NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn has warned that no player should take his place for granted as the Exiles step up preparations for the new League Two campaign.

County return to action with their first pre-season friendly at Undy AFC on Friday night (kick-off 7pm) before travelling to Swindon Supermarine on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

And Flynn says every player will have to work hard over the next three weeks to impress him and coaches Wayne Hatswell and Lennie Lawrence if they are guarantee their place for the opening league match at Stevenage on August 5.

“Pre-season is a funny thing,” said the Exiles boss, who is likely to run the rule over a number of trialists this weekend.

“Players can think they’re comfortable when they’re not and players you think you can get might impress their current clubs or find somewhere else.

“But myself, Wayne and Lennie are quite confident and the chairman and the board have been good with us.”

Flynn told the Argus last week that he is still on the lookout for two strikers and a left-back.

That suggests that the likes of Marlon Jackson, Aaron Williams and Dan Butler – the Argus readers’ player of the year for 2016-2017 – will be under the most pressure to impress during pre-season.

New signing Robbie Willmott did play some games at left-back and left wing-back during his first spell at Rodney Parade but Flynn sees the 27-year-old as an attacker first and foremost.

“Robbie can play in a number of positions,” he said. “He could play at left-back if we need him to but I feel he’s somebody who gives us more going forward.

“We’ll play it by ear and we will find out a lot more about the players in the pre-season games.”

After this weekend’s double-header, County go to Chippenham Town next Tuesday and Merthyr Town the following day.

Next is a trip to Evesham to take on Tim Harris’ Gloucester City on Saturday, July 22, before a midweek visit to Flynn’s former club Barry Town on Tuesday, July 25.

The Exiles’ final friendly will see them up against former manager Justin Edinburgh and ex-players Regan Poole and Sam Foley at Northampton Town.

And Flynn is looking forward to the trip to Sixfields on Saturday, July 29.

“I think it will be a real test for us, especially with the start we’ve got,” said the manager.

“It’s around the same distance as some of the trips we’ve got to Coventry and Crewe and Stevenage and we want to see how they perform on their travels.

“And it will be a good test because Justin’s team will be fit, I know that, they’ll be up for it and they’ve got some good players there.

“They’ll be a strong League One outfit next season and they’ll be tough to beat.”