WHAT a week it has been for the Newport County AFC youth team, the best we’ve had since I joined the set-up over the summer.

It’s been a rewarding and difficult adjustment, taking on a coaching role and it’s one that you find yourself constantly thinking about, it’s not 24/7 with the hours, but it is in terms of it occupying your thoughts.

We’ve had a mixed time this season in terms of results, I’ve got to be honest, we beat Swindon early in the season and had a couple of great results and I thought to myself, “This is going to be a doddle, a walk in the park.” Then we stopped winning!

It was naive of me to think that way, because these are young kids and there are many things that can go wrong, as simple as them losing a bit of focus or intensity.

However, this week the boys went and set out a real marker by winning their first round game in the FA Youth Cup, the first time since the year 2000 that we’ve enjoyed such a success.

Not only that, but we beat an established club in Exeter City and we did so at St James’ Park, the home of their first team.

One of the aspects I absolutely love about the FA Youth Cup is virtually all of the teams’ stage their games at their home grounds and it’s a fantastic experience for the boys, an added motivation to play at this famous places.

On the night we were absolutely terrific and I have no doubt even Exeter will reflect that we were worthy winners at the real St James’ Park from a real team display.

What helped us significantly was having Tom Owen-Evans, Aaron Collins and Regan Poole all available to us after stints in and around the first team squad.

Tom scored, Regan looked like he hadn’t been away and Aaron was the best player on the park, but those three will know what a marvellous effort it was from all the boys, from the goalkeeper Jake Keating right the way through.

We now get a home clash to look forward to at Rodney Parade against Cambridge or the MK Dons and it would be marvellous if some of you could come and support the boys. I’m ever so proud of them.

It hasn’t been quite the same level of glory for the first team, but I’d say we are pretty happy with the 1-1 draw against Accrington last week, all things considered.

To put it into context – I don’t want angry fans commenting that I’m an idiot for being happy with a draw at home – I think it’s a game we would have lost last season. And more to the point, it came on the back of the Southend game, another match where I think we would’ve probably lost, or certainly not won, last season.

We are a stronger unit this season, I honestly believe there isn’t one aspect of the squad where we haven’t improved and added some real quality.

That is true nowhere more so than in midfield where it’s now a proper battle royal to get a starting spot, six of us competing for at most three positions.

It hasn’t been ideal for me this season, the opening day against Wycombe saw me produce one of my worst ever displays for the County and while any one of us could’ve been taken off and then dropped, I had no cause for complaints that I was the one.

And then when my chance came round again, in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, I duly got injured. How’s your luck?

It hasn’t been entirely plain sailing, but I’m back fit now and ready to contribute in any way I can.

People have said some nice things about my recent performances off the bench and if that’s the role the gaffer has in mind for me – coming on when legs are tiring and trying to dictate the play a little bit – he knows he has my support.

And it works all ways. If the gaffer wants 90 minutes from me, he’ll get it. If he wants me to travel to Hartlepool but I don’t even make the match day squad, so be it.

The team is the most important thing. The collective. I’m always preaching that to the kids and I know I need to remember that when looking at my own situation.

We are off to Hartlepool this weekend and if we set off now, we should just about make it! In all seriousness, at six hours plus in the coach, both Hartlepool and now Carlisle are games we dread.

However, the fact is, our record hasn’t been good enough in the furthest areas away from Newport, the longer the travel, seemingly the less chance of us winning.

That’s not a situation we are content with and we need to set down a marker by winning and Hartlepool would be a great place to start the ball rolling.

They are a dangerous animal with a new manager and a fresh start, but they are bottom and we are seventh, it is us who should be full of confidence come 3pm today and hopefully we can keep up our good run of results.