NEWPORT County defender Andy Sandell says the Exiles will fight to the end despite their play-off hopes seemingly being dashed.

Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Dagenham delivered a hammer blow to Newport’s bid to make the top seven with just two games remaining, but Sandell is still hoping for a miracle and is urging his side to believe anything is possible.

“We have to keep going, until it is mathematically impossible we keep going, we can’t worry about anything other than winning our last two games,” he said.

“We need to go to York and give it our all. It’s frustrating Plymouth lost and we didn’t take advantage, but we’ll give 100% and need a bit of lady luck, but we all still want to be in the play-offs, obviously.”

Sandell felt Saturday summed up County’s 2015 as a whole.

“It’s been the story recently, for the last couple of weeks or months,” he said.

“We played well for 70, 75 minutes and then suddenly find ourselves 3-0 down.

“Every little mistake at the moment we get punished and it was the case again.

“The goalkeeper had a great game but it happens, Joe Day has got us out of a hole many times this season, but it just isn’t happening for us, we don’t seem to be firing, the quality into the box and shooting-wise, it just isn’t there at the moment.”

Sandell expressed his regret over Chris Zebroski’s jailing; admitting the prison sentence handed out to the striker has had a negative impact on the Exiles.

Zebroski played for Newport right up until Tuesday’s defeat to Southend before being jailed for four years and four months in Swindon on Friday after appealing guilty to assault and attempted robbery charges.

"It has done [affected the players] because he was so well liked in the camp," he said.

“It’s come as a massive shock because he’s my best mate here. It feels like my right leg’s gone.

"He'll still have a good few years to get his career back on track.

“We’re all behind him. He’ll be in jail a minimum of two years. I’ll visit him every week so he’s still my friend.”

And Sandell has backed Zebroski to return to football, believing both age and physique are on his side.

He said: “He’s lucky, he’s just naturally fit so he could do nothing for two years and probably still go for a three-mile run.

“He’ll still have a good few years to get his career back on track (Zebroski is 28).

“Knowing him, he’ll keep his head down, do his time and come out all guns blazing, hopefully in a couple of years.

“Obviously we’d rather him playing. When he plays for us, he’s a danger for the opposition, so it’s taking one of our best players away from us, our player of the year last season.”