TODAY’S OPPOSITION
NEWPORT COUNTY
THE CLUB began life in 1912 in the Southern League before being invited to become founder members of the English Football League Third Division in 1920. They failed re-election in 1931 but were elected back into the League the following year. The second World War meant that they had to wait until the 1946–47 season to take their place in the Second Division and they were relegated at the end of that campaign.
In the 1980s, Newport suffered financial difficulties, with a double relegation costing them their EFL place in 1988, ending the original Newport’s 60-season stay in the Football League, however, in February 1989, the Club was wound up and expelled from the Conference. A group of 400 supporters reformed the Club in 1989 and were admitted to the Hellenic League, four leagues below the Football League. The reformed club were initially unable to play at their home ground, so picked up the nickname of the Exiles. They won the Hellenic League in 1989–90, and in the 1995, when they returned to Rodney Parade, were promoted to the Southern League Premier Division.
In 1999 the ‘County’ moniker was reinstated, and in 2004 Newport took their place in the inaugural Conference South season. It wasn’t until 2010 they returned to the Conference, and the late Justin Edinburgh lead them back to the Football League beating Wrexham 2-0 in the 2013 play-off final. After 14th and ninth place finishes, Newport were threatened with relegation before Mike Flynn saved them in 2016-17, and from there they have gone from strength to strength. Impressive cup runs and a play-off final in 2018-19 since have earned Newport a reputation, and with the start they have made this term, the Exiles have a great chance of returning to the third tier for the first time since 1987. In this season’s reverse fixture in late October, Town were undone by a late Brandon Cooper winner after Will Smith had cancelled out Pádraig Amond’s opener, despite Town playing the majority of the game with 10 men after the sending off of captain Josh Falkingham in the 37th minute.
POSITION
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POINTS
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FOUNDED 1912 REFORMED 1989
NICKNAME The Exiles
RODNEY PARADE Capacity 7,850
RECORD SCORER Reg Parker - 99 (1948-54)
RECORD APPEARANCES Len Weare - 526 (1955-70)
RECORD TRANSFER FEE PAID £80k Alan Waddle To Swansea City 1980 RECORD TRANSFER FEE RECEIVED £500K+ Conor Washington From Peterborough United in Jan 2014
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