Exclusive: Finn Azaz on Michael Flynn’s Newport departure and Dom Telford’s “unbelievable” season

Aston Villa loanee Finn Azaz has pinpointed the departure of Michael Flynn and the arrival of replacement James Rowberry as the turning point in his Newport County season, speaking exclusively to Football League World.

The 21-year-old won the League Two Young Player of the Season award and was named in the League Two Team of the Season at Sunday’s EFL Awards.

Azaz joined on loan from Villa in July and has featured 43 times for Newport since, scoring six times and adding seven assists from central midfield, but had to bide his time for a regular starting spot.

That came after Rowberry was installed as Flynn’s replacement in October, with a shift to the three at the back system that the new manager has favoured helping to get the best out of the midfielder.

The change in management brought an end to the Welsh coach’s four-year tenure, which had included plenty of high points.

Taking over with Newport 11 points adrift at the bottom of League Two, Flynn led the club to EFL survival in 2016/17 and twice took them to the play-off final in proceeding years – though they were beaten on both occasions.

Many linked with the Rodney Parade outfit will have been sad to see the 41-year-old go but, as he exclusively told Football League World, it helped Azaz kick on.

He said: “When the new manager’s come in, I’ve come into the team with the change of the system and that’s when it all got started for me personally.

“I’m disappointed with how the table looks and how the season has finished. I think that with the talent we’ve got in the squad – two of us in the Team of the Season and I’ve won Young Player of the Season – we as a squad are disappointed that we haven’t been able to do it.

“We’ve done it against the teams around us but it