Ahead of the Spireites’ return to the Football League and League Two, we are taking a look at all 23 other teams that make up the division.
We are continuing with Newport County:
FACT FILE
Team Name: Newport County Association Football Club
Nickname: The Exiles
Year Founded: 1912
Stadium: Rodney Parade
Capacity: 7,850
2023/24 SEASON
Newport County endured a fairly inconsistent start to the 2023/24 season with wins, draws and defeats coming in equal measures. A poor run of form from September until November only saw the Exiles win just twice in 13 games. The Welsh side embarked on an impressive FA Cup; Graham Coughlan’s team beat Oldham Athletic, Barnet and Eastleigh before losing out in a spirited performance against Manchester United. Fortunes began to look up for Newport in January with a seven-game unbeaten streak. They couldn’t quite keep up the form as they fell back into an inconsistent run. Newport lost their last eight games of the season to finish 18th in League Two.
MANAGER
Nelson Jardim is new to the managerial game, taking up his first role with at Newport County. The Portugese-born coach has had stints at Swansea City, Leicester City, Nacional and Birmingham City. The 45-year-old was named as manager of Newport in June, replacing Graham Coughlan.
KEY PLAYER
Will Evans became one of the EFL’s standout players last season with his performances for Newport County. He regularly found the net in the league and even got on the scoresheet against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Last season in numbers:
Appearances – 55
Goals – 25
Assists – 4
Yellow Cards – 11
Red Cards – 0
Minutes Played – 4,542
PLAYED FOR BOTH
During his final season at AFC Bournemouth, Joe Quigley joined League Two side Newport County until January 2018. He struggled for game time during his time in Wales. The striker made five appearances before being recalled by Bournemouth at the start of 2018.
Quigley made the move from Yeovil Town to Chesterfield in January 2022. The forward has become a fan favourite and a big part of Paul Cook’s squad. He has scored 21 times in 104 games and helped the Spireites to the National League title last season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
P 38 W 20 D 2 L 16
Chesterfield have had the better of head-to-head meetings with the Welsh club but have struggled in recent encounters. Despite that, the Spireites came away from the last fixture with the three points.
PREVIOUS GAME
Chesterfield last faced Newport County in their last home fixture before relegation to the National League. It was a subdued atmosphere at the SMH Group Stadium with the Spireites’ relegation already confirmed. However, with 70 minutes on the clock, Louis Dodds’ cross was headed home from close-range by Kristian Dennis. The goal secured a win to bring to an end a difficult home campaign.
