NEW boss John Sheridan says Newport County fans will have nothing to worry about this season if his side can continue to replicate Saturday’s display, and it’s hard to argue.

After the horror of Tuesday, a County performance so incredibly poor it’s hard to find a fair comparison for it, though after discussions with long-time fans, we seem to have settled on the first six-months of Dean Holdsworth’s reign for the last time Newport were so abysmal.

It’s important to make clear that despite being rock bottom of League Two, despite only having won one game all season, County under Terry Butcher were nowhere near as bad as results suggested, until Tuesday when they were worse.

It was a performance the newly enshrined Supporters’ Trust directors felt forced their hand in regards to a change at the top and Butcher’s body language and demeanour on Tuesday suggested it will have come as little surprise to him.

It was credit to the new board for getting a new boss in so quickly, an appointment with more than few echoes of Justin Edinburgh, being that Sheridan was considered head and shoulders the best available unemployed candidate.

His CV is unquestionable, he’s more than a solid hand in Leagues One and Two and he’s yet to be a manager at a club he didn’t leave in a better state than when he joined.

However, his triumph on Saturday, and triumph isn’t too strong a word for this particular home point, was in making Newport County AFC look like a team, a team with a plan, within 24-hours of walking through the door.

One training session, one long conversation with new coaches Byron Anthony and Michael Flynn, a team talk and a first selection and suddenly the Exiles look like a unit. That really is no mean feat.

They were improved across the board.

The return to fitness of Matt Taylor was a huge fillip to Sheridan and he produced a dominant performance, leading by example and booming presence at the back where suddenly there was a commanding voice when there has only been silence in recent times.

His presence, his experience, also helped Villa youngster Janoi Donacien, who looked a million dollars after a shaky start in County colours.

His distribution was excellent and his pace helped Taylor on occasion. It looked like a good combination.

Yan Klukowski deserves plaudits; he returned to the side and showed far more discipline as part of a central midfield duo. When he was injured, Tom Owen-Evans only enhanced his credentials, with shades of his manager in some of the confident passing and interplay he demonstrated.

Medy Elito and Aaron Collins both drifted in and out but worked unbelievably hard on the flanks – with Alex Rodman really impressing off the bench – while in attack, County improved ten-fold on recent displays.

Newport both got better quality balls to focal point Lenell John-Lewis and got closer to him after distribution, meaning his hard work and hold-up play wasn’t squandered time and again, as it has been this term almost game-after-game.

John-Lewis gave Exeter a difficult afternoon from minute one and his goal was vindication of that, he never stopped working and deserved his bit of fortune.

The same is definitely true of the Exiles, they might have beaten Exeter, and they might have nicked it if Alex Rodman – a bundle of energy and trickery when he came on – had just planted his firm shot at 1-1 a few inches further from the goalkeeper.

However, show me a County fan that didn’t expect another defeat at 1-0 and I’ll show you a liar, Newport showing character and commitment to their cause in rousing themselves for the fightback.

A cagey first half rightly ended goalless, Exeter not doing enough to exploit County’s lack of confidence after midweek, especially when Lee Holmes summoned his inner-Ronny Rosenthal to miss when it was easier to score.

Exeter’s opener, just past the hour, was a hammer blow, because Newport were fully in the ascendancy when they were caught cold, having produced ten minutes of positive attacking play, their best sustained period of dominance for some time at home. Visiting manager Paul Tisdale had two substitutes stripped and ready on the touchline who he sat down when his side went in front. He knew Newport had hit a rhythm.

Tisdale and Exeter have done much Newport could and should look to learn from, the lower league Arsene Wenger entering his tenth season at St James’ Park where the club is fan-owned.

This was a battle of bosses on complete opposite ends of the scale, the longest serving manager going up against someone who sat in a dug-out just 30-hours after being unveiled to the press. Ten years versus ten minutes.

It bodes well that Sheridan had County looking so prepared for a contest that did indeed become part of a day of celebration, a bright new future hopefully on and off the field now yours for the taking.

That was sealed by John-Lewis’ sharp equaliser, seizing his moment to finish with aplomb with his weaker foot. No-one deserved a goal more.

The mood has shifted, the performance improved, the opportunity for County to hit their stride and consolidate seems a lot more achievable after just 90 minutes of football.

Now they need to grasp it, just like they did on Saturday. More of the same is all we ask.

Newport: (4-4-2): Day, Holmes, Barrow, Taylor, Donacien; Elito, Byrne, Klukowski (Owen-Evans 51), Collins (Blackwood 64); John-Lewis, Boden (Rodman 72)

Subs not used: Taylor, Nana-Twumasi, Partridge, Parselle

Booked: None

Exeter: (4-3-3): Olejnik, Ribeiro, Moore-Taylor, Tilson, Brown; Oakley, Noble, Holmes (Nichols 77); Wheeler (Nicholls 77), Morrison (Davies 77), Grant

Subs not used: Butterfield, McCready, Pym

Booked: Noble

Referee: Mr D Whitestone

Attendance: 2870