NEWPORT County AFC moved level on points with League Two leaders Lincoln City after Tyreeq Bakinson's goal sealed a 1-0 win at Oldham Athletic and a fourth successive victory for Michael Flynn's men.

Here are the talking points...

Bakinson off the mark

Tyreeq Bakinson revealed after the match that he started out as a striker when he was a kid before being converted into a midfielder aged 12 and he took his goal like a 20-a-season front man.

The 19-year-old has taken some light-hearted stick from his manager and teammates about his wayward shooting in recent weeks but he has been getting closer and he was bursting with joy and relief after netting for the first time in professional football.

“If he could shoot it would be the deal of the century,” said Flynn earlier in the season and if he can add more goals to his game Bakinson really will be the full package at League Two level.

Free Press Series:

County win ugly again

The Exiles have been winning plaudits for their new style of play so far this season with the stunning team goal at Cambridge United getting a lot of attention but, just like at Port Vale last week, they showed they can also do the dirty work and grind out a win.

Flynn’s men soaked up the pressure as the hosts took the game to them and they defended superbly while also arguably creating the better chances on the break before Bakinson’s brilliantly-crafted and expertly-taken goal.

Then, just as they had at Vale Park, the black shirts formed an impenetrable blockade in the closing stages to protect Joe Day’s goal and preserve the victory.

Free Press Series:

Best start ever

With five wins and 16 points from their first seven matches, this is the best start to a Football League season in the club’s history. County fans have never had it so good.

On current form this team is picking up 2.28 points per game, which would add up to an incredible 105 points over a full season.

There is, of course, a long way to go. There will be a lot of ups and downs between now and May and Flynn is right to try to keep everyone’s feet on the ground.

He and the players will not get carried away but, with the Exiles now level on points with the leaders at the top of the table, the rest of us can enjoy every moment.

Flynn is 100 not out

This success is no flash in the pan, however, and the stats show what a good job Michael Flynn has done and suggest that his team could well be genuine promotion contenders.

The Exiles boss has won 28 of his 65 games in charge. The previous 28 wins before he was appointed came in 113 games.

Yesterday’s win took him from the nervous 90s to a century of points since he took charge of his hometown club.

Flynn’s record now stands at 102 points from 65 League Two games with an average of 1.56 points per game.

That works out as 72 points for a full campaign, which would have been enough for a sixth-place finish and a play-off place on average over the last five seasons.