NEWPORT County's self-confessed 'destroyer', Chris Curran, is straining at the leash to take part in the club's Nationwide South relegation dogfight.

The veteran defender comes back from injury ahead of Saturday's colossal clash at Lewes, the penultimate match of the season where victory would virtually secure safety and avoid a do-or-die finale against Maidenhead, and he can't wait to join the battle.

"I trained this week and am looking forward to it, hopefully I'll be selected," he said. "This is not the position that anybody wants to be in but it is exciting for fans and players and we know what we have to do."

"At the end of the season you either gain promotion or get relegated and if we stay up, it will feel like winning the league.

"It doesn't matter how we do it, the main thing is that we stay in the division."

Curran admits that he has got the image of an enforcer, but he is more than happy with the mantle.

"I know that I am more of a destroyer than a creator," he explained. "But every team needs that kind of player so that the ones like Jason Bowen can go and play.

"It is in my make up to shout and be organised and that has only got more important with the experience that I have gained."

Curran's determination will be on show on Saturday and he added: "It is away and it is going to be difficult but we are going to Lewes to win the match.

"We go out to win every match but this one especially because we know the rewards. "If we win, we are just about safe and can go for it because we still have the fallback of the last game against Maidenhead."

The veteran defender believes that the County fans can also play their part in arguably the club's most important week since its conception in 1989.

"The support has been fantastic and no doubt there will be a cracking away support on Saturday," he said.

"Lewes probably won't know what has hit them."

Curran has suffered the agony of relegation before, as part of the Exeter side that lost League status two seasons ago, and that experience has made him all the more wilful to avoid a repeat.

"Relegation is not a nice experience," he explained. "But you learn from it when you reflect on a campaign and what I learned is that I do not want do go through that again.

"Going down ruins your summer, your year, the lot and it is my job to impress that on some of the younger players who have not experienced it.

"It was a similar situation at Exeter as we have here. We were winning games but did not get out of trouble because other sides are winning also.

"Unfortunately it is not about being top of the form leagues that counts."

He added: "These games are a massive test of character and I think that we have that character in the dressing room."