Graham Westley: Newport County signings may prove a 'short-term risk'

Graham Westley's Newport County side are bottom of League Two and five points off safety

Newport County boss Graham Westley says bringing in so many January signings may have resulted in a "short-term risk" to their form.

The Exiles are five points adrift at the bottom of League Two and have lost their last eight league games in a row.

Six players have joined the club during January; five of which played in their 3-1 defeat by Stevenage on Saturday.

"We're confident these additions can turn what we've got into a winning side," Westley told BBC Radio Wales.

"I'm sure that our fans, like most football fans, are smart enough to know that when you bring players together there's always a short-term risk, but you've got to do that for the long-term gain."

Aaron Williams, Jaanai Gordon, Sid Nelson and Mark O'Brien all joined the club ahead of the Stevenage defeat while former players David Pipe and Craig Reid returned.

"We're going to need to get one or two of them match fit. We've seen new players coming together and a couple of organisation errors that you would expect at a time when you're bringing lads in," Westley continued.

"Over a long period of time the club hasn't been winning games and we've been in a rut ourselves, but that rut is deep.

"To dig yourself out of it, you need to be really dramatic with what you're doing. We're going to turn a lot of things over, we've brought a lot of new qualities into the club and we're confident that with those additions we can turn what we've got into a winning side."

Despite the influx of players during the January window, Westley says he plans to bring more players in, but it will not happen quickly.

"Deals take time, you've got agents and clubs to talk to and players have families to talk to. There's lots that has to happen to get a deal over the line," he added.

"It's not as simple as just clicking your fingers. We're working on lots of things and we're hoping that we can continue to make a decision to get a group of players who are capable of winning games consistently."