WAYNE Hatswell received a post-match message of congratulations from Michael Flynn after Newport County AFC paid tribute to their former boss with a professional thrashing of Scunthorpe.
The Exiles started life without Flynn in fine style, easing to a 3-0 win over the Iron thanks to goals by Ollie Cooper, Courtney Baker-Richardson and Dom Telford.
It was a win that lifted County to 12th in the League Two table, a point off the play-offs at this early stage, and boosted morale after a tough week.
Flynn’s departure after more than four successful years at the helm was confirmed on Friday with the manager then heading to training to say his goodbyes to the squad.
His assistant took the reins for the clash against Scunthorpe and after the commanding display, admittedly against a side that look set for a relegation scrap, received a swift “well done, mate” message from his former boss.
“I said it in the team meeting that Friday was the gaffer’s day to say goodbye and that today was more about maintaining professional standards,” said Hatswell.
“He wished me luck, he is not going to just go on holiday and forget about it. He put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into Newport County.
“It’s been a difficult and emotional week and the players have been part of that. How professional they were was pleasing and I didn’t expect anything less than that.
“The manager was missing but there wasn’t a lot of change, we tried to keep things normal and get them as prepared as we could.
“We knew Scunthorpe would bring a physical challenge, and we dealt with that. We got the win for the manager and for everybody else.”
County got their noses in front through Cooper and stepped things up in the second half, getting their reward when Baker-Richardson curled home a cracker before Telford sealed things with a delightful flick.
“It was a good day at the office. We got back to winning ways, which was the most important thing,” said Hatswell.
“We scored the first goal and that was key because it put them on the back foot and gave our lads a bit more belief.
“We played some great stuff in the second half and kept a clean sheet with Joe’s save at the end. It was a pleasing day.”
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