NEWPORT County AFC are ready to unleash top scorer Jamille Matt on Swindon Town today and the striker cannot wait to get back out on the pitch.

Manager Michael Flynn opted to rest the in-form front man for Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy tie at Cheltenham Town to keep him fresh for the trip to the County Ground.

Matt was not happy with that decision and he’s raring to go this afternoon as he looks to add to his impressive run of 10 goals in his last 14 appearances.

“I didn’t really want the rest but the manager made a decision and I had to deal with it,” said the 29-year-old.

“But I’m feeling refreshed and ready to go. It’s very nice to be getting a few goals this season and helping the team and I want to play as many games as possible.”

With Padraig Amond scoring from a midfield position at Whaddon Road and fellow strikers Mark Harris and Antoine Semenyo both earning the praise of the manager, Matt knows he has to keep performing to retain his starting spot.

And there will be increased competition all over the pitch with several players close to returning to fitness.

“I think everyone should welcome that – it should bring out the best in players,” said Matt.

“The more players we can get back fit, the stronger we’ll be.

“There are some big fixtures coming up so we’ll all have to knit together as a squad and everyone will have to play a part.

“The Christmas and New Year period is hectic and it’s a time I look forward to,” he added.

“A lot of players will say they prefer playing to training and we’ll be playing a lot more than training over the Christmas period.”

Joss Labadie returned from a nine-month lay-off on Tuesday and Matt is excited about the impact the midfielder could make.

“Labs has been training with us in and out for the last couple of weeks now,” he said.

“I’ve played against him in the past, so I knew he was a good player, but training with him you can see how good he is.

“And, with him being out for that long period, it shows how good he is for me to be saying that.

“As soon as we can get him back to match fitness, I’m sure it will be brilliant for the lads and a massive help in our push going forward.”

Labadie is not ready to start today but Matt is confident that the Exiles can beat Swindon.

“They’ve got a new manager so we know they’ll be up for it but we want to cement our place up there towards the top of the table so we want to go and get three points.

“If we play to our strengths, I think we’ll have too much for them.

“We need to be confident in our own ability because we are a good team. We’ve got a great bunch of players, a great team spirit and we’re playing some good football. We don’t fear anyone at the minute.”