Newport County AFC look to bounce back quickly from defeat when they face Morecambe on Saturday. The Exiles return to Rodney Parade looking to put last week behind them, but will come up against a determined Morecambe side looking to avoid the drop.
Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this League Two matchup...
Morecambe FC in League Two so far
Morecambe currently sit in 22nd in League Two after picking up 32 points in 36 matches.
Morecambe have struggled to find consistency so far, meaning wins have come few and far between in the league.
The Shrimps will need to start to put a run together to distance themselves from the drop zone and ease their relegation concerns.
Team News
Captain Joss Labadie serves the second of his two match suspension this weekend, keeping him out of the squad.
The injury list goes another week with no let-up, meaning several first-team members remain out of action for County.
Frontman Cole Stockton is out for three weeks for Morecambe, fellow forward A-Jay Leitch-Smith looks set to retain his place up front for the Shrimps.
One to Watch – A-Jay Leitch-Smith
Forward A-Jay Leitch-Smith has had a slow campaign for the Shrimps, but now has a chance to cement his place in the team. Top scorer Cole Stockton is out through injury, while Lewis Alessandra left the club in January.
The 29-year-old has made 26 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring twice, including a winner against Leyton Orient in November.
Leitch-Smith comes into Saturday’s match with his last goal coming on February 1st against Cheltenham. The Shrimps will need him to be firing on all cylinders come 3pm.
Manager – Derek Adams
Derek Adams was appointed manager at the Globe Arena in November 2019. He replaced Kevin Ellison and Barry Roche as caretaker managers after the departure of Jim Bentley.
Adams had previously been in charge at Plymouth Argyle, where he guided them to a seventh place finish in 2018. After a difficult season last year, Adams left Home Park.
The Scot has also had two successful spells at Ross County, where he won the Scottish Second and First Divisions.
Last Meeting Between the Sides
When County and Morecambe met in December, it was the Shrimps who came out on top after a comeback win at the Globe Arena.
Joss Labadie had put the Exiles 1-0 up at half-time, but Morecambe rallied in the second half to claim all three points.
Cole Stockton levelled the game before John O’Sullivan gave the home side the lead with ten minutes to go.
Morecambe held strong, meaning County returned home empty-handed.
Officials
Referee: Neil Hair
Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Hendley
Assistant Referee 2: Justin Amey
Fourth Official: Kevin Morris
Neil Hair is currently embarking on his second season as a Football League referee, and has refereed County four times previously. In those four occasions, including the 1-1 draw with Exeter this season, County are without a loss.
So far this season, Hair has officiated 25 games in which he has produced 77 yellow cards and three red cards.
This follows from last season, where he took charge of 30 games, showing 103 yellow cards and seven reds.
Other League Two fixtures that afternoon (Also 3pm kick-off unless stated)
Scunthorpe United v Grimsby Town (1pm KO)
Carlisle United v Colchester United
Cheltenham Town v Port Vale
Crawley Town v Oldham Athletic
Crewe Alexandra v Stevenage FC
Leyton Orient v Cambridge United
Northampton Town v Mansfield Town
Plymouth Argyle v Macclesfield Town
Salford City v Bradford City
Swindon Town v Forest Green Rovers
Walsall FC v Exeter City
Can’t make the match?
You can follow along on social media using @NewportCounty on Twitter, or via the Club’s official Facebook and Instagram pages.
Commentary of this match will be provided by Charlie Brown and Richard Shepherd at the Match Centre from 2:45pm.
An on-the-whistle match report of this match will be provided on the Club website upon the end of the game.
Michael Flynn’s post-match analysis will appear on the website the day after the game, while you can watch all of Flynn’s post-match press conference as-well as two County players by subscribing to iFollow Exiles now.