NEWPORT County boss Peter Nicholas is urging his new-look side to "kick on" with pre-season preparations and start the new Nationwide Conference South season with a bang.

County ran amok in their latest pre-season friendly, whipping Wimborne 5-1 at Mendalgief Road, leaving Nicholas in confident mood.

He said: "We have been building it up game by game and the fitness is getting there, but now it is time to really kick on.

"The lads have been playing well but I couldn't care less about beating Wimborne, it is the Havant game that I am focusing on.

"We want to start the season with a bang."

He added: "It was another good performance and we played some nice football. They were weakened a bit but they still made us work to open them up. It was another decent run-out."

The County boss admitted that the new additions have slotted into the side almost effortlessly, but he warned that Rome was not built in a day.

He said: "We have brought in a lot of new faces and although everyone is feeling pretty good at the moment, it takes time for a team to settle. Even at a side like Chelsea, which is full of superstars, it doesn't happen overnight.

"But I have to say that the dressing- room is excellent at the moment and the lads have really gelled. There is a tremendous spirit at the club.

"They are starting to get used to how each other plays, and it is now all about hitting the ground running for the new season."

Confidence is flowing through the club at the moment and Nicholas is keen to keep the momentum going. He said: "The next week is a little break, then after Tiverton we have 12 days to prepare for the kick-off and I will be using that to do any fine-tuning on the side.

"We didn't want to overdo it because it is a long season and you don't want players picking up injuries before we even start. A couple of the lads have slight injuries but we have been fortunate that no-one has had a bad one."