Newport v Sutton preview

24 February 2023

England rugby supporters won't be the only sporting fans heading over the Welsh border on Saturday as Sutton head to Newport for a Sky Bet League Two clash at Rodney Parade. U's will be wearing all green for the game.

It promises to be a tight game between two sides who are both unbeaten in their last five games and have both lost just once in their last ten games, but while that ten game period has seen Sutton win six and draw three of the other nine games, Newport's record is the exact opposite, with three wins and six draws, and so while Sutton go in to the game two points outside the play-off area, Newport are in 16th place, twelve points short of the play-off zone and eleven clear of the bottom two.

Newport come in to the game on the back of a single goal win at Hartlepool on Tuesday, when Micky Demetriou scored his second stoppage time winner in the space of ten days, the long throw expert also grabbing the only goal of the game at Barrow.

There was also a stoppage time winner in the game at Rodney Parade last season, producing one of Sutton's most painful defeats of the season as Matty Dolan's late penalty completed Newport's comeback for a 3-2 win. Despite having Craig Eastmond sent off U's had led 2-0 at half time, David Ajiboye scoring both goals, the first, a sensational individual effort, winning the Goal of the Season award for U's last season. The sides drew 1-1 at the VBS on the opening day of this season, Omar Bugiel's goal cancelled out by Omar Bogle.

Eastmond is available for selection again after completing his two match suspension for his red card at Hartlepool, but Bugiel will again be missing as he sits out the second game of his two match ban for accumulated cautions.

Referee Tom Nield is in his sixth season as an EFL referee, and his only previous game in charge of Sutton was last season's 1-0 win at Crawley.

Tickets are available on the day at Rodney Parade from gate 7, CASH ONLY. Prices are £22 for adults, £18 for seniors (age 60+), £16 for students (NUS card or proof of education required) and young adults (age 16-21), £10 for under 16s, £8 for under 12s and free for under 6s if accompanied by a paying adult or senior.

Ambulant disabled supporters receiving middle or higher rate disability allowance pay the applicable price for their age and receive a free carer's ticket.

Our accommodation is in the covered Bisley Stand.

Further details for away supporters at Rodney Parade can be found here.

Supporters unable to travel to the game can listen to a live audio commentary through our iFollow service, with a match pass costing £2.50 or a monthly pass £4.49. Overseas supporters can watch a live stream of the game for £10. Click here to purchase the relevant pass - the overseas option will not be available to UK supporters.

Supporters not travelling to Newport may like to know that our academy side, having finished high enough in the EFL Youth Alliance South East Division to qualify for Merit League 1, will be playing away to AFC Wimbledon in the first of the games in that competition, kick off at 11am at the KCL Sports Ground in New Malden.

The Supporters' coach to Newport is fully booked, and leaves the VBS at 8.45am.

For independent travellers, drivers should leave the M4 at junction 24 and take the B4237 towards Newport (East). In about two and a half miles at a set of lights turn left, still signposted the B4237. Go under a railway bridge and turn right at the next set of lights in to Corporation Road. The ground and the away supporters' entrance is on the left. There is no parking at the ground, but street parking is available around the ground and the town centre multi-storey car parks are only a short walk away.

By rail you can travel from Paddington to Newport on an hourly service at 48 minutes past the hour, taking about an hour and a half. It's about a ten minute walk from the station to the ground,- come out of the main exit and turn left in to Queensway. Keep going until you get to a large roundabout, and take the pedestrian underpass to the centre of the roundabout. Turn left towards Clarence Pier and the River Usk. On returning to ground level cross the bridge in front of you over the river and turn right in to Rodney Parade. Return trains are at 17.31, 19.04 or 19.32, and you can also catch the 17.41 or 18.14 and change at Bristol Temple Meads.

Supporters are reminded that due to the rugby, road and rail routes from London to Wales are likely to be busy and plenty of time should be allowed for the journey.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Match report for Newport County 0 Sutton United 2

25 February 2023

Newport County 0 Sutton United 2 (Rowe 9, Smith 65)

For the second away match in a row, and the second time in two seasons at Newport, Sutton took a two goal lead, but this time there was no home team comeback as U's maintained the pressure on the sides above, and reached the 50 point mark in League Two

Sutton, for whom skipper Craig Eastmond returned after suspension, might have scored in the first minute as David Ajiboye and Joe Kizzi combined on the right and Ajiboye's low cross was scooped disappointingly wide by Lee Angol, but after Harry Charsley had volleyed wide for Newport, Sutton got the goal the bright start deserved when, after referee Tom Nield had ruled much to Newport's annoyance that an Ajiboye header had deflected off Aaron Lewis, the resulting corner saw Ben Goodliffe's header stabbed across goal by Ali Smith and turned in by Coby Rowe.

U's were indebted to Jack Rose for a superb double save midway through the half as he denied Offrande Zanzala after the striker had beaten Rowe to a through ball, and then turned away Scott Bennett's follow up effort, and luck went with U's from the corner as Priestly Farquharson's effort came back off the post and was scrambled away. Rose required treatment before play could restart, but recovered well enough to save Farquharson's header from Micky Demetriou's long throw, and soon afterwards Charsley headed wide from Cameron Norman's cross as Newport failed to prevent U's going in at half time a goal up.

Both sides made changes at the break, Kylian Kouassi replacing Donovan Wilson after the striker reported discomfort in his hamstring, and Bennett's 300th Newport appearance ended as Nathan Moriah-Welsh came on. Kouassi almost had an immediate impact, a backheeled flick setting up Angol for a shot that went too high, and then stinging the palms of Joe Day with a fierce shot. At the other end Rowe blocked a low shot from Lewis, and Rose tipped over Charlie McNeill's rising shot as Newport pressed for an equaliser, Zanzala also denied by a sliding Goodliffe, the striker's last involvement as he limped off to be replaced by Omar Bogle.

These defensive efforts were rewarded, and the home team's momentum stalled, in stunning fashion as a break initiated by Ajiboye and continued by Will Randall and Kouassi ended with Smith drilling a low 20-yard shot in to the corner of the net.

Rose immediately had to turn away a low Bogle shot that threatened to creep inside the near post, but Smith's goal had given U's a firm hold on the game. Angol picked up the afternoon's only booking for failing to leave the pitch quickly enough when replaced by Matt Dennis, and Randall had a shot blocked as U's closed out an impressive victory.

Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi, S Hart(sub E Boldewijn 90+3), C Rowe, B Goodliffe, C Eastmond, D Ajiboye, A Smith, D Wilson(sub K Kouassi H-T), L Angol (sub M Dennis 79), W Randall. Subs n/u B House, H Beautyman, C Dundas, L Gambin. Booked: Angol

Newport: J Day, C Norman, A Lewis, M Demetriou, J Clarke(sub C Kavanagh 70), P Farquharson, H Charsley(sub W Evans 70), S Bennett(sub N Moriah-Welsh H-T), C McNeill, O Zanzala (sub O Bogle 60), M Baker. Subs n/u N Townsend, S Bowen, E Cadwallader.

Referee: Tom Nield

Attendance: 3,968 (223 away)