THINGS move on quickly in football, Newport County AFC’s recruitment is done and dusted until the summer but how they fare in retention is arguably even more important for the club’s future.

It was a testing January for Exiles boss Graham Coughlan but he should be content with how a notoriously challenging window ended.

County didn’t act with haste and appear to have succeeded in the manager’s desire for quality rather than quantity.

His major target of Port Vale midfielder Harry Charsley was secured despite reported interest from League One.

He arrived on an 18-month deal while loans were secured for Manchester United striker Charlie McNeill, Middlesbrough forward Calum Kavanagh and Stoke City defender Matt Baker.

They are promising prospects rather than established players but they will hopefully play their part in securing League Two status before returning home.

Coughlan said he only needed to do some tinkering to the squad rather than make wholesale changes and the feeling is that they have a good enough side to avoid the drop, even though the gap to the relegation zone is far, far too small for comfort.

County have been hard to beat and have totted along with four draws from their last six; under Coughlan they have claimed 15 points from 12 fixtures (average 1.25 per games).

Fingers crossed Charsley will add to the threat in the final third and hopefully his fellow midfielder Aaron Wildig can have a fruitful second half of the campaign after a frustrating first half.

County would love to have a strong February to settle the nerves with home games against the promotion-chasing pair of Swindon and Stevenage to go along with a Rodney Parade encounter with play-off hopefuls Sutton and trips to Barrow and Michael Flynn's Walsall.

The season ends on May 8 and they need to avoid a nervy April to allow them to start plotting a more serene 2023/24.

County put themselves in an awkward position this season after poor recruitment with too many misses and not enough hits from last summer’s business.

James Rowberry and Darren Kelly had to reshape the squad after the loss of influential loanees Finn Azaz, Ollie Cooper and Jake Cain plus strike duo Dom Telford and Courtney Baker-Richardson.

Coughlan will ensure a next-game mentality from his squad to stretch away from trouble but the boss also needs to be thinking down the line to ensure there is no repeat next season.

The sooner they can secure Football League status, the sooner they can get to work on shaping the team.

South Wales Argus: Graham Coughlan with Omar Bogle and Priestley FarquharsonGraham Coughlan with Omar Bogle and Priestley Farquharson (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

If the Exiles have a quality side, as their manager is keen to stress, then they need to keep it together and leading figures are coming out of contract.

County will definitely lose loanees Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Adam Lewis along with McNeill, Kavanagh and Baker.

Goalkeeper Joe Day has another year on his contract while all last summer’s permanent signings, with the notable exception of striker Offrande Zanzala, signed on deals that extend beyond the end of this campaign.

Central defender Declan Drysdale, midfielders Sam Bowen and Aaron Wildig and strikers Omar Bogle and Will Evans are scheduled to return for 2023/24.

What happens with the rest is still to be determined with County no doubt keen to keep a core rather than building from near scratch.

It feels like Nick Townsend will head for a fresh challenge elsewhere after being Day's back-up.

Cameron Norman was the subject of interest last summer when County turned down bids but the right-back is sure to have other offers, even if he hasn’t matched the form of last season.

South Wales Argus: IMPROVING: County defender Priestley FarquharsonIMPROVING: County defender Priestley Farquharson (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

Athletic and improving Priestley Farquharson’s recent performances will have grabbed the attention of clubs who like their central defenders to keep thing simple and just defend.

Versatile Aaron Lewis was on the fringes at the start of the Coughlan era but has since forced his way in, showing the footballing ability to play on either flank or in a central midfield role.

Coughlan and assistant Joe Dunne must make a decision on James Waite, who has shown flashes this season but remains a work in progress after stepping up from the Cymru Premier.

They will also watch Lewis Collins with interest during his loan at Torquay – if he goes well is there the potential for another chance in Newport?

Then there are the stalwarts Mickey Demetriou and Scot Bennett after their fellow mainstays Matty Dolan and Robbie Willmott headed for the exit at the start of the January window.

After joining in mid-October, Coughlan will feel the summer is when he really starts making County his own but he won’t want to build from scratch.