MIDFIELDER Ed Upson will be in the thick of the action at Salford City this afternoon as Newport County AFC attempt to repeat their away-day exploits in the north west of England.

The Exiles triumphed 1-0 at Tranmere last weekend after hitting the front and then defending with determination.

More of the same will be needed at Moor Lane against a Salford side attempting to spark their season into life.

Upson will be pivotal both in attack and defence after making an impressive start at Newport following his departure from Bristol Rovers.

The 31-year-old had big boots to fill after playmaker Josh Sheehan left for Bolton Wanderers in League One but the early signs are promising.

"Ed's been really good so far and has settled in really well so far," said assistant coach Wayne Hatswell.

"He has fallen into that deep-lying position and he is very good technically. He is switched on if our outside centre-backs or Matty Dolan steps in [to midfield] – he is clever enough to be the balance.

"Whenever we have gone through Ed, he has kept the ball for us and I have liked what I have seen. He is a good player and has fitted in well."

Salford's spending power means they are expected to be in the promotion mix but they have made a poor start.

They drew against Leyton Orient and Sutton at home, lost at Crawley then suffered another defeat at Moor Lane to Swindon.

County make the trip with the intention of following the blueprint from Prenton Park, when Alex Fisher's second-half goal was the difference.

"We've got to try and keep them quiet and the first goal could be quite important, as it was in Tranmere," said Hatswell.

"If we can get it then it might just heap a little bit more pressure on them. They've not been getting the best results at the moment so might think 'here we go again, it's not our day'.

"If we can get our heads in front it could be pivotal and give us something to hang onto. We've got to play our way into the game and apply ourselves correctly to cause them a few problems."

There is no chance of County taking Salford lightly despite their sluggish start and they know all about the qualities of two of the hosts' line-up.

South Wales Argus: MOVED ON: Liam Shephard played more than 50 times for Newport County last season

Goalkeeper Tom King and defender Liam Shephard, both starters for the Exiles at Wembley in May, signed for the Ammies this summer.

"Sheppy will bring a different dimension last year when they had a right-back who was predominantly a centre-back," said Hatswell.

"They had a good goalkeeper in [Vaclav] Hladky who has moved on but they have a good replacement in King.

"It will be nice to see them but we will concentrate on what we can do… and hopefully Tom is picking the ball out of his net!"

"Salford have a good squad and are strong in everything they do. They haven't started the best but will be trying to change that and we have to make sure we apply ourselves in the right manner.

"If we do then hopefully we can get a good result like we did at Tranmere."