NEWPORT County AFC’s players must use the disappointment of their single-goal reverse at Yeovil as motivation for this weekend’s clash with top-of-the-table Plymouth, according to Graham Westley.

The Exiles, five points adrift at the foot of Sky Bet League Two, know they will have it all to do when Derek Adams’ Pilgrims visit Rodney Parade on Saturday.

Plymouth sit three points clear at the summit having not lost since a 1-0 defeat by Carlisle on August 13 – the same day that County won their only league fixture of the season to date.

Newport boss Westley took a lot of encouragement from his first match in charge, and he believes the pain felt by that setback against the Glovers can be used to the Exiles’ advantage.

“When you put a lot of effort into a performance, and I think there was an enormous amount of effort, and some very good individual performances, there is obviously going to be disappointment,” he said.

“But you have to make sure that disappointment, while everybody feels it, is constructive, that it’s turned into a motivation to make sure that this time next week we can celebrate three points rather than commiserate over nothing.

“The job is to make the players that are here better and to create a team environment that means we can produce a level of performance that gets winning results.”

He continued: “We’ve worked hard to build a new organisation, to try and push the physical side forward, and to give the players the confidence in the abilities they’ve got, and to try and find a way of playing that brings the best out of the individuals in the team.

“We’ll go away and concentrate on being a better side next weekend. It’s one day, one step at a time. It’s the next match that we’ll always be concentrating on, and it’s a cracker next weekend.

“We’ll look forward to that and we’ll use the week to make sure that we are a tidier and better organised side than we were.”

County, who lost 4-1 to Plymouth at Home Park in the EFL Trophy at the end of August, might be in the doldrums on the pitch but Westley is confident they can turn things around.

“The difference between the top and the bottom of League Two is a few fine margins and the sides at the top, you give them regard, like you do the sides at the bottom,” he said.

“You aren’t going to get points against Cambridge any easier than you are against Plymouth. You have to go and earn your points week in, week out.

“We’re not playing Manchester United in any League Two game this season, we won’t be playing Liverpool and we won’t be playing Manchester City.

“We’ll be playing League Two opponents who are beatable, and it’s up to us to make sure we turn the margins in our favour and, provided that we do, this group of lads have got it within them to win League Two football matches.”