Newport finished last season in fifth place in League Two and were only denied promotion after their 1-0 defeat against Morecambe in the Wembley play off final. It was the second time in three years they had lost in the final, having been beaten 1-0 by Tranmere Rovers in 2018/19.
The original Newport County were formed in 1912 and, like Rovers, were founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920.Hit by financial difficulties in the 1980’s, the club folded in February 1989. Unable to play home games at their former ground, Somerton Park, when they reformed as Newport AFC in June 1989, they played their home games at Moreton in the Marsh, Gloucestershire in 1989/90 and became known as the Exiles.
The club returned to Somerton Park for 1990/91 and 1991/92 but were on the move again in 1992 after ignoring a Football Association of Wales (FAW) directive that they should play in the newly formed National League of Wales. Instead Newport, having won the Hellenic League, competed in the Southern League. For two years, whilst they fought an ultimately successful, legal battle against the FAW, home matches were played at Gloucester City’s Meadow Park.
In 1999 they became Newport County AFC and, having competed in the Midland and Southern Leagues, became members of Conference South for the 2004/05 season. They won the title in 2009/10 and moved up to the Conference Premier Division.
They moved to their present home, Rodney Parade, in time for the start of the 2012/13 campaign after signing a ten year lease to share the venue with the rugby club.
At the end of that season, under the late Justin Edinburgh, they were promoted to the Football League following victory in the Conference play off final against fellow Welsh side Wrexham.
October 2015 saw the ownership of the club taken over by Newport County Supporters Trust.
Over the years, since our first meetings in 1920/21, Rovers have met Newport County 64 times in league football, winning 23 of those games and losing 24 of them, while 17 games have been drawn.
All but four of those games were against the original Newport County, whilst four have been against the most recent incarnation of the club, namely Newport County AFC.
I guess the standout game against the original club came on May 9th 1987 when Rovers were 1-0 winners against Newport County at Somerton Park; they travelled over to Wales needing a point to secure Third Division safety, and to avoid dropping into the Fourth Division for the first time in their history and came up against a Newport side that finished bottom of the table.
A crowd of 3,160 saw Rovers win thanks to Phil Purnell, who scored the game’s only goal with a low shot to guarantee another season of Third Division football.
In recent years the two games against Newport in 2014/15 stand out. The Exiles won 4-1 at the Memorial Stadium in October 2015 and Rovers, on their way to promotion, won by the same score at Rodney Parade in March 2016.
Former Rovers striker Peter Beadle is also a former Newport manager, while former Rovers and Newport goalkeeper Glyn Jones was caretaker manager of the Exiles in September/October 2005.
Players to have turned out for both clubs include; Julian Alsop, Charlie Clough, Billy Clark, Tim Carter, Roy Carter, Lance Carr, Darren Carr, Paul Bradshaw, Joe Day, Jamal Easter, Richard Evans, John Frowen, Dave Gilroy, Brian Godfrey, Jake Gosling, Andy Gurney, Harold Jarman, Ben Hunt, Rene Howe, Ian Hamilton, Glyn Jones, Vaughan Jones, Josh Klein-Davies, Daniel Leadbitter, Ray Mabbutt, Oli McBurnie, Paul Miller, Kaid Mohamed, Jason Perry, Martin Paul, David Pipe, Matt O’Mahoney, Tony Pulis, Sean Rigg, Alex Rodman,Ben Swallow, Dominic Telford, Davis Tutonda and Chris Zebroski.
Goalkeeper Joe Day played, on loan, for Rovers last season. Having appeared in over 200 games for Newport from 2014 – 2019, Joe moved to Cardiff City but played only one game for them before going out on loan, first of all to AFC Wimbledon and then to Rovers. He has recently rejoined Newport after being released by Cardiff.
(photo of Joe Day courtesy of Neil Brookman)
The following players have made their Rovers league debut against Newport; Ellis Crompton, Joseph Norton, Sydney Leigh, William Vaughan and Joe Walter (all 1920/21), Henry O’Neill and Ernest Sambidge (both 1922/23), George Charlesworth (1924/25), William Bann (1932/33), John Havelock (1933/34), John Allen (1934/35), Anthony Obi, John Scales and John Vaughan (all 1985/86) and Kaid Mohamed (2013/14).
One of the shorter journeys for Gasheads next season, a one way trip to Rodney Parade from The Mem is 29 miles.
Keith Brookman