Match Preview: Barrow (H)

After a disappointing weekend in West Sussex last week, County will turn their attention back to Rodney Parade this weekend when we welcome Barrow AFC.

The visitors will arrive refreshed after last weekend’s international break, but they will have to put an end to our incredible unbeaten start to the campaign on home soil if they want to take anything back up North with them.

Manager’s Comments 

"I am excited to see how the lads bounce back and react (from last week's defeat)." explained Graham.

"I have every faith in them (the players), I have every confidence in them, to put things right. It won't be easy, it'll be a tough ask of the boys, but look, we have to be able to compete in these type of games if we want to achieve anything in League Two."

You can watch the full pre-match press conference with Graham Coughlan here:

Opposition Form 

The visitors arrive in South Wales in strong form. The club are currently sitting eighth in the league table after a solid start to the campaign. Of their opening six, they have won three, drawn two, and lost one. They are also unbeaten away from home. 

Their last outing before the international break saw them beat Harrogate away 1-0, with a goal from Kian Spence being the only difference between the two sides. 

Ticket Info

Ticket prices for Saturday’s game are as follows: 

Tickets will be available to buy from the ticket office on the day of the match with an increased cost by £2. 

Tickets are available to buy here.

Last Time Out 

Our last encounter with Barrow was back in February this year. A hard-fought game saw County snatch a dramatic stoppage winner, with Mickey Demetriou rising above a crowded area in the 95th minute to head home and secure a dramatic win.

We look back on last year's visit to Holker street in this week's from the archive piece.

Head to Head 

You have to really dig deep to find our first competitive encounter with Barrow. The first encounter came back in September 1962, with us walking away 6-0 winners. This is still our biggest win against The Bluebirds. 

Since that day, we have played each 20 times, with nine wins, eight losses, and three draws. Barrow’s promotion to the league in 2020 saw us play each other for the first time in nearly 30 years. Since their return, Barrow have won three games, and we have won two.

Played for Both 

There are a handful of players that have donned the shirts of both Newport County and Barrow. In our current squad, Offrande Zanzala has links to the Bluebirds. He spent a season there in the 2021-22 season before joining us. He racked up 19 appearances, scoring three times. 

A former Exile that has just joined Barrow is Dom Telford. Telford signed for the club this summer after leaving Crawley. He has made two appearances for Barrow so far, coming off the bench in their 1-1 draw with Wrexham for his debut. 

Notable events

This weekend a minutes applause will be observed in memory of club stalwart Phil Burgess, who passed away earlier this month.

A long-standing Newport County supporter, Phil, was a founding member and director when the club was reformed in 1989 and for many years managed the Newport County lottery.

During the minutes applause we will also recognise those who have lost their lives in the earthquake which struck Morocco and the flash floods across northeastern Libya. Both of which causing widespread destruction and buildings to collapse, which have resulted in loss of life and thousands of casualties. The number of people affected is in the hundreds of thousands.

You can donate to the red cross appeal here:

https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/gb/Morocco-Earthquake-Appeal-EFL/

Libya Floods Appeal supported by EFL (redcrossredcrescent.org)

At half-time the first year scholars from the academy will be announced and will walk around the pitch in front of supporters, there will be a written piece published on each scholar on the website in due course.