NEW captain Joss Labadie says a win at Morecambe tonight will show their relegation rivals that Newport County AFC are not down yet.

Labadie scored the last-minute winner at Crewe Alexandra on Saturday to give caretaker manager Michael Flynn the perfect start to his reign following Graham Westley’s dismissal.

County had been 1-0 down before Dan Butler’s leveller and Labadie’s goal saw them move to within nine points of safety with a game in hand at the bottom of League Two.

And the midfielder, who wore the captain’s armband for the first time at Gresty Road, insists the players still believe they can beat the drop.

“Everyone in the dressing room believes that we can get out of this situation that we’re in and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” said the 26-year-old ahead of the trip to the Globe Arena.

“That is the first time this season that we’ve come from behind to win a game so we’ve shown great character and that’s what it’s going to need between now and the end of the season.

“It’s vital that we do get back-to-back wins and it’s something that we’re more than capable of and we believe we can do,” he added.

“It will send out a real message to the rest of the league that we’re not done yet and we’ll be fighting to the end.

“We believe. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. We proved it [on Saturday] and we’re not done yet.”

Labadie hopes Saturday’s team performance made up for the woeful display in the 4-0 home defeat to Leyton Orient that led to Westley’s dismissal.

“We did owe the fans something,” he said. “We’ve owed them something all season.

“It wasn’t good enough and hopefully we showed all the travelling fans [on Saturday] that we are sorry and we are trying to put it right and we’re going to try between now and the end of the season.

“There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes but as professionals you just need to knuckle down and focus on the football and doing the business on the pitch.

“That’s what we’ll continue to do.”

He added: “The board have made their decision and that’s all in the past now.

“We need to look to the future and get out of the relegation zone. I’m really positive about the future.”

Flynn revealed that the decision for Labadie to take over as captain from Scot Bennett was one of the last that Westley made.

“Graham decided that before he left,” said the caretaker manager.

“I think Benno plays better without the responsibility and I think Joss needs the captaincy to stop him getting sent off.”

The skipper added: “It’s a great honour and I’ll try to lead the boys in the right manner.

“Benno’s happy, I’m happy and we’ve just got to pull together as a team and really kick on.”