NEWPORT County AFC midfielder Josh Sheehan insists he’s not thinking about his own future as he focuses on securing his place in the team and helping the Exiles seal a League Two play-offs spot.

Sheehan celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday by inspiring County to a 3-1 victory at Yeovil Town with an impressive second-half display.

It was a first start since December 8 for the former Swansea City man, who is one of 11 players out of contract this summer.

Sheehan knows he has to impress between now and the end of the season to earn a new deal.

And manager Michael Flynn was full of praise for his display at Huish Park, even seeking out the midfielder for a private chat after the final whistle.

“He just said I played really well and I was the best player on the pitch, which is great to hear,” said Sheehan.

“I just want to play my best for the team and get the three points. If people acknowledge that then I’m happy.

“It has been frustrating because I just want to play games,” he added.

“I want to play every minute of every game, so when you’re not [doing that] it’s natural that you get frustrated.

“But you’ve just got to keep working hard every single day and when you get your chance you have to take it. Hopefully I’ve done that.”

Asked about his contract situation, Sheehan said: “It’s a big eight games but I’ll just take it game by game. I don’t want to think about the future. That will take care of itself.”

South Wales Argus:

The win at Yeovil lifted County to 11th in the table and they are now six points below sixth-placed Forest Green Rovers with two games in hand.

“Everyone is buzzing in the changing room because we know it was a big step for our play-offs push,” said Sheehan.

“We knew this is where we needed to start getting the run going towards getting to our goal. The three points gets us on our way.

“There are eight games left and anything can happen. If we put a run together now and keep performing like this then why can’t we do it?

“Obviously, there are teams ahead of us but they’re not going to win every game so we’ve got to back ourselves and keep going.

“It’s back-to-back wins, which we haven’t done for a while, and we just want to win every game now. Why not? We know we can, so we’re just got to go for it.”

Saturday’s match saw County return to action after a two-week break and Sheehan believes that rest will stand them in good stead ahead of a busy end to the season.

“It probably did help us because it’s a long season through the winter,” he said.

“We had a nice little break and a few days off and it meant everyone could regroup and rest up physically and mentally.

“It worked and it’s good, because we’ve got seven games this month now and it’s going to be hectic.”

Home games against Tranmere Rovers this coming Saturday, Swindon Town next Tuesday, Bury on Good Friday and Lincoln City on April 27 offer the Exiles a crucial chance to gain points on teams who are above them in the table.

“The home games are going to be make or break and we’ve just got to win them all and make sure we take our chances,” said Sheehan.

“They’ll obviously be tough games but it means we can make up points on those teams and make them nervous looking down at Newport.

“If we put as much pressure as we can on them then hopefully, come the end of the season, we’ll have the rewards we want.”

Read more: The talking points from County's win at Yeovil

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