Newport County

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Former Newport County manager Graham Coughlan is back in work five months after leaving Rodney Parade.

Coughlan, 50, has taken over as manager of National League Boston.

The Northern Irishman left Newport in June with County chairman Huw Jenkins saying the club wanted to move in a "different direction". Jenkins then appointed Nelson Jardim as head coach.

Coughlan replaced James Rowberry at County in October 2022, ensuring the club avoided a relegation battle after a difficult opening to the season.

An impressive start to the 2023-24 campaign included an FA Cup run and a money-spinning fourth-round tie with eventual winners Manchester United.

However, a slump in form at the end of the season saw them lose eight successive games and Coughlan left after 20 months in charge with Newport having finished 18th in League Two.

The former Bristol Rovers boss succeeds Ian Culverhouse at Boston, with the Pilgrims - who were promoted last season - second bottom in the National League.

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Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim says his side have to be more ruthless in front of goal.

Saturday's stalemate at home to Grimsby Town - in which Kyle Hudlin had a 59th-minute penalty saved - means the Exiles have found the back of the net once in three League Two games.

"You have to focus on the overall performance of the team, I thought we were good, the better team, better team in terms of everything basically," Jardim said after the match.

"But the main one is to create goal-scoring chances, where again we didn't score and a second game at home that we missed a penalty as well."

While the lack of goals remains a concern, a clean sheet and a point after successive league defeats was a positive, especially given Newport's injury problems this campaign.

"I don’t think I had a chance to settle things in terms of the back four," Jardim added.

"I’ve been always forced to change things around with the Shane [McLoughlin] injury and then Matt Baker was a couple of games out because he was playing for Wales and then Clarkey [James Clarke] was injured, and then [Kyle] Jameson got sent off.

"So I’ve been forced to play, I’m looking to make sure we’ve got a consistent manner of play, and obviously playing that back four that we feel is the best one week in week out will help us to be consistent.

"But again positives was, we were okay because we managed to have more of the ball as well and I think it’s also positive the point.

"One third of the league games are gone now, I’ve got 20 points. I would say now, there are still 30-odd games to go, how quick can you get another 10 wins, and we will focus on that."

Newport sit 15th in the table and face a tricky trip on Saturday to sixth-placed Notts County (12:30 GMT kick-off).

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Newport County will know what to expect when away-day specialists Grimsby Town arrive at Rodney Parade.

Dave Artell's side have collected five wins from their last five games on the road in League Two.

And only table-topping Port Vale have a better travelling record in the fourth-tier than the Mariners.

It's helped them into the play-off positions as they head to south Wales five points better off than their hosts.

But Newport boss Nelson Jardim says the difference is a result of small margins – and is hoping home advantage can count for County.

"Grimsby are a very organised team, they are compact and doing well," he said. "In terms of goals scored and conceded they are very similar to us."

Both have scored 19 and Newport have shipped just one more at the other end, and Jardim added: "That they are five points above us shows the small margins in this league.

"We expect a tough game but we have shown we can be good at home. They have a lot of their points away and our home form is better than our away form, but every game has its own story.

"We know home games are massive for us and the support we have is a big factor. We expect a tough game but we are ready for it."

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Nelson Jardim has urged Newport County to stay confident after a poor run but says defeats can hurt even the very best teams.

Newport have just one win in their last eight outings in all competitions, a run that has included six defeats.

And they have picked up only four points from the last 18 on offer in League Two as they prepare to welcome away-day specialists Grimsby Town to Rodney Parade on Saturday.

Exiles boss Jardim accepts that confidence may be a factor for a young squad also hit by injuries.

"Confidence is a huge part of football," said Jardim, whose side go into the game 15th in the table on 19 points, five shy of visitors who occupy the final play-off position.

"Even big teams can lose their way. Look at Manchester City who have still got good players, the best manager in the world, have their way of playing, but the results aren’t coming - and part of that is confidence, because they're not playing badly.

"My task is to make sure we keep our confidence. The players know what we want and need to do, we just have to get everyone thinking the same way which can be the hardest thing to do."

Jardim pointed to recent games where Newport started brightly but buckled, including in last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Tranmere Rovers.

"It's a factor and we can see that, the way we start games well and then like at Tranmere we lost our way a little towards the end of the first half," he said.

"We went 2-0 up against Peterborough [in the FA Cup] and against Reading [in the EFL Trophy] we were OK for the first half hour but we lose our way.

"It is the experience of keeping that confidence and trusting the way we should play every ball. Sometimes events don't go our way in a game and there is a feeling that goes around the team that we're not in control. But in reality we just have to keep doing what we were doing."

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Newport County have not gone three home league games without scoring a goal in 44 years.

The challenge facing Nelson Jardim's side when they host Grimsby Town this weekend is to ensure that statistic still stands come Saturday evening.

The Exiles will be looking for a first win in front of their own fans since a 3-1 victory over Salford on 1 October.

They have since played two home league games, a 3-0 loss to Chesterfield and a goalless draw with Fleetwood.

Though Newport did find the net in an FA Cup defeat to Peterborough at Rodney Parade earlier this month, they will run out against Grimsby looking to avoid matching the club's run of three home league games without a goal in October 1980.

Len Ashurst was the manager when the Ironsiders - as they were known then - went three Third Division matches without scoring at Somerton Park.

They lost 1-0 to Oxford before being beaten 2-0 by Plymouth and then drawing 0-0 with Reading.

As has been the case with Jardim's side, there were knockout goals during the barren league run, with Newport putting four past Irish side Crusaders during their run to the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Newport went on to finish 12th that season, their first at the third-tier level since 1962 following promotion in the previous campaign.

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Newport County are set for transfer talks as they begin early planning for the January window.

The League Two club this week confirmed they had ended a run of financial losses after submitting their latest accounts.

Chairman Huw Jenkins described the return to profit as "light moving forward" after his takeover helped end a period of serious concern.

However, the club's recent FA Cup first-round exit means there will be no repeat of the money-spinning televised tie against Manchester United which helped swell the coffers in the financial results that covered the 2023-24 season.

It remains to be seen whether that will impact on January spending plans.

After 17 signings over the summer, Jenkins had said further additions in the winter would be "unlikely".

But head coach Nelson Jardim says transfer discussions are scheduled as Newport consider what business might be done.

"We are set to have meeting in upcoming days, but at the moment that period is a little bit far away and [so is] having an idea of what we might need," said Jardim ahead of the Saturday's home game with Grimsby Town.

"There is a lot of time before January and a lot of games too, so the focus should be on them and just keeping an eye on how things develop and what we need, if we do need."

This season is being seen by some as a campaign in which foundations are laid after a change of ownership at Newport was followed by a change in the dugout, with Jardim replacing Graham Coughlan over the summer.

"We're still trying to move forward and both areas go along together," said Jardim.

"The financial side, everyone is working hard to make sure club goes right direction and a lot is being done behind the scenes.

"On the pitch we are not at the level we want to be - or will be. There are always setbacks and we are in a tough spell, but we are determined to get back on good track - that good run will come.

"Where we are is closer to the play-offs than to the bottom of the table and you cannot say that's negative."

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Newport County have reached the 20-game mark in all competitions under the guidance of head coach Nelson Jardim.

Remarkably, only one of those games has ended in a draw.

It has usually been a case of all or nothing for Newport this season, whose undulating form continues ahead of Saturday's home League Two fixture with Grimsby Town.

Jardim must hope that not for the first time this season, Newport can find a way to turn their fortunes around.

The Jardim era began with successive defeats in August, before the Exiles responded with three straight wins.

Three more losses followed before a run of three wins in four, then came three more defeats.

Next Newport delivered victory at Gillingham and followed that with the one draw under Jardim thus far, at home to Fleetwood Town at the end of October.

Since then, cup losses against two sides from League One, Peterborough United and Reading, have come either side of a disappointing league reverse at Tranmere Rovers last weekend.

Newport have not gone four games without winning all season, so Jardim's players may feel they are due a maximum when Grimsby come to Wales.

David Artell's side will not arrive in great form, having won only one of their last five in all competitions.

Having said that, Grimsby's recent record on the road in the fourth tier is excellent.

After losing their first three away league games of the season, the Mariners have racked up five successive victories on their travels.

As a result, only leaders Port Vale have taken more away League Two points in 2024-25.

Nothing is likely to come easy, therefore, as Newport look to halt their latest losing sequence.

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Newport County missed out on a place in the EFL Trophy last 32 after falling to a late 3-0 defeat at Reading.

A pleasingly adventurous opening saw both sides go close, with Reading's Ben Elliot seeing an early effort rebound off the woodwork, while a free-kick from Newport's Bobby Kamwa sailed just wide.

Courtney Baker-Richardson nearly made the Royals pay for a sloppy back-pass but goalkeeper David Button was alert to snuff out the danger.

Mamadi Camara had the ball in the back of the net for Reading after the break but his effort was ruled out for offside.

But with time running out Reading scored two quick-fire goals as Harvey Knibbs broke the deadlock on 73 minutes, before Jayden Wareham struck two minutes later.

Knibbs still had time to grab his second to send the Royals through alongside Southern Group H winners Cheltenham Town.

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Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim has told the players he selects for Tuesday’s Bristol Street Motors Trophy game at Reading they must be “ruthless".

Jardim could give some fringe players in his squad a chance to impress in a tie that will see the winners advance to a regionalised round of 32.

He said: "In football it is ruthless, they know that, they have to take that chance.

"They have to show, especially in these games, they are up to it, they are at it every time they play, they are committed and focused and they have that enthusiasm and energy.

"When you lose that you are going to suffer. You need that and they have to show that again and again."

Jardim is likely to reshuffle his pack following last Saturday’s 2-1 League Two defeat at Tranmere Rovers.

This game could offer defender Shane McLoughlin a chance of a first start since limping out of action nearly two months ago in the 4-1 League Two home defeat by Port Vale.

Since returning from a knee injury, McLoughlin has been eased back into action with two substitute outings.

Newport are currently third in Southern Group H following a 2-1 home defeat by Cheltenham Town – in which young goalkeeper Jacob Carney was shown a red card – and a 1-0 win over West Ham United Under-21s.

Cheltenham have guaranteed their place in the last 32 by winning all three games to top the group.

But the second placed side also progress and Newport are level on points with their hosts Reading but with an inferior goal difference.

Jardim said: "We want to go through. The first game saw one of the best first halves we have had.

"Then we had the sending-off of Jacob that changed the game and obviously put us in the position where we have to go there now and win the game. But we want to win and go as far as possible in this competition."

Carney is available again after his dismissal in the Cheltenham game, but Jardim will also have number one keeper Nick Townsend available after he turned down international duty for Antigua and Barbuda this week to remain at the club.

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Goalkeeper Nick Townsend has turned down international action this week to stay with Newport County for their League Two campaign.

Townsend, 30, has decided to stay at home rather than add to his 11 caps with Antigua and Barbuda.

Newport head coach Nelson Jardim confirmed: “Nick has decided not to go.

"We always leave that down to the players. He has done that in the past, he has decided not to go for the good of the team, so we have one more option."

Solihull-born Townsend qualifies for Antigua and Barbuda through his grandfather. Because of names missing on birth certificates, it took four years to prove his eligibility and involved DNA tests to establish his heritage.

He made his Antigua and Barbuda debut against Barbados in 2022 and also rejected an international call last term in order to retain his place in the Exiles team.

Townsend played for the Benna Boys last month, as they suffered successive 5-0 defeats at the hands of the Dominican Republic in the CONCACAF Nations League.

In this international break, Townsend will miss Nations League games in Bermuda on Saturday and at home to Dominica on Tuesday, 19 January.

Townsend is the undoubted number one at Newport, ahead of 23-year-old Jacob Carney.

It will be a big boost for Jardim to have the former Birmingham City stopper for Saturday’s League Two home game against Grimsby Town.

After an encouraging start to the campaign, Newport have won just one out of their last six League Two encounters, losing 2-1 at Tranmere last Saturday.

Townsend is also available for Tuesday night’s Bristol Street Motors EFL Trophy game at Reading.

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Newport County winger Michael Spellman has had to learn the virtue of being patient.

But now he has overcome his misfortune of suffering an injury just days before the season started at his new club, he is ready to answer the call to the Newport starting line-up when required.

"I can’t wait for it," said the former Sunderland wide man who has had to be content with seven substitute appearances before Saturday’s League Two clash at Tranmere Rovers.

Spellman, 22, said: "I have worked hard since my injury and tried to get back as soon as possible to be around the team and to get that sharpness back.

"I am patient and I am ready whenever he (head coach Nelson Jardim) needs me. That is the way you need to be as a footballer.

"It doesn’t always go the way you want it but you have to keep working no matter what."

Newcastle United fan Spellman, who joined Newport in the summer, has certainly had to cope with the downside of football in 2024.

He said: "This year has been very tough for me with injuries. At Sunderland I was injured most of the year from January until I think April.

"It’s always tough but you just have to have mental strength and belief in yourself that you are going to get back to where you were."

His injury woe struck again and ensured his Newport career had a delayed start, as he hurt a groin just a few days before the season started.

The former Blyth Spartans loanee endured the arduous road to recovery before his belated Exiles bow against Crewe Alexandra on 28 September.

Again Spellman had to show mental fortitude, but paid tribute to his team-mates and the Newport staff who helped his recovery.

He said: "That is why you need good staff and good people around you to help you and talk to you about tough situations and push you on.

"It is always tough seeing the lads go out training knowing you cannot go. But its always about doing the right stuff in the gym so you can get back as quickly as possible."

Geordie Spellman had the novel experience of being a Newcastle fan, who idolises Alan Shearer, while playing in Sunderland colours.

He said: "At first it was a bit strange but when you are in the environment you are doing what you love, it does not matter what colours you are wearing.

"You are doing what you love and what you dreamed of as a kid."

Spellman has shown enough in his substitute outings to suggest his pace and crossing ability will be able to help Newport. He has even grabbed his first Newport goal in a 3-1 win over Salford.

Now he is looking to help Newport step up through the gears going into the winter programme.

Having been forced to watch from the sidelines and also now playing, Spellman said:"I think the group we have and the ability in this team is massive.

"The next two months up to Christmas are massive because we have a lot of games and we need to push on to get some good results."

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Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim hopes Swansea City will be back on the “right track” as a result of an ownership change.

Majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan are in the process of selling their stake in Swansea City to fellow shareholders Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt and Nigel Morris, along with businessman Jason Cohen.

Jardim had a long association with the Swans as a coach, first joining the club in 2009 under Paulo Sousa.

He subsequently re-joined the club in 2017 as a lead academy coach and then first team coach under Francesco Guidolin, Paul Clement and Carlos Carvahal.

Now Jardim hopes the ownership alteration and possible extra finance from the change, will strengthen a club about which he still has strong feelings.

“The club is important for the city and the country and hopefully they will find that right track, because Swansea belongs to the Premier League and hopefully they will go back," said Jardim.

Jardim recalled he first met Levien and Kaplan who bought a 68% stake in Swansea, then a Premier League club, in 2016.

“I got to know them for the first time in Washington, during a pre-season when Guidolin was there. They were great to us, fantastic, with big projects for the club. They were very focussed and very good to us.”

Portuguese coach Jardim now devotes his full focus to his first managerial role, with Newport County, under former Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins.

But he still has strong feelings for the Championship outfit which he left to join Aitor Karanka’s Birmingham City in 2020.

“I don’t hide my feelings. The club is close to my heart because of my past good years there.

"It is such a big club and and important club for me and my family.”

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Senior duo Aaron Wildig and Bryn Morris are set to give Newport County a double boost for their League Two trip to Tranmere, on Saturday.

Morris missed last Saturday’s FA Cup exit at the hands of League One Peterborough United with a knock, while captain Wildig was on the bench against Posh but could not play any part because of ongoing back problems.

But both are ready and available to face Tranmere as Newport head coach Nelson Jardim weighs up his options for the clash at Prenton Park.

Jardim said: “Bryn is that character, that senior player who is experienced and knows the league very well and obviously is one of the good players in this squad. Having him on the pitch is good but he brings other things, too.

“Aaron is a leader and captain of this club and I have mentioned before, he leads by example on the pitch. Both of them are massive for us, but so are all the others.

" It’s not all about players and one or two people it’s about the squad and the club, it’s about everyone being involved and engaged.”

Striker Hamzad Kargbo is still sidelined by a shoulder problem and though defender Shane McLoughlin returned from injury to the bench against Peterborough, he is still short of full fitness.

Jardim said: “Shane in the final process. He is fit but needs to get that final bit where he can give us that confidence, that he is not going to get injured again.”

Its possible McLoughlin will more likely feature in Tuesday’s Bristol Street Motors Football League Trophy tie at Reading.

But with the availability of Morris and Wildig, there will be more midfield options for Jardim as Newport, currently standing 14th in the table, resume their League Two programme against a side five points and five places below them.

Before their cup demise, Newport had kept two clean sheets with a win at Gillingham and a hard fought goalless draw at home to Fleetwood.

Now in the wake of their cup disappointment, Jardim said: “It all about bouncing back. Last week we were disappointed and frustrated not to get something out of the game.

“But we have to focus on what we have done well and we have done a lot of good things”

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If the takeover talk at Tranmere Rovers comes to fruition, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna my soon be pitching up at Prenton Park.

This Saturday, however, Tranmere's visitors will be Newport County.

There is speculation that rapper A$AP Rocky, whose girlfriend is fellow music star Rihanna, is part of an investment group led by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina which is interested in taking charge at Tranmere.

The suggestion is that Rovers could follow Wrexham by thriving under celebrity owners from the other side of the Atlantic.

For the moment, the picture is not so glamorous, with Nigel Adkins' team looking to haul themselves out of the bottom half of League Two.

Tranmere are 19th, six points clear of the relegation zone, having won just one of their last nine league games.

There was bad news in the FA Cup last weekend, too, as the Birkenhead club were beaten on home soil by National League side Oldham Athletic.

Tranmere's home record this season is poor, with only one league win so far, and Newport will travel north hoping to add to their misery.

Nelson Jardim's side are five points and five places better off than Tranmere, having taken four points from their two league games prior to their FA Cup defeat to Peterborough United last time out.

Though they are in the bottom half of the table going into the weekend, Newport are only three points outside the play-off spots.

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Newport County midfielder Kai Whitmore hopes to emulate former Exile Will Evans’ progression from Cymru Premier to League One level.

Ex-Cardiff Met striker Evans, 27, joined League One side Mansfield Town for a six-figure fee last summer, two years after first turning professional in League Two with Newport.

Whitmore, 23, joined County from Cymru Premier team Haverfordwest County in June 2024 and scored his second goal of the season in Saturday's defeat to Peterborough United in the FA Cup. It was the midfielder’s first start since recovering from a calf injury.

When asked if he would like to follow in the footsteps of Evans, who has scored five goals for Mansfield, Whitmore said: "Yeah definitely, I’m trying my best.

"I came in [to the club] wanting to do my best and to see where it goes and I see Will Evans, he was the same and moved on.

"It was frustrating being injured that long, I think it was eight weeks in the end but it was my first start back and I got a goal.

"There’s obviously competition and you’re not allowed to come straight back to start, you’ve got to build up the minutes. I was tired, mind you.

"We want to win every game, there’s a big block of games coming up to January and we want to win as much as we can."