Boss Dave Artell is mindful of a Newport County AFC backlash when his side travel to South Wales this weekend after the Exiles were trounced 3-0 at Mansfield on the opening day.

The Alex boss believes Michael Flynn's side will be a different beast on the own patch at Rodney Parade, but admitted that if his side play to their potential then they can leave with three points come 5pm on Saturday.

Dave said: “They'll be a wounded animal.

“I’m sure Michael [Flynn] will think they’re far better than a 3-0 defeat at Mansfield that’s for sure.

“They’ll be in front of their home fans for the first time & they’ll want to prove that true. We fully expect a tough, stern test like it was when we went down there at the back end of last season. We’re expecting a really tough game.

“They played 4-3-3 last week, but they played 3-5-2 for the majority of last season. Are they going to revert back, or are they going to stick with it? That’s a question that we haven’t got the answer to, & we won’t find out until five to three on Saturday.

“We have to make sure that we cover all bases. Michael has come out in the press & said he’s got a few injuries, so they might do something different because the hand might be forced.

“We’ve got to be mindful of that, but not let it worry us too much. If we do what we know we can do, then we’re a match for any team in the league irrespective of how they set-up & what players they’ve got in their line-up.”