CARETAKER manager Michael Flynn believes his Newport County AFC players will bounce back from Monday’s 6-1 thrashing at Plymouth Argyle and show they are still up for the fight this weekend.

Flynn has guided County to five wins from his nine games in charge and they remain just one point from safety with three games left to play at the bottom of League Two.

And he’s backing his players to put Monday’s disappointment behind them and return to winning ways against Accrington Stanley at Rodney Parade on Saturday.

“This won’t damage confidence,” he said of the defeat at Home Park, when hosts Plymouth celebrated promotion to League One.

“The boys have had a lot of knocks already this season but they’ve bounced back.

“They’re a great group with good character. They’re giving me everything and that’s all I can ask for.

“Plymouth was one step too far but they’ll rest up now and be ready to go again on Saturday.

“It can’t get any worse that Monday,” added Flynn. “We got a drubbing and the pressure is back on Hartlepool now. We’re the ones chasing them.

“We’re at home on Saturday and we’ll give it a right good go and try to get three points on the board.”

Relegation rivals Hartlepool United, who lost 2-1 at bottom club Leyton Orient on Monday, host mid-table Barnet on Saturday.

Flynn knows his side will be up against it as they take on a Stanley side who are unbeaten in 15 games and still have a chance of making the play-offs but he is confident in his players’ ability, despite the drubbing in Devon.

“It’s not the time to go picking out individuals or playing the blame game,” said the Exiles boss.

“We’ll discuss it as a team and go through things where we could have been better.

“But there are three games left in the season so it’s not the time to single out individuals.

“We have to forget it and move on – that’s all we can do.

“It’s a poor result but it’s a one-off. We haven’t looked like conceding six in three games, let alone one.

“But these teams are top of the table for a reason and they showed why,” he added.

“It’s something that we’ll learn from and dust ourselves down from and go again.

“We’re still a point off safety – we’re not any further behind.

“We had the hardest fixture but we’ve just got to keep fighting.”

Asked for a message to the 337 fans who travelled to Plymouth and for those planning to attend the home clash with Accrington on Saturday, Flynn said: “Keep believing.

“Monday was the day I was worried about on paper and it’s out of the way and we’re no worse off.

“Now we can really give it a go on Saturday and try to finally get out of the bottom two.”