GOALKEEPER Lenny Pidgeley admits Newport County AFC will learn from Saturday’s dour home draw with Mansfield Town and is certain they will improve.

The 29-year-old former Chelsea stopper was County’s stand-out performer in the battle with the brutal Stags and he knows it wasn’t his side’s finest hour and a half.

He believes that the Exiles got caught up in the physical side of the game rather than playing the way they want to play.

“It was a disappointing performance. We didn’t really get the ball down and play our normal stuff,” he said.

“We played their style of football really, it was direct and they are physical team. When we did get the ball down they were on top of us.

“We got sucked into playing long ball,” he added. “When we’re at home we need to force the pressure, get the ball down and play at our tempo.

“We should be playing how we want to play at home and if we don’t lose away we’ll do well. That is what got us promoted and it should do us alright in the league above.”

Despite Saturday’s disappointment Pidgeley is certain that the team can only get better when the long injury list finally eases.

Manager Justin Edinburgh is currently without Aaron O’Connor, Max Porter, Byron Anthony and Andy Sandell, with Mike Flynn, Tony James and Ismail Yakubu not yet up to full fitness.

“We’re still undefeated at home and we've only lost once away,” said Pidgeley. “And that defeat at Northampton was probably the best we’ve played.

“We’re hard to beat and it’s a credit to us that we are doing so well with the amount of injuries we’ve got.

“There are probably five or six [injured] players looking to get into our starting XI and we haven’t even got enough senior players to fill the bench.

“We are still in there, still fighting and we’re working our socks off and ready for Morcambe on Saturday.

“Every game is vital and we need to get as many points as possible as soon as possible. We need to get to 50 points to stay in this league and then build on that.”