Graham Coughlan: Newport County on brink of 'massive achievement', says Exiles boss
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Graham Coughlan's Newport have lost only one of their last nine league games
Manager Graham Coughlan believes Newport County are on the brink of ensuring they remain in League Two next season.
Coughlan insists it would be a "massive achievement" for his team to guarantee survival by the end of February.
Though Newport are part of a pack of teams just outside play-offs, Coughlan has always focused on reaching the traditional 50-point safety mark.
"That is our first target," Coughlan said.
"That is what we are looking to do and if we can tick that box, we can move on to the next one."
Newport travel to fifth-placed MK Dons on Saturday before Tuesday's journey to Harrogate, who occupy the final play-off place.
"I will deal with Harrogate on the way back on the bus, or on Sunday or Monday," Coughlan said.
"But if I was to say to this group of players, you can go to MK Dons on Saturday and you can more or less secure your League Two status, you can more of less guarantee your safety and stay in the division when we are not even out of February, I think everybody in the football club would snap your hands off for that.
"That is a massive achievement and we want to carry on our good form."
Coughlan says any side who finish above MK Dons will win automatic promotion this season.
But Newport, who are 15th but only two points outside the play-offs, are one of the form teams in the division, with six wins in their last nine league games.
They go to Stadium MK looking for three consecutive away league victories for the first time since 2018.
Newport hope midfielder Harry Charsley will recover from a hip injury to feature but are still without Omar Bogle, Declan Drysdale and Josh Seberry.
Meanwhile, Coughlan has praised loan striker Seb Palmer-Houlden after he signed a new three-year deal with parent club Bristol City.
Palmer-Houlden, 19, has netted seven goals for Newport this term, despite a two-month injury absence earlier in the season.
Coughlan said: "He is a great kid. In the early stages in his career he is being exposed to first-team football, to centre-halves putting him up in the air - that is a great education.
"He has come on, he has got better and better you can see that, he has led the line really well."