Newport County head to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Tuesday evening (7pm) to face Reading in the final game of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy group stage.
With both teams locked on points, this match is a winner-takes-all affair, with the victor securing a place in the knockout stage.
County will be looking to build on their recent success in the competition, following a 1-0 victory over West Ham United Under-21s in September.
Pre-Match Views
Speaking ahead of the game, Nelson Jardim said: “We want to go through. The first game [against Cheltenham] saw one of the best first halves we have had.
"Then we had the sending-off of Jacob that changed the game and obviously put us in the position where we have to go there now and win the game. But we want to win and go as far as possible in this competition."
Opposition Form
Reading, currently sitting 9th in League One, are just one point outside the playoff places with 23 points. In the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, they are level on points with Newport but currently sit ahead of the Exiles due to a better goal difference.
A key player for the Royals has been Sam Smith, the striker who has been involved in many of the team's goals this season. Smith, an academy graduate at Reading, had several loan spells before joining Cambridge United on a free transfer in 2021. After an impressive spell at Cambridge, he returned to Reading in the summer of 2023.
So far, Smith has scored 21 goals in 49 appearances for the Royals, making him one of the main threats Newport will need to watch closely on Tuesday evening.
Shared Shirts
While there are no current players in either squad who have represented both Newport County and Reading, there is a notable player from Newport's past who played for both clubs.
Linden Jones had two successful spells at Newport, making 288 appearances and scoring 35 goals. Jones initially joined County in 1983 before a move to Reading in 1987, where he played 152 times and scored 8 goals.
After returning to Newport in 1992, Jones played for the Exiles for another four years, retiring as a County legend due to a knee injury.
Last Time Out
The last meeting between these two sides came more than a decade ago in the League Cup first round.
Unfortunately for the Exiles, they were defeated 3-1 at the Madejski Stadium. A 20th-minute goal from Pavel Pogrebnyak was followed by an 87th-minute strike from Nick Blackman, doubling Reading's advantage.
County's Shaun Jeffers pulled one back in the final minute, but Craig Tanner quickly restored Reading’s two-goal lead, sending the Royals through to the next round.
Head-to-Head
Despite not having faced each other in nearly a decade, Newport County and Reading have met 91 times in all competitions.
Their first encounter came in August 1920, when County lost 1-0 at home in Division Three (South). Newport would avenge that defeat a year later with a 1-0 victory over Reading at home in September 1921.
In total, the Exiles have won 30 of the 91 meetings, with 23 draws. However, Reading currently have the upper hand with 38 wins in this fixture.
Key Facts
- Reading hold the record for the most consecutive league wins to start a season, with 13 wins in the 1985-86 Third Division campaign.
- The Royals also boast the highest number of points in a single league season, recording 106 points in the 2005-06 Football League Championship.
- The largest margin of victory in this fixture came in 1936, when Reading won 7-2 in an FA Cup tie.
- This will be the 92nd meeting between Newport County and Reading.
