’KEEPER Joe Day reckons Newport County AFC have every reason to be confident going into next season – and he is already looking forward to returning to action.

The former Peterborough United gloveman signed a new two-year contract at Rodney Parade this week, less than a fortnight after helping the Exiles preserve their League Two status.

The decision to stay in South Wales wasn’t a tough one to make for the 26-year-old, whose wife is due to give birth to the couple’s first child next month.

And Day, the club’s player of the year and player’s player of the year, just cannot wait for pre-season to start.

“It might sound silly but I’m excited to get under way again,” he added.

“All the stress and anxiety around how last season was playing out has gone.

“We’ve stayed up and now we can carry that momentum into a new season.

“The optimism of what that new season can bring is something to look forward to.

“It was a tough, long season but the way it ended gives us a lot of hope.

“Momentum is a huge part of football and with the trust we have in the manager and personnel he’ll bring in, I’m really positive for next season.

“We can take confidence from the way we played in those last 12 games, and under that pressure as well.

“I’ll be going into the new season full of confidence, especially as more and more of these players are signing on the line.

“There’s a feel-good factor going round the club and that positivity is going to spread through all the new signings and into the start of pre-season.”

Commenting on signing his new deal, he added: “We had a fantastic end to the season and the way it finished meant it was quite an easy decision to stay.

“Mike Flynn getting the manager’s job on a permanent basis was also a huge factor in me staying at Newport.

“I’ve always had fantastic support off them and that was another factor in me staying.

“Your agent speaks to other clubs for you but I was straight with him and the manager from the start, and it was something I was happy to agree fairly quickly.

“Also, me and my wife are expecting our first baby next month so it was something I didn’t want to have drag out for ages.

“As soon as I knew the manager wanted me to stay here, and on a two-year deal which suits my personal circumstances perfectly, it was quite an easy decision for me.”

Day has joined Marlon Jackson and Tom Owen-Evans in re-signing for the Exiles.

Ben Tozer and Jazzi Barnum-Bobb have triggered one-year extensions in their contracts and David Pipe and Mark O’Brien put pen to paper on permanent deals after arriving in January until the end of the season.

Robbie Willmott, a hero of the 2013 promotion-winning squad, has also returned to the club on a two-year contract.

Scot Bennett, Dan Butler, Jamie Turley, Joss Labadie, Sean Rigg, Aaron Williams and Mark Randall were already contracted for next season, although Randall is now back on the transfer list.

Eleven of this season’s squad have been released and Darren Jones has retired.