Newport back on Parade as Jardim aims to stay tough to beat

Newport County return to Rodney Parade on Saturday hoping to draw a crowd and win a game.

County take on MK Dons having not played at home since the 0-0 draw with Grimsby Town on 16 November.

That was the first of four successive League Two draws for the Exiles, three of which were goalless stalemates.

It is part of a run that has seen Nelson Jardim's side win just one in 12 in all competitions.

But it is the three clean sheets from the last four games that is offering some hope for a team who, a month ago, had the worst defensive record in the division.

Having had little problem scoring, but plenty of issue keeping teams out, Newport have doubled their season shut-out tally over the past four games.

Becoming tough to beat is a positive for Jardim, who is keen to continue the consistency, but is aware that more is needed from a side 17th in the table.

"Some of the draws have been very good against sides doing well," said Jardim. "Any of those games could have gone either way; we are not too far away from winning but have to be wary we were also not too far to losing.

"But we need to stay consistent in our style and improving in the areas we are not quite there yet and know that down the road you will get your rewards."

Jardim says he has not sacrificed attacking ambition to tighten up at the back, adding: "You never try to do that, you look to work on areas to improve, but you try and progress as a whole.

"Overall, at the start of the season we were scoring a lot but also conceding a lot and that was down a little bit to me not knowing the players, and them not being used to me and the things we wanted to do.

"But this is a process that will have ups and downs - and hopefully we can be in a situation where we only look upwards."

Jardim says MK Dons – among the top scorers in the division and one place outside the play-offs – will be tough opposition, but added: "We have started to show some consistency and had points away at tough places. We can be proud of the way we are progressing but also know we need to do more."

The Portuguese hopes the long-awaited return home will help his side's cause.

"Rodney Parade is massive for us. The fans give us so much energy and are a massive factor in us reaching our objectives," he said.