Newport County have never lost at Accrington Stanley – and they put that record on the line at the Wham Stadium this afternoon.
County have played Stanley away five times and have earned a win and four draws.
Newport won both fixtures last season, including a 1-0 victory at Rodney Parade in April, that took County out of the relegation zone for the first time since November and halted Accrington’s unbeaten record of 15 matches.
Manager Michael Flynn and his Exiles have gone four games without a win in League Two. They suffered defeats against Colchester United and Notts County, while home games against Mansfield Town and Port Vale ended in draws.
They are ninth place in the table, just a point below the play-off places after 17 matches, while Accrington are second and only one point behind leaders Notts County.
Stanley have earned 10 points from the last 18 available with three wins, a draw and two defeats from their last six league encounters.
Flynn knows his team need a win, saying: “Is it a crisis if we don’t win? No, but if we want to keep progressing and staying in the mix then we need to start picking up points.
“Expectations have risen. I can understand why that is and I take it as a compliment.
“The players have been superb since I’ve been in charge and we have another challenge in front of us now.
“We’ve got three games in a week again and we want to get as many points as we can.”
County follow their trip to Lancashire by playing Barnet at home on Tuesday before going to fifth-placed Swindon Town on November 25.
Flynn’s team are through to the Emirates FA Cup second round and play Cambridge United at Rodney Parade on Sunday, December 3 (2pm).
They defeated League One side Walsall in the last round thanks to goals from Frank Nouble and Shawn McCoulsky in a 2-0 win.
Tickets for the tie cost from £5 for under-12s to £18 for adults and are on sale now.
Season tickets do not cover FA Cup matches, but seats will be reserved for holders up until one hour before Tuesday night’s home League Two match against Barnet (kick-off 7.45pm).
If the cup tie against Cambridge ends in a draw the replay will take place at the Abbey Stadium on Tuesday, December 12 (7.45pm).
