Flynn Hopes Newport Won't Need Another Great Escape

ByIan Hunt

BBC Sport Wales

Mike Flynn gazes retired of his agency model towards nan stadium crossed nan stream wherever he endured 1 of nan astir stressful, but yet astir enjoyable, days of his life.

Rodney Parade, segment of Newport County's celebrated 'Great Escape' from relegation successful 2017.

There's nary flight from nan memories erstwhile your caller spot of activity is small much than a agelong goal-kick away.

Not that he ever wants to hide astir it.

"It was 1 of nan champion days of my life... nan hairs connected nan backmost of my cervix are opinionated up now conscionable reasoning astir it," says Flynn of nan clip he kept his hometown nine successful nan Football League pinch a last-gasp 2-1 triumph complete Notts County connected nan last time of nan 2016-17 campaign.

Nine years on, Flynn is anxiously watching connected arsenic a fan, having near nan world of shot for a caller occupation successful media and trading successful nan Newport agency of CDM Media, his metropolis centre guidelines conscionable crossed nan River Usk wrong spying region of his aged club.

Christian Fuchs' squad are 2 points supra nan relegation area aft Saturday's important 1-0 triumph complete Shrewsbury Town and, pinch six games to go, Flynn hopes location will beryllium nary request for a repetition of his final-day rescue act.

"I dream Christian tin support them up because location will beryllium a large after-effect if things spell wrong," said nan 45-year-old, who was calved successful nan metropolis and played for County earlier managing them from 2017 to 2021.

"My boy is successful nan academy astatine Newport and if we spell down... that could go. That would beryllium catastrophic successful position of really we're going to bring young players through.

"I deliberation shot successful nan metropolis will drop. It would deed hospitality astir lucifer days. It's going to time off a bad aftertaste.

"If they spell down, I deliberation it could beryllium a long, agelong roadworthy back. If they get back."

Flynn, though, is optimistic astir their endurance hopes. After all, they're not 11 points adrift of information arsenic his 2017 broadside were aft he accepted what looked an intolerable endurance ngo by replacing nan sacked Graham Westley arsenic boss.

Remarkably, Flynn dragged County to nan brink of safety, winning his first 2 games successful complaint - and six of his opening 11 - to springiness them a changeable astatine endurance successful that final-day gathering pinch Notts County.

And past nan astir excruciating play astatine Rodney Parade. Newport, needing to lucifer aliases amended Hartlepool's result, were being held 1-1 by Notts County while their relegation rivals were 2-1 up.

With nan Exiles backmost successful nan bottommost 2 and minutes distant from dropping into non-league football, defender Mark O'Brien wrote himself into County folklore by netting an 89th-minute victor to support them successful League Two.

Cue bedlam astatine Rodney Parade.

"Before that extremity went in, pinch each nan difficult activity that had gone successful down nan scenes, I'm reasoning 'these supporters don't merit this'," said Flynn pinch relegation staring them successful nan face.

"But Mark comes up pinch that infinitesimal of magic, past nan transportation penetration astatine nan end, my woman connected nan pitch, my boy Edward connected my shoulders, seeing grown men crying... it's made maine capable up galore a time.

"It turned retired to beryllium 1 of nan champion days of my life. Unbelievable. I'll ne'er hide it."

Though Flynn went connected to doubly return Newport to nan League Two play-off final, successful 2019 and 2021, caller seasons person been much astir endurance battles than promotion campaigns.

This season's struggle is by acold nan worst, County only precocious emerging from a 25-game tally stuck wrong nan bottommost 2 aft Fuchs replaced David Hughes arsenic boss.

"It's been adjacent a fewer years, hasn't it," said Flynn. "I don't want to constituent fingers aliases beryllium a know-it-all because I've made mistakes, but I don't deliberation recruitment's been adjacent to immoderate of nan managers, they've conscionable not had capable knowledgeable players.

"But I want to beryllium affirmative astir it. We've sewage to springiness them our support and dream [relegation] doesn't happen.

"I deliberation they request 3 much wins, and it looks for illustration it's going to beryllium a very debased points full for survival.

"If they do enactment up, hopefully erstwhile they do enactment up, they study from this and we're not successful this position for nan foreseeable future."

Having besides managed astatine Walsall and Swindon Town, Flynn says he hasn't closed nan doorway connected his shot career, but for now he's swapping nan changing room for nan boardroom arsenic he puts his world qualifications - a grade successful Sports Journalism and Media Law, a certificate successful Business and Leadership Management and a postgraduate qualification successful Strategic Leadership - to bully use.

"CDM Media is simply a worldwide company, truthful I'm dealing pinch immoderate big, large companies astir nan world," he said.

"We're bringing group together - main gross officers, main trading officers - and I'm nan wide head and head of operations.

"It's nan first clip I've been retired of nan shot bubble, but I'm not saying I'm done pinch football. Anybody who's been successful it arsenic agelong arsenic I have, you're ne'er done pinch it."

Never done pinch County either. Not erstwhile it's successful your blood. Not erstwhile different Great Escape whitethorn yet beryllium needed if results return a move for nan worse.

"I won't rather agelong to going to Barrow connected nan last time of nan play - I ne'er wanted to spell location arsenic a manager," quipped Flynn.

"But I'll hopefully beryllium location for nan past mates of location games. Cheering nan nine on. Wishing them nan very best."