CAPTAIN Scot Bennett says the team spirit in the Newport County AFC dressing room is better than it was last season and defeat hurts more for this set of players.

Bennett played 14 games on loan with the Exiles last season – winning five, drawing five and losing four – before signing permanently from Notts County this summer.

He was handed the armband by manager Warren Feeney last week but his reign as skipper has started with two defeats and the defender is desperate to halt that run at Leyton Orient tomorrow.

“We’ve been very disappointed by both results,” said the centre-back.

“We’ve been in both games and probably been the better side in both games.

“But silly mistakes and errors at the wrong time mean we’ve lost the games.

“For us clean sheets are what we’re after and to concede to late on and to lose the game it does hurt and it ruins your weekend or the next day.

“You’re thinking about it all the time and it’s something we’re looking to put right.

“We're definitely working on it because we’ve got a good squad here and I think we could be up the right end of the table.

“It’s a different feel [to last season], he added. “The team spirit seems to be a lot better.

“The boys have bonded well in pre-season and I think the two losses have hurt more for this squad than maybe it would have done before.

“That’s always a good sign and I think once we gel a bit more and get to understand each other’s games more those mistakes should go.”

Bennett knows that Orient will provide a stern test but he says the Exiles are determined to halt their losing run.

“We’re confident and we’re going there looking to get the win,” said the 25-year-old.

“We want to show teams that we’re not weak at the back, that we can keep clean sheets.

“I think there’s always pressure on us and especially after two defeats we want to make sure we stop that rot.

“You don’t want to go on a run of losing games because it becomes habit and you don’t want that to start so early in the season.”