MICHAEL Flynn admits it will take an “unbelievable run” of results for Newport County AFC to secure a League Two play-off place but he’s not giving up hope.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Port Vale saw County move to 48 points – the same total they accrued in 46 games last season.

They are nine points off the top seven with 12 matches remaining and the Exiles boss knows his side will need to match or even better the form that sealed the Great Escape from relegation last year.

Flynn won seven of his 12 games as caretaker manager to overhaul an 11-point gap to safety 12 months ago and he still believes they can repeat that fine finish to the campaign.

“We’re taking it game by game,” he said after the stalemate at Vale Park.

“We’ve got a big swing now with eight at home and four away.

“If we draw away and win at home then it’ll be an unbelievable run and we won’t be far off.

“We’ll need something similar [to last year] but it was the same last season – game by game.

“Even when we lost 6-1 at Plymouth and when we picked one point out of nine against Blackpool, Luton Town and Portsmouth.

“We were on a poor run then and we still got out of it.

“I’m hoping that our poor run is behind us and we can go on a bit of a run and finish really well.

“I always believe,” he added. “I’ve got belief in these players.

“They’ve put in a fantastic shift so far this season.

“There are games where we could have done better but there are games where we’ve excelled ourselves and I think if somebody had offered us this at the start of the season, with all the FA Cup money as well, I’m sure that would have been a big tick in the box.

“We’ve got the same points now as we finished on [last season] with 12 games to go so I don’t think it’s been a bad turnaround.

“I’m a little bit frustrated because we were in a great position and we’ve faltered a little bit but I think there’s been huge improvements throughout the club, on and off the pitch.”

County host second-placed Accrington Stanley next Saturday looking to end a goal drought that reached 500 minutes in the Potteries.

“We looked much better going forward, we should have won the game,” said Flynn.

“We are creating chances but we just didn’t finish them off. We tried four different strikers and I think they all missed a chance.

“We’ve got another tough game next weekend against Accrington and I’ll be looking for us to score a few goals.

“I don’t care if it comes off the back of somebody’s head, hits one of ours in the head and breaks their nose if it goes in. I’ll take any goal that we can get.”