Michael Flynn will not shy away from any flak over his own performances.

The skipper admits he is still finding his way back to proper form following his marathon injury lay-off.

Flynn has started the last eight games after sitting out over half the season with double hernia and adductor muscle injuries.

But given the length of time stuck on the sidelines, it is hardly surprising that he has not been the driving force that City fans have come to expect.

The confident Welshman, though, insists he will never go into hiding.

Flynn said: “I always put pressure on myself and I did think I could come back and just carry on from where I left off.

“But it’s been nine months since I was last fully fit. That’s a long time out and coming back into a struggling team does not make it easier.

“I never, ever make excuses and I will always hold my hands up after a poor performance. I’m not beating myself up but I do worry about it and think how I can improve.

“But I’m not the type of player who will hide away if things aren’t going right. I’ll keep looking for the ball and doing all I can for this team.”

Flynn’s body is still coming to terms with the rigours of regular League Two combat again. His comeback coincided with City’s heaviest schedule.

He said: “There’s no problem with the area where I had the operation but the adductor is still a bit weak. I need a good pre-season behind me and that will make a difference.

“I felt I put in a shift for the team at Morecambe the other week but my passing was sloppy. There are times when you misplace a pass but not usually three in a row.

“Last Saturday was a little neater and tidier on the ball but I didn’t feel I had the legs.

“I was trying to do everything, making 60-yard runs and sprinting back trying to cover the winger. But I needed an extra ten seconds to get my breath back.

“The one thing really missing from my game is goals. I had a couple of long-range efforts at Morecambe but I haven’t looked like scoring.”

City aim to stretch their unbeaten run under Peter Jackson to four games against Shrewsbury tomorrow. Flynn wants to give the fans something to cheer before the end of a wretched campaign.

He said: “Since I’ve come back we’ve got 13 points out of 24 and we haven’t done that much all season. We’re doing okay even though I’m not shining.

“We didn’t get the win against Northampton but it was another point in the right direction. We want to survive this season and five weeks ago I think we’d have lost that.

“I just want us to enjoy our football now and put some pride back into the club. It’s been a really poor season. Injuries haven’t helped at all but there have been times when we’ve let ourselves down as a team.

“We need to finish on a high just to show that we are good players and deserve to be at this club. That’s the same for all of us from one to 30.”

SIMON PARKER