PROMISING midfielder Adam May has offered Richie Wellens more value for money in recent weeks, following a sub-standard pre-season.

Wellens was far from angered by May’s performances against Brimscombe & Thrupp, Swindon Supermarine, Salisbury, Birmingham City U23s, Manchester United U23s and Coventry City prior to the start of Town’s League Two campaign.

But the Town boss sensed the on-loan Portsmouth man had more to offer with regards to his sprinting and ability to play the ball around corners when moving possession forward.

May has started one of Town’s 10 League Two fixtures this season. That occurred against Northampton Town – a game which was missed by Jerry Yates due to suspension while Anthony Grant was yet to arrive from Shrewsbury Town.

Otherwise, the 21-year-old has been restricted to five appearances from the bench – with two starts made in Town’s Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy defeats.

Looking forward, though, Wellens is no doubt excited by the prospect of developing May after being impressed by his technical traits in training.

Wellens said: “I wanted more from Adam in pre-season, but he’s getting better.

“I wanted more dynamic play. His distances in terms of getting around the pitch are good, but I want more sprints and more playing around corners.

“I want him to get into the box too. In the last two or three appearances, he has come on the pitch and performed well.

“He’s a young player with so much talent, technically he is very good. I look forward to bringing the best out of him as the weeks go by.

Closer to the present, Wellens is unsure what Saturday's opponents – Newport County – will offer with regards to their shape.

Teams visiting the Energy Check County Ground this season have been more than happy to camp in to frustrate Town’s attacking options – Northampton, Morecambe and Macclesfield Town spring to mind.

But with Michael Flynn playing three, four and five men at the back in recent fixtures, County’s shape could turn out to be a bit of a lottery.

Wellens said: “Newport have changed their defensive shape in recent games.

“They played 4-3-3 against Macclesfield, so they’ve got options – especially up front.

“(Tristan) Abrahams, (Padraig) Amond and (Jamille) Matt are all threats. I would imagine they will want two strikers on the pitch.”