NEWPORT COUNTY:
'THE EXILES' SEEM DESTINED FOR THE NATIONAL LEAGUE
The last Welsh side here I’ve not mentioned so far in the EFL, and maybe not for much longer unfortunately, is Newport County. Another South Wales club alongside the ‘big boys’, Cardiff and Swansea, Newport seems to fly under the radar for folks not deeply invested in the lower leagues. This season, Newport fans have deserved much better than what the players are producing on the pitch. Is relegation to ‘non league’ football on the horizon? Newport County sit rock bottom of League Two, 3 points from safety.
A relegation would see Newport return to the National League, somewhere they haven’t played in since the 2012/13 campaign. Once dropped from the EFL, it’s so difficult to make your way back into the English Football League system. Look at Wrexham, for example. The Red Dragons spent 15 seasons playing non-league football before significant investment from the outside turned their fortunes around. The drop to the national league puts financial strain on both ownership and players. Something to avoid at all costs.
Christian Fuchs, the former Leicester City and Austria left-back, was appointed Manager in November 2025. This is his first managerial role, and dare I say it’s showing? Granted, when he took over, Newport weren’t in much better standing, to be fair, so maybe I’m being harsh. Regardless of who took over, I think it was always going to be a tough task getting the Exiles out of trouble.
"I think they just felt sorry for themselves at that point. When we make errors, we go into our shell, we need more people to say there is plenty of time to put things right," Said Assistant Manager Mark Smith. BBC Sport
As it stands, we can look at the home fixture in April against Harrogate Town, the team directly above them in the table, as the game that will probably determine their fate. The run of home games through March and April gives them every chance to accumulate points at Rodney Parade, where they'll need the supporters to get behind them.
Can we afford to be optimistic, or will the Exiles be just that, exiled to non-league obscurity? It would be a shame to see another Welsh club drop out of the football league. Byth yn rhoi'r gorau iddi 🏴