Newport should not 'hide from anybody' - Fuchs

The next 10 days could be a pivotal period in the season for Newport County as the League Two strugglers prepare to face a daunting run of fixtures.

The Exiles face Ian Holloway's in-form Swindon Town on Wednesday (20:00 GMT) in the first of four successive games against sides in the top six, with the first three of those away from home.

County go to MK Dons on Saturday and Salford City next Tuesday before welcoming Cambridge United to Rodney Parade on Saturday, 21 February.

Despite the daunting run of fixtures, Newport boss Christian Fuchs is positive his struggling side have enough quality to pick up some much-needed results.

"Every fixture is difficult, right?" Fuchs said.

"But when you look at the teams that we've played really well against, or got the three points or the draws, they were well deserved and were against teams that were high up the table.

"This team doesn't need to hide from anybody. They have shown so many times that they can compete."

County have showed signs of promise against sides higher up the table, most notably when they beat play-off hopefuls Chesterfield 2-1 at Rodney Parade in January.

They impressed once more at home to Grimsby last Saturday, but were left frustrated as both sides missed penalties in a 0-0 draw.

No doubt Newport supporters will be feeling nervous in the coming weeks, particularly with relegation rivals Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury starting to pick up results.

But even with the odds against his side, Fuchs remains confident.

"If you look back to Chesterfield, we really came out in full swing and played a top game," he said.

"So I'm very positive, looking forward not only to the next one, but the next three games.

"The boys have showed me already that they can handle it. It's always a good challenge to play against teams that are high up in the table."

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Newport are 23rd in the table, three points adrift of 22nd-placed Barrow, with only 17 games remaining in the battle to avoid a return to non-league football.

With the threat of relegation looming large, Newport are also facing harsh financial realities chairman Huw Jenkins warned of in December.

"We are all concerned [about] where the club is, none more so than myself," Jenkins said.

Despite financial challenges, the Exiles were busy in the mid-season transfer window, with the hope being that their eight signings will contribute to a successful survival bid.

Pundit and former Cymru Premier striker Marc Lloyd Williams shares Fuchs' optimism about Newport's prospects.

"I think their January transfer business proved that some of the players that left just weren't good enough to represent the club at the time," he said.

"There's no doubt it will be a tough few weeks for the Exiles, but sometimes players raise their level and perform better against the top sides.

"I think they've got enough to stay up. On Saturday they played really well, defended resolutely. Hopefully they can start turning some of these draws into wins."