NEWPORT County striker Aaron O’Connor admits the Exiles players want to reward manager Justin Edinburgh by recovering from their blip, writes Michael Pearlman.

The Exiles have been defeated on the road twice in the week, their 4-0 and 3-0 reverses at Cambridge and Northampton respectively the first time Newport have suffered back-to-back disappointments since August.

O’Connor was scarcely able to contribute at Sixfields after suffering a bout of flu and admits that he’s had a dismal week with illness and bad results on the pitch.

However, O’Connor admits the news that boss Justin Edinburgh is set to pen a new deal to stay at Rodney Parade has boosted the players.

“We are really pleased the gaffer is saying he’s going to stay and be loyal until at least the end of the season at least, it is obviously a big boost for everyone, he is the main reason we are doing as well as we are,” O’Connor told the Argus at Sixfields.

“Players like playing for him, he obviously enjoys managing the group and he loves the club as well, so we could have done more for him on Saturday.”

O’Connor feels the Exiles need to get back to playing to their strengths after losing their way on the road, but admits it has been a miserable few days.

“I had to get on with it, I was involved and the game, well, I don’t know where to start really. We conceded two goals from set-pieces which isn’t really like us and didn’t cause them any problems,” he said.

“We’ve come off what we’ve been doing well for 20-odd games before and we need to get back to that, being fitter and stronger than our opponents and competing and battling for every ball.

“Then once you win that, you can go and get the ball down and play, but we’ve let the results get to us and are neglecting some of our strengths as a team.

“We’ve shown in the last few months we win our individual battles and then the good football follows and that’s what we need to do again.”

O’Connor believes Shrewsbury at home represents the perfect chance to bounce back.

“We will be happy to get home again, we said after the game that what better place to get back to winning ways than at home in a massive game against a side we need to take points off,” he said.

“I’ve had better weeks than flu and a defeat, we’ve had something going around the camp, I’m not the first to have it in the last few weeks and now it’s time to bounce back.”