MIDFIELD maestro Josh Sheehan is excited by the new-look Newport County AFC, insisting the current squad is a world away from the one he joined two years ago.

Sheehan became a firm fans’ favourite after arriving on loan from Swansea City in 2016 and his seven goals played a big part in helping County beat the drop that season.

He returned on a free transfer in January after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury and the 23-year-old has been impressed by the transformation of the Exiles under manager Michael Flynn.

Sheehan pointed to the superb team goal in the Carabao Cup win at Cambridge United, which involved nine players and 14 passes, as evidence of what the team is capable of this season.

“We’re passing the ball a lot more than we used to and team’s perceptions of us are changing,” he said ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Oldham Athletic.

“We used to get criticised for lumping the ball and relying on set-pieces but we’re playing good football now.

“You only have to look at the goal we scored at Cambridge to see what we can do as a team.”

As well as winning plaudits for the quality of their football, Flynn’s men have been picking up plenty of points and they are currently second in the table.

“Everyone’s happy, we’re playing for each other and we’re playing some good football,” said Sheehan.

“I’m not surprised by the way we’ve started because we’ve got a good team.

“It’s not the biggest squad but there’s plenty of quality and when we do have down times I think we’ve got the mentality to cope with that.

“We’ve got a good mix of youth and experience but we’re not getting carried away because we’ve only played six games and we’re just trying to take it game by game at the moment.”

Sheehan expects a battle at Boundary Park tomorrow but he is confident that County can prevail.

“Oldham is a tough trip,” he added. “They’ve started well but so have we and the way we’re playing at the moment we fancy our chances against anyone.

“We showed at Port Vale that we can defend well and be clinical in both boxes and if we can do that again we believe we can get a result this weekend.”

And the former Wales under-21 international is hoping to show he still has the killer instinct in front of goal after failing to find the net so far this season.

“Everyone is scoring but me at the moment but I was top scorer when I was on loan here and I didn’t play until October that year,” said Sheehan.

“I got seven goals between October and January so there’s plenty of time for me to get on the scoresheet.

“Playing in the number 10 role is good for me. I think it’s one of my best positions and I feel like I’m getting better with every game.”