‘I JUST cannot see where the next win is coming from’ was the prevailing mood of many Newport County AFC supporters after Saturday’s eighth straight defeat.

The Exiles are still five points from safety at the bottom of League Two and it’s fair to say that few fans agreed with manager Graham Westley’s description of the trip to Stevenage as “a very positive afternoon.”

But the club’s chairmen Gavin Foxall and Malcolm Temple are keeping the faith with the man who replaced Warren Feeney in October and inspired a seven-match unbeaten run before the recent travails.

Foxall and Temple have issued a joint statement backing Westley to keep County in the Football League.

“Ours was not a small problem and wasn't going to be a quick fix,” they explained.

“It was a significant issue needing major surgery.

“But we have united around the job and have total faith in each other that we will pull through.”

It could be read as the ‘dreaded’ vote of confidence by some but there appears to be no prospect of another managerial change.

And the board of directors will give Westley more funds to add to the six players he has already brought in since New Year’s Day.

The most interesting line of the statement was the conclusion, as Foxall and Temple urged fans to “give the players and management their full backing as they search for the vital nine or so wins that we are likely to need as a minimum.”

Nine wins from the 22 remaining matches, as well as a draw or two, may just about be enough to keep County up but the stats show it would be a close call.

Another 27 points would put the Exiles on 44 for the season and over the last five seasons the average number of points needed to beat the drop in League Two has been 45.

In 2012 Hereford United went down on 44 and the following year Barnet dropped into non-league with 51 points.

In 2014 Bristol Rovers were relegated with 50 points and in 2015 Cheltenham Town went down with 41.

Last year was an anomaly with both York City and Dagenham & Redbridge managing just 34 points, which skews the average slightly.

The likelihood is that Westley’s men will need to amass a total closer to 50 points to guarantee that they will retain their Football League status for another year.

So where are they going to get those nine wins (and six draws)?

With the new signings settling in and more to come this week it seems likely that things might get worse before they get better.

And a glance at their opponents’ form only increases that suspicion.

Colchester United, who come to Rodney Parade this weekend, have won seven of their last eight games to climb into the play-off places in sixth.

And on January 21 it’s a trip to Barnet, who have won six of their last eight to rise to seventh.

But after that things look brighter with a winnable home game against 19th-place Hartlepool United, who haven’t won away since October 1.

Then it’s the big one at Cheltenham on February 4, which looks like a must-win.

The Robins are in 23rd place – four points above the Exiles – and have lost six of their last seven in the league as well as being knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Sutton United.

Back-to-back wins would give the Exiles a major boost and the rearranged home clash with Morecambe on February 21 looks like another possible three-pointer.

Westley will also no doubt chalk up Leyton Orient at home (March 3) and Morecambe away (March 14) as potential wins.

Home matches against Crawley Town and Yeovil Town in April also look favourable with both teams likely to be safe from relegation and out of the promotion picture.

And if it’s still on a knife-edge come the final fortnight of the season you could hardly ask for better fixtures than home games against fellow strugglers Accrington Stanley (April 22) and Notts County (May 6).

County won’t prevail in all of those games but on top form they are capable of winning many of them.

And they will also be highly motivated for the visit of Luton Town on February 28 and hopeful that their remarkable winning run at Portsmouth continues on March 25.

A vast improvement is needed throughout a team that has scored just seven goals and conceded 24 in a run of 10 games without a win in all competitions.

And Westley knows that another three or four new recruits are required.

But all hope is not lost, even if County are beaten by Colchester and Barnet to make it 10 successive defeats in League Two.

If the Exiles are still on 17 points a month from now, however, then the chairmen may have to issue a very different statement.