NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn has challenged his side to start another unbeaten run at Rodney Parade on Saturday after the Exiles were edged out by Colchester United.

County suffered their first home defeat in League Two for 213 days as goals from former player Ryan Jackson and striker Mikael Mandron earned Colchester all three points, despite substitute Shawn McCoulsky pulling one back late on.

It was not the way that Flynn wanted to celebrate his 37th birthday but County remain sixth in the table and the boss wants his side to bounce back at home to Mansfield Town on Saturday.

"If losing our unbeaten league run at home was always going to happen on a day, it was going to happen on my birthday," he said.

"It's done now, the monkey is off the back and now we have to make sure we go on another long run and that starts on Saturday."

County captain Joss Labadie was forced off with a hamstring injury after just 15 minutes and is likely to miss the Mansfield game.

Flynn said: "It obviously does not look good at the moment.

"We will find out more on Thursday when it settles down and it stops bleeding.

"He is a big miss because we missed him as soon as he went off."