GRAHAM Coughlan is confident he is the right man to take Newport County AFC forward despite the manager questioning himself because of an ‘unacceptable’ six-game losing streak.

The Exiles were on the fringes of the play-offs at the end of March but have suffered a nightmare run.

Tranmere followed Barrow, Colchester, Crawley, Grimsby and Accrington in beating Coughlan’s side on Saturday.

County hit the front through Will Evans, his 25th goal of the season, but Rovers won thanks to Rob Apter’s double.

It leaves Coughlan’s side two points short of the target he has set of matching last season’s 57 and they are 16th in the table, at risk of dropping to 19th.

They host Salford on Saturday and then travel to Bradford on final day - lose both and they will equal the eight-game losing run suffered under Graham Westley in the 2016/17 Great Escape season.

County have been well away from the relegation scrap that many tipped them to have but the streak has the boss questioning his efforts.

“We are playing for pride and I don’t see an awful lot of professional pride,” said Coughlan, whose squad have been hit by a second injury crisis of the campaign.

“In the first half hour against Tranmere we were really good and there are fundamental reasons behind our depletion in energy and why we go to pot, but it’s a tough place to be.

South Wales Argus: FRUSTRATED: County boss Graham CoughlanFRUSTRATED: County boss Graham Coughlan (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“If it’s my time then it’s my time, if I’ve taken this group as far as I can then I will have to look at that.

“I’ve got to look at myself, I don’t know what more I can do but I will start with myself rather than the players in the changing room. This is tough, I am hurting.”

Asked that he surely wasn’t considering his position, Coughlan replied: “No, I’m not because I love this club but what I am saying is that you can’t lose six games on the bounce.

“That’s not me and my make-up. I have to look at myself because I don’t find losing matches acceptable, let alone six games. I am not comfortable with the run that we are on.

“I know that I am hurting and in a bit of turmoil, it’s not nice losing six games in a row, but I know my way around this division and I know the players that are needed to get out of it.”

County are under new ownership after former Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins’ takeover was rubber-stamped in January.

They will still operate with one of the EFL smallest budgets next season and Coughlan, who has another year on his contract, is ready to aim high.

“I am very confident that I can do something at this club and we can go further if we get things right on and off the park,” he said.

“I would like to change the mindset, I don’t think we should just be talking about survival and just existing.

“I know the owner is singing from the same hymn sheet, our aims have to be about more than survival. We’ve got to start looking for bigger prizes and if anybody can do it then I am sure I would be able to.”