Inside Newport County: Man United face a tiny dressing room of beige tiles and peeling plaster and a temporary stand in the FA Cup… and where they’ll be dropped off is a sight to behold!
The half-and-half scarves were already on sale during the walk to Rodney Parade. The little boy who was searching the club shop after the Wrexham win put his around his neck, one half amber, the other half red. Newport County on one side, Manchester United on the other.
There was still a week to go before Newport faced the English giants in the fourth round of the FA Cup, but even on the day their Hollywood rivals Wrexham came to town, a Cardiff woman was flogging scarves on a doll -up stand along the road. the high street.
“I was up all night knitting them,” she joked.
She travels around the country selling them for different games and different terrains. United’s arrival in South Wales is clearly big business.
It’s definitely for Newport fans. Hundreds queued for hours at Rodney Parade on Thursday to get their hands on a golden ticket. Some did not reach the counter before the shutters came down and had to return the next day. One arrived at 4am on Friday to make sure he was first.
There is a feverish atmosphere in Newport as Manchester United prepare to come to town
Erik ten Hag’s team changes in a more modest dressing room than they are used to
Newport County players have a much more luxurious dressing room to prepare for matches
Man United’s 1,400 traveling fans will take their seats in this temporary Rodney Parade stand
Newport County’s dress rehearsal took place in a Welsh derby win against Wrexham in League Two
They have hosted big clubs at Rodney Parade in recent years, Tottenham in 2018 and Man City the following year. This season they took Brentford to penalties in the League Cup.
United still bat differently. The visit of their fierce Welsh league rivals has turned into a warm-up fixture for the first time in more than a decade. Newport’s 1-0 win over Wrexham in front of a rocking, sell-out crowd proved the perfect rehearsal.
Cynics these days scoff at the fading magic of the FA Cup, but games like Sunday’s prove that this magic still shines every now and then and, for so many, in so many different ways.
‘You have to enjoy these moments, they don’t come often. For everyone, especially the United fans in the dressing room, it’s going to mean a lot to them.” – Seb Palmer-Houlden
Seb Palmer-Houlden scored the winner against Wrexham on Saturday. He is on loan from Bristol City and remembers being a ball boy when the Robins dumped United out of the League Cup in 2017. His father, Simon, tweeted that this may be Newport’s good luck omen.
“That was an amazing feeling,” Palmer-Houlden said.
‘Cup nights are really special. I was watching Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and good old Korey Smith scored the winner. It showed what can happen in the cup.
‘I can’t wait for it. It is a childhood dream to play against such a big team. Bring on Manchester United!
‘You have to enjoy these moments, they don’t come often. For everyone, especially the United fans in the dressing room, it’s going to mean a lot to them.”
There are a few, not to mention manager Graham Coughlan. Also featuring tough Scot Bennett from Newport, as well as local lad Nathan Woods. Woods returned to the club in the summer after eight years in the Welsh leagues and last year worked in a coffee shop near the training ground.
Fans queued outside the stadium for hours in the hope of getting one of the lucky match tickets
Newport County has hosted a number of big FA Cup fixtures in recent years, including Tottenham
Manchester United’s substitutes and coaching staff will watch from here (photo: yellow seats)
“Nathan is a huge United fan,” Palmer-Houlden added. ‘It’s his youth club against his dream club. It will be a really big event for him and he is the nicest man I have ever met, so I hope he enjoys the moment.”
Newport striker Will Evans worked on his father’s farm and now faces the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
For the club itself, a £400,000 payday (just a few billion more than the weekly salary of United’s highest earners) is essential to the lifeblood of clubs of Newport’s size.
When United arrive at Rodney Parade they are in for a shock with their system used to the comforts of the Premier League.
The undressing room, that one Mailsport got exclusive access last week, is no bigger than the one you’d find in the Sunday League. Faded gray walls, beige tiles, peeling plaster, a folding table, a physiotherapist chair, a few bins and two urinals.
The away dugout only seats 13 players, so United will have to find emergency seats for any hangers-on, and it’s so close to the home fans that there’s nowhere to hide.
If Wrexham is to be believed, the 8,000 home fans can make Rodney Parade an intimidating place to go.
Coughlan, however, is a little more realistic.
“United play in front of 75,000 people every week so I don’t think 9,000 here is going to upset them or throw them off their rhythm,” he said.
Newport County secretary Gareth Evans knows how important the £400,000 payday is for the club
Normally press conferences are held here, but this week a new space is being created
There is a lot of buzz around Rodney Parade and United will expect an intimidating welcome in Wales
Ten Hag’s stars, such as Kobbie Mainoo (photo), are in unusual territory, but must win
‘It’s a fantastic match against a great football club, probably the biggest in the world, with world-class players. It’s a great test for us and brilliant for the football club. I just hope we can do ourselves justice.
‘It’s a special occasion, a special weekend, enjoy it, but keep going, give it a try and see what can happen.
‘We will need a lot of luck, inspiring performances everywhere, decisions to go our way, breaking the ball, our goalkeeper will have to be in shape, we will have to take our moments, with all our players performing at their maximum. If all that happens, maybe we can… keep the score down!’
Erik ten Hag said last week that he knows “nothing” about Newport County.
“Well, I know a lot about Manchester United,” responded Coughlan, who welcomed his counterpart for a drink after the match. “I don’t have an office, but I’ll invite him upstairs!”