NEWPORT County continue to give their supporters encouragement that 2016 is going to be vastly improved for the amber army.

Saturday’s draw with fellow strugglers Yeovil might not have represented the ideal result in the Exiles’ first ‘six pointer’ of the campaign, but the display was highly promising.

County might have lost, probably would have done earlier in the campaign when they entirely lacked backbone when the going got rough, or frankly, when the going got moderate, like when an average, not especially confident Crawley Town ripped them to shreds.

Amazingly, with almost the same personnel, such performances seem like a distant memory, with the Exiles made of far sterner stuff seemingly since John Sheridan walked through the door.

He’s not a lovely guy like Terry Butcher, he’s far less passive on the touchline and far more fearsome on the training pitch – that’s the players’ view, not this reporters’ – but the response has been clear.

Newport are unbeaten in seven games and suddenly look a very, very difficult side to beat.

Well organised, good technically and with genuine width provided by rampaging wing backs, Sheridan actually has County playing in a fashion reminiscent to ‘the good old days’ under Justin Edinburgh.

It’s the same system, the effort and work rate is the same, the goalkeeper is the same and if you added Aaron O’Connor’s goals to the current XI, the Exiles would be mid-table at worst.

Of course, the reality is different, Newport now onto a second manager of the season and certainly still ensconced in a relegation battle, but I doubt too many fans are writing them off as they were a month ago. I doubt a single County supporter still believes the Exiles ‘would be better off’ regrouping in non-league, as we were incredulously reading on our website from certain posters in October and before.

However, all is far from perfect, because with a good display and plenty of confidence, Newport would have been expecting to beat Yeovil, to finally banish their home hoodoo.

Notwithstanding a drubbing of non-league Brackley in the FA Cup, Newport have won once at home in eleven months in League Two, a record so bad it’s almost hard to believe.

And if there have been various factors in that home malaise, on Saturday County’s home deficiency was starkly obvious, a lack of quality in front of goal.

The Exiles are crying out for a striker, unquestionably the priority position Sheridan will look to address in the short-term before Thursday’s loan deadline and longer term, in January.

Lenell John-Lewis is improving all the time and County fans appreciate his qualities, he’s like a much better version of Rene Howe, big, strong, always pulling defenders about and excellent with his back to goal. But he’s not a goalscorer.

Scott Boden looks a scorer, so does Zak Ansah, but only in flashes, neither player has stepped up and looked likely to perform game after game. Aaron Collins is seemingly a sub with potential at this stage, in Sheridan’s opinion.

So there remains a desperate need for Newport to try and find a finisher, because otherwise, they currently look to be in really good shape.

There aren’t many better than Joe Day in goal, while Scot Bennett’s communication and experience has proved invaluable at the back, where he’s complimented beautifully by Matt Partridge and either Janoi Donacien or the returning Andrew Hughes.

Hughes’ performance, his first start in 11 months since suffering a career threatening knee injury, was simply sensational.

He had hit a career peak when fate intervened back in December and probably, almost definitely, wouldn’t still be with Newport had he not been hurt, probably playing at a minimum, at League One level this term.

Jazzi Barnum-Bobb and Scott Barrow are providing terrific energy on the flanks – even if Danny Holmes is unlucky to be jettisoned – while Sheridan is getting a good tune out of whatever group he selected in midfield. He’s helped by having Mark Byrne, of course, a player who looks to be relishing life under someone you’d imagine was a hero of his growing up.

Goals are the issue, County have conceded five less this term than Carlisle, who are ninth and two points outside the play-offs, but no side in the division has scored fewer than Newport’s 17.

The Exiles had nearly 60% possession on Saturday, 15 shots on target out of 22 (Yeovil had nine shots, eight on target) and forced six corners (to Yeovil’s three), but they didn’t score.

The Glovers had the best opportunities in the first period, when Harry Cornick’s header cannoned back off the bar and incredibly was scrambled away rather than in and Francois Zoko missed from six yards, but it was Newport who played with more swagger.

After the break they translated that into periods of significant dominance, Paul Sturrock’s men penned back and falling deeper and deeper as County pushed and pushed, without having the quality to find the breakthrough.

Glovers goalkeeper Chris Weale did fabulously to deny Scott Barrow from a teasing Byrne cross after a Barnum-Bobb rampage down the right, the highlight save in a contest where the goalkeeper was simply faultless, irritatingly for the Exiles.

Weale’s double save to deny first Scot Bennett and then sub Scott Boden was also splendid, before Joe Day matched him at the other end in denying another Cornick header as Yeovil threatened to strike at the death.

It wasn’t to be for the Exiles, but displays like these are doing much to alter optimism levels among the home faithful. A crowd of over 3000 is a win, even if Saturday only produced a draw.

Newport County: Day, Barnum-Bobb, Barrow (O’Sullivan 81), Hughes, Scot Bennett, Partridge, Rodman (Klukowski 90), Elito, Byrne, Ansah (Boden 67), John-Lewis

Subs not used: Green, Holmes, Taylor, Collins

Booked: None

Yeovil: Well, Tozer, Smith, Dolan, Bird (Dickson 76), Fogden, Lacey, Cornick (Jeffers 88), Roberts, Ward, Zoko (Thomas 68)

Subs not used: Krysiak, Beck, Sheehan

Booked: None

Attendance: 3084 (460 away)

Referee: Mark Heywood

Argus star man: Jazzi Barnum-Bobb