Cod Almighty | Article

by Mike Dunderdale

18 July 2010

Well, hello there, Newport County. Let's talk about you.
The football club, now known as the Exiles, have an entertaining history to read about. They've also changed their name a lot over the years. They've had battles with their local council over their grounds, gone out of business, reformed at the basement level, played at grounds in both England and Wales, and even been threatened with having to play in Welsh leagues. On top of all that, they've just had one of their most enjoyable seasons for many a while, having been promoted as champions from the Conference South. For a more in-depth history, you can always start at theofficial website or for a friendly chat at the messageboard.

One thing that seems to shine through is that the club has some really dedicated fans, who've followed it through playing at Moreton-in-Marsh and Gloucester (hence the Exiles nickname), and is now looking at cementing its place in the local community. This was evident as I stopped to look at the ground on my way back from working in Ceredigion, as I'd parked up in the car park to find it was full of school coaches with a competition taking place at the ground. It was full of people and had a good buzz about the place, which was nice to see rather than the usual deserted car park often found at larger grounds. The ground is described with some affection by fans, some of whom call one of the stands "the Stannah Stairlift stand". Draw your own conclusion here.

Watched by 4,300 fans, Newport take on a Manchester United side in an, erm, mid-season friendly, March 2003. Photo: Lukas Skywalker (cc by-sa 3.0)

Do you come here often?
Newport join the Conference Premier on a high, having been promoted as Conference South champions last year – scoring 103 points with 93 goals for and only 26 against. It's worth listening to a great BBC radio clip of a promotion celebration and pitch invasion for the right reasons, with a reference to "the likes of Havant" to warm the hearts of GTFC fans.

Before that, in their current incarnation, they'd steadily progressed their way up from the Hellenic League through the Southern League (midland and then premier division). In the mid-1990s there was just the slight hiccup of a promotion–relegation–promotion over three years. The predecessor club formed in 1912 as Newport and Monmouth County AFC, nicknamed the Ironsides in a nod to the local steelworks connections. Founder members of the third division in 1920, they spent 61 years in the Football League, winning Division Three (South) in 1939. They had a good spell at the beginning of the 1980s, winning the Welsh Cup and the following season reaching the last eight of the European Cup-Winners Cup. A sharp decline saw them finish 19 points adrift at the bottom of Division Four in 1988 before going out of business in 1989.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
GTFC have never played Newport in their current guise, as the current club (Newport County AFC) only hails back to 1989, with the County part of the name being present only from 1999. However, in their previous incarnations, the first game between the clubs was in 1921 in Division Three (South). There's a definite bias towards GTFC (P21 W11 D4 L6), with the largest win a being 4-2 at Blundell Park in 1972, and the largest defeat being at Newport in 1977, being 3-0, both the games being in Division Four.

What can we do when the sun goes down?
Well, there's Newport Transporter Bridge – a spectacular piece of engineering with which to attempt to take your car across the river. Nicely lit up at night as well. For those not that interested in the football, the Ryder Cup will be held here this year – banners proclaiming this can be found adorning the drive into the stadium car park – and of course, there's a large amount of gorgeous scenery on the doorstep. It's called Wales.

The Newport Transporter Bridge combining beauty with utility. Photo: Martyn (cc by-nc-nd 2.0

Vital statistics
Last season
League placing: 1st, Conference South, P42 W32 D7 L3 F93 A26 Pts103
Home and away rankings: both 1st in the division
Average attendance: 1840 (rank: 1st in the division, 102nd in English leagues)
Mileage travelled: 2,841

This season
Squad size: 21 (as at 16 July)
Odds on winning the league: 16/1 (Blue Square)

Do say
"Nice to see your exile is over. Twenty-one years was too much."

Don't say
"Enjoy the Swansea match the other day?"

Do you know the Newport area? We want your recommendations for local pubs, cafés or B&Bs, to feature in our pre-match factfiles during next season. Use the Cod Almighty feedback form to send them in – or to share any other thoughts you might have about our Rough Guide to the Conference.