County will look to build on last weekend’s dominant 3-0 win away at Forest Green Rovers when we welcome Sutton United to Rodney Parade this bank-holiday weekend.
The Exiles have found themselves in fine goalscoring form in recent weeks, hitting the net nine times in three matches, including dominant 4-0 and 3-0 victories over Doncaster and Forest Green Rovers, respectively.
Leading this goalscoring run has been Will Evans, the division’s top scorer so far this campaign, with five goals in his last three league games, including two braces.
We also made a mid-week trip to Merthyr Town FC, picking up a 2-1 win, with a totally changed 11 giving Coughlan some food for thought ahead of his team selection this week. Nathan Wood and Matty Bondswell were on the scoresheet and will both hope to have put themselves in contention for a spot on Saturday.
Manager’s Comments
In his pre-match press conference, Manager Graham Coughlan laid out his expectations of tomorrow's game: "I'm expecting a much different encounter this Saturday (from previous fixtures)." He stated.
"It will most probably be a 'Welcome to League Two encounter'. Very much a roll your sleeves up and battle sort of game... Saturday will be a massive test of character first and foremost and it will be a test of physicality, which makes for a proper League Two encounter."
"Our club always seems to fair well in these sort of matches... so here's hoping..."
You can watch Graham Coughlan's full pre-match interview below:
Opposition Form
Sutton United have had a stuttering start to their third season in League Two. They grabbed the headlines on the opening weekend when they hammered Notts County 5-1 but have not registered a point since then.
Since that result, they have lost three games on the bounce, losing 2-1 away at Barrow before consecutive home defeats to Gillingham and Wimbledon, with the latter ending 3-0 to the visiting team.
The Us have not won away since February 25th, with their last away win, coincidentally, being a 2-0 victory at Rodney Parade.
Sutton will be without striker Harry Smith, who is serving a three-match ban following a red card against Barrow. The visitors tested a new partnership of Lee Angol and Scott Kashket up-front against Wimbledon, and given the selection options, it is likely manager Matt Gray will go the same way again.
Ticket Info
Ticket prices for Saturday’s game are as follows:
|
Age Band |
Seated Advance |
Seated Walk up |
Terrace Advance |
Terrace Walk up |
100 Club Advance |
100 Club Walk up |
|
Adult |
£24 |
£26 |
£21 |
£23 |
£31 |
£33 |
|
Senior |
£20 |
£22 |
£19 |
£21 |
£26 |
£28 |
|
Young Adult 16-21 |
£18 |
£20 |
£15 |
£16 |
£22 |
£24 |
|
Under 16 |
£12 |
£14 |
£12 |
£14 |
£16 |
£18 |
|
Under 12 |
£10 |
£12 |
£12 |
£12 |
£14 |
£16 |
|
Under 6 |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
£7 |
£9 |
You can purchase tickets online here.
Tickets will also be available to purchase on the day. However, fans should be aware that ticket prices will increase by £2.
International Exiles can keep up with everything at Rodney Parade on video using iFollow. UK residents who can not attend the game can listen to the commentary using the service. Find out more information about iFollow here.
Last Time Out
Our last encounter with Sutton United is one that Exiles would rather forget. The South London side left South Wales with three points following a 2-0 win. Goals from Coby Rowe and Alistair Smith were enough to secure the win. The result is also notable for Sutton as it was the last time they were able to win on the road.
You can re-watch our last clash with Sutton here:
Head to Head
Sutton is the side in the league with whom we share the least history, having only played each other four times. Our first encounter with the club was in December 2021, following their promotion from the National League. This ended in a 3-2 victory for us, which you can find out more about in this week’s From the Archive. Since then, Sutton has beaten us twice, and we have drawn once.
Played for Both
Not many players have worn both the amber of Newport and the yellow of Sutton over the years. The most notable is Ryan Jackson. The 33-year-old right-back signed for Sutton in the summer but has yet to make a start for the club as he battles to get to match fitness.
Jackson was a part of our first season back in League Two, joining us from Macclesfield and making his debut in our 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup.
Other names that have played for both clubs but failed to significantly impact either include Luke Gambin and James Jebb.