All the facts you need, ahead of our final game of the season against AFC Wimbledon.
Looking at the home side
Already guaranteed of finishing in the final playoff spot this season, the only thing that is not known about A.F.C Wimbledon’s games to play is whether they will be hosting Accrington Stanley, Oxford United or Bristol Rovers in the first leg of their playoff semi-final. With 20 wins and 12 draws from their 45 matches in the league this season, six wins from the last ten games helped to secure this playoff spot and Wimbledon will be hoping that Lyle Taylor, who scored two of his twenty goals this season against County, will be able to help get them promoted into League One.
Getting there
By car: Leave the M4 at Junction 4B bearing right for the M25 Southbound and exit the M25 at Junction 13, taking the A308 passing Kempton Park racecourse on your left. Pass Hampton Court Palace on your right and continue on the A308 through Kingston’s one-way system, briefly joining the A307 before going back to the A308. Bear right onto London road and then turn right after the Kwik Fit garage onto Cambridge Road the A2043. This then becomes Kingston Road with the ground on the right.
By train: Services between Newport and London Paddington are hourly and the advised outwards travel is the 08:37 train which arrives at Paddington at 10:37. From there the tube to Kingston is an option but you can get off at numerous stations depending on your desired pre-match activity. Norbiton and Kingston are both only on the Shepperton branch line. After the game trains from Norbiton are every fifteen minutes from 17:05 onwards and trains from Paddington back to Newport leave at half past every hour.
Form Guide
Newport County – D L L L L L L D D L 3 points
A.F.C Wimbledon – L W L W W W W W L D 19 points
Upcoming Milestones
Dean Morgan – 3 goals for 75 professional goals
Tom Meechan – 1 goal for 75 professional goals
A.F.C Wimbledon’s record against County
Played 9 Won 4 Drawn 4 Lost 1
Saturday 19th December 2015: Newport County 2 – 2 A.F.C Wimbledon (Rodman 14’, O.G)
Saturday 7th February 2015: A.F.C Wimbledon 2 – 0 Newport County
Saturday 27th September 2014: Newport County 4 – 1 A.F.C Wimbledon (Yakubu 18’ Pigott 46’, 65’, O’Connor 90’)
Friday 18th April 2014: A.F.C Wimbledon 2 – 2 Newport County (Zebroski 15’, Flynn (p) 47’)
Tuesday 25th February 2014: Newport County 1 – 2 A.F.C Wimbledon (O.G)
Monday 3rd Jan 2011: Newport County 3 – 3 A.F.C Wimbledon (Todd 10’, Collins 18’, 36’)
Monday 30th August 2010: A.F.C Wimbledon 2 – 2 Newport County (Reid (p) 25’, 79’)
Saturday 20th December 2008: A.F.C Wimbledon 3 – 0 Newport County
Saturday 9th August 2008: Newport County 1 – 4 A.F.C Wimbledon (Collins 80’)
Last meeting
Newport County were 2-0 up at half time when A.F.C Wimbledon came to Rodney Parade in December the last time these two sides met. Alex Rodman had given County the lead with a superb long-range effort and the advantage was doubled on the half-hour mark when Paul Robinson put the ball into his own net. Lyle Taylor pulled a goal back twenty-five seconds into the second half and the comeback was complete when he scored again ten minutes from the end. The draw lifted Newport to 20th in the table whilst A.F.C Wimbledon were in 14th.
Last time out
A goal for Notts County five minutes before half-time was the only goal of the game in the final fixture at Rodney Parade this season. The Exiles are now winless in ten matches and have the worst run of form in the league ahead of this weekend’s final fixture.
The Man in Charge
Geoff Eltringham is in charge for this final league game of the season with his assistants Daniel Leach and Shaun Hudson, the fourth official is Richard Kendall. He has taken charge of two Newport games with his last game in charge of County coming in 2014 when the Exiles drew 0-0 with Fleetwood and then a couple of months earlier when they lost 1-0 away at Burton Albion.
Around the league (all times 3:00pm)
Accrington Stanley v Stevenage
Bristol Rovers v Dagenham and Redbridge
Crawley Town v Barnet
Luton Town v Exeter City
Mansfield Town v Cambridge United
Morecambe v York City
Notts County v Carlisle United
Oxford United v Wycombe Wanderers
Plymouth Argyle v Hartlepool United
Portsmouth v Northampton Town
Yeovil Town v Leyton Orient