NEW Newport County signings Scott Barrow and Rhys Taylor have expressed their delight at joining the Exiles, writes Michael Pearlman.

The duo became Terry Butcher’s first signings yesterday when the left back and goalkeeper respectively signed from Macclesfield, alongside Grimsby striker Lenell John-Lewis.

Swansea-born Barrow commented: "I know a lot about Newport being a Welsh lad and being given the chance to play in the Football League is a dream come true.

!To play for Terry Butcher will be an honour.

"It's good to be closer to home, it will be nice for my family not having to travel four hours to come and watch me play.

And speaking about goalkeeper Taylor, Barrow commented: "Rhys is a great player, says it all last year when he kept 20 clean sheets in a season, he pulled off some saves that I've never seen a 'keeper pull off before."

"The Conference is a tough league, but now in the Football League I'll be playing in bigger grounds in front of bigger crowds and I'm relishing the chance.”

Taylor, who like Lenny Pidgeley is a product of Premier League giants Chelsea, also praised new boss Butcher.

"Terry is a legend, he really sold the club to me, he wants to take this club forward, and it's a project that I'm really looking forward to,” he said.

"It's a great opportunity for me to get back into the league which I've been looking to do for the last two years, coming here has ticked all the boxes.

"It was a big pull to come back to Wales, and to join a club like Newport with a manager like Terry sold it.

"Terry has a lot in the pipeline, some quality players and if it wasn't like that I wouldn't be coming here. Terry wants to better what happened here last year, that's what we all want to do."