Wimbledon's Anthony Hartigan hunts flying finish at Newport

Hartigan joined on loan from League One AFC Wimbledon in January with the aim of helping the Exiles to the third tier for next season.

The 21-year-old had featured frequently for the Dons but was shipped out to Newport with the aim of helping him turn from fringe player to the heartbeat of a side.

It hasn’t gone to plan.

Hartigan made his debut at Harrogate but made just five more appearances, two of them extremely brief cameos, before finding himself out of Flynn's thinking.

The manager used Josh Sheehan, Joss Labadie, Scot Bennett and Joe Ledley as his midfield options, but that changed on Tuesday.

Hartigan was given a start and repaid the faith of his boss. He grew into the game against Crawley and was a leading figure in the 2-0 win that kept County in seventh place.

TRICKY: The Rodney Parade pitch was challenging for Anthony Hartigan

It’s no coincidence that the loanee thrived on the much-improved Rodney Parade surface, spreading play and pinging the ball like Sheehan.

“In January we decided to stick with our principles and bring in technical players,” said Flynn.

“Anthony was brought here because of how good he is on the ball but unfortunately the pitches went.

“I didn’t expect the pitch to go as bad as it did – I never thought that I’d be managing Newport County in a home game at Cardiff City Stadium.

“That goes to show what a bad situation we were in. You can’t cover every base, even though you try to.”

Hartigan is under contract at Wimbledon for next season and admits the spell in Wales hasn’t gone to plan.

“I didn’t hit the ground running as I would have liked but it was never going to be easy,” he said.

“There is a lot of quality here and it is challenge to get into the team, there is healthy competition.”

TRICKY: The Rodney Parade pitch was challenging for Anthony Hartigan

Flynn praised Hartigan for staying sharp so that he could grasp his chance in midweek

“The training here is intense, especially when you are not playing,” said the Londoner. “I was happy when I saw the team and to get an opportunity was really good.

“Now I’d like to contribute pushing on and getting forward to around the box to get some shots off if I can.”

Hartigan is likely to retain his starting spot for a vital clash against Exeter, who will leapfrog the Exiles with victory.

“It’s a massive game,” he said. “Tuesday’s level is the bare minimum, we need to build on what we did.

“Exeter are sharp and nippy, they run a lot and it will be a tough game.”

County will hope Hartigan’s passing range can give the Grecians the runaround.