HAVING watched Andrew Crofts captain Newport County AFC for the first time on Saturday, and interviewed him for the first time afterwards, the Wales international seems a natural fit for the role.

The 34-year-old is vastly experienced with more than 400 appearances in League One, the Championship and the Premier League over the last 17 years.

He has previously captained both Gillingham and Brighton & Hove Albion and there were few dissenting voices when it was announced that he’d wear the armband for the Exiles this season.

Saturday’s pre-season friendly win at Hereford demonstrated Crofts captaincy style; he led by example in his defensive midfield role and could clearly be seen guiding and cajoling youngsters like Charlie Cooper, Josh Sheehan and Tyler Forbes through the game.

And afterwards he said all the right things when talking to the media about using his experience to help younger players and (cliché alert) taking it one game at a time.

“It’s been a really easy group to get on with and there’s ambitious players in there that want to do well in their careers,” he said.

“If I can help guide them it’s something that I like doing and I’m enjoying it.”

What Crofts’ appointment means for the future of last season’s skipper Joss Labadie remains to be seen but with him ruled out through injury until October at the earliest there was always going to be a new captain – whether Labadie had signed a new deal or not.

Manager Michael Flynn boasts a squad packed with leaders and he could easily have chosen Mark O’Brien, Mickey Demetriou, David Pipe, Joe Day or even Padraig Amond to lead the side this term.

But Flynn’s long-standing relationship with Crofts, which goes back to their playing days at Gillingham between 2005 and 2007, was key in persuading the midfielder to join the club and was probably the crucial factor in the decision to make him captain.

“He’s a leader on and off the pitch and he’s had a great career,” said the Exiles boss when questioned about Crofts’ potential as skipper earlier this month.

“He’s a fantastic professional so he ticks all the boxes.

“Croftsy is one of my best friends in football,” he added.

“We’ve always kept I contact. He’s a gentleman and he’s somebody I trust a lot. So signing him was really a no-brainer.

“He’s taken probably the lowest wage he’s been on since he started at Gillingham but he wanted it to happen.

“He could have hung on and hoped for a bit more money [elsewhere] but he’s shown the appetite that we want and that we need at this football club.”

That close bond between manager and skipper means Flynn will trust Crofts to be his voice on the field and, providing the relationship survives the stresses and strains of life in League Two, then it can only be a good thing for the Exiles.

At 34 it’s unlikely that Crofts will feature in every match but he is determined to play a big part for County and still harbours ambitions of adding to his 29 Wales caps, as detailed in today’s Argus interview.

He certainly talks a good game and should prove to be an exemplary representative for the club on and off the pitch.

“To captain any team is a great honour,” said Crofts.

“Everyone knows my relationship with the gaffer and to be captain of a Welsh team after representing Wales 29 times is a massive honour for me.

“I’ve done it before and I enjoy that responsibility and I can’t wait to guide the boys and help them with all sorts of things.

“As soon as I joined the club I could see and feel the energy,” he added.

“I’ve played with Michael Flynn and I know he’s a winner – so am I.

“We're going to take it game by game and keep our focus and make sure we do it right.

“We want to improve on last season’s league position. The goal is to aim as high as we can and hopefully clinch promotion."

That last line might seem overly ambitious to some but Crofts is clearly not in Newport for one last big pay day and you sense he will give everything he has to help drive up the standards at Rodney Parade.