We kick off the 2023/24 League Two season with a long trip up North to Accrington Stanley and the Wham Stadium. Let’s look at what we can expect from Saturday’s encounter.
Saturday’s trip will be Newport's first visit to the Wham Stadium in five years, with Accrington returning to League Two after several successful seasons in League One.
The Exiles will go into the game feeling confident following a strong display in a 1-1 draw with League One Cheltenham Town this weekend. Coughlan will look to name his strongest possible 11 for the first league game of the season, with Accrington promising to provide a good test for the season ahead.
Manager’s Comments
County Manager Graham Coughlan was both "excited" and "optimistic" ahead of the new campaign - as he explained in his press conference. "I'm looking forward to seeing how the new boys fit in and how they go about their business," he said.
"It's never something you can pinpoint in pre-season. You can play as many games as you want but it's totally different. The adrenaline, the excitement, the nerves that kick in on matchday are exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing where we are and how much more work we have to get under our belts."
Accrington manager, John Cole, also shared his excitment heading into the new campaign. "I'm really looking forward to it. We've worked really hard in pre-season... little bit of change amongst the squad, more going out then coming in to be fair, which probably needed to be done.
"The lads are buying into what we want to do here and you'll see that over a period of four or five games."
Opposition Form
Accrington will be playing their first League Two game in five years following their relegation from League One in May. John Coleman has been a busy man throughout pre-season, bringing in several notable signings, including loanees Josh Andrews from Birmingham and Lewis Shipley from Norwich.
They will team up with football league veterans like Sean McConville and Shaun Whalley in what promises to be a competitive squad in the league this season.
The team has managed to get plenty of minutes into their legs, wrapping up their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 win over National League side York City, with Adedoyin and Woods being on the scoresheet for the home side.
Ticket Information
You can grab yourself a ticket for Saturday’s encounter from the Away end ticket booth at the entrance to the carpark.
Find out everything you need to know about getting to the game, eating and drinking around the stadium, and more by checking out our detailed Accrington Away Day guide.
International Exiles can watch the game live using iFollow. Find out more information about the service here.
Last Time Out
You have to go back five years to find Newport's last match with Accrington. John Coleman’s team visited Rodney Parade on April 25th, 2018, needing just one win to seal the League Two trophy. That result wouldn’t come against the Exiles, though, with Padraig Amond and Frank Nouble scoring to give Newport a 2-1 win and put Accrington’s title celebrations on hold.
The club's last trip to the Wham Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw. You can take a trip down memory lane below:
https://youtu.be/zMo0-HVFHJc
Head-to-Head
Newport has an excellent record against Accrington Stanley. In thelast ten fixtures against Accrington, Newport have won 5, drawn 4, and lost 1. Accrington have not registered a single victory against the Exiles at the Wham Stadium.
Played for Both
Several players have worn the kits of both Newport County and Accrington over the years, and the most recent to do so is Exiles' newest goalkeeper, Jonny Maxted. Maxted spent a season with Accrington in 2018-2019, making 20 appearances for the Lancashire side.
Another one of Newport's players taking on his former club this weekend is Offrande Zanzala. Zanzala had two spells at Accrington, making six appearances on loan before signing full-time and making 51 appearances, hitting the net ten times.