Newport County manager Michael Flynn may be forced to register himself as a player so that he can feature in the club's Leasing.com Trophy tie against Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow night.

Two of Newport's injuries came in their 1-0 win over Maldon & Tiptree on Friday night as they progressed to the FA Cup Third Round, with centre-back pairing Kyle Howkins and Mark O'Brien going off injured during the second half.

The pair add to the mounting injury list that already includes full-backs Mickey Demetriou and Daniel Leadbitter, midfielders Scot Bennett, Ross Willmott, Joss Labadie and Taylor Maloney, and strikers Keanu Marsh-Brown and Ade Azeez.

Flynn said: "I’ve got 10 out now so Tuesday’s team is going to be very interesting.

“I might have to register. Seriously.

“I don’t want to, I’ll tell you that. I’m not in great shape – my back has gone – but I’m sure I could sit in the middle of a back three and organise them.

Test your Newport knowledge with this quiz - Can you get 15 out of 15?

“If I can get out of it, I will. I don’t want to be anywhere near it, and that’s the God’s honest truth. I’d rather play Hats (assistant manager Wayne Hatswell)".

At the age of 39, Flynn hasn't played since 2017 when he was registered as a player-coach under Graham Westley.

During his playing career, Flynn started out with Newport in the 1990's and plying his trade as a midfielder, he went on to have four spells with Newport, as well as pulling on the shirts of Barry Town, Wigan Athletic, Blackpool, Gillingham, Huddersfield Town, Darlington, Bradford City and Undy Athletic.

The 39-year-old has been in charge of Newport since March 2017, originally taking over as caretaker manager until the end of the season before earning the job on a permanent basis.

The Verdict

With Newport's injury crisis, Flynn is right to register himself if he needs to, even if it is just to help guide some of the young players on the pitch.

The manager's hand may have been forced slightly by the injuries that his squad is currently decimated with, but he is still trying to do the right thing by the expectations the board may have regarding the competition.