The Mariners are back on the road tomorrow afternoon as Town travel to Rodney Parade to face Newport County in a Sky Bet League Two clash.
David Artell’s side will be looking to continue their unbeaten start to the League Two campaign, while Newport County will be aiming to pick up a much-needed victory on home soil.
The Opposition
Newport County currently sit 19th in Sky Bet League Two, having collected six points from their opening seven league fixtures. The Exiles began the campaign with a 3-0 victory over Rochdale at Rodney Parade, before suffering a 5-3 defeat away at Bristol Rovers. They then drew 2-2 at home against Tranmere Rovers before suffering consecutive defeats against Salford City and Northampton Town.
Newport have since drawn 1-1 with Fleetwood Town at Rodney Parade and played out a goalless draw away at Accrington Stanley.
Their six league points have left them 19th in the early League Two table, while they have scored 10 goals across their opening seven fixtures.
Newport are now under the guidance of Hayden Mullins, who was appointed as the club’s new manager during the summer. Mullins brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to Rodney Parade, having represented the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Portsmouth during a playing career that saw him make more than 500 senior appearances.
The former midfielder also earned international recognition with England Under-21s before moving into coaching. He began his coaching career at Reading before joining Watford in 2016, initially working with the Academy before progressing to manage the club’s Under-23 side. Mullins twice stepped into the Watford caretaker manager role before joining Colchester United as assistant head coach and subsequently taking charge of the club permanently in 2021. He later worked with the Turks and Caicos Islands national team before joining Fulham as their Under-21 Head Coach in 2023.
During his time at Craven Cottage, Mullins led Fulham Under-21s to the Premier League Cup title in 2024, beating Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s 4-0 in the final.
He is now tasked with leading Newport forward as they look to climb the League Two table.
Mariners’ Start
Town have made an unbeaten start to the Sky Bet League Two campaign, recording three victories and four draws from their opening seven matches.
The Mariners began the season with a 1-0 victory over Exeter City at Blundell Park before drawing 0-0 away at Walsall. Back-to-back 2-2 draws against Fleetwood Town and Accrington Stanley followed, before another 2-2 draw away at Cheltenham Town. Town then produced an impressive performance to defeat Bristol Rovers 2-0 at Blundell Park, with Kieran Green and Géza Dávid Turi finding the net.
Last weekend, David Artell’s side followed that up with another 2-0 victory, this time against Crawley Town, as goals from Iwan Morgan and Kieran Green secured three more points.
The result leaves Town third in League Two with 13 points, with the Mariners having won three and drawn four of their opening seven league fixtures.
Town’s unbeaten start is only the fourth time in the Club’s history that the Mariners have remained unbeaten through their opening seven matches of an EFL campaign, with the previous occasion coming in the 1982/83 season.
Town will now look to extend that run when they travel to Rodney Parade.
Head-to-Head
Tomorrow’s fixture will be the 41st competitive meeting between the two clubs.
The Mariners have won 18 of the previous encounters, while Newport have recorded 12 victories and the remaining 10 matches have ended in draws. Town’s recent record against Newport has been particularly strong, with the Mariners unbeaten in the last eight league meetings between the sides.
Newport’s last league victory over Town came in February 2021, when they recorded a 1-0 victory at Rodney Parade. Since then, Town have recorded four victories and four draws against the Exiles.
The Mariners have also won their last two home meetings with Newport, while each of their last three league visits to Rodney Parade has ended in a draw.
Last Time We Met
The most recent meeting between the two sides came at Rodney Parade on 7th February 2026, when the two teams played out a goalless draw.
Town dominated the first half and saw Andy Cook and Kieran Green strike the woodwork, but Newport improved after the break. Both sides were awarded penalties during the second half, but neither could convert.
Nathan Opoku saw his spot-kick saved by Jackson Smith before Jordan Wright denied Charles Vernam from 12 yards at the other end. The game ultimately ended 0-0.
Town had previously beaten Newport 2-1 at Blundell Park in August 2025, with the Mariners securing another victory over the Exiles in the corresponding fixture the previous season.
One to Watch
Shaquille Gwengwe
Shaquille Gwengwe has emerged as one of Newport County’s key attacking threats during the opening weeks of the 2026/27 campaign.
The forward has started all seven of Newport’s League Two fixtures so far, playing 506 minutes and registering four goals and no assists. Gwengwe opened his league account on the opening day of the season, finding the net in Newport’s 3-0 victory over Rochdale.
He struck again during the Exiles’ 5-3 defeat away at Bristol Rovers before producing his most eye-catching performance of the campaign against Tranmere Rovers. Gwengwe scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Tranmere, earning an 8.5 rating for his display.
His four league goals make him Newport’s leading scorer so far this season, with the forward also finding the net during a productive opening spell against Bristol Rovers.
Town’s defenders will therefore need to be alert to the threat posed by Gwengwe when the Mariners travel to Rodney Parade, with the Newport forward having already demonstrated his ability to find the back of the net consistently this season.
The Numbers
- Town have won 18 of the 40 competitive meetings between the two sides, with Newport winning 12 and 10 draws.
- Newport are winless in their last eight league meetings with Grimsby Town, drawing four and losing four.
- Newport’s last league victory over Town came in February 2021, when they won 1-0 at Rodney Parade.
- Each of Town’s last three league visits to Newport has ended in a draw.
- Both of the last two meetings at Rodney Parade have finished 0-0.
- Town are unbeaten in their opening seven League Two matches, recording three wins and four draws.
- Town’s unbeaten start is only the fourth time the Mariners have remained unbeaten through their opening seven matches of an EFL campaign. The last occasion Town achieved the feat was in 1982/83.
- Town have scored 11 goals in their opening seven League Two fixtures.
- Newport have scored 10 goals and conceded 11 across their opening seven league matches.
- Newport are currently 19th in League Two with six points.
- Town currently sit third with 13 points.
- Newport are unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions, following a 0-0 draw with Accrington and a 2-0 EFL Trophy victory over Swindon Town.
Match Officials
Darren Drysdale will take charge of tomorrow’s fixture, with Kevin Howick and Thomas Harty appointed as assistant referees and Grant Taylor named as fourth official.
Drysdale has taken charge of four matches during the 2026/27 campaign, including two League Two fixtures and two League One matches.
He has issued 11 yellow cards and one red card so far this season.
During the 2025/26 campaign, Drysdale officiated 31 matches across a number of competitions, issuing 105 yellow cards, two second yellow cards, three red cards and seven penalties.
His most recent Grimsby Town fixture came on 26th December 2024, when the Mariners defeated Harrogate Town 2-1 at Blundell Park.
Tomorrow’s fixture sees an unbeaten Mariners side travel to Rodney Parade looking to extend their positive start to the League Two campaign. Get behind the Town and make some noise in Newport!
UTM
