IF the bookies are to believed it looks like a straight fight between Mark Yates and Graham Westley to become the next manager of Newport County AFC.

Both have come in for their fair share of criticism but both are credible candidates to replace Warren Feeney at Rodney Parade.

Having dismissed 35-year-old Feeney last week, the board of directors have stated their belief that a more experienced man is needed to preserve the club’s Football League status.

Yates has been a manager for 10 years, guiding Kidderminster Harriers to an FA Trophy final in 2006, taking Cheltenham Town to the League Two play-offs in 2012 and 2013 and keeping a poor Crawley side up last season before being sacked in April.

Before taking over at Crawley, where he employed former Exiles boss Jimmy Dack as his assistant, Yates was interviewed for the job but lost out to Terry Butcher in May 2015.

His side promptly did the double over County – earning Butcher the sack in October last year after a 3-0 win at Rodney Parade and beating Feeney’s men 2-0 in the reverse fixture in March.

He lives locally and he wants the job but, if County can get him, I think Westley could be just what the club needs in their current predicament.

The 48-year-old has two decades of management experience under his belt having started off at Kingstonian in 1996 after a broken leg ended his nomadic playing career.

He first made his mark by guiding Farnborough Town to an FA Cup fourth round tie against Arsenal in 2003.

That led to the first of three spells at Stevenage where he reached two FA Trophy finals, winning one, and secured the club’s first ever promotion to the Football League in 2010.

That was followed by promotion to League One via the play-offs the following year, having signed Craig Reid from County, in a season when Stevenage also beat Premier League Newcastle United in the FA Cup.

Westley endured a torrid time at Preston North End where his methods upset members of the squad and he was apparently criticised by one fan who thought eating a Jaffa Cake showed too much respect to rivals Blackpool (who play in tangerine).

But he led Peterborough into the League One play-off positions last season, helped by the goals of former Exiles star Conor Washington, before a slide down the table led to him being sacked in April.

Westley claims much of the credit for turning Washington into a £3m striker at Posh and the Northern Ireland international admits his unique brand of man-management inspired him.

"He used the analogy that your mum is locked up with a gun to her head in a room and the only way you can get her out is to win," Washington told The Times earlier this year.

"How would that affect your performance? It struck a massive chord with me and a few other players.

“He said it was not the nicest thing to think of but use it if it gives you that edge and aggression."

It’s an interesting insight into the mind of a man who is CEO of a company called AIMITA, which stands for Attitude Is More Important Than Ability.

Westley may not be popular with players unused to his unorthodox methods and wary of double training sessions but it may be that the current squad would respond better to more of an authority figure.

In public at least, Feeney gave the impression of being one of the lads and, was, so it seems, almost universally loved by everyone – apart from the fans towards the end of his tenure.

But the County players don’t need a friend as boss and, by all accounts, Westley certainly won’t be a soft touch.

Another criticism is that his style of play is too direct but when you’re bottom of League Two it’s results that matter.

And, given the pitch problems, we’re not likely to be treated to Total Football at Rodney Parade whoever takes charge.

Director of operations Gavin Foxall says the new man will have to play a part in building for the future and Westley has proved at Stevenage at least that he can do that.

Four managers have come and gone since Justin Edinburgh moved on to Gillingham in February 2015.

The club has been on a downward spiral since he left – from third in League Two a few weeks before his departure to 24th right now.

Westley’s CV suggests he has some of the qualities that made Edinburgh such a success in Newport and if does half as well as the former Spurs star then he would be an inspired appointment.