GRAHAM Westley has challenged his players to be “bloody-minded” and go out and grab success to ensure Newport County AFC avoid a relegation battle this season.

The club starts a new era at Yeovil Town today and Westley inherits a team three points adrift at the bottom of the table, albeit with two games in hand.

And the new manager says the mental approach of his players will be more important than anything else.

“People can say what they want about me as a manager,” said the 48-year-old former Stevenage, Preston North End and Peterborough United manager.

“They can say I’m the right man or the wrong man but the proof of the pudding is in the eating – in the results.

“Everyone wants to get positive results but you have to go a step further I think to be consistently successful.

“You have to make your mind up to succeed. You have to make your mind that you’re going to win.

“I often talk about the difference between the ‘wannabes’ in life and the ‘gonnabes’ in life.

“There are some people who go into situations hoping for the best and wanting success.

“And then there’s the people who decide that they’re going to go and get it – and they’re the ones I want around the football club.

“I want us to be a football club that is going to go and get success.

“It’s not easy. You have to be bloody minded to really get there but that’s the attitude I want to see.

“The first game is away and it’s a great opportunity for us as a football club to show what we’re capable of on the road, so let’s go and do that.”

Westley believes he is the man to inspire this group of players but he insists he’s also ready to listen to what they have to say.

“I’m sure that in this football club there are players that can win matches,” he said.

“It’s about inspiring them. It’s about encouraging them. It’s about bringing their very best out.

“And I’m sure that if we bring the very best out of this group of lads they can do a lot better than they’ve done before.

“The lads have responded really well,” he added. “They want to do well for the football club and there’s a willingness there to embrace what I’m asking of them.

“But you’ve got to be prepared to listen to the players as well.

“They know what it takes to win games and they know this dressing room a lot better than I do.”