NEWPORT County have a PR issue and Justin Edinburgh seems very cross about it, but it’s time for the club to at least in part embrace the misconceptions about them.

The old Millwall mantra of “no one likes us and we don’t care,” should fit perfectly for the Amber Army at the moment, illustrated by Saturday’s clash with Portsmouth.

On the field the Exiles are flying higher and higher and are now into the automatic promotion berths, but they are still considered by many to be a glorified rugby side with eight foot strikers, a kick and rush policy and a rugby pitch not fit for purpose because of last season’s travails.

Notwithstanding the possibility of apocalyptic weather or Aaron O’Connor playing on stilts, none of the above is remotely true, but who cares if people think it is?

Edinburgh was clearly riled by some pretty innocuous comments on the Portsmouth News website about his side and he used it to his advantage, ensuring his players shared the annoyance and using it to add extra motivation to an incredibly resolute display.

If Newport County feel like it is them against the world in their bid to secure an incredibly unlikely promotion then that is no bad thing at all.

What is less easy to put a positive spin on, is the perception of Newport’s supporters, because Saturday’s huge police presence and the decision to make the contest all-ticket on police advice, seems a little heavy handed in hindsight, at best.

I’ve covered so many County games over the years I’d need an abacus to work out the figure, but I could count on one hand the amount of time I’ve seen trouble and consider the Exiles to be no better or worse than any other club in terms of having an idiotic minority of so-called supporters who actively seek out confrontation.

Four arrests in total on Saturday tell their own story and the financial cost to the club – extra policing and lost revenue on the door due to it being all-ticket on Police advice – is unfortunate for a contest that should be viewed as a highlight of the campaign, not a fixture marked with a big red cross as a cause for concern.

Perhaps a more concerted effort by Gwent Police to consult with Newport County fan groups in the future and visa versa would prove beneficial for all parties going forward, because a crowd of 4,500 didn’t justify such a huge police effort and the arrest and attendance numbers make that clear.