Newport County fans urged to help club build on Great Escape

There were 6,656 home fans packed into Rodney Parade to witness the dramatic late victory over Notts County that secured the Exiles’ Football League status.

The crowd of 7,326, including 670 Magpies fans, was around double the previous highest attendance for a League Two match in Newport in the 2016-2017 season.

And it was 5,458 more than the lowest home crowd in the League – for the 0-0 draw with Grimsby Town on Valentine’s Day.

Speaking after confirming the appointment of Michael Flynn as the club’s new permanent manager, Foxall said: “What a lift he’s given the city. He’s brought everyone together on and off the field.

“You could see that with the turnout on Saturday and you could sense it in the bars and clubs that evening. It was just a fantastic feeling.

“The important thing now is that we build on that and we don’t lose that momentum.

“We want people to buy season tickets. We’ve retained that League status and we’re reaching out to the fans to continue to support us.

“Hopefully we can retain a sizeable proportion of those that were there for that last game.

“Everybody I’ve spoken to has said that the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic and obviously we attracted a lot of new fans. Hopefully that will continue.

“And if on the field Michael can replicate what he’s done in the last 12 games then I think there’s great potential in the city.”

Foxall was full of praise for Flynn after a momentous week for the club.

“He knows what it means to everybody and the one thing I love about Michael is that he’s always got time for people,” he said.

“He acts as an ambassador for the club at all times and I’m really positive about pre-season and the new campaign.

“If you were making a film what happened against Notts County would be the script but it did nothing for the blood pressure of us on the board, or for the fans.

“People were in tears because this club means so much to so many different people – it’s part of their lives – and it’s important that we retained that status so all credit to Michael and his team.

“I think it was more important than winning promotion Wembley,” he added.

“That was fantastic after so long in the wilderness but the circumstances of surviving this season were just unbelievable.

“I don’t think there would have been many people after the Leyton Orient match that would have thought we’d be able to survive.

“We were 11 points adrift and there was no way we were going to come back but Michael, Wayne [Hatswell] and Lennie [Lawrence] and the players have put the pride and passion back into the club.”