following relegation last season.

But Fuchs believes his side have improved, and can cause an upset.

"They're a decent side, they have some good individual players, but it's down to us to discourage their game."

Newport also welcomed experienced forward Courtney Baker-Richardson back from injury and he impressed in both boxes against Salford.

Fuchs has praised the mentality of the forward, and believes he will be a big help in County's battle for League Two survival.

"He's come back and played an hour and made a big impact, that's very impressive to do that straight away. He has a great mentality," Fuchs said.

"That mentality can be infectious as well, he carried a lot of players with him, he infected them with his mentality. He done well in there and he's just a big body to deal with."

Ioan Griffiths

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Newport's Ben Lloyd believes they have enough quality to survive their relegation battle.

The on-loan Swansea midfielder scored his first league goal on Tuesday, a wonderful solo effort which helped secure a crucial 3-1 win away at promotion chasing Salford to boost County's survival hopes.

But the danger of relegation is still looming large over Newport. They sit 24th in the League Two table, three points from safety.

Despite this, the 20-year-old believes The Exiles have shown they are good enough to battle with the best in the division.

"We've shown we can compete against the likes of Salford this season. They're near the top and recently, we've been competing but we haven't really been getting the results. So Tuesday was massive," said Lloyd.

"We really feel like we can kick on now. If we just keep putting in the work like we put in Tuesday night, I'm more than confident we can get out of this."

The midfielder has had to be patient for opportunities under Christian Fuchs, who has even dropped Lloyd out of some of his matchday squads this season.

Despite this, Lloyd was trusted in an attacking midfield role during Tuesday's win at Salford and put in one of his best performances of the season.

He praised manager Christian Fuchs, who has given him the freedom he needs to perform.

"Recently probably has been a tough few weeks for me. But I've had really good conversations with the gaffer and he said to me, your chance will come.

"He stuck to his word and he gave me my chance Tuesday and hopefully I've repaid him.

"He gives me a bit of freedom and that's what I need, as a player, so I can express myself. He just breathes so much confidence in me as a player and I think Tuesday night proved that."

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Former Wales international Iwan Roberts says Newport County players will be feeling "lower than a snake's belly" after Saturday's 1-0 loss to MK Dons stretched their winless run to five games.

County are rock bottom of League Two after relegation rivals Harrogate Town earned a point against Chesterfield to move up to 23rd.

For the second game running, County boss Christian Fuchs believed his side were "the better team overall".

"Everybody can see a team out there that is alive, that plays good football, that is also creating chances," Fuchs said.

But Roberts disagrees. Speaking on BBC Radio Wales' Feast of Football phone-in, he said Fuchs has "got to try and lift the players".

"They were the better team apparently on Wednesday against Swindon, they got beat 2-0. Apparently they were the better side playing the better style of football today [Saturday], they haven't had a shot on target," Roberts said.

"The sign of madness is doing the same thing and nothing's changing, that's what's happenning to Newport.

"He's [Fuchs] demanding that they play a certain way in League Two, which is a tough league to play that type of football because I don't think they have the players to do it.

"Are they capable of performing the way he wants them to? Clearly they're not, because they keep conceding sloppy goals and they can't buy a goal."

Former Wales defender Danny Gabbidon told the podcast: "They've gone down this route of attractive football. There's nothing worse as a player then feeling like you play well but still lose. You'd rather be bad and lose games."

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Sport asked you, Newport County's fans, whether the Exiles can avoid relegation from League Two this season.

Christian Fuchs has said his squad is "very balanced" following the mid-season transfer window, but Newport remain in the relegation zone as they prepare for Wednesday's tricky trip to Swindon Town.

Here are some of your views.

Mark – Yes. Apart from the odd performance, Christian seems to be getting a tune out of these players that [former boss David] Hughes couldn't. Still a long way to go but I honestly believe we will beat the drop.

David - No. Unless they change the line-up/tactics to something the players understand and is less complicated, then the trap door will never close.

Lloyd - There is not enough experienced quality in the side, and the players who have the experience are either shot of confidence or are too hot/cold (Bobby Kamwa, Matt Baker etc). Hope has to be Sven Sprangler gives us the much-needed midfield bite and the frontline can start scoring, although based off the weekend there is not a lot of goals in Nathan Opoku, and James Crole (pictured below) needs time we don't have the luxury of giving. You cannot build a team in this league with a transfer policy of under-23 [players] only on the cheap, especially without an experienced manager at this level at the helm. Hope I am proven wrong but so far I have not been.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Dennis - We will survive.

Neil - The week that we lost to Accrington Stanley and Bristol Rovers finally killed off any remaining hope that I had.... We seem to excel at beating ourselves, rather than letting the opposition do it. By the end of February, it [may] well be all over...

Morgan - Balanced?! We had 3 full backs on the bench against Grimsby?!

John - They need to start winning sooner rather than later, to give them some wriggle room.

Neil - Living in Scotland and going to away games only, I definitely hope the County stay up. The question is will they or won't they - to be honest I just don't know. One week you think they will and the next you don't, it's just too hard to call.

Carl - It's going to be very difficult. Several top team games coming up starting with Swindon Wednesday. The new signings that have been made in January need to gel and stick like glue together. Personally I think it's too late barring a miracle from high above. I'm sorry to say it's non-league football next season and a lot of that is self-inflicted.

Rob - Think Newport have played more attractive football under the last two managers and have been good to watch at times. But the lack of a threat up front is meaning we're not winning enough games to survive.

Terry - Goals are the key, but sadly Newport don't have a single player capable of scoring on a regular basis - nor do they have a striker able to hold the ball up to get the side up the pitch. The Exiles now have three successive difficult-looking away games - lose all and it could well be the beginning of the end.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Ian - It's going to be a long rest of the season for County. We have shown ability in patches but not consistently enough to get results. We tend to gift goals and that has to stop. In terms of goals, we are shy and we haven't found the best way to keep creating chances and be assured at the back. I think the only benefit is Harrogate, Shrewsbury and Crawley all have to play at Rodney Parade those games are critical. I think if we can get [Matt] Smith (pictured above) fit again to link in with Sprangler, [Harrison] Biggins and [Cole] Jarvis, with a front two involving Crole, we have a chance to stay up.

Stephen - I think if we get through this month not adrift of the likes of Shrewsbury , Barrow and Crawley, March doesn't look as daunting. Will we survive? 50-50 IMO.

Mark - I cannot see County avoiding relegation. They have improved slightly but the damage was done earlier in the season. I cannot see them stringing three or four wins in a row [together]. A worry is they may continue to slide down the National League.

Kevin - I've got more confidence with this manager than I had with the last. Just hoping that County can pull it off and stay up.

Ade – It's a constant relegation battle year after year and this year looks nailed on I'm very sad to say. Vast improvement on last week and Jarvis looks like a good addition, but too little too late for me I'm afraid. Please make me eat my words.

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Newport County manager Christian Fuchs says his side are embracing the "challenge" of facing in-form Swindon Town on Wednesday, 11 February (20:00 GMT), as they look to climb out of the League Two relegation zone.

County arrive on the back of a goalless draw with Grimsby, a match defined by missed opportunities and penalties, but also a game where Fuchs felt produced "a lot of positives," as his side put in a strong second half and restricted Grimsby to just two shots on target in the first-half.

It was Newport's fifth clean sheet of the league campaign with January arrival Ryan Delaney influential after becoming an established part of The Exiles' defence, having started in every game since his return to the club.

Despite scoring only 29 goals in 29 league matches, Fuchs also remains optimistic about his side's attacking potential.

"We have the quality going forward. Unfortunately, we couldn't score [on Saturday], but the fact that we create and we get into positions where we can score and should score, it gives me a lot of faith going forward into the next games," said Fuchs.

Having lost 1-0 thanks to a goal from former Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer earlier in the season, Newport will be looking to bounce back against Swindon.

And Fuchs insists confidence remains high. Swindon sit third in League Two and have the fifth best home record in the league having picked up 30 points from 15 home matches.

County, meanwhile have taken just 11 points from their 14 away outings so far this season.

Yet Fuchs believes his squad rises to big occasions, pointing to strong performances against top half sides, including a narrow defeat at Bromley and an impressive 2-1 win over Chesterfield since the turn of the year.

"We usually pull out a really good performance when we played teams that were in the top half of the table. I'm very positive for the next three [games]," said Fuchs.

Newport remain without joint top scorer Courtney Baker-Richardson, though the forward is now back training.

Matt Smith also remains sidelined. However, Gerrard Garner's return is a boost and he earned praise from his manager for his "class moments" and ability to "make a difference" as he played 80 minutes on Saturday.

Fuchs is also excited by January signings, noting new arrival Cole Jarvis as someone who impressed off the bench on his debut putting him "definitely in contention to start" for the trip to Swindon.

The former Merthyr Town midfielder has been labelled "multifaceted" by his manager, who believes he "showed the quality he has" as soon as he entered proceedings on Saturday.

With fresh arrivals creating growing competition, Fuchs says his side is in "good spirits" heading into a tough test at the County Ground.

"It's always a good challenge to play top teams," he added. "We're positive and looking forward to it."

"Everybody deserves to play and everybody's working well. It's a lucky position that we're in."

Image source, BBC Sport

Newport County remain stuck in the League Two relegation zone with 17 games to go, having won only one of their past six matches.

Boss Christian Fuchs says the squad now looks "very balanced" after signing seven players in the January transfer window, yet the Exiles are still two points from safety and above bottom-side Harrogate on goal difference alone.

So how do you feel, Newport fans? Can County avoid relegation? If so, what is going to get them out of trouble?

Tell us your views by clicking here.

Newport boss Christian Fuchs called the goalless draw with Grimsby "a tense and a very even game" after both sides missed penalties at Rodney Parade.

Fuchs said he felt Grimsby had the better of the first half but his side stayed resilient and improved in the second period when they created more chances to win the game.

"The boys have great character. Today was all about resilience. There are a lot of positives to take away," he said.

Find more Newport County content from BBC Sounds at the bottom of this page or on our dedicated club page.

Image source, Huw Evans Agency

Christian Fuchs believes Newport County's mid-season transfer business means has boosted their bid to avoid relegation from League Two.

The Exiles sit 23rd in the table as they prepare to welcome Grimsby to Rodney Parade on Saturday (15:01 GMT).

Fuchs feels Newport's squad now has the quality and depth it lacked when he was appointed in November.

"When I first came in, there was no balance in the team," the County boss said.

"When you look at the team now, we have a lot of depth. That gives us the opportunity, with the tight schedule coming up, to have rotations there without dropping on energy level, without dropping quality.

"So where we are right now with the team, it looks really good, very balanced."

Grimsby are ninth in League Two and are unbeaten in seven league games.

But Fuchs' side have won two of their past three at home, and will be looking to bounce back from their 3-0 derby defeat at Bristol Rovers last week.

"The fans can expect the boys to go out there and fight," Fuchs said.

"They will do the same things that we did in the previous home games.

"We want to get on the front foot and not hide. Our best games are when we played on the front foot and that's what we're looking to do on Saturday."

Sven Spangler could make his Newport debut this weekend having joined on loan from St Johnstone on transfer deadline day, with Fuchs impressed by his fellow Austrian's credentials.

"My hopes are high. He's the former captain of St Johnstone so I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the table," Fuchs said.

"I was very impressed with him with what I saw in training."

County could also give a debut to fellow new recruit Cole Jarvis, the versatile midfielder who has joined from Merthyr.

"I like that Cole's very physical, he's not intimidated at all. So far he has really impressed me with his composure as well," Fuchs added.

"I think with everyone we have brought in and the quality they have, that really gives us another edge."

Image source, Getty Images

Sven Sprangler says signing for Newport County was a "no brainer" and he is confident he can help the Exiles avoid relegation from League Two.

The midfielder joined on loan from St Johnstone until the end of the season and links up with his fellow Austrian, manager Christian Fuchs.

"When I had the opportunity to come over it was a no brainer. It's incredible to be here," Sprangler said.

The 30-year-old has spent most of his career playing in the Austrian Bundesliga with Mattersburg and Wolfsberger AC, before a move to Scotland in 2023.

"It was always my dream to play in the UK. Here it's more physical, higher tempo, and I think that suits my playing style a little bit better," he said.

"I feel very welcome here, I know Matt Smith from when we played together at St Johnstone, and he's helped me a lot as well."

County sit 23rd in the table with a threat of relegation looming, but Sprangler is confident the team has enough quality to maintain their EFL status.

"I'm a fighter. I'm a team player and it was always my style to play for the team and give everything for the club and for the badge," he said.

"When I saw the quality of the group, there is a no doubt that we can stay up.

"It's a challenge I know, everyone in the team knows that and every game matters now. We have to give everything on every game."

Image source, Newport County

Newport County have announced the signing of Merthyr Town forward Cole Jarvis.

The 24-year-old Merthyr Town academy product spent five years playing across the Welsh league system, progressing to Cymru South side Newport City in 2023.

Jarvis returned to The Martyrs 12 months later, signing a two-year contract and has impressed this season with seven goals and five assists in 29 appearances.

"Equally comfortable operating in midfield or attack, Cole's versatility and dynamism make him a valuable addition to the Newport County squad as Christian Fuchs looks to strengthen his options," the club said in a statement.

Find more Newport County content from BBC Sounds at the bottom of this page or on our dedicated club page.

Ioan Griffiths
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Former Newport County defender Jason Perry has criticized manager Christian Fuchs' tactics in Saturday's 3-0 loss at Bristol Rovers.

The Exiles are second bottom in League Two, three points from safety, and with a difficult run of February fixtures to follow supporters might be fearing the worst.

Perry thinks both Fuchs and the players need to take responsibility.

"I know it's a change of manager but we're 18 games in and saying the same things," said Perry after the damaging loss at relegation rivals Rovers.

"Tactically, I think they were naive today.

"You need to start holding strong characters to account. You can't hide. This is a relegation fight. So if your manager is hiding from it, that worries me.

"These players need to play a form of football they've all agreed with and if the other 10 aren't you need to point a finger at them."

Fuchs, who took over the reins at Rodney Parade in November, raised eye brows last month when he dismissed suggestions his side are in a relegation battle. The former Austrian international, however, was left frustrated after his side's dismal display at the Memorial Stadium.

He has been given extra resources with six new recruits during the January transfer window, including the deadline-day signing of midfielder Sven Sprangler on loan from St Johnstone.

Despite this, Perry believes chairman Huw Jenkins shares some of the responsibility for County's precarious position.

"You've got to play to your budget. I think Huw's ego is bigger than his budget. They're trying to play a way they can't afford," added Perry.

"You can't compete with the other budgets in this league. Find a different way to win football games, you've got to build a platform based around winning games.

"Where Newport County stand now, they can't afford to go out of this league."