MICHAEL Flynn wants a reaction from his players at Port Vale today following Newport County AFC’s Carabao Cup defeat to Oxford United.
The Exiles crashed out of the cup on Tuesday night, losing 3-0 to their League One opponents after conceding twice in the first four minutes.
Boss Flynn made a number of changes to his starting line-up with the likes of Matty Dolan (groin) and Mark Harris (thigh) out injured.
“I’m looking for a reaction and a bit more quality from what we showed on Tuesday,” said Flynn ahead of the game at Vale Park.
“We lost against a team who started better than us and scored two goals in four minutes.
“There might be a few changes, but on the injury front, it’s a bit more positive than going into Tuesday’s game.
“One had a dead leg (Harris) and one is having a problem with his pubic bone (Dolan) so we’ve got to make sure they are both right.
“That was the importance of getting a couple of minutes into a few on Tuesday because if the two were out today then we would have needed people fresh for Saturday.
“It’s not that I didn’t care about the cup, I’ve got to think of the long term and what’s best for the team.
“I’m sure if I’d played a full team on Tuesday and we’d won then a couple got injured and we lost on Saturday, it would be my fault.
“You can’t win sometimes so I did the best thing for the players and the club on Tuesday night, and take away the start I thought they did quite well.”
On the hosts, he added: “They’ve signed some good players. It’s always tough going there and it’s going to be a tough game, like every game is in League Two.
“I’ve been there plenty of times as a player and went there last season as a manager.
“It’s a huge pitch and hopefully we can take advantage of that.”
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