MATCH-WINNER Dale Gorman insists Newport County AFC were “back to our best” on Saturday and can use the victory over Morecambe as the perfect launch pad for three long away trips.

Gorman, on loan from Leyton Orient, produced the one real moment of quality at Rodney Parade, his delightful second-half chip enough to see off the Shrimps.

The Exiles head to Carlisle United tonight (kick-off 7.45pm), before going to Stevenage on Saturday and then Crawley Town next Tuesday, a trio of round trips totalling more than 1,200 miles.

So not only did Gorman’s piece of brilliance last weekend give County a much-needed boost after back-to-back league losses, it got them back in business ahead of three testing away days.

“We needed that,” said Gorman. “It was important we bounced back after two defeats in a week and I thought we deserved it.

“It was a tough week last week, but we showed a lot of guts and determination to go out and get the three points.

“We battled well and thankfully got the win and got back on track. We were back to our best.

“And one thing the gaffer said before kick-off is that, no matter what happens, we all stick together, and that was clear to see out there.

“We’re all 100% behind the manager, we’re all together in that dressing room, no matter what happens.”

He added: “We’ve got three tough away games now, but they are three games we’re looking forward to.

“There aren’t many games left and we’re going into every game looking to get as many points as we can towards the end of the season, and we’ll see where it takes us.

“We can use it as a platform. That’s a win on the board now and we go into Tuesday with three points, spirits are high and we’re looking forward to it.”

Gorman has impressed since arriving at County in January, and the 23-year-old Northern Irishman is enjoying life in south Wales.

“I’m loving it here,” he said. “I’m back enjoying my football here and the club and the dressing room have been brilliant with me so far.

“I’m out of contract in the summer so we’ll see what happens.

“I’m aiming to impress. I came here to play games and enjoy my football again and, thankfully, I’m doing that at the minute.”

On whether he would like to make the move permanent, he said: “I’ll leave that to other people. I don’t get involved with stuff like that. I just concentrate on my football and see what it brings me.”