NEWPORT County AFC defender Ryan Inniss is determined to repay manager Michael Flynn and the club for sticking by him following his five-game ban for biting an opponent.

The incident happened against West Ham United under-21s in the Leasing.com Trophy in September, in what was only his second appearance for the club following his loan move from Crystal Palace.

Speaking for the first time since his ban, Inniss admits that he feared he would be sent straight back to Selhurst Park and he’s grateful to have been given a second chance by Flynn.

Now he wants to reward the manager for his faith as he aims to help County win promotion to League One.

“I made a mistake and I’m trying to put it behind me,” said Inniss ahead of today’s home clash with Salford City.

“I’ve served the suspension and I’ve donated to a charity of West Ham’s choice.

“That’s all I could do and now I just want to concentrate on playing.

“Obviously, I’ve had a bit of a colourful past and I’ve got issues to deal with but being away from home and being with these lads [is good for me].

“I was worried [about being sent back to Palace] but the gaffer and the club have stood by me and I just want to repay them now.

“It’s about what I can do next and not what I’ve done before.”

South Wales Argus:

Flynn wants Inniss to focus on football and avoid any more “silly rushes of blood to the head” and the centre-back believes he can do that.

“I think I’m more settled here now,” said the 24-year-old.

“I’m a passionate person and maybe I was trying too hard before. It’s no excuse and obviously it sets a bad example.

“I always want to be the best role model I can be and it’s made me a better person and a better player here.

“I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to produce after that and I want to keep working hard and proving my worth to the team.”

And, while his main aim is to keep goals out, Inniss hopes to put his 6ft 5ins frame to good use in attack as well as defence.

“I should be scoring more,” he said. “I feel like I’m a presence in both boxes. I’m getting on the end of a lot of things at the moment, especially at home, so I’m hoping to produce more goals.

“Ryan Haynes has got a wonderful delivery and we work a lot on set-pieces so I need to do it justice.

“If we can add goals from everywhere in the team then it’s only going to make us better.”

South Wales Argus:

County will be aiming to put last week’s 3-1 defeat at Colchester United behind them and get back on track at Rodney Parade, where they are unbeaten since February in the league.

“That wasn’t us last week,” said Inniss. “It hurt me and it hurt the boys so we obviously want to bounce back.

“We’re strong at home and we enjoy playing there so we want to get out there as soon as possible.

“We’ve got that extra little bit of belief at home and when we step out at Rodney Parade, it feels a little different.

“When you build up momentum, the train keeps on rolling and it’s hard to stop. We want to keep that going.”

Read more: Newport County boss wants Crystal Palace loanee Ryan Inniss to focus on his football