SO, what, if anything, could Newport County boss Warren Feeney take out of Saturday’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Coventry City at Spytty Park?

First of all, it was nice for the fans to see names on the teamsheet they recognised, something that wasn’t the case last Thursday when a flood of mostly unknown trialists featured against Undy.

That said, a number of the supporters would have been seeing summer signings like Joss Labadie, Mark Randall and Scot Bennett for the first time.

In fact, of the dozen players to join the club since the end of last season, only three, Jamie Turley, Ben Tozer and James Bittner, were not involved in the game.

There were just three trialists in County’s matchday squad on this occasion, with Paul Bignot and Marlon Jackson included in the starting line-up and keeper Marcus Beauchamp on the bench.

Bignot and Jackson have now played in four of County’s five pre-season friendlies.

Feeney must see something in both of them that he likes otherwise he wouldn’t have given the pair so many chances.

The two performed reasonably well against the Sky Blues without really doing much to get the fans out of their seats.

In fairness to Jackson, the striker was unlucky to have a goal chalked out in the first half when the linesman rather belatedly flagged for offside.

Jackson had showed good strength to turn inside City skipper Jordan Willis, who would later score his side’s second goal in the 57th minute, before curling a shot past the visiting keeper.

Jackson’s fellow forward, Sean Rigg, also looked lively in the opening half an hour.

That was County’s best period in the match, as it was when they seemed to switch from four at the back to three near the end of the first period that they came unstuck.

Joe Day, one of only two players from last season’s first-team squad to start the contest, had already pulled off a great save to deny George Thomas when the latter opened the scoring.

County were undone with relative ease by a simple Marvin Sordell through ball and Thomas did the rest.

Feeney brought on all nine of his substitutes in the second half, probably indicating that his mind is by no means made up on what his starting XI will be when County face Mansfield Town on the first day of the League Two season on August 6.

Willis had made it 2-0 by the time Feeney decided to change things, after which County showed no real signs of staging a dramatic comeback.

Labadie, given the captain’s armband before kick-off, looks like he can run all day, right-back Jazzi Barnum-Bobb doesn’t need an invitation to get forward, and Bennett was solid alongside Darren Jones at the heart of the defence.

There was a much of a muchness about everyone else, although Jennison Myrie-Williams could be a useful asset on the wing and Jon Parkin’s hold-up play is just what County are going to need.

County: Day (Beauchamp 78), Barnum-Bobb, Butler, Dar Jones (Angel 85), Bennett (Parselle), Bignot (Myrie-Williams 58), Randall (Owen-Evans 72), Labadie (capt) (B Jones 85), Compton (Daf Jones 73), Rigg (Parkin 58), Jackson (Meechan 78).

Attendance: 869.