We take a closer look at the team who will be the last scheduled visitors to Brunton Park in May - Newport County.
Nickname: The Exiles, The County
Club Colours: Orange & Black
Who are they?
The Exiles were originally founded in 1912, and started out in the Southern League. They quickly rose through the leagues, however, and reached the Second Division in 1939. Their stay in the second tier lasted just under a decade, before Newport found themselves in the Fourth Division in 1962.
After that, the Exiles spent time yo-yoing between the third and fourth tiers before they were relegated to the Conference in 1988. They announced bankruptcy shortly after but were reformed in 1989 and began a climb back up through non-league.
Newport reached the Conference in 2010 before earning promotion back to the Football League for the first time since their reformation in 2013. They have stayed in League Two ever since.
Did You Know?
+ The Exiles reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980/81, having qualified after winning the Welsh Cup.
+ Newport were originally nicknamed ‘The Ironmongers’ due to the steel works present in the area during the early 20th century.
+ In 1970/71, Newport set an unwanted Football League record after going 25 games without a win at the start of the season.
How did they get on last season?
Embroiled in a relegation battle for much of the season, Newport quickly dispensed of Warren Feeney and replaced him with Graham Westley. The ex-Stevenage manager couldn’t turn around the Exiles’ fortunes though, and was dismissed in March.
His replacement, Mike Flynn, saw an upturn in fortunes which eventually lifted Newport clear of relegation. They finished the season in 22nd place, two points clear of the drop.
Who’s in charge?
After a playing career spanning almost 20 years, Mike Flynn took his first steps into management in 2017 after replacing Graham Westley. The midfielder played for Newport on three separate occasions and has also previously coached in the Exiles’ academy.
Flynn was First Team Coach under Warren Feeney and Westley before he took over on a caretaker basis in March of last year. After guiding the side to safety, he was handed the job on a permanent basis.
How has their summer transfer business looked?
While there have been several departures from Rodney Parade this season, Mark Flynn has also made some notable additions - new arrivals Frank Nouble and Padraig Amond both have experience of playing at a higher level and have started to form an effective partnership up front.
Leaving Newport are Mitch Rose, Lenell John-Lewis, Ryan Bird and Mark Randall, with several other players released at the end of their contracts.
They’ve Played For Both
Forward Gordon Staniforth turned out for both the Cumbrians and the Exiles. A record signing for United at the time, Staniforth moved to Brunton Park in 1979 and went on to make 126 appearances, netting 33 times. After spending time at Plymouth Argyle, the forward then moved to Newport in 1985 and played 87 times during two years at Rodney Parade while scoring 13 times.
Former United loanee Jennison Myrie-Williams spent time at Newport County last season. The winger played eight times for Carlisle in 2008 and joined the Exiles on a permanent basis last season, but was released at the end of the campaign.
Memorable Meeting - Carlisle 2-1 Newport (29 April 2017)
Memorable meetings are few and far between with United having only triumphed once in six meetings between the two sides since Newport’s reformation. Our only victory came last season, as Jabo Ibehre and Nicky Adams’ second half strikes cancelled out Micky Demetriou’s opener to hand the Blues victory.
Watch highlights from that game here:
When Did We Last Meet?
Our last meeting was that game in April, with Newport running out 2-0 winners in the meeting earlier in the season in what was Carlisle’s first defeat of the campaign.
When Do We Meet?
We make the trip to Rodney Parade on 9 December before the Exiles visit Brunton Park on 5 May in the final game of the 2017/18 season.