Michael Flynn: Wembley loss to Tranmere doesn't fuel Newport

The Exiles welcome the men from the Wirral to Newport for a first encounter since being pipped to a place in League One.

Connor Jennings' header in the 119th minute earned the spoils with Flynn at the time bemoaning the lack of VAR after Jamille Matt did not get a penalty when brought down after 85 minutes.

Tranmere came straight back down to League Two after the coronavirus pandemic curtailed the 2019/20 campaign but Flynn won't be thinking of Wembley heartbreak.

"It doesn't enter my head now," he said. "After the play-off final we were devastated and gutted but within 20 minutes of speaking to the players and seeing my little boy crying on the sideline as we walked into the dressing room, it had gone out of my head.

"I couldn't change it, we felt harshly done by with a couple of the decisions but my focus immediately switched to my little boy, who was upset, and then to responding the following season.

"What would be the point of me dwelling on that and feeling sorry for myself for the next four weeks? It would have been childish and silly, you just have to get on with it.

"The same would have happened if we had won because straight away all I would have been thinking about was recruitment for League One.

"It was a small turnaround in terms of time after going to the end of May and it was a four-week period when we had to rebuild."

There are just seven survivors in the County squad from the matchday 18 at Wembley - Mickey Demetriou, Robbie Willmott, Josh Sheehan, Joss Labadie, Scott Bennett, Padraig Amond and Matty Dolan.

Mark O'Brien, who was sent off for two bookings, and David Pipe have joined Flynn's backroom staff.

Newport County v Tranmere - Wembley 2019: Day; Poole, O’Brien, Demetriou; Willmott (Marsh-Brown, 106), Bennett, Sheehan (Bakinson, 91) Butler; Labadie (Dolan, 72); Amond, Matt (Azeez, 103)

Subs not used: Pipe, Crofts, McKirdy