James Rowberry: I know what I need to add at Newport County

The Exiles suffered a fifth consecutive defeat at Rodney Parade when they finished the campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Rochdale.

Goals in either half by Matt Done and Abraham Odoh earned the spoils for the visitors, who followed Hartlepool, Exeter, Crawley and Colchester in taking the spoils.

County were third in mid-March but finish 11th, 11 points off automatic promotion and eight off the play-offs.

Their collapse in the run-in has been alarming but manager Rowberry said it hasn’t led to him changing his mind over summer targets.

“I know what I need. I have known from my first training session and my first game what is needed for us to do what we want to do,” he said.

“I have got a very supportive chairman [Gavin Foxall], who is very hands-on and helps me to where I need to be, and a sporting director [Darren Kelly] who does all my phone calls, which is the hardest bit speaking with agents to get things done.

“They have been brilliant and it’s going to be a challenge, and I am looking forward to it.”

Rob Street's cross is blocked

County had their chances to at least draw to end the losing streak but were let down by their decision-making and quality in the final third.

“We’ve got to be better in both 18-yard boxes, and we will be. We will get a pre-season in us and recruit well,” said Rowberry.

“We produced some really good moments in that game but we just didn’t take our chances to score, then defensively as a team we need to be better.

“I am looking forward to next season and I have got to learn from certain elements and so have the players and the staff to move this club forward.

“The crowd could see that performance-wise, we just conceded two really poor goals. Stats-wise we can talk about the chances that we had and refereeing decisions but all that matters is the top line of 2-0 to Rochdale.

“It felt like one of those days and the final delivery into the box wasn’t quite there, the final tackle in the final third wasn’t quite there.

“That’s where we are at, we will get better and I am looking forward to the challenge. It’s a big challenge and a big job which I am extremely excited for, that’s why I came to the club.”