Newport County Nears Improvement, Urged to Utilize Striker Hudlin

According to Iwan Roberts, Newport County is “not a million miles away” from ascending the League Two standings, though he suggests the Exiles need to enhance their utilization of striker Kyle Hudlin. Currently, Newport occupies the 17th position in the fourth tier. This follows a six-game winless streak in the league, which included five draws, and precedes their upcoming home fixture against MK Dons on Saturday at 15:00 GMT. The Exiles are set to make a welcome return to Rodney Parade this weekend, having played at their home ground only once since 2 November. “They have drawn five of the last six – they are not a million miles away,” former Wales striker Roberts commented on this week’s Feast of Football podcast. He further noted, “They are missing their best player in Aaron Wildig, who is not going to be available for the rest of the season [because of injury].” Roberts expressed his appreciation for the team’s playing philosophy under Nelson Jardim, stating, “I am a big admirer of the way Nelson Jardim wants his team to play. They are comfortable on the ball – they build from the back and keep the ball really well.” Having observed Newport’s draw at Colchester last weekend, Roberts believes that head coach Jardim’s challenges primarily reside in the team’s attacking play. He elaborated, “They get to the final third and there’s just a lack of ideas and a lack of creativity.” “One criticism is they don’t use Kyle Hudlin’s physicality as much as they should do. I think they should be dropping balls into his chest so he can control it and, if you have someone who’s 6ft 9in, you have to put crosses in the box,” Roberts concluded.