Tonight, Newport make the short trip over the water when they face League One Cheltenham Town in our first game of this year’s EFL Trophy.
Kiban Rai and Lewis Payne were both extremely impressive in Saturday's game against Harrogate and will be hoping to be given a full 90 minutes to prove themselves against what promises to be tough opposition.
Corey Evans was called up from the academy for Saturday’s clash with Harrogate, and the youngster will hope to feature in the matchday squad in Gloucestershire this week.
Opposition Form
Cheltenham Town have had an extremely difficult start to the 2023/24 season. The club find themselves bottom of the division, eight points from safety, with only two points on the board.
The second of those points was earned this weekend, with new manager Darrell Clarke taking charge at home for the first time. The Robins fought for a well-earned point against Derby County, scoring their first league goal of the season in the process. The goalscorer... none other than former Exile Rob Street.
They have already faced Bristol Rovers in their first game in the EFL Trophy, finding themselves on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline.
Ticket Info
Ticket prices for Cheltenham Town vs Newport County are as follows:
Adult - £8
Senior 65+ - £5
Student - £5
Under 18 - £5
Under 14 - £1
Exiles will be able to purchase tickets from Cheltenham Town on the day.
Last Time Out
The last time we faced Cheltenham Town was at Rodney Parade towards the end of the 2020/21 season.
The Robins could have secured the League Two title but were denied by an early goal from Joss Labadie. The fourth-minute strike was the only difference between the two of us, with Cheltenham going on to win the league a week later.
One of our most memorable outings against Cheltenham was in the EFL Trophy, a 7-4 win away at the Completely Suzuki that saw us score two hattricks. You can find out more in this week’s From the Archive.
Head to Head
Since returning to the Football League, we have faced Cheltenham Town on 17 occasions in all competitions. Things couldn’t be more evenly split, with both sides winning five games and the game ending in a draw on seven occasions.
Played for Both
Several notable players have lined up for Newport and Cheltenham. Rob Street is a player who has been starting for Cheltenham this season and could make an appearance against us on Tuesday. Street spent 18 games on loan here in 2022, hitting the net twice before returning to Crystal Palace.
A player who left Newport to go directly to Cheltenham was Ben Tozer. Tozer made 62 appearances for us before leaving to captain Cheltenham to the League Two title; he would make an impressive 119 appearances for the Robins.
Finn Azaz is another recent player who has played for both sides. Azaz spent time on loan at both clubs, making 37 appearances for Cheltenham and 42 for us.