Graham Coughlan reflects on a "difficult" first pre season as County boss

Newport County manager Graham Coughlan has just overseen his first pre season as manager of the club.

Boss Coughlan admits it's not been all plain sailing in the build up to the new campaign "It's been difficult, It's been really difficult if im quite honest and i'm not sure if it will get any easier for me"

"It's been trying its been testing, it's probably the biggest challenge i've ever taken on in my life, It's a mammoth task," he added. 

County have had a mixed bag of results in pre season starting of with wins against Welsh league opposition Undy and Pontypridd. Then followed 4 consecutive defeates to Sheffield fc, Swansea City, Bristol City and Yeovil conseeding 15 goals in those games without reply. We finished off with our first pre season game at our home of Rodney Parade for the first time in just over 5 years with a 1-1 draw against Cheltenham Town.

Graham Coughlan admits the pre season friendlies were planned deliberately "The fixtures we're put together where we had our first 3 games against Pontypridd, Undy and Sheffield were put together so we could get that bulk of work into us the day of the game, the day before the game and we could go into those games fatigued. When you go into those games fatigued you actually have to concentrate more, you have to organise more."

"We then went into the Bristol City's and the Swansea games they we're games where we didn't see much of the ball and they were deliberate. They we're defensive organisation, defensive structure, it was trying to press, it was trying to get after players, top quality players who don't give the ball away with not alot of turn overs we were up against quality," he continued.

"Then we come away from that with the Yeovil which was system for system, man to man and today was the same, so yeah it was structured it was organised." 

"They are at a level now where their fitness is good, the preseason has been really hard for them. If anything we will be one of the more fitter teams in the league and I think we will have to be."

Coughlan and County kick off their 2023/24 campaign this coming saturday away to Accrington Stanley and welcome the lancashire side back to the forth tier for the first time since the 2017/18 season when they won the league.