The Reckless Guide to… Newport County

Key Personnel: Belfast born Warren Feeney took over the reins from John Sheridan in January 2016. As a player, the much travelled striker had spells at Bournemouth, Luton, Plymouth, Stockport and Oldham amongst others. He was capped 46 times by Northern Ireland. He has managed at Linfield and had been Sheridan’s Number 2 at Newport since October 2015.

Brief Directions by Road: These directions courtesy of AFCN. Exit M4 at Junction 25. Take first exit from roundabout (Heidenheim Way). Take 1st exit from flyover. Take 2nd exit from next roundabout. At next roundabout turn left over River Usk and at the traffic lights bear right into Chepstow Road. Turn right into Corporation Road and then left into Grafton Road -Rodney Parade will be on your left.

Car Parking: The town centre is only a 15 minute walk away where numerous pay and displays can be found. The local streets are restricted although those arriving early will be able to find spaces.

Directions by Train: A train from London Paddington will take around 2 hours. Newport Station is a short walk away from the stadium via Queensway Road and the Bridge over the river into Rodney Parade.

Eating and Drinking Locally: General consensus is the Lamb on Bridge Street to be the best bet for a good pint and bar food. The Queens Hotel is near to the station and is a Wetherspoon outlet. However the away bar in the Bisley away stand is excellent and will offer all you will really need pre-match.

Ground Description: The club moved to Rodney Parade in 2012 which is on the East bank of the River Usk. The Bisley Stand on one side, built in 2011, seats just over 2,500 and has a row of executive boxes. Opposite is the Hazell Stand which has seating and a small terrace in front.

To the right is the Town End which is a home fans stronghold Terrace, to the right is the South Stand, which is a mall temporary stand of seating. To its left is the pyramid shaped dressing rooms where the players come onto the pitch. You can see that the ground was designed for Rugby with large spaces behind each goal. The ground is shared with The Newport Dragons Rugby Club.

Our home for the day will be section of segregated seating in the Bisley Stand.

Admission Prices: Adults £19, Concessions £15, Under 16s £9.

Previous Meetings and Memories: Our visit in March 2016 saw the Bees win comfortably 3-0 with goals from Andy Yiadom, Mark Randall and John Akinde.

Now then…..This Newport is a reformed club evolving from the club that unfortunately went out of business in 1989. We have played Newport County three times in our history amassing 19 goals and conceding just three. In the FA tie in November 1970 a 6-1 victory is to this day the joint highest non-league club score over a Football League club in the competition. Ricky George scored a hatrick that afternoon at Underhill. In the GM Conference an extremely one sided affair at Somerton Park in September 1988 the Bees crushed their opponents 7-1 with Gary Abbott grabbing a hat-trick. The return at Underhill in the New Year finished 4-1. County’s records were expunged in the February and the Bees lost 6 points and a serious goal difference. John Still’s Maidstone United won the title by a country mile anyway, but we won the Club Call Cup!

Celebrity Watch: One of my Boyhood heroes Johnny Morris was born here – he fronted the TV show Animal Magic and narrated Tales of the River Bank. Bafta winning actor Michael Sheen is also from these parts. “Two of our own” Lee Harrison and Ismail Yakubu have both been associated with Newport County. Lee lived there for a year when he was Caretaker Manager in 2011, while Ismail made close to 150 appearances before moving to Woking.

Reckless