Defender Matt Baker rejoined the Exiles on a season-long loan from Stoke City this summer and has made an instant impact on Graham Coughlan's side.
Baker made clear when re-signing that the relationship he built with the manager (Graham Coughlan) in the 22/23 season played a large part in his reasoning to return to Newport: “The gaffer is a great manager and an equally good person to share the dressing room with,” stated Baker
“I’ve come back to help the team and to win football games.” Baker did exactly that, after spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an injury picked up in pre-season as he featured in Newport’s 2-0 win over League One outfit Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy, he was delighted to be back on the pitch: “It was a fantastic feeling, coming on and beating Cheltenham,” he explained
“The team put in a really strong performance, and I was happy to play a small part in it.
“To get on the pitch in front of the fans after being out injured for so long, was incredible.”
It’s not been a straight-forward transition from last season to this season though, with various personnel changes made to the team, Baker has had to meet and bond with new playing colleagues and staff, of which he has been thrilled with: “All the new lads have been top!
“Everyone gets along well, with one another and I could tell straight away that there was good relationships in the dressing room.
“Everyone has a good bond, both on and off the pitch,” he confirmed.
Baker made his first league start on Saturday as Newport faced Michael Flynn's Swindon Town. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t to be, and the Exiles fell to a 2-0 defeat. Baker though is not to be deterred by the result: "Everyone is itching to get out on the pitch again on Saturday so we can put things right, especially in front of a home crowd.
“I believe we have a strong side. We need to keep fighting and believing in the process, I think if we do that, we will have a lot of success coming our way” he declared.
You can watch Matt Baker and Newport County in action this Friday as they take on Mat Sadler’s Walsall. Buy your tickets here.