NEWPORT County AFC manager Justin Edinburgh may be forced back into the emergency loan market to replace Robbie Willmott and he’s determined to make Joe Day a permanent fixture at Rodney Parade.

The Exiles boss celebrated a second away win of the season on Saturday as Chris Zebroski’s last-minute header sank ten-man Dagenham & Redbridge.

But there is no time for Edinburgh to rest on his laurels with Southend United visiting Rodney Parade tomorrow night and work to be done in the transfer market.

Scans have revealed that Willmott’s foot injury, sustained in last week’s home win over York City, requires an operation and he could be out for up to five months.

Yan Klukowski is expected to fill in at right wing-back again tomorrow and Edinburgh is hopeful that Ryan Jackson will have shaken off his hamstring injury in time for the visit of Accrington Stanley next weekend.

But he admits that the squad may need further reinforcements after another big injury blow.

“That’s something that we’ll have to have a think about,” said Edinburgh.

“We’ll speak to the medical staff and see where we are but it does leave us a little bit light in the wide areas and that’s something we might have to look at.”

And the County manager is also already planning to retain goalkeeper Day, currently on loan from Peterborough United.

“Joe has been very quiet of late; he hasn’t been called upon but when it was 0-0 he made some good saves and that’s what we’ve come to expect of him,” said Edinburgh after Saturday’s 1-0 win in Dagenham.

“He certainly kept us in the game.”

And when asked how long he can keep the stopper, he responded: “Forever I hope. He’s with us until the beginning of December and that’s the 93 days of the emergency loan period.

“I think he’ll go back and maybe miss two or three games but then hopefully we’ll be able to secure his long-term future at the football club.

“He’s been brilliant and he’s enjoying it. He’s been with us for the run of one defeat in nine and that speaks volumes.”

County are up to ninth after Saturday’s victory but Edinburgh knows that eighth-place Southend, who are two points better off, will provide a stern test tomorrow.

“The league is tight from top to bottom and Southend are a good side,” he added. “They’ve been doing well of late so they’ll give us a tough game.”