Newport still without trio for Chesterfield trip

Newport County will still be without some key men when they travel to Chesterfield looking to end their winless run on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Defender Liam Shephard, striker Ged Garner and midfielder Matt Smith all remain sidelined and will not be available to boss Dave Hughes for the game at the SMH Group Stadium.

Shephard "suffered a setback" in his bid to return from a hamstring problem that has kept him out since August, with Hughes saying Garner is in a "similar" situation having been out since the draw at Tranmere.

Meanwhile, Wales international Smith is nursing a back problem having not featured since the opening month of the season.

With no fresh concerns, Hughes will likely field a similar side to the one that impressed against Gillingham, taking the lead and missing a penalty last weekend at Rodney Parade before succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against the promotion-chasers.

Another tough challenge awaits the Exiles as they seek a first league win in eight when they take on the fifth-placed Spireites, who have not won in their past four games, but remain unbeaten in the league at home.

"They are a tough side, a good squad with good players who've been at different levels and a manager who's managed in the Championship," said Hughes.

"They're a really, really open attacking football team.

"From our perspective, if we can deliver what we did last Saturday, it makes for a really entertaining game where we hope we'll look to stamp our own style on the game while also accepting that they're a threat.

"They've got good players, but we believe we have, and anybody who's seen us over the course of the season will I'm sure agree with that. Pulling that together on Saturday to ensure we deliver a performance is all our thinking is around at the moment."