David Artell takes the Mariners to Wales this weekend with Newport County the opponents for his third Sky Bet League Two match in charge of Town.
Unbeaten so far in his two league matches at the helm, the squad and supporters will all be travelling south with hope of building on a positive run that has see the Mariners pick up a point against an in-form MK Dons a day after Artell took over before picking up his first three points against former side Crewe at Blundell Park last weekend.
Team News
During pre-match press this week, Artell shared that Charles Vernam had returned to non-contact training after being absent since September. After recovering sufficiently from surgery on a thigh issue, his return to training will be music to the ears of supporters who are keen to see him get back onto the pitch.
Rekeil Pyke and Donovan Wilson are nearing a return to fitness after missing out on last weekend’s victory over Crewe at Blundell Park.
Newport County
Managed by Graham Coughlan since October last year, Newport finished 15th in last season’s League Two table, four places and four points below the Mariners.
After ending their 25-year absence from the Football League by winning promotion through the 2012/13 Conference Play-Off final, this is Newport’s tenth consecutive season in League Two with that record seeing them share the longest uninterrupted tenure in the division at present alongside Mansfield, the Stags earning promotion the same season.
After a couple of mid-table finishes in their first two seasons in the fourth tier, the Welsh club narrowly avoided relegation with consecutive 22nd-place finishes in League Two, first avoiding relegation by nine points in 2015/16 before staying up by just two the following campaign.
Since then, they have established themselves in the league and have reached the Play-Offs on two occasions, first in 2018/19 before reaching the Play-Off final two seasons later before being beaten by Morecambe in the 2020/21 showpiece.
This summer saw Newport sign seven players on permanent deals, including former Mariner Bryn Morris – the player with the most minutes to his name in a Newport shirt this season – as well as defenders Ryan Delaney and Shane McLoughlin from Morecambe and Salford City, respectively.
Their top scorer this season is Will Evans, the midfielder having scored twelve goals this season. Former Mariner Omar Bogle is their second with six to his name.
Form
Before losing 2-1 at Tranmere in their last league fixture, Newport had picked up consecutive 2-1 wins, the first of those being an impressive victory at home over Stockport County before picking up three points at Morecambe.
Tomorrow’s hosts have been defeated at home twice this season, suffering reverses against Bradford City and Harrogate Town at their Rodney Parade home.
Newport come into this weekend’s match off the back of a 4-1 victory at Barnet in their Emirates FA Cup Second Round replay on Tuesday night.
Town head to Wales looking to build on a five-match unbeaten run in the league with three draws being sandwiched by November’s 3-2 victory over Morecambe at Blundell Park and last weekend’s 2-1 win against Crewe.
In all competitions, Artell’s team have tasted defeat just once in the last eight matches in all competitions.
The Mariners had the better of the meetings between the two sides last season with a 2-0 victory at Newport coming in September 2022 before the points were shared in a 1-1 draw in March this year.
Coverage
Overseas supporters will be able to watch Saturday’s match against Newport on Mariners TV with match passes available for £10 – they are available HERE.
UTM
