After last weekend’s postponement at Colchester, Dave Challinor’s Stockport County return to Edgeley Park this weekend to take on a Newport County side still in the hunt for a play-off spot.
County were the only side in the top five not in action last Saturday, owing to a waterlogged pitch at the JobServe Community Stadium, with a mixed set of results amongst our promotion rivals. League leaders Mansfield Town emerged as 1-0 winners at Newport to extend their lead at the top, whilst Wrexham moved level on points with County after a 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley.
Elsewhere, however, Crewe Alexandra threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Morecambe to lose 3-2, dropping out of the top three in the process, whilst 5th place MK Dons lost in stoppage time away at fierce rivals AFC Wimbledon.
Mansfield and MK Dons went head-to-head themselves on Tuesday night, with the Dons coming from behind to win 2-1 away from home – moving to within two points of the automatic promotion places in the process. In short, it couldn’t be much tighter at the top right now!
As mentioned, opponents Newport were last in action at home to leaders Mansfield, eventually succumbing to a second-half strike from George Maris last Saturday. It continues an inconsistent couple of weeks for the Exiles, who have now won three and lost three of their last six in League Two. They remain firmly in the hunt for a play-off spot, however, sitting five points off the top seven in 12th after a strong second half of the campaign.
Other key games in League Two this weekend:
- Mansfield Town v Swindon Town
- MK Dons v Salford City
- Barrow v Colchester United
- Doncaster Rovers v Crewe Alexandra
- Morecambe v Wrexham
Things you need to know:
- Tickets in the Vitality Railway End are still available for this fixture, with all other stands now sold out! Click here to order yours today!
- As part of our County Collective programme, we aim to make Edgeley Park a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone who visits. Click here to see a full list of new initiatives that have been introduced at the ground this year!
- Don’t forget to turn up early to Edgeley Park to visit the County Courtyard, which will be opening its doors from 1.00pm! For more information on all the food and drink on offer this week, click here.
- Coming to the game on Saturday? Click here to view our Fan Information pack, containing all you need to know ahead of your visit to Edgeley Park.
- This fixture will be available for overseas supporters to watch over on Stockport County Live, whilst featuring live match audio commentary from Jon Keighren and Sam Byrne will be available for supporters in the UK. Click here to purchase your video match passes today.
Since we last met:
Back in November, Graham Coughlan’s Newport were the side that finally brought County’s club-record 12-game winning run in League Two to an end, winning 2-1 in South Wales thanks to goals from Bryn Morris and Shane McLoughlin.
It was a missed opportunity that day for County, who could have moved eight points clear at the top of League Two with a win at Rodney Parade. For Newport though, it was a much needed boost for a side that had come into the game on the back of a run of just two wins from their last 12 games.
Those much-needed three points lifted them up into 16th, seven points clear of the relegation zone, and after the game manager Coughlan called for his side to become more consistent, having again shown glimpses of what they’re capable of at their best against the league leaders.
As if highlighting his point, the Exiles followed up that victory with a solid 2-1 win at Morecambe three days later, but then won only one of their subsequent six league encounters; heading into 2024 still languishing down in the bottom half of the table.
Such is the nature of League Two this year, however, that despite sitting 18th after a 1-1 draw at Sutton on New Year’s Day, they were as close to the play-off places as they were the relegation zone, with a seven-point deficit meaning a push for the top seven was still not out of the question in the second half of the season.
A good run in the Emirates FA Cup seemed to give the club a real boost in the New Year, with wins against Oldham, Barnet and Eastleigh leading to a mammoth Fourth Round tie against Manchester United at Rodney Parade.
The Exiles impressed that day against Erik Ten Hag’s side, coming from 2-0 to level things up in the second half before eventually succumbing 4-2 to the Premier League side.
There were plenty of positives to take from their performances that day, and four straight league wins across January and February, including a ‘derby’ victory over Wrexham and a 3-0 triumph at play-off rivals Walsall, appeared to have the Welsh side moving in the right direction.
Into the top half of the table and emerging as one of League Two’s form sides, the play-off places have become a realistic proposition for a Newport team with real momentum, but that form has been somewhat more erratic since that impressive win at Walsall.
There have been important victories against some direct opponents for those top seven places, beating Gillingham 1-0 at Rodney Parade and hammering Harrogate 4-1 away from home, but there have also been disappointing defeats at home to Notts County and away at MK Dons, before that loss to Mansfield last time out.
Despite that stutter, only Crewe and Morecambe (20) have picked up more points in League Two over the last ten games than Coughlan’s side (19), six more than County have managed over that same period.
They also boast one of the most in-form forwards in the country amongst their ranks right now in Will Evans. The 26-year-old, who spent parts of last season playing at wing-back before being moved back up front, has scored 24 goals in all competitions so far this season, 20 of them in League Two, with seven of those goals coming in his last ten games.
Match Stats:
- Our defeat at Rodney Parade in November was our first loss against Newport since March 1980, ending a nine-game unbeaten run against the Exiles.
- Saturday will be the 42nd competitive meeting between the two sides, with County winning 15 of the previous encounters to Newport’s 13.
- Having been shut out in each of the last three games, County will be looking to avoid going four games without a goal for the first time since February 2021 under Simon Rusk.
- County are unbeaten in their last six home games against Welsh opposition, a run stretching back to August 2013 and a 1-0 loss at home to Colwyn Bay in the National League North. Since then we have won four and drawn two of our home encounters against sides from across the border.
