AFTER stumbling at Lincoln and Colchester and falling flat on their faces at Mansfield, Newport County AFC got back on their feet and took a step forward on their return to Rodney Parade.

It may only have been a point but this was a good response to that disastrous night at the One Call Stadium last Tuesday.

After that 5-0 drubbing many were predicting a slow slide down the table for Flynn’s men between now and the end of the season.

That is still a possibility, of course, and the manager was careful to avoid any talk of the play-offs after this 0-0 draw.

After those three successive league defeats he insisted that a drab stalemate against Notts County was no reason to get carried away.

He knows his side has to walk before they can run again but he will be delighted that his players once again demonstrated the character and fighting spirit that has seen them make such big strides over the last 12 months.

The recall for Mark O’Brien and the switch to three at the back proved effective in stopping the flow of goals into Joe Day’s net – 10 in those three tough away games.

A first clean sheet since December 23 was long overdue and it gives the Exiles a platform to build on as they look to push back up the table.

But Flynn also admitted that the 3-5-2 system leaves them short in terms of attacking threat and two goals scored in the last five league games suggests there is work to do in terms of finding the right balance up front.

Shawn McCoulsky replaced Frank Nouble from the start on Saturday but didn’t exactly seize his chance to shine.

He was partnered by Padraig Amond but the joint top scorers rarely looked like adding to their 11-goal tallies against the Magpies.

With captain Joss Labadie set to serve a two-game ban after picking up his 10th booking of the season on Saturday, the manager may opt to try Amond and Nouble as a front pairing with Robbie Willmott or even Josh Sheehan playing just behind.

South Wales Argus:

But Marlon Jackson (above), who came on with Nouble in a double change for Amond and McCoulsky, also made a strong case for more game-time.

The striker has a lot to prove and he desperately needs an injury-free run to show what he’s capable of but he looked the most effective forward during his 25 minutes on the pitch on Saturday.

There is plenty for Flynn to ponder then as he plans for the run-in.

Another factor will be the Rodney Parade pitch, which is unrecognisable from the embarrassment of this time last season but still far from perfect.

Much has been made of the number of home games that the Exiles have to come – eight of their remaining 13 fixtures.

But Flynn is clearly not happy with the surface.

“It’s very bobbly and it’s cutting up,” he admitted after the match.

“There was a rugby game on it on Friday night and that doesn’t help so it’s not great.”

Notts boss Kevin Nolan also wasted no time in bringing it up.

“It was a difficult game on a difficult pitch and I thought the lads handled it very well,” said the former Premier League star.

But there was encouragement in Nolan’s assessment of the hosts.

“They’re a really good outfit at home – that’s where they get most of their success,” he added.

“They are going to do that throughout the season and they are a really tough outfit to play so you’ve got to take that point.”

Keep the home fires burning and County could yet make a late charge up that table.

County: Day; White, O’Brien, Demetriou; Pipe, Tozer, Labadie, Butler; Willmott; Amond (Jackson, 64), McCoulsky (Nouble, 65)

Subs not used: Bittner, Reid, Dolan, Sheehan, Hayes

Booked: Pipe, Labadie

Referee: Robert Lewis

Attendance: 3,326