MICHAEL Flynn is keeping his cards close to his chest on the eve of the new football season.

Speaking to the assembled media at yesterday’s first pre-match press conference of the campaign, the Newport County AFC manager was reluctant to provide any injury updates ahead of tomorrow’s season opener at Mansfield Town.

And, despite several questions on the matter in a yoga studio at the city’s new One Gym, Flynn bent over backwards to avoid revealing his ambitions for the next nine months.

After last season’s 11th-place finish in the League Two table many fans will be hoping for, and some may be expecting, a play-off push.

The bookmakers seem to think that the Exiles will be in the bottom six rather than the top seven but Flynn insists he is just hoping for a good start to build on.

“It’s a long, tough season and I’ll keep what our aims are to ourselves,” said the manager.

“I certainly won’t be disrespecting any opponents by saying we’re going to finish here or there.

“We know what our aims are and, unfortunately for you lot, it will stay between us.

“I want a positive start,” he added. “It gives the group so much confidence, gives the supporters confidence and it allows you to take it game by game and not to get too carried away.

“A good start last season helped us kick on. It really gives everyone a feel-good factor.

“The main thing is to have a good August and then we’ll go from there.”

County were beaten 5-0 at Mansfield in February and Flynn is confident that there won’t be a repeat of that scoreline tomorrow.

But he knows his side will have to be at their best to get a positive result at Field Mill and he’s not averse to predicting big things for the Stags this season.

“Mansfield have got to be one of favourites for promotion,” he said.

“They were up there last season and they faltered a little bit towards the end but they’ve strengthened a lot in the summer.

“I’m looking forward to it. It won’t be as bad as last season!

“There weren’t many low points last season but that was definitely one of them.

“I think the closest we got to any points up there was the chairman got done for speeding on the way home. He got three points but that was it.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, we go there full of confidence and I’m sure we’ll surprise a lot of people this season.”

One surprise for opposition managers will be the amount of talented footballers in the County squad, according to Flynn.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m looking to show what we’ve worked on and what a good group of players we’ve got at the football club.

“I’m sure we won’t be underestimated this season. The pitch is a lot better than it has been in previous years and there was a lot of good football played so let’s hope we’re looked on in a more positive light.

“I do think we’ve got better technical players this season and it’s something I’m looking forward to seeing.”

Meanwhile, Flynn is unconcerned by the departure of three directors from the club’s board in the past week.

“It doesn’t have any effect on me,” he said. “I’ve got a job to do and that’s to put a football team together and get them as fit and prepared as well as I can to go out and get ready for a long season.

“What’s happening, or not happening, behind the scenes is nothing to do with me. I’m employed to concentrate on football and that’s what I’ll be doing.”