NEWPORT County AFC have made giant strides under manager John Sheridan, but they won’t stay in the Football League unless they can start winning home games.

It’s absolutely incredible, unexplainable and frankly ridiculous that the Exiles haven’t won at home in eight months, since an Aaron O’Connor goal gave them a 1-0 success over Luton Town on March 17.

County have failed to win in 13 straight home games, spread over two seasons, while the Luton result is County’s ONLY win since January 10, meaning they’ve only won three home matches in 2015.

Since successive successes over Wycombe and Portsmouth in early January put Newport in the automatic promotion places, they’ve won one of 18 games at Rodney Parade, which is almost an entire campaign’s worth of home fixtures.

The stats don’t lie, but the reasons for County’s failures at home are impossible to pinpoint, even if we try.

Is it because of the pitch, the famed, notorious, Rodney Parade pitch? Three teams, two rugby sides, it can’t be good?

Actually it is. The combination of the completed drainage work, paid for by the Exiles, and the incredible efforts of the ground staff, mean Rodney Parade’s playing surface is comparable or better than the others in the division.

Is it because of the fans, the prickly fans who get on the players’ backs and don’t support them?

Absolutely not. County’s attendances might dwindle and fluctuate based on success, which is leading to worse attendances than everyone would like, but the fanbase hasn’t and doesn’t tend to turn on the players.

Even under Terry Butcher, when things were at times really bad, the players could still rely on the fans’ support. They definitely aren’t the issue.

Is it tactical then? It must be tactical?

It doesn’t seem so, even though County’s three at the back system is condusive to counter-attacking play.

The Exiles have the quality of players to assert themselves at home, but this season, they haven’t led at Rodney Parade. Not even once. Every draw has been a comeback.

I’m taking the fact that County’s home form is unexplainable as being a good thing. There is no reason, apart from confidence, why they can’t get back to winning ways in front of their own fans.

And they must. This recent run has underlined that County have every chance of achieving survival this season under their new management team.

But they have to start winning home games.