SCOT Bennett has a "50/50" chance of recovering in time to feature for Newport County AFC at Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, writes Ryan Robinson.

Bennett was withdrawn as a precautionary measure at half-time during the Exiles' shock Carabao Cup win at Southend United on Tuesday.

And County manager Michael Flynn confirmed that the 26-year-old sustained an ankle injury early in the game.

"I think it's touch and go with Scot, if I'm honest," he said.

"He might make it but whether I start with him is a decision I'm going to have to make.

"He's a little bit sore but it's not as bad as we thought it might have been so that's positive news."

Bennett's availability could dictate what formation Flynn goes with at Gresty Road.

County lined up in a 3-5-2 formation at Stevenage last Saturday, with Bennett in the middle of defence, before reverting to a 4-2-3-1 with Bennett in central-midfield at Southend.

"The players were fantastic on Tuesday," added Flynn.

"We've worked on the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system for the entirety of pre-season so we felt comfortable.

"We can adapt because we've also worked on 3-5-2 and 3-4-3. The players are familiar and comfortable with those different combinations so I'll go with what I think suits us better on the day."

Versatility could be County’s key to success this coming season. And Flynn believes it is important for the players to be ready for whatever formation he chooses.

He continued: "I don't want to be stuck playing one formation and the players certainly don't want to be stuck playing one formation either.

"It's the players that win you games. You can have the best tactics, formations, training sessions but if the players don't deliver the goods then nine times out of ten you lose the game so it's really important to be able to adapt to any situation."

Marlon Jackson and Ben Tozer are still ruled out but new loan signing Reece Cole could make his debut.