"At Severn’s mouth … scenes dear to memory … The voice of Ebbw in his lovely park"
(Davies)
Three games to go, three cup finals for us in the hope of avoiding the potentially embarrassing play-offs. Amazingly, we will be up against a team with a worse current form than our own - this is their recent showing:-
March 22nd Grimsby Town (A) Lost 1-0
March 29th Notts County (H) Lost 0-2
April 1st Bromley (H) Drew 1-1
April 5th Carlisle Utd (A) Lost 3-2
April 12th Colchester Utd (H) Lost 0-2
April 18th M K Dons (A) Drew 0-0
Newport County, much like Harrogate Town, have only pride to play for - mathematically out of the promotion race and virtually the same regarding the drop, but it doesn’t mean they will be on the beach (again, think Harrogate). It’s indicative of the “swings and roundabouts” of League 2 that back in December they put 6 goals past M K Dons, with 2 players getting hat-tricks - wonder who claimed the ball? Two games later they lost 2-0 at Bescot, with both our goals coming from Nathan Lowe(obvs) - but that was when we were 12 points clear at the top of the table…
A snippet on a previous player - Cameron Norman was County’s player of the year in two successive seasons (2022 and 2023) before moving to Tranmere Rovers.
Has Mat Sadler seen the light? Has it registered in that stubborn head that AlfieChang, George Hall, Uncle Albert and the like should be given game time so that they can introduce “football” rather than “hoofball” into our performance? It would seem that only proper football will give us the chance of the maximum points return necessary to end this crazy season positively.
There is one reassuring factor to be seen in what remains of this campaign. Next Saturday the two early kick-offs are AFC Wimbledon vs Port Vale and DoncasterRoversvsBradford City, so by the time we start against Accrington Stanley we will have a clearer idea of what’s needed. Having said that, three wins out of our three matches would mean that we wouldn’t need to even consider what others are doing.
Prediction? If we tighten our defence and stop leaking goals all over the place it would be gratifying to come back from Rodney Parade with 3 points after a scrappy 0-1 win, the goal coming from a sublime lob from Uncle Albert.
I’m going but more out of habit than anything else.
Do I expect us to win ? No
Do I expect more of the lump it up to jamma who will have two defenders on him so he gets no joy ? Absolutely.
Will it be the same formation ? Definitely.
Will it be the same outcome ? Yep.
We have a manager who refuses to try anything different and here we are a season that promised so much about to deliver so little.
I’m genuinely concerned about what next season will bring because to me we look like relegation candidates. I have no idea how much I’ve spent this season having been to every game home and away but I won’t be travelling all over the place wasting my money to see more of this rubbish in 25/26.
We all have to choose and that’s my choice.
I will go to the home games but that’s all.
Trivela can back MS all they like but he appears to have finally lost a large chunk of the supporters and continuing with the same plan week in week out will only lead to more and more despondency among what are a fantastic group of people who deserve far better than this uninspiring weekly garbage.
I just wish I had that level of optimism but this season has nearly finished me off (after nearly 50 years of following our club you’d think I’d be more resilient) but i think I’m simply fed up of it all now….
Can’t see us getting anything from this, even though Newport have only won 1 in 9 games that was a 3-0 win over Harrogate. I think I’m resigned to the playoffs now, please prove me wrong lads!
Almost unbelievably, promotion is still in our own hands and the title is not beyond the bounds of possibility. But can we win another game this season?
I thought Saturday was interesting because we certainly tried to play more possession football (part of the reason for their first goal was us trying to play the ball out of defence) and Hall was central to that approach. The only time we really resorted to blind kicks forward was after that goal when confidence visibly drained out of them.
I think Sadler will stay with that approach, which probably means Hall and Chang will play a part. But we have to be able to defend throw-ins better.
I’m having a bit of keyhole surgery on my knee on Monday. Booked in for 10 so hopefully will be done in time for the KO at 1:30. Hopefully the football will be less painful.
If Sads picks the right team we have every chance of winning this. Shit or bust time.
