IT FELT good to walk away from The Hive without seeing a defeat, hardly a breath-taking performance from Newport County AFC but a big step forward.

It’s not easy to see the league table and be optimistic, it never is. But with a whole new team, it’s going to take time for these players to blend together and slowly we are starting to look better and better.

I’d say the draw was an improvement from last week, Colchester are a good side and play good football but I didn’t think we saw the best of them.

The same could be said for Barnet, but this is a team that only a few months ago bullied us in the air and at times looked totally in control as we met them at Rodney Parade.

John Akinde is a prime example of a real force at this level, people talk about top strikers and I do think he is one of the best in the division.

This is a man who makes defenders work hard, finds gaps and almost always finds away to get highest in the air; add to that the fact he is a sublime finisher.

But a sturdy defensive performance stopped him adding to his impressive goal tally, with thanks to the superb shot stopping of Joe Day.

But what’s most encouraging is that we seem a bit more comfortable, or dare say it relaxed at the back.

Everyone seems to know their role and how to execute it well, and being competent and almost defending methodical means that there’s no silly errors that have cost County numerous goals so far this season.

Now attention has to turn to getting goals, which is something the new County side haven’t been so prolific at.

Aaron Williams was a frustrated figure as his run went unnoticed by Alex Samuel, whise chip from outside the box was just inches from finding the net.

With more familiarity, which comes with time, these sort of plays will be routine and we’ll start to see this dangerous link up play which, if executed correctly, can provide a vital goal.

County fans nodded their heads after the last two results as if to say ‘yes, we’ll take that,’ but returning to Rodney Parade on Saturday against a Hartlepool United side who only sit seven points from safety, there is hunger for a victory.

And there’s no better chance to get back to back wins this season than now.