NEWPORT IoW's manager-in-waiting Steve Leigh confessed he might have changed his mind about taking charge next season had the Islanders lost their fight for Ryman 1 survival.
Thankfully, it's no longer an issue. Saturday's 4-0 home hammering of relegated Croydon carried Port safely out of reach of second-to-bottom Dorking, who drew 0-0 with Tooting & Mitcham.
"It's a huge relief for everyone and massively important for the club," admitted former Havant midfielder Leigh, who will take over from John Linington this summer.
"To be honest, I was in two minds whether to stay if we were relegated.
"Managing's a big commitment and I'd rather take it on in the Ryman League than the Wessex.
"If I was going to be involved in Wessex football, I'd prefer to do it just as a player and avoid all the hassle."
After all the uncertainty of last season when Newport were plunged into receivership and had their St George's Park home sold, Ryman survival is a major achievement for a club that have had to build their way up again from scratch.
Leigh said: "It's fantastic for all those people who have put in so much work behind the scenes.
"We had a crowd of nearly 300 on Saturday and the bar was packed. You could see the relief on everyone's faces."
The turning point of the game came just before half-time when Croydon had a man sent off for kicking out at Fraser Quirke and Ashley Wright hammered home the resulting free kick.
Dave Greening got the second on 74 minutes from a Tom Scovell through ball and, after substitute Adam Barsdell had made it 3-0, Greening struck again late on - his sixth goal in three games and his 24th of the season.
"That's a terrific strike rate," said Leigh.
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