SOULEYMANE Coulibaly may have been head over heels with excitement after his goal but Newport County AFC manager Warren Feeney is staying firmly grounded.

The overwhelming emotion conveyed by Feeney after Coulibaly’s late leveller sealed a 1-1 draw at Luton Town was not joy but relief.

County are safe and it is very much a case of job done for the former Northern Irish international.

When he first pitched up at Rodney Parade in October, leaving behind the manager’s job at Linfield in his native Belfast, it was as assistant to John Sheridan.

In the wake of Terry Butcher’s sacking, the Exiles were rock bottom with just five points from 10 games.

When Feeney stepped up to replace Oldham-bound Sheridan in January they were still in real trouble – just three points clear of the bottom two.

Coulibaly’s header two minutes from time at Kenilworth Road, coupled with York City’s defeat at Accrington Stanley, means County are 10 points clear and safe with two games to spare.

Feeney, Sheridan and the players deserve credit for digging the club out of a hole.

From Lenell John-Lewis’ equalizer against Exeter City in Sheridan’s first game to Coulibaly’s strike at Kenilworth Road on Saturday there have been many key moments on the road to safety.

Fans will recall Scott Boden’s clincher at Wycombe Wanderers, Zak Ansah’s double at Bristol Rovers, Oliver McBurnie’s hat-trick at home to Luton and Aaron Collins’ vital winner at York City.

Then there were those debut goals for John-Christophe Ayina and Conor Wilkinson’s to scrape a draw against Dagenham & Redbridge, Boden’s streak of winners, culminating in that shock victory at Portsmouth, and Medy Elito’s stunner against Oxford United last week.

All have contributed to keeping County in the League and it is job done but certainly not mission accomplished as far as Feeney is concerned.

He has greater ambitions as a manager and for the Exiles and he certainly doesn’t want to be in another scrap to avoid relegation this time next year.

And Saturday’s match was another one that proved that Feeney’s men are capable of competing with the big hitters in League Two.

Just like that win at Pompey, currently sixth, the draw with Oxford, now third, and even the unfortunate defeat at champions Northampton Town, this was a game that proved there is talent in this squad.

Critics will rightly point to those six successive defeats and a current run that has produced just three points from the last 27 available.

But anyone who was at Kenilworth Road can’t help but have been impressed by the way County took the game to the Hatters, particularly in the first half.

The returning Alex Rodman was the key man, ably assisted by a confident Elito and ever-reliable skipper Mark Byrne, as the visitors forced a series of corners and free-kicks and kept the Hatters quiet.

And, when the hosts got their act together and bombarded the Exiles goal, goalkeeper Joe Day and his back four stood firm.

Day saved superbly from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and substitute Cameron McGeehan but he was also grateful for some poor finishing from former teammate Joe Pigott.

County deserved that luck, however, and it would have been harsh if Jack Marriott’s opener – a near post header on 81 minutes – had seen them go home pointless.

Ex-Luton front man Dean Morgan, who was relentlessly booed after he replaced John-Lewis, had already spurned one glorious opportunity a minute beforehand.

But two more substitutes combined to earn their side a deserved share of the spoils as Tommy O’Sullivan crossed from the right and Coulibaly’s header looped into the corner of the net.

The Ivory Coast under-20 international raced towards the bench and celebrated with a backflip.

The travelling fans went wild and Feeney allowed himself a grin but he knows there is still plenty of work to do if the club is to match his ambitions.

County: Day, Holmes, Jones, Hughes, Davies, Rodman, Byrne, Elito, Barrow (O’Sullivan, 86), Boden (Coulibaly, 82), John-Lewis (Morgan, 64)

Subs not used: Green, Partridge, Parselle, Owen-Evans

Booked: Davies

Referee: Fred Graham

Attendance: 7,606 (140 County)