THEY say necessity is the mother of invention and I think that’s certainly the case for Newport County AFC, the bottom club in the Football League.

After weeks of tub-thumping about the Trust – and I can only reiterate this again, my backing of the ONLY show in town and belief they are right for the future of the club doesn’t mean I think they can do no wrong – the Exiles are now on the brink, seemingly more and more likely to become the Football League’s sixth fan-owned club.

However, they still remain bottom of League Two and are the favourites with the bookies to be relegated this season while it has taken until nearly October to record a victory in any competition.

And yet, I can’t help but feel this period of re-adjustment and massive cloth cutting in terms of the budget, has truly come at the perfect time. The course of this ship has changed and it’s pointing the way to the future.

Of course, there is a big caveat to that point, not if you get relegated. If the change of ownership, management and vastly reduced playing budget leads to relegation, then the previous success of the likes of Les Scadding, Howard Greenhaf and Justin Edinburgh will be tainted as it was built on unsustainable foundations.

However, an inclusive future with the club being well run (living within its means) and more transparent to fans – as we’ll be owners soon, if the deal goes through – is a positive and whisper it quietly, but rumours of County’s total demise on the field have been greatly exaggerated.

One summer doesn’t make a swallow, but it is a fact that Newport County’s performances this season have been better than results suggested, only two games so far – Plymouth away and York at home – making Newport seem like a side destined for a dog-fight all term.

Generally speaking, for a completely new group and a new management team, there is rightly a feeling of optimism within the camp.

And in terms of shaping the future, I think Terry Butcher has hit the jackpot even if it wasn’t necessarily done with the long term future of the club in mind.

Namely, that Newport County AFC, one of the poorest clubs in the Football League, in terms of assets, fanbase and stature should absolutely continue to aim, long term, to have among the youngest squads in League Two.

It’s not as if County had to rely on youngsters this term due to budget, as has been suggested. It’s a clear choice by the manager. It’s also the correct one.

It’s easy to beat a boss like Butcher with the stick of previous failures when he’s got 40-years in the game and 20-years in management, but if we are being fair about things, we should also assume Butcher has learned by doing. The fact that his biggest success – Inverness – was one of his most recent posts, suggests that there is no reason as intelligent bloke wouldn’t have improved on the job, over a number of years.

And Butcher’s decision to pack County with youthful players for budgetary reasons, can now help shape the future.

He could have gone another route, Newport could have signed double the number of players from the Conference, 30-plus journeymen – and targeted no Football League players – or even scoured the local leagues, in order to present a squad on a budget. Faith in a number of youth team products is a choice and one that seems to be paying off.

The Exiles are now up and running with their first win of the campaign, the young squad assembled by Butcher are clearly in his corner and playing for hard for him and the fans have responded.

And in terms of looking ahead, this is a system that can work for County. Develop your own players, or sign them very young – like Regan Poole and Lee Evans in recent times – and give them the opportunity to flourish.

The Exiles were able to sell both those players at a great profit and will have similar designs on Aaron Collins, Tom Owen-Evans and Kieran Parselle. To a man, those boys look good enough to make the leap into Division Four. How many more kids are out there?

And how many will now want to come and play for the Exiles and Terry Butcher? Plenty, because they know they’ll get a chance. This is how reputations are established.

By the time I write this column again, the hope and expectation is that we will be entering a fan revolution, with County being nurtured by the people who love the club the most.

And any playing policy other than continuing to prioritise youth, would be a mistake.

The Exiles have found the formula to help sustain them in the future. Because if the kids are united; the club should never be divided.