Welcome to the latest installment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter, we headed over the border back to Wales as we were treated to some Sky Bet League Two action. For this game, Newport County took on Harrogate Town at Rodney Parade.
It's All In The Name
Newport County is known as the Exiles. This is because Newport Council denied the club use of the ground Somerton Park, claiming that they were previous club Newport County in disguise attempting to re-enter the ground from which the old club had been evicted for non-payment of rent and rates, while the Football Association of Wales claimed the club had no connection with the old club and denied them sanction to play in Wales in the Football League pyramid.
Newport AFC had a manager, a team, and an offer from the Hellenic League to play in the FL tier. As a result, they became a Gloucestershire club and shared a stadium with Moreton Town. Moreton in Marsh, in the Cotswolds, is 85 miles from Newport, therefore the club's home games were further distant than many of its away games.
Some Notable People From Newport:
Michael Sheen- Actor
Aimee-Ffion Edwards- Actress
Tony Pulis- Football Manager
James Collins- Footballer
Bobby Windsor- Rugby Player
Some Notable Former Players
Joe Ledley
Ben White
Ronnie Radford
Tony Pulis
Trevor Ford
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
Newport County, dubbed The Ironsides due to its proximity to Lysaght's Orb Works steelworks, debuted in the Southern League in 1912 at Somerton Park. The club's legal name was The Newport & Monmouthshire County Association Football Club, but the shorter Newport County was quickly adopted. The club was reformed in 1919 and was admitted to the Football League for the first time in 1920. They were not re-elected following the 1930-31 season, but returned in 1932-33. After nearly 20 years in the Third Division South, the club was promoted to the Second Division as winners in 1939, thanks to manager Billy McCandless.
The championship-winning team was expected to thrive in the Second Division, but due to the onset of World War II, just three games were played during the 1939-40 season. Newport County finished joint ninth out of 22 teams after a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and a 3-1 win over Southampton. County finished 10th in the South-West Division after joining the War League for the remainder of the 1939-40 season.
The team reconstituted after the war and competed in the interim Football League South for the 1945-46 season. When national league play resumed for the 1946-47 season, Newport returned to the Second Division, but the reconfigured squad endured a string of defeats, including a joint play League record 13-0 loss against Newcastle United. "They were lucky to get nil," Newcastle player Len Shackleton said. Despite victories over Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday, and Fulham, the club needed four wins in the next four games to have any chance of escaping the drop zone. Despite a win over Newcastle United, setbacks to Birmingham City, Luton Town, and Manchester City sealed their fate. County were relegated after finishing last in the Second Division.
Newport reached the fifth round of the 1948-49 FA Cup under manager Tom Bromilow, their best finish in the tournament, which they later matched in 2019. They were defeated 3-2 at home by Portsmouth, the eventual FA Cup semi-finalists and First Division champions that season.
With the formation of the Fourth Division for the 1958-59 season, the team narrowly averted another effective relegation after 11 seasons in the Third Division South. The poorest 12 teams from the Third level North and South were sent to the new level, with the others constituting the resurrected Third Division. County almost spared this fate by four points. However, after only seven wins in a season in 1962, the team was relegated to the Fourth Division, where they remained for the following 18 years.
From 1953 to 1961, Billy Lucas managed Newport County for the first of three times. County reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1956-57, losing 2-0 to Arsenal in front of 20,000 fans at Somerton Park. County met Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the 1958-59 FA Cup. The game was played away from White Hart Lane in severe snow, and County's goal came from an amazing 35-yard effort by defender Ken Hollyman. This made the score 1-2, giving County hope that they could beat Bill Nicholson's men (who were double champions the following year). Tottenham, though, scored two late goals to destroy County's hopes of a surprise victory. County met Tottenham again in the 1959-60 FA Cup third round at Somerton Park, this time losing 4-0 in front of a cup record 24,000 spectators.
In the fourth round of the FA Cup in January 1964, County faced another high-profile club - Burnley, the 1960 Division One champions and 1962 double runners-up - under Billy Lucas in his second tenure as manager, but were defeated 2-1.
In the 1970-71 season, Bobby Ferguson's Newport club set an unfavourable Football League record by failing to win any of their first 25 matches, losing 21. In the same season, Newport County FC lost 6-1 against Barnet in the FA Cup first round, matching the heaviest defeat by a Football League club by a non-league club. The following season, under Billy Lucas in his third season as manager, results improved, as Newport missed out on promotion only on goal average.
In an attempt to improve their fortunes, Jimmy Scoular's side changed their playing uniform for the 1976-77 season to light blue and white striped jerseys, light blue shorts, and white socks, similar to the Argentina national team. The team, however, struggled until Colin Addison took charge in January 1977. The season became remembered as "the great escape" as County averted relegation with a 1-0 win against Workington at home in the season's final game.
The 1980s were a time when Newport County experienced both its brightest and darkest times. Len Ashurst was manager from 1978 to 1982, during the club's most successful spell and under Richard Ford's leadership. County defeated West Ham United 2-1 in round three of the 1978-79 FA Cup before falling 1-0 to Colchester United in a fourth round rematch. Promotion from the Football League Fourth Division was finally achieved in 1980, with the team only five points away from being declared champions despite never being in contention to win the league and never finishing first. County won 4-2 at high-flying Walsall to secure promotion in the final game of the season. Walsall finished second in the league and were promoted as well.
The 1980-81 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign was highly exciting, with the first round victory over Crusaders of Northern Ireland going 4-0 on aggregate (4-0 at home and 0-0 away). The second round against SK Haugar of Norway was even more convincing: after a 0-0 draw away, the club won the home leg 6-0, advancing to the quarter-finals against Carl Zeiss Jena F.C. of East Germany. Aldridge was injured for both matches against Carl Zeiss Jena, albeit he did not play in the second leg. Tommy Tynan scored both goals in the quarter-final away leg, including his 90th-minute equaliser. Despite dominating the first leg, Newport lost 1-0 at Somerton Park in front of 18,000 people, denying them a high-profile semi-final against S.L. Benfica. Carl Zeiss Jena eventually finished second in the cup, losing to Dinamo Tbilisi of the Soviet Union in the final.
Despite reaching the Welsh Cup final, County were relegated from the Third Division in 1987 and ended bottom of the Fourth Division with only 25 points in 1988, therefore ending their 60-year stint in the Football League. They failed to finish their debut season in the Conference and declared bankruptcy on February 27, 1989, with debts of £330,000. They were then kicked out of the Conference for failing to meet their obligations. Their record was wiped clean (four wins, seven draws, and 19 points in 29 games).
The club was reconstituted in June 1989 by 400 supporters, including David Hando as chairman and, later, club president. Former manager John Relish was re-appointed, and the team was voted to the Hellenic League (four divisions below the Football League at the time). The club's major goal was to reclaim its Football League status, which it had lost in 1988. As a result of having to play home matches for the 1989-90 season at the London Road pitch in the north Gloucestershire town of Moreton-in-Marsh, 80 miles (130 km) north-east of Newport, the club assumed the name "Newport A.F.C." and the moniker The Exiles. Newport Council saw the new company as a continuation of the old and denied it permission to use Somerton Park due to unpaid rent.
Newport won the Hellenic double and advanced to the Southern League. After spending the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons at Somerton Park in Newport, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) sent them to England for two more seasons, ground-sharing at Gloucester City's Meadow Park stadium in 1992-93 and 1993-94. FAW secretary Alun Evans, who was promoting the first national League of Wales founded for the 1992-93 season, compelled the club to resort to legal action to defend themselves from being thrown out of the English football league system. That case was successful, with a landmark High Court decision granting them a permanent home in Newport at the then-new Newport Stadium.
The team was promoted to the Southern League Premier Division in its first season back in Newport, 1994-95, after winning the Midland Division Championship by a 14-point lead. On the path to the championship, the club created a Southern League record by winning 14 consecutive league games.
The club resurrected the name Newport County A.F.C. in 1999.
For the first time since the club's rebirth, Tim Harris' team reached the first round proper of the FA Cup in 2001-02, drawing Second Division side Blackpool. County held them to a 2-2 draw away before losing the home game 4-1 after extra time. The following season, under Peter Nicholas' management, Newport reached the FAW Premier Cup final, defeating Swansea City and Cardiff City along the way before losing 6-1 to Wrexham.
With seven league games remaining, the club won the Conference South league title in March 2010 by defeating Havant and Waterlooville 2-0 at Newport Stadium. With the victory, they became the first team in the English football leagues to gain promotion in the 2009-10 season. County finished the season with a Conference South record 103 points, 28 more than Dover Athletic. Craig Reid led the league in scoring with 24 goals this season.
County finished 19th under Justin Edinburgh, retaining their Conference Premier membership. They also reached the FA Trophy Final in 2012, and their first appearance at Wembley Stadium coincided with the club's 100th anniversary. County were defeated 2-0 in the final by York City, who went on to win promotion to the Football League a week later in a Wembley play-off match.
Newport County stated in May 2012 that they had reached an agreement to relocate to the city's rugby stadium, Rodney Parade. Les Scadding, a EuroMillions lottery winner, took over as club chairman in August 2012. A new 10-year lease to play at Rodney Parade was agreed in February 2013.
Newport County finished third in the Conference Premier league in 2012-13, reaching the play-offs for the first time. Newport County advanced to the 2013 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium after a 2-0 aggregate win over Grimsby Town in the two-legged play-off semi-final. The final against Wrexham was the first to include two Welsh teams at Wembley, and Newport County triumphed 2-0 to return to the Football League after a 25-year hiatus with promotion to League Two.
Newport County have enjoyed some success in the Football League, with FA Cup draws against Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Leeds United, Middlesbrough, and West Ham United demonstrating the club's improvement. In 2021, the club reached the League Two play-off final, but lost to Morecambe who secured a place in League One.
Honours
🏆 Third Division South (Champions: 1938–39)
🏆 Fourth Division (Promoted: 1979–80)
🏆 Conference (Play-off winners: 2013)
🏆 Conference South (Champions: 2009–10)
🏆 Southern League Midland Division (Champions: 1994–95)
🏆 Hellenic League (Champions: 1989–90)
🏆 FA Trophy (Runners-up: 2011–12)
🏆 Welsh Cup (Winners: 1979–80)
🏆 FAW Premier Cup (Winners: 2007–08)
Matchday: Newport County 1-2 Harrogate Town
We travelled to Newport on what was a warmer Saturday morning to the previous ones as we looked to extend our run without a 0-0 draw. The journey took just over an hour, so we arrived in Newport in good time, so we were able to have a look about the city. We paid to park on someone's drive for a tenner, which was a fair price considering it was literally right next door to the ground (Rhoslyn Drive).
Arriving at the ground, it became abundantly clear that we would be warmly welcomed by the staff while we were there. People were very helpful in pointing us in the direction of the stand we were in (terracing) and we never felt like an 'outsider.' We visited the Fanzone (shoutout to the guy on the bar who couldn't open a can of Pepsi) which was fantastic. It boasted a bouncy castle (no I didn't go on it) and some entertainment. They did have some televisions showing the early kickoff (Luton Town vs Tottenham Hotspur), however my one complaint, at the risk of sounding nit picky, would be that the TV's were a bit small and in an awkward place, so it was really difficult to actually see what was on it.
Our next agenda was searching for a pin badge. One thing to point out is that the superstore (both in the city centre and at the ground) doesn't actually sell your maintstream club crest pin badges. They are often labelled with events from Newport's history (for example their play off final a couple of years ago) which is great for the Newport fans, but when you're a neutral wanting to add to your collection, it's slightly frustrating.
We then entered the ground via Gate 3 (shoutout to the steward who gave me a Haribo). The ticketing system was pretty easy, and it was nice to be given the option of proper old school physical tickets. A lot of clubs are trying to save money at the moment so end up either sending you digital tickets or print at home ones, which deprives fans of those momentos from their experiences at games, so it was refreshing to be given the option.
Truthfully, Finners and I had eaten at Taco Bell an hour earlier, but true to Finners' form, his body became confused and he was hungry again (inside joke). Finners ordered a veggie pasty, and the people at the food stall were willing to go to the other end of the ground to get him one, which deserves a lot of credit if you ask me. Finners enjoyed his pasty (in fairness he enjoys anything as long as it's edible and it's warm), and rated it good marks.
The atmosphere was alright. At the start of the game it was great to hear a rendition of Jeff Beck which got the crowd going. Unfortunately, there was a fan who decided to chunder after a minute of the game, which kind of put a dampener on things. Also, the referee was really poor (shock) which became increasingly frustrating as the game went on. As a result, the atmosphere took a bit of a hit, and it went from positive to outright frustration, but it was still a reasonable atmosphere for the crowd. Also, I'd like to point out that there were 60 Harrogate fans at the game, and when they scored, it so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
Teamsheet
Newport County
Manager: Graham Coughlan
Nick Townsend
Matty Bondswell
Ryan Delaney (c)
Josh Seberry
Shane McLoughlin
Bryn Morris
Scot Bennett
Aaron Wildig
James Waite
Will Evans ⚽️
Omar Bogle
Substitutes
Jonny Maxted
Lewis Payne
Kiban Rai
Nathan Wood
Olly Thomas
Corry Evans
Harrogate Town
Manager: Simon Weaver
Mark Oxley
Josh Falkingham (c)
George Thomson ⚽️
Dean Cornelius
Matty Daly
James Daly
Anthony O'Connor ⚽️
Rod McDonald
Kayne Ramsay
Josh March
Liam Gibson
Substitutes
Lewis Thomas
Warren Burrell
Sam Folarin
Jack Muldoon
Jeremy Sivi
Matty Foulds
Luke Armstrong
The game began evenly as both teams attempted to acquire a foothold in the game. Scot Bennett of Newport County scored the game's opening goal with a strike from the edge of the box that Mark Oxley disputed and held superbly. George Thomson then put the visitors ahead after being set up by Matty Daly and firing home from outside the box, leaving Nick Townsend stunned.
Harrogate extended their advantage shortly after the break when Anthony O'Connor converted Thomson's corner at the back post. The game wasn't over though as Will Evans tapped in Lewis Payne's low cross to put Newport back in the game. The post then denied Newport a leveller, as Aaron Wildig's header at the back post rattled the woodwork as it appeared to be destined for the back of the net. In the end, Harrogate held on for a crucial three points.
Scores on the Doors
Atmosphere: 6/10
Food and Drink: 6/10
Stadium: 6/10
Welcome: 8/10
Overall Experience: 7/10
GG
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