This Saturday afternoon Grant McCann and his Doncaster Rovers side make the long journey down to Rodney Parade as both teams seek to claim their first League Two victory of the campaign.
Newport and Doncaster have shared league status many times over the years, with Saturday’s clash being the 47th competitive encounter between us both. As such, plenty of players have donned the kits of both clubs over the years, and to prepare for Saturday’s game, we’ve taken a look at some of the most notable.
Omar Bogle
Of course, the most popular name to have played for Newport and Doncaster Rovers is our current number 9 and leading scorer last season, Omar Bogle.
Bogle had played for several big names in the league before finding his home in South Wales, and Doncaster was one of his last clubs before he joined us. He played 27 games for Rovers, having signed an 18-month deal in January 2021. He would score three goals in his 12 months at the club before joining Hartlepool in January 2022.
His spell at Hartlepool was another success, and he would join us in June 2022. The rest, as they say, is history.
Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis, who left the club in the summer to sign for Mansfield Town, is one of the more recent players to have worn the shirts of both Newport County and Doncaster Rovers.
Swansea-born Lewis was loaned out by his hometown club to Doncaster Rovers in 2019, making his professional debut for the club away at Portsmouth in League One. Fittingly, the game ended 1-1, with the scorer for Portsmouth that day being none other than Omar Bogle.
Current Doncaster manager Grant McCann was the man that handed Lewis his debut that day, publicly praising him for his performance in what was a tough fixture. He would return to Swansea and be released at the end of the season before joining Lincoln City, where he would gain more exposure to League One football.
After leaving Lincoln, Lewis would put pen to paper on a contract at Rodney Parade after a successful loan spell. He went on to make 85 appearances for us, grabbing three goals and being an integral part of our team for two and a half seasons.
Jon Parkin
A player that has hung up his boots and picked up a microphone, Jon Parkin is the definition of a cult hero in the football league, and while his appearances for both Newport and Doncaster were fleeting, it is hard not to acknowledge such a huge presence.
Parkin spent 19 years in the football league, playing for the likes of Stoke City, Preston, Hull, and Fleetwood. He would play his last-ever football league match at Rodney Parade before returning to York City, where he rounded out his career in the National League and National League North. He made 11 appearances for Newport across all competitions, hitting the net four times. His time at Doncaster was even more limited, making five appearances during a loan spell at the club in the 2011/12 season.