STRIKER Ade Azeez is determined to put his midweek misery behind him and fire Newport County AFC to victory on his return to Cambridge United today.

Azeez took the unusual step of apologising to the County fans via Twitter for his below-par performance as a substitute during Tuesday night’s 0-0 home draw with Swindon Town.

The 25-year-old’s public mea culpa was well received by the Exiles supporters and he’s vowing to repay them by helping secure a crucial win at the Abbey Stadium this afternoon.

“I set myself high standards when I play and I knew I wasn’t good enough on Tuesday when I came on and I had to apologise for that,” he explained.

“I always work hard but it was just one of those nights where nothing was going right for me.

“The fans have been great with me from the day I made my first appearance.

“They’ve always got behind me so when I feel like I played badly and let people down I put my hands up and apologise.

“I’ve been working hard in training to get my mind right and put that game behind me,” he added.

“The beauty of football is that, if you feel you haven’t done what you can, you can always put it right in the next game and I’ll be aiming to do that by helping us get three points.”

South Wales Argus:

Azeez moved to Rodney Parade from Cambridge in a permanent deal on deadline day in January and he’s looking forward to returning to his old club.

Rather than focusing on proving a point to his former employers, he’s concentrating on earning the three points that will keep County in the play-off mix.

Michael Flynn’s men are five points behind seventh-placed Exeter City with a game in hand.

Cambridge also have something to play for as they are 20th in the table, eight points above the bottom two with five games left to play.

“It’s a big game against my former club,” said Azeez. “Obviously, we’re pushing for the play-offs and they’re fighting for survival.

“So there’s a lot riding on it and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’ve had a few messages from the likes of David Amoo, who I lived with, but we’re rivals now and with the importance of the game we’re trying to stay focused.

“I don’t really feel like I have anything to prove.

“It’ll be nice to see a few old faces. I was there for two years and I enjoyed my time there, but I’m a Newport player now and I just want to do well for Newport.

“There is excitement and a feeling that we can make the play-offs,” he added. “You always want to be fighting for something and if we can keep that going until the last day it will be an exciting end to the season.”

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