MANAGER Michael Flynn has dismissed fears that Newport County AFC could be sucked into a relegation battle after a run of six games without a win in League Two.

County have not won a league match since the 4-0 thumping of Forest Green Rovers at the New Lawn on October 14.

Since then the Exiles have progressed in the FA Cup but drawn three and lost three in the league to slip to 10th in the table, four points below the play-off positions.

Flynn’s men are 10 points above 23rd-placed Barnet, who fought back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 with two late goals at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night.

But afterwards he was asked if he was looking over his shoulder at the bottom two. “I’m not even thinking about that at the moment,” said the Exiles boss.

“But if people [players] don’t listen then you’re going to get more things wrong than you do right – that’s just a fact in life.

“I’m not too worried. We’re 10th but I am concerned by the late goals we’re conceding.

“If it happens three times in a row it’s not a coincidence is it?”

Flynn is angry after his side also conceded late on to drop points against Port Vale and Accrington Stanley in the past fortnight.

“We’ve tried different scenarios,” he continued.

“We’ve tried going for it and getting the second, we’ve tried shutting up shop.

“But what it comes down to is individual errors, or a collective set of errors really.

“We shot ourselves in the foot and it’s down to them not listening.

“I’m not going to try and blind you with science.

“They didn’t listen to what I told them and what they told each other.”

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But the manager refused to be overly critical of his players, insisting that they will be able to snap out of their current slump.

“They’re a great group and I’m not going to come down harsh on them,” said Flynn.

“We are where we are. I think in the form table over the last 10 games we are 10th and that’s exactly where we are [in the league table].

“That’s where we are as a team at the moment.

“And the sooner they [the players] realise that we’ve got to cut out the errors to be higher than that the better because we will start climbing the table and winning football matches again.”

County face a daunting trip to fifth-placed Swindon Town on Saturday but Flynn points out that his own side’s recent results prove the difficulty of predicting anything in League Two.

“We drew with the team second in the table on Saturday [Accrington] and perhaps we should have won it,” he said.

“And now we’ve lost to the second from bottom team but they’ve got some good players.

“I know what they are dangerous at and we didn’t cope with it.

“They’re all big games. I don’t take anyone for granted and I don’t over-respect anybody.

“We’ll do our due diligence whether they are top of the league or bottom of the league.

“We’re Newport County, we’ve got no divine right to beat anybody,” he added.

“And if they [the players] don’t take on the message that we give them, and that the players give each other, then you won’t beat anybody.”

The Exiles held a bucket collection for near neighbours Merthyr Town at the game on Tuesday.

A total of £265 was raised for the Martyrs, who have been hit by major financial problems in recent weeks.