THERE were around 500 years between the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of The Renaissance but Newport County AFC manager Graham Westley has had just one week to change his players’ approach between home and away games.

The Exiles boss admits that he has had to adopt a back-to-basics direct style of play to win home matches on the poor playing surface at Rodney Parade.

The tactics worked last Saturday as County beat Hartlepool United with three goals from set-pieces.

But Westley’s men are back on the road this weekend as they head to Cheltenham Town and he says that will mean they change their mind-set.

“You certainly have to play a different way away from home, whether that means changing personnel and changing system is another question,” said the manager ahead of tomorrow’s short trip to Whaddon Road.

“I’ve had to try to learn a way of playing at home.

“Over the last few years I’ve had to learn how to play winning football at League One level.

“That’s meant adapting my historic style and being a lot more possession orientated. It’s meant evolving as a manager and as a coach.

“It’s meant learning a lot and some of the stuff we played at Peterborough last year was described by people as being the best brand of football in the country.

“We went toe to toe with a Premier League side [West Bromwich Albion] in the FA Cup over 180 minutes and gave them a good run for their money – only getting knocked out on penalties.

“The football we were playing was exceptional, it was fun to be a part of.

“And when you come in here having evolved into a manager and a coach who’s got that sort of philosophy, to have to go back almost to the Dark Ages has been really tough.

“To do things really direct and really basic has been really hard,” he added.

“To forget the lessons you’ve learned in order to go back in time has been really difficult.

“But hopefully last weekend says we’ve made some progress towards the Dark Ages.

“And away from home we’re going to have to adapt.

“I think you have to pick a team to win the next game. You look at the opposition and the strengths and you have to always be willing to adapt your side.

“I think players understand that.”

Westley expects his side to show what they can do away from home on better pitches but he warned that Cheltenham’s pitch, which they share with Gloucester City, is by no means perfect.

“Our better form previously came away from home,” he said.

“The more natural thing to do as players and as a manager is to go and play good football.

“It’s developing this more unnatural game [at home] that has been more difficult.

“I thought last weekend we did it really well – we showed a real strength of character and a real focus to play in a certain way and grind our points out on a difficult surface.

“That was a really positive step forward for me.

“The away days are a bit of a release – you can get back to doing what you love doing naturally. That’s the enjoyable part of it.

“But we went and watched a Gloucester fixture on the Cheltenham pitch the other night and it’s going to be heavy over there so we know what we’re walking into.”