NEWPORT County boss Justin Edinburgh is in the running to take over at League One Gillingham, the bookies believe.

Edinburgh is the 7/2 third favourite to take over at the Gulls, following the departure of ex-England U21 manager Peter Taylor last year.

However, the Argus understands the relatively small odds are as a result of a flurry of activity prompted by comments from pundit Steve Claridge on the Football League show this week.

The ex-Leicester striker mentioned in passing that he’d seen Edinburgh at a Gillingham game in midweek and that has seen his odds tumble, going from 33/1 at the weekend to the point of now being third favourite.

However, the Argus understands that there has been no contact between the League One strugglers and the Exiles and with a year-and-a-half remaining on his existing deal, it remains to be seen if the Gills would potentially be willing to pay compensation should they target Edinburgh.

Better news for the Exiles is that Edinburgh, who still lives in Essex, isn’t even in the running for the Charlton Athletic job, which became vacant yesterday. Edinburgh has previously been linked with the Championship side.

Meanwhile, Pompey boss Andy Awford has called for a rule change following Newport’s controversial winning goal on Saturday.

He said: “I didn’t realise this until the referee told me but the fourth official is not allowed to comment on offside decisions, that is an FA rule,” he told the Portsmouth News.

“The linesman can’t see if he is interfering because he is the other side of the pitch, the referee probably hasn’t got the best of views – but we are right in line with it.

“Why can’t he say to his fourth official down his microphone: “Was he interfering?”.

“The obvious answer was yes, there is no doubt about that, we have seen that.

“I didn’t need the video to clarify it at the time but apparently that is not something a fourth official can get involved with.

“Substitutes can be done by the kit man; me and Justin (Edinburgh) can tell each other to step back into the technical area.

“So if he (fourth official) can help, why can’t he help? I don’t get that. I think there needs to be a change in the rules.

“If a player had been stood in front of Paul Jones and was running back I would have understood that, he’s not offside.

“But what I don’t understand is if he is running forward and across the line of the ball and in Paul’s eyes then how is that not offside for interfering with play?

“The referee told me that when he ran over to his linesman it was to ask if he (O’Connor) touched it.

“They didn’t ask each other if he was interfering, they didn’t even consider that. I knew he hadn’t touched it. The question should be is he in an offside position interfering with play – and blatantly yes.”