PU PREVIEW 14: NEWPORT COUNTY

Newport County AFC was founded in 1912 and started out in the Southern League, playing at Somerton Park. The original name of the club was The Newport & Monmouth County Association Football Club, but the shorter name was soon adopted. The club was re-formed in 1919 and became a founder member of the Third Division of the Football League in 1920. They spent one season out of the League (1931-32) before winning promotion to the Second Division in 1939. On the resumption of national league football after World War Two, Newport resumed their Second Division status but suffered many defeats, including a joint Football League record 13-0 loss at Newcastle United. [Len Shackleton, a Newcastle player, reputedly said, "They were lucky to get nil."] County were eventually relegated. They fell into the Fourth Division in 1962. At the beginning of the 1970-71 season, County set an unwanted Football League record by failing to win any of their first 25 games, losing 21 in the process. They also equalled the heaviest defeat of a League club by a non-league side when they lost 6-1 to Barnet in the FA Cup. A resurgence was kicked off by promotion in 1980 and victory in the Welsh Cup, the latter entitling Newport to enter the 1980-81 European Cup Winners' Cup. County won two rounds before narrowly losing their quarter-final to East German side Carl Zeiss Jena FC. Two successive relegations saw the club fall out of the League in 1988. Sadly, Newport went out of business in February 1989 with debts in excess of £300,000 and were expelled from the Conference for failing to fulfil their fixtures. In June 1989 the club was re-formed as Newport AFC by 400 supporters and entered the Hellenic League (then four divisions below the Football League). The club was forced to play home games at Moreton-in-Marsh (Gloucestershire) in 1989-90, as Newport Council refused them use of Somerton Park. This led to Newport being nicknamed "The Exiles". After two seasons back at Somerton Park, the club was forced to ground-share again, this time at Gloucester City, as they fought a legal battle with the Welsh FA to protect their English league status. The High Court ruled in Newport's favour, and the club moved into the newly built Newport Stadium for the 1994-95 season. In 1999, the club reverted to the name Newport County AFC. The Exiles were promoted into the Conference in 2010 and reached the FA Trophy Final in 2012, the game coinciding with the club's centenary. Newport lost the game 2-0 to York City. The club announced a deal to move to the town's rugby ground, Rodney Parade, in May 2012. Promotion back to the Football League was secured with a play-off final win over Welsh rivals Wrexham in 2013, and the club was granted the Freedom of the City of Newport to mark their achievement.

Rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain are supporters of the club. Comedian Frank Carson was a director and vice-President during the 1970s and 1980s.

The Exiles are managed by Michael Flynn (appointed March 2017) and finished the 2015-16 League Two campaign in 22nd place.

Newport and Pompey have met on thirty-two occasions. Of the five Cup meetings (2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 1 Johnstone's Paint Trophy), Pompey have won three and Newport two. Pompey have won ten of the twenty-seven League meetings and Newport eleven, with six drawn. Pompey won 3-2 at Rodney Parade earlier this season.

(Information via Wikipedia and www.11v11.com)