CLUB captain Andrew Crofts insist there is “real belief” amongst the players that Newport County AFC can still make the League Two play-offs.
Successive 0-0 draws with fellow promotion hopefuls Tranmere Rovers and Swindon Town have left County with very little margin for error in the race for the top seven.
But Tuesday’s stalemate with Swindon coincided with seventh-placed Exeter City losing at relegation-threatened Macclesfield Town.
That means Michael Flynn’s men are now five points below the Grecians with a game in hand.
And Crofts, who replaced the injured Joss Labadie during first-half stoppage time against Swindon, is adamant that the chase remains on with six games to go and 18 points still up for grabs.
“Football is a crazy game – we could go and win these six games,” said the former Wales international ahead of this weekend’s trip to Cambridge United.
“We’ve got a real belief. We’re really hard to beat now. We’re terrific at home, and we’ve taken that into the last couple of away games as well.
“If we can take that into the game against Cambridge, there’s no reason why we can’t go there and win.”
Crofts admitted that County didn’t deserve more than a point on Tuesday night and he praised the form of goalkeeper Joe Day.
“We obviously wanted to win the game, but Joe made a couple of good saves and I think a point was probably a fair result at the end of the day,” said the 34-year-old midfielder, who was making his first appearance since February 2.
“It’s a point gained on Exeter so it’s still very much all to play for and hopefully we can go to Cambridge come away with the points.
“I think we just want to go and win every game now,” he added.
“We’re unbeaten in four and we just have to keep that run going, keep that momentum going and try to win as many of the six games as we can and we’ll see where that takes us.
“We look solid as a unit and we know we’ve always got goals in us as well, so hopefully we can start putting a few away like we have done all season.
“If we can keep up the clean sheets and add a few goals we won’t be far away.”
After Saturday’s trip to struggling Cambridge, County host fourth-placed Bury on Good Friday.
They then go to Macclesfield on Easter Monday before welcoming leaders Lincoln City and a resurgent Oldham Athletic to Rodney Parade on April 27 and April 30 respectively.
The regular League Two campaign concludes at Morecambe on May 4.
“There’s nothing worse than coming to the end of the season and knowing you’ve got nothing to play for,” said Crofts.
“We know we’ve still got a lot to play for and we want to get as many points as possible.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel