NEWPORT County AFC manager Graham Westley is aiming to strengthen his defence in time for Saturday's trip to his old club Stevenage.

Monday's 2-1 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers was a seventh successive loss in League Two and means the Exiles are still five points from safety at the foot of the table.

And Westley says he is working hard to recruit more reinforcements to add to the arrival of strikers Aaron Williams and Jaanai Gordon on New Year's Day.

"It's never as easy as you think or as fans hope to bring new lads through the door," said the Exiles boss. "I've said we are in desperate need of some defenders at the club.

"I've got Jennison [Myrie-Williams] playing at left back who is not a natural defender and Jazzi [Barnum-Bobb] who is an attacking full back but he's not a defensive one.

"And we've got a pairing at centre-half [Darren Jones and Abdoulaye Meite] that isn't an ideal pairing right now with the captain [Scot Bennett] being out."

Rhys Healey returne to Cardiff City after the defeat to the Chairboys.

"He will have learned a lot," said Westley. "He had a phase where things were going well for him.

"He got a bit of interest and there was a bit of a rumour going round that others were interested and I think he lost his way.

"That's a lesson for him. Hopefully it'll happen to him again in his career where things are going in the right direction. You've got to respect your team at that time."