FA Cup: Cup kings Newport County eye Brighton & Hove Albion scalp

If you are a Premier League manager whose side have won only once in 16 matches, where do you want to go in round three of the FA Cup?

The answer, presumably, is not Newport County.

Yet that is the scenario faced on Sunday by Graham Potter, who must try to ensure his struggling Brighton & Hove Albion side do not go the way of the numerous others who have been humbled at Rodney Parade in recent seasons.

Mike Flynn's Newport have reached the third round for the fourth successive season, an achievement in itself for a League Two club.

But their successes have not ended there. Their most notable cup win came against Leicester City in round three in 2019, when they went on to beat Middlesbrough in the fourth round before losing to Manchester City - but not without putting up a fight - in the last 16.

Flynn's FA Cup success story began in 2017-18, when Newport eliminated Leeds United before taking a Tottenham Hotspur side which featured the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Mousa Dembele to a replay in round four.

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There have also been EFL Cup triumphs, with Swansea City and Watford beaten this season before Newport could consider themselves unfortunate to lose out to Newcastle United in a penalty shootout.

It has been a remarkable run of knockout successes for a club who needed an extraordinary finish to the season just to preserve Football League status in 2016-17.

"They've done brilliantly in terms of their cup record and Michael has done a fantastic job there considering where they were when he took over and where they are now," said Brighton boss Potter.

"They've used the cup runs really well to develop the team. Even this season, in the Carabao Cup they had some impressive performances and results, so they have that history and identity and it's a challenge for us, but we're looking forward to it."

Brighton will hope the cup offers respite from the Premier League, where they sit three points above the relegation zone after only two victories all season.

Newport head into the tie on their worst run of the campaign, having been knocked off top spot in League Two having failed to win in their past four games.

Claude Puel's Leicester were beaten 2-1 at Newport in January 2019

Then again, as has been mentioned once or twice down the decades, league form is something of an irrelevance on third-round weekend.

Flynn says the key to Newport's cup successes has been attitude.

"I think every time the boys have risen to the occasion," he said.

"They have not been startled or on the back foot. They have been on the front foot, they have been up for it, they have raised their game and shown they are good players."

Not for the first time, the state of Newport's pitch has been a talking point going into a cup tie.

The Exiles and rugby side Dragons - who also play at Rodney Parade and hosted Ospreys on Saturday night - joined forces this week to pay for a cover to combat the cold weather.

Potter says Newport's playing surface "will hamper them as much as the opposition" given that Flynn's team set out this season to play a more attractive brand of football.

Flynn will not look for excuses. He points out that those early-season EFL Cup wins over Swansea and Watford, plus the game Newport should have won against Newcastle, were played on a pitch which was then in good condition.

Tottenham needed a late Harry Kane equaliser to earn a replay when they travelled to Rodney Parade in January 2018

He also remembers how Manchester City were able to play their passing game in south Wales despite a less than helpful surface.

Potter insists Brighton will "have no complaints" whatever conditions they face - but nods at the suggestion that the Seagulls could be set for an old-school cup tie.

"It could be, yeah," said the former Swansea City boss. "Is it Ronnie Radford at Hereford who smashed it in from about 50 yards with no grass anywhere [against Newcastle in 1972]?

"That's part of the competition and what you have to deal with."

Under normal circumstances, Brighton's visit would have attracted a bumper home crowd.

Newport's fans will be missed, but Flynn's team have proved on more than one occasion this season that they can upset the odds in an empty stadium.

"Brighton are littered with top professionals, as you would expect from a Premier League team," Flynn said.

"But it's Rodney Parade. We know anything can happen there."