Newport back on Parade as Jardim aims to stay tough to beat

Newport County returns to Rodney Parade on Saturday hoping to draw a crowd and win a game.

County take on MK Dons without playing at home since 0-0 draw against Grimsby Town on November 16.

That was the first of four consecutive League Two draws for the Exiles, three of which were goalless draws.

It is part of a streak in which Nelson Jardim’s team has won just one in 12 in all competitions.

But it is the three clean sheets in the last four games that offer some hope to a team that, a month ago, had the worst defensive record in the division.

Having had little trouble scoring but plenty of trouble keeping teams away, Newport has doubled its season shutout tally over its last four games.

Being difficult to beat is positive for Jardim, who wants to maintain consistency, but is aware that more is needed from a team. 17th in the table.

“Some of the draws have been very good against teams that have done well,” Jardim said. “Any of those games could have gone either way; we’re not too far from winning, but we have to be careful, we weren’t too far from losing either.

“But we need to stay consistent in our style and improve in the areas where we are not there yet and know that in the future you will reap your rewards.”

Jardim says he has not sacrificed his attacking ambition to strengthen the defence, adding: “You never try to do that, you look to work on areas to improve, but you try to progress overall.

“Overall at the beginning of the season we scored a lot but we also conceded a lot and that was a bit because I didn’t know the players and they weren’t used to me and the things we wanted to do.

“But this is a process that will have ups and downs, and hopefully we can be in a situation where we just look up.”

Jardim says MK Dons, one of the division’s top scorers and one place in the play-offs, will be a tough opponent, but added: “We have started to show some consistency and have picked up points in difficult places. We can be proud about it, the way we are progressing, but we also know that we have to do more.

The Portuguese hopes that the long-awaited return home will help his team’s cause.

“Rodney Parade is huge for us. The fans give us a lot of energy and are a huge factor in us achieving our goals,” he said.