Mickey Demetriou: Newport can stay in promotion hunt

A nightmare run of form in League Two has led to a feeling of doom among the County faithful.

The Exiles have won just twice since December 8 - both against strugglers Grimsby - and have slid down the table after setting the pace at Christmas and the start of the year.

County have taken just eight points from a possible 36 and will look to keep up with the pacesetters by winning on the road at Walsall this evening (kick-off 5.30pm).

"We are still there or thereabouts, which shows the benefit of how well we did at the start of the season," said the central defender. "There are 18 games left, we are in a blip and only we can get ourselves out of it.

"If you go through the results of every season we have a blip and we do find our way out of it. Fingers crossed we can do that again, starting at Walsall.

"Look at this season and nobody is running away with it. Everyone can beat each other and we have to go there and put in a big performance. We need to start picking up three points.

"Hopefully people will stay with us because the effort is there from everyone. Nobody is giving in, we know that we are a good squad and we just need to prove it again.

CONTENDERS: Mickey Demetriou believes Newport can stay in the promotion battle

"We know that we are good enough. We've lost a couple of players but have brought quality and know we have a good squad.

"We need to believe in ourselves because we are the only people that can ourselves out of this, and hopefully it starts at Walsall."

The 30-year-old joined County in January 2017 and is 12 games shy of a double-century for the club.

Demetriou joined when the Exiles were staring at a return to the National League but now they are a team who were setting the pace in the first half of the campaign.

That has put a target on their back despite their spluttering form, according to Demetriou.

"We are a scalp, we are one of the big teams in the league and everyone wants to beat us," he said.

"That is a compliment to us and proves we have done something right, we just have to find our way back to that form."

County try to return to winning ways on the grass of Walsall before returning to home soil to face Stevenage.

BATTLING: Mickey Demetriou in action for Newport County AFC

The Exiles' expansive style from the first half of the campaign has been hit by the poor state of Rodney Parade but Demetriou isn't interesting in using that as an excuse during the run-in.

"There is a lot of talk about the pitch and it's not ideal but we can't do anything about it and it has been like that for the four years that I have been here," he said.

"Every year around this time it does go, but we still passed the ball about against Forest Green. "We would love to have a pitch like it was at the start of the season, when we showed what we can do, but we can't dwell on that.

"We performed well against Forest Green, we stopped them creating chances and created a few ourselves but just didn't take them.

"Score first on that pitch and it is hard to lose because it is hard to create, but it's the same for both teams and we did that against Grimsby when we held out for the win."

County's season will be shaped by how they fare on other pitches in the coming weeks with the home game against Stevenage followed by four trips from five.

They travel to promotion-chasing Tranmere and Colchester before hosting Bradford City. The Exiles then head to Morecambe and Port Vale.