Mike Flynn: Newport County need great escape repeat to win promotion

Mike Flynn celebrates Newport's escape from relegation danger in 2016-17

Mike Flynn says Newport County need a repeat of their great escape campaign to clinch promotion.

Newport avoided relegation to non-league football thanks to an 89th-minute goal on the last day of 2016-17.

Flynn says another remarkable finish is required as they look to climb out of League Two.

"It's going to be a long eight weeks with all the games and we almost need a finish now like the great escape one," said the Newport manager.

"You look at it, if we get 22 points from 12 games, which we had then, that gives us 76.

"That will surely put us somewhere close to it."

Newport, who are sixth in League Two, head to fifth-place Morecambe on Saturday having won back-to-back game for the first time since early December.

Wins over Colchester and Bradford have restored belief that the Exiles can finish in the top three after a difficult mid-season run.

Four years ago this week, Newport were 11 points adrift of safety when Flynn was named caretaker manager.

But seven wins in their last 12 games of the season - including a final-day triumph over Notts County - saw Flynn's side stay up.

"It's a crazy season for a number of reasons and it goes back to the great escape, that was a bizarre season as well because of the way we stayed up and how we managed to do it," Flynn added.

"It was unheard of really. There's not many who have done that in the history of English football.

"Staying up that point was obviously the most important thing because we could have gone out of business.

"For me, it's strange, but promotion is a lot more important because we have moved on."