Newport County

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It's early days, but so far, so very good for Nelson Jardim's Newport County.

The victory at Morecambe last weekend may not have been plain sailing, but the result means it is three wins in a row for the Exiles.

That form is confounding some pre-season predictions of a struggle and, with Newport sitting fourth in the table, has got some fans excited about what is to come in September.

But who in Jardim's new-look side has caught the eye and really made an impact early on this season?

Is it one of the many new signings, such as exciting former Burton attacker Bobby Kamwa, who - inspired by a Brazil star - scored a stunner against Doncaster?

Or is it one of the old boys, such as midfielder Aaron Wildig, who got the only goal at his former club to sink the Shrimps, or goalkeeper Nick Townsend, who earned praise for the side's first clean sheet?

Maybe it is returning striker Courtney Baker-Richardson who has grabbed two goals and one assist since coming back to the County?

Or is there someone else who has stood out? Newport fans, you can have your say by sending your views here, external.

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Midfielder Kieron Evans hopes his maiden goal for Newport County in the EFL Trophy will be the first of many at the League Two club.

The 22-year-old, who is on a season-long loan from Championship side Cardiff City, gave County a first-half lead at home to Cheltenham Town on Tuesday.

But the visitors came from behind to beat the Exiles, who had Jacob Carney sent off before half-time.

“It’s always nice to get off the mark early doors so hopefully now it’s going to come more often,” said Evans.

“If you watched the first half I thought we played really well, but second half we were up against it a bit.

“On Saturday [at Morecambe], I came on for 15 to 20 minutes and the gaffer (Nelson Jardim) has said ‘just go and express yourself, drive with the ball’, so that’s what I went out and did."

Evans says he is hungry to gain League Two experience after previous loan spells in the National League, with Torquay and Gateshead.

“I’m just excited to push myself at this level," he added.

"The gaffer and Daf (assistant boss Dafydd Williams) have been brilliant since I’ve come in and the way they play is brilliant.

"It’s exactly what I like to do, play on the floor, so it’ll suit me perfectly.”

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Newport County will be without defender Matt Baker for Saturday’s League Two home game with Port Vale.

Baker is captain of the Wales Under-21s and again links up with Matty Jones’ squad, who are preparing for their Uefa Euro qualifier against Iceland in Reykjavik on Tuesday.

Versatile Baker, who moved permanently from Stoke in the summer after two loan spells at Newport, has been part of a defence which will again be missing club captain James Clarke, who is sidelined for a month with a quad injury.

Baker played every minute of Newport’s 2-1 home defeat by former manager Mike Flynn's Cheltenham Town in their opening Bristol Street Motors EFL Trophy game on Tuesday night.

Young defender Nelson Sanca was a half-time substitute and could be a candidate to replace Baker as Newport look for a fourth consecutive league victory.

Sanca, 17, made three league appearances at the end of last season under previous boss Graham Coughlan.

Dafydd Williams, Newport’s assistant coach, said after the Cheltenham reverse: "We will regroup, we will analyse this game and then focus on Port Vale. We have plenty to think about.”

Cardiff loanee Kieron Evans put Newport ahead before young keeper Jacob Carney was shown a red card just before the interval.

Cheltenham took advantage of the man advantage to score second-half goals through Harrison Sohna and another Cardiff loanee, Joe Colwill – his third goal against Newport this season.

Williams said former Manchester United youngster Carney and others would learn from his straight red, having hauled down Manni Norkett on the edge of the box.

“We all need to learn from it. The set-play has gone in, we are not really set up for the second ball even though we have enough players to deal with it and we haven’t," he added.

“So he has been let down by a couple of his colleagues as well, so it works both ways.

“We are all here to learn. Jacob will certainly learn from that, as should the others [over what happened] leading to that red card.”

Carney, who joined from Sunderland in the summer, will serve a ban within the competition, so will be available for the Vale game.

First-choice keeper Nick Townsend, who took over from Carney last night, is also available. He has previously seen international action for Antigua and Barbuda, but remains in Wales in this window.

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Cardiff City loan players Joel Colwill and Kieron Evans both scored as 10-man Newport County lost 2-1 at home to Cheltenham Town in the opening game of their EFL Trophy campaign.

Evans put Newport ahead in the first half before home goalkeeper Jacob Carney was shown a red card.

Cheltenham took advantage of their numerical advantage as Harrison Sohna and Colwill scored, with Colwill taking his tally to three this season against the Exiles.

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These are early days in new surroundings for Ciaran Brennan - but the defender says Newport County already feels like home.

Brennan, 24, made the summer switch to Newport in League Two, after 11 years attached to Sheffield Wednesday.

But he declared: “I am loving it here. I have said a few times already that it feels like home here.”

Brennan actually joined his hometown club Wednesday at under-14 level and having come through their academy system made 18 league and cup appearances for the Hillsborough team.

His stay also included loan spells at Gainsborough Trinity, Notts County, Swindon Town and last season Hartlepool United.

During the summer Brennan became one of Newport’s 17 recruits, signing a two year deal which should bring stability for the Republic of Ireland Under-19 international. Now he aims to do more than make up the numbers at Newport.

"I aim to play as many games as I can and ultimately be seen as one of the key players in the team," said Brennan.

“I know I can get to that, I just need to keep showing the fans what I can do.

“I have been on a few loan moves in my career but I would say being at a club permanently has a different feeling.

“I feel like Newport is my club and that makes the results of the team mean so much more because on loan you know in the back of your mind that you are there for a short time to improve yourself.”

Certainly Brennan has made an impression, showing his versatility by playing as a holding midfield player, but preferring a role in the back line.

Newport’s 1-0 win at Morecambe last Saturday provided the team with their first clean sheet of the League Two campaign, elevating County to fourth in the early table after three consecutive victories.

With club captain and centre back James Clarke likely to be missing for a month due to a quad injury, it seems Brennan is set to occupy the position in which he feels most at home.

Newport look to make it four league wins in a row for the first time since February when they entertain Port Vale on Saturday.

if they can add to their two wins at Rodney Parade to date, Brennan will enjoy even more the home comforts of life at Newport County.

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Nelson Jardim says Newport County are "lucky" to have goalkeeper Nick Townsend in their ranks.

The 29-year-old produced a terrific display, denying the likes of Gwion Edwards and Callum Jones, to keep a first clean sheet of the season as the Exiles won 1-0 at Morecambe.

Victory was Newport's third in succession in League Two, and head coach Jardim lauded Townsend after his pivotal role in the triumph over the Shrimps.

"He's been great. He's well-known in this league, an experienced goalkeeper," Jardim said of Townsend.

"We're lucky to have him. Today was one of those days where the team needed him.

"He was definitely one of the parts of the success that we had today, but I just want to give praise to the whole team for the way we performed."

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Nelson Jardim says Newport County's run of three successive wins is reward for the players' tireless efforts on the training ground.

The Exiles were beaten 3-2 by Cheltenham Town in their League Two opener before losing 4-1 at Leyton Orient in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.

After a tricky start, Newport have since beaten Doncaster Rovers, Accrington Stanley and Morecambe to move up to fourth in the league table.

While Jardim is pleased with his side's recent improvement, the head coach admits his players still have plenty to work on following their triumph at Morecambe.

"We know that (run of wins) is the result of what we've been doing on the training ground," Jardim said.

"The boys have been great, they've been putting in really hard work every day and this is just the result of that.

"I think we can all see everything is coming together now and hopefully we can keep going, but we know there's a lot of work to be done.

"We have to go back on Monday and make sure we improve because there were a lot of things I did not like today (against Morecambe), and we are not happy with that.

"It's just a case of reviewing it and improving."

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Newport County defender James Clarke has been ruled out of action for at least four weeks due to a quad injury.

The centre-back featured in each of the Exiles' opening four matches of the 2024-25 season but was left out of the squad for their 1-0 win at Morecambe.

And head coach Nelson Jardim has confirmed the 34-year-old will be sidelined for around a month.

"It's unfortunately a big loss for us, one of our skippers," said Jardim.

"He'll be out for at least four weeks.

"It's going to be a big loss for us, but as you could see today [against Morecambe], we've got a good group and anyone coming in, they will do the job."

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Newport County could be without club captain James Clarke for the League Two trip to Morecambe on Saturday.

Central defender Clarke picked up a leg injury in training this week and is being assessed ahead of the visit to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.

Head coach Nelson Jardim said: “Depending on the test we will take the decision on whether he travels.”

At 34 and with nearly 100 Newport appearances under his belt, Clarke is the most experienced player in the Exiles’ defensive line.

Jardim admitted: “He has been great on and off the pitch so we hope he will be okay.”

But he added: “I am confident we are covered. We have a good group of defenders and I think we are covered if he is not available. It will be a chance for others to come in and do the job.”

Newport, looking for their first league away win after two home victories, are still without former Haverfordwest midfielder Kai Whitmore. He will be ruled out for another three weeks with a calf injury.

Meanwhile former Queens Park Rangers striker Hamzad Kargbo has had shoulder surgery this week after being injured during a cameo substitute appearance on his debut in the season opening 3-2 defeat at Cheltenham.

“We reckon Hamzad will be out for the next three months," said Jardim.

"With the surgery everything went well, he has started his process of recovery. The medical department think he will be back the first week in December.”

Given Kargbo’s injury Newport went into the final day of the transfer window, looking to add another striker to their ranks.

Newport are also hoping new midfield duo Jamie Miley and Noah Mawene will be available for the Morecambe game.

Miley was signed on a season loan from Newcastle United, while Mawene joined on loan from Preston North End.

On Friday the club was awaiting EFL clearance for the pair to feature.

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Courtney Baker-Richardson believes fans can expect "good things" from Newport County following a major overhaul at the club over the summer.

Head coach Nelson Jardim was appointed as Graham Coughlan's successor in July, with the Exiles signing 14 players across the course of the summer transfer window to date.

Baker-Richardson - who scored eight goals in 31 league appearances during his first spell at Newport in 2021-22 - was among the players to join the club ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Having scored twice in his opening three league appearances of the campaign, Baker-Richardson is confident the Newport faithful will enjoy watching their side this season.

"There's massive changes going on at the club, we know that," he said.

"I think it's a similar style of football to when I was first here which is why I think we did so well in the first stage.

"We're trying to replicate ball-playing football, we're not just trying to lump it and kick it.

"I think the fans can expect good things from us."

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Nelson Jardim says there's a "good vibe" at Newport County's training ground after the Exiles recovered from a last-gasp loss to Cheltenham Town on the opening day of the League Two campaign.

Newport conceded in injury time to lose 3-2 at Cheltenham, but have beaten Doncaster Rovers and Accrington Stanley 3-1 at Rodney Parade since the defeat by Michael Flynn's Robins.

Jardim, who replaced Graham Coughlan as boss in the summer, believes Newport are back on track having won successive games on home soil.

"The first week away, the Cheltenham game, we didn't do a bad game, we had to play six minutes with 10 men and we just lost that draw," he said.

"These two wins put us back on track and give us that confidence to play because it's tough.

"These wins help the boys to build and to get the confidence to play which is something we are trying to do, but it will take time.

"We have very young players and there's a lot of work to do, but we have a good group. There's a good vibe around our training ground every day."

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Newport County will assess the extent of Kai Whitmore's calf injury after the midfielder missed his side's 3-1 win over Accrington Stanley.

Whitmore featured against both Cheltenham Town and Leyton Orient before scoring in a stunning 3-1 comeback win against Doncaster Rovers on his home debut for the Exiles.

But the 23-year-old was absent from the matchday squad as Nelson Jardim's side secured a second triumph in succession at Rodney Parade by beating Accrington Stanley.

"He picked up an injury unfortunately after his great game last week," said Jardim.

"It's unfortunate for him and for us, it's one less option.

"I don't know how many weeks he's going to be out, surely [he will] not [be back] next week.

"We'll assess him and see how it goes.

"It's so unlucky for him and for us. He knows that he's got good people around him.

"He just needs to focus on his recovery and come back as quickly as possible to help the team."

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Newport County boss Nelson Jardim is targeting "at least one or two" more signings in the latter stages of the transfer window.

Prior to their 3-1 win against Accrington Stanley, the Exiles made their 14th signing of the summer by bringing in midfielder Kieron Evans on loan from Cardiff City.

But head coach Jardim says Newport still have further squad additions in their sights ahead of Friday's 23:00 BST transfer deadline.

"We had on our radar, two or three," he said.

"Kieron Evans signed yesterday, so it's another one that will compete and bring quality and more options to the team.

"We're looking to sign at least another one or two players, let's see how it goes.

"We're not rushing, we want to make sure that anyone coming in is the right player, the right character and knowing that he's coming into a team that is always looking to improve every day."

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Cameron Antwi says it was a “risk” to turn down a new deal at Cardiff City to join neighbours Newport County - but is sure he made the right choice.

The former Fulham youngster made the move down the M4 in the summer.

Though it meant dropping down to League Two, the midfielder opted to sign a two-year deal with the Exiles rather than accepting an offer to remain at Championship side Cardiff.

“I didn’t feel like it was a big decision," said Antwi.

"I felt it was an easy decision, because at my age I want to be playing first-team games and feel I am good enough to.

“So when Newport came about and with the interest they were showing, it was the right decision for me to say no to Cardiff, take a risk and come here to play."

Antwi, 22, began his professional career with Blackpool, making a League Cup appearance for the Seasiders and gaining experience during loans at Southport and Telford.

Having joined Cardiff in 2022, he made his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup and impressed enough to be offered a new contract in the summer.

“They offered me a contract a couple of times. They wanted me to stay but I just felt it was the right time to move on and impose myself on first-team football," he said.

“I thought, 'Let's take the risk and go'. I am happy I took that risk and feel it is going well so far.”

Antwi made an eye-catching start to his Newport career, scoring a spectacular goal in a pre-season win over Pontypridd. More importantly, he has started both the club's League Two games to date.

“I like to get on the ball, start attacks and also link up with players," he said.

"But I can also do the other side of the game, win tackles and headers. I feel I am a rounded player.”

London-born Antwi has been joined by former Cardiff team-mate Kieron Evans, who has joined Newport on a season-long loan.

Though Evans' arrival adds competition for a starting berth, Antwi is looking forward to seeing the Wales Under-20 international in an amber shirt.

“He is a very good player, right-footed, left-footed, does set-pieces, can beat his man, can link up and score goals and assists as well," Antwi added.

"It's good to have competition in the team. When you are around good players you want to perform better."