MICHAEL Flynn hailed the return of his key figures as Newport County AFC revived their promotion hopes with a precious win at Walsall.

The Exiles took the spoils at the Bescot Stadium thanks to captain Joss Labadie’s goal in the 70th minute, the midfielder nodding home at the second attempt from Ryan Haynes’ cross.

It was County’s best performance in weeks and lifts them back up to sixth, three points back on third-placed Cheltenham.

They have been on a nightmare run, in part due to costly dismissals and suspensions, but if they can record back-to-back wins by beating Stevenage at Rodney Parade on Saturday then they will once again be pushing for League One.

“We were really good,” said Flynn. “We still weren’t quite as sharp as I wanted in the final third, and that’s not just the strikers.

“Some of the football that we played was superb and it’s nice to have all your players available again, key players in Joss Labadie, Josh Sheehan, Liam Shephard, Scot Bennett who we have missed through red cards, and it’s nice to play on the green stuff.

“They were all brilliant. In the final third we could have been better but we still tried to put the ball in the right areas. I guarantee if Dom Telford is playing against us that would have been a goal.”

County headed to the West Midlands with just two wins since December 8, both against Grimsby, and after taking just eight points from a possible 36.

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“We haven’t been on a great run, I am not hiding from that,” said Flynn. “It’s been tough and it’s been frustrating but we’ve all kept believing and have kept working hard.

“That’s the only way that you get out of it and it’s a nice three points tonight, thoroughly deserved.

“They are a great bunch who don’t get too carried away. It hurts them when they lose and we move onto Saturday now.

“It’s another tough game and we’ve got to get ourselves up for it at Rodney Parade, which is ironic because that is usually our safe place.”

County dropped out of the play-off spots on Tuesday night but climbed above both Exeter and Salford with three points.

When asked if he looks at the league table, Flynn said: “No, it’s tight. We just won a game, that’s it. I’d probably say with another four points we are safe!”

“I’ve gone past trying to tell everybody that it is a funny, strange season. We saw the results on Tuesday and teams are coming into form and teams are losing form,” he continued.

“The gaps are tighter all the way through the league and even the bottom teams are winning now – Southend have won at Forest Green.

“It is a funny, funny league. Teams are going to lose form and teams are going to go on runs, let’s just hope that we finish the season like we started it because if we do then we will be up.”