Hayden Mullins believes Newport County's early home form can be the foundation for a far more comfortable League Two season, with his side taking four points from two games at Rodney Parade and scoring five goals in the process.
Newport County host Fleetwood Town on Saturday, 12 September at 15:00 BST, and the contrast in their opening weeks is already clear. At home, they have looked sharp and positive. Away from home, the story has been much tougher, with late defeats at Salford and Northampton underlining how quickly good positions can be lost.
Home form is giving Newport something to build on
Mullins has been encouraged by what he has seen in south Wales. Newport opened their home campaign with a 3-0 win over Rochdale, then followed it with a draw against Tranmere. For a club that did not win at home until 29 December last season and only avoided relegation on the final day, that is a meaningful shift.
As Mullins put it, the positives are that the home form is quite strong. He added that his side have played two games, picked up four points, and that this is something they want to build on. The message is simple enough: if Newport can turn Rodney Parade into a reliable base, then the season starts to look very different.
The away record still needs attention
That optimism is balanced by a clear warning. Newport lost at Salford four days before the Northampton match after conceding two late goals, then were beaten again by an 87th-minute goal at Northampton. Mullins has not hidden from that split, saying the away form is something the club need to address and look at.
He also pointed out that the team have done a lot of travelling and that three of the last four games have been away, which has made life difficult for the players. That is a fair context, but it does not change the bigger issue: Newport have taken the lead in five of their six league matches this season without always turning those positions into points.
Fleetwood provide the next test
Saturday's match against Fleetwood Town will tell Newport a bit more about whether this strong home start is real progress or just an early-season patch. Mullins has stressed that his team's starts are where they should be, and the challenge now is to keep adding to that at home while finding a more dependable way to compete on the road.
If Newport can keep Rodney Parade as a place where they control games and collect points, they will give themselves a much better chance of avoiding another season in trouble. Fleetwood are the next opportunity to prove that the early signs are worth trusting.
