CHAIRMAN Chris Blight breathed a massive sigh of relief on Saturday as Newport County avoided the drop from Nationwide South, but he insists that his focus is already on next season.

"It was the perfect end to a difficult season," Blight said after the 2-1 victory over Maidenhead that kept County up.

"The lads did the job that we thought they were more than capable of. Our hearts were in our mouths after they got the penalty and we were not sure what we were going to get in the last ten minutes, but it all turned out well.

"The season is now over and we have to start thinking immediately about what we are going to do next season.

"I am thrilled to bits, but we are now looking at what needs to be done regarding the formation of the team for the next campaign."

The chairman was equally thrilled to see 1,228 fans at Spytty Park, the biggest attendance of the season, which provided a tremendous atmosphere for the last-day escape.

"That gives us great confidence," he said. "It just goes to show that the support for Newport is out there and we need to work hard to make sure we have a good year next year."

The chairman admitted to supporters at a recent fans' forum that they had got this season wrong, and he is determined to learn lessons as he prepares to sit down with manager John Cornforth this week and discuss budget plans for the new term.

Cornforth's squad retention list is due out at the end of the week, with several players being expected to make way for new arrivals, but short of promising megabucks to the manager, the chairman was sending out good vibes.

Blight said: "I think we understand what we have had to spend to do what we have done this year.

"I'm sure we will look at next season in a different manner.

"We will look at the way some of the big hitters have gone out and shown what they can do when they pay £12,000-20,000 per week to players, and we have learned an awful lot from them."