Newport no better than two years ago - Blake

Newport County are no better than they were two years ago according to former Exiles striker Nathan Blake.

And the ex-Wales international belives County fans are simply hoping there are two worse teams in the division for them to survive.

Dave Hughes' side are one place above the relegation zone after Saturday's 3-1 loss to Gillingham made it six defeats from their opening nine league games.

Newports's only League Two win came at Crawley back on 9 August.

Addressing fans before the Welsh club's 1-1 draw at Tranmere on 13 September, chairman Huw Jenkins claimed the squad was in better shape than when he arrived almost two years ago.

However, Blake - who watches many of Newport's games as a BBC Wales pundit - argues the evidence on the pitch suggests otherwise.

"That's Huw's opinion. But I would totally disagree with it," the former Premier League striker told Radio Wales Sport.

"If you look at when Huw took over, the kind of players they had who then went on to leave the club - experienced players like the [Scot] Bennetts, people like that - they [the current players] are just not as good.

"In my opinion, having played the game, knowing the game and been doing it since I was six years old, I know what I'm seeing and my eyes don't lie to me - Newport aren't as good as they were two years ago. Definitely not."

Hughes says he has no fear over his position as County head coach after his side suffered a seventh loss in eight matches with defeat to the Gills.

The former Manchester United youth coach feels his young squad need support from fans to help them through their difficult spell, but Blake says supporters he has spoken to are worried County are already locked into a fight for survival.

"It's worrying times for Newport," added Blake.

"Yes, last week they got a point to stop the rot, but it's a lot of points they're throwing away.

"Most fans like myself are worried that how do you pick those points back up during the season? You're really going to have to go some.

"At the moment most people are saying they just hope there are two worse teams than Newport for them to survive in this division. It's that bad."

Hughes oversaw a big overhaul of the squad in the summer, bringing in 11 new players on permanent or loan deals, but Blake argues "there's not enough experience" to deal with the demands of League Two.

"If you've got the experience, you've then got to be better than the opponent. I say that about Cardiff City at the moment - they have a hell of a young team, but they're better than a lot of teams they're playing in League One," he said.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case for Newport in League Two. They're not as good as many of the teams, and I don't think their young and inexperienced players have been able to handle the demand that's being put on them."