New contender for County job

10:24am Friday 16th May 2008

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NEWPORT County will announce their new manager next week, with a shock new candidate and players holiday delaying a final decision, the Argus can reveal.

Chairman Chris Blight and County's directors held interviews throughout the week and hoped to name a new boss today.

However, the Exiles players are currently on a short holiday in Marbella with former boss Peter Beadle and as such any announcement will be put on hold until they return.

Chairman Chris Blight intends to tell the players face-to-face who the new boss will be and believes a decision and offer will be made within 72 hours.

However, the Argus understands that the interview process has been blown wide open with former Lewes boss Steve King seemingly now in the frame.

The Argus contacted King, who has been linked with the Woking manager's job after his shock dismissal at Lewes.

King, who left Lewes at the end of the season despite winning the Conference South, refused to reveal whether he has applied to manage the Exiles, but neither did he rule out the possibility.

"At the moment I am not in a position to comment on my future," King said.

"It is difficult for me to say anything now, you'll have to wait and see!"

King joins a list of candidates still in the frame to succeed Beadle.

The Argus understands that Dean Holdsworth, Phil Bater, Glenn Cockerill and assistant boss Scott Young are all being considered after applying for the post.

Other interesting names in the frame include former Cardiff City academy boss Paul Compton, ex-TNS chief Ken McKenna and former Wales manager Bobby Gould.

Chairman Chris Blight explained: "At the stage of the process we are in, it would not be fair to talk about individual candidates. We've conducted interviews all week and have been given real food for thought with some excellent applications."

The chairman wouldn't rule out any of the candidates mentioned above, but did dismiss rumours of Wales U21 boss Brian Flynn or former Cheltenham manager Steve Cotterill taking charge.

"Brian Flynn has a big job with youth football in this country and lives in the Wirral," he said. "We would welcome any chance for Brian to advise us as he has a superb level of expertise in regard to youth football," he said.

"Steve Cotterill is a name we keep hearing mentioned by supporters, but he has not applied for the job."

Experienced campaigner Bater has admirers within Spytty Park, notably academy director Glyn Jones.

If - as expected - County go down the route of appointing a director of football, Bater may well be the man to take on that role after former bosses John Relish and Tim Harris opted to stay with Bath City and Gloucester City respectively.

A move for Holdsworth or Young would likely see another applicant, Andy Legg, given a coaching role.

Meanwhile, chairman Chris Blight yesterday spent the day in the company of Hereford United manager and chairman Graham Turner.

Blight met with Turner in order to get some advice to progressing up the Football League pyramid, Hereford having gone from non-league to League One in the space of three years.

"It was fantastic to pick the brains of someone who has taken a club similar to ours and progressed," Blight explained.

"Graham has vast experience and talking with him was a very useful exercise indeed.

"It's great to see how they've achieved what they have and we are hoping to follow their lead."