Matty Dolan: League Two leaders Newport can mix it up

The Exiles will be on the motorways of England for the next three games with Tuesday’s trip to Grimsby (kick-off 7pm) followed by fixtures at Leyton Orient and Salford.

County will be racking up the miles but won’t park the bus; Michael Flynn’s side will look to take the game to their hosts in a bid to strengthen their promotion challenge.

They are setting the pace thanks to a change in style that has seen the ball played on the deck, with Dolan a key figure in that after moving from midfield to the centre of a back three.

The 27-year-old is confident County’s bid for League One won’t be derailed by winter weather and heavy pitches.

“The way we have recruited, we’ve shown we can play both sides,” said Dolan. “Ultimately we will want to pass the ball, but that will depend on the pitch.

“The management team will make the decision, but as players we know what we have to do to adapt.

“It isn’t going to be pretty all the time, but if we doing have to switch it up we have that element in our game. We aren’t afraid to do both sides.”

Dolan kept his nerve with a late penalty in Saturday’s 2-1 win against Morecambe at Rodney Parade.

The hard-earned win was the perfect way to lead into the fixtures at Blundell Park, Brisbane Road and Moor Lane, with Flynn likely to need to tinker with his team to keep players fresh.

“Recovery is the most important thing. We’ve got a bigger squad now than in the past that can be used,” said Dolan.

“The medical department do a great job in keeping us fit and ready and we will go away solely focussed on picking up three points. That’s the only goal for us.

“They are long trips, but they are always better when you come back with three points.

“We need to keep our performance levels high. In previous years we have taken a bit of a dip in December, but we’ve got 25 very good footballers here and the impact of the subs has been fantastic.

“You get disappointed when you are not playing but everyone has been fantastic in training.”

County are also there to be shot at as the leaders with almost a third of their season gone, with tomorrow’s game in hand presenting the chance to go seven points clear of fourth-placed Carlisle.

“We’ve had some tough games at Grimsby, but also some good wins. They will see us as a scalp,” said Dolan, ahead of the clash with the 20th-placed Mariners.

“Teams want to beat us, so it is up to us to keep performing and to keep the results coming. Everybody wants to beat the top team so we have to deal with that pressure.”