Player Profiles


Peter BEADLE	MANAGER	Born Lambeth 13/05/72
Peter made 344 Football League appearances, starting his career at Gillingham before spells at Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, both Bristol City and Rovers and latterly Barnet. This was followed by short periods at Team Bath as player/coach and at Clevedon Town as player/commercial manager before he was appointed as Taunton Town manager in early 2005. Since succeeding John Cornforth in October 2005, he has helped transform the club’s fortunes.
		Adopted by Phil Gibson & Rob Evans


Scott YOUNG	Assistant Manager	Born Tonypandy 14/01/76
Scott was a popular figure during his 11 seasons at Cardiff City, for who he was a one-club man. He made 277 league appearances for the Bluebirds, and was capped by Wales at under-21 and B international level. He had the briefest of spells as a County player at the start of the 2004-05 season and returned as assistant to manager Peter Beadle early in 2006 when the pair masterminded the club’s tremendous end of season sequence before guiding County to last season’s promotion challenge.
		Adopted by Phil Gibson & Rob Evans


Mark OVENDALE	GOALKEEPER	Born Leicester 22/11/73
Signed in July 2006 from Tiverton Town to replace the injured Tony Pennock, Mark started with Wisbech Town before joining Northampton Town where he made his league debut. He later played regular first team football for AFC Bournemouth, Luton Town and York City, making a total of 181 league appearances after playing for Barry Town in European competition. Following a successful first season at County, Mark was appointed goalkeeping coach in the summer of 2007.


Glyn THOMPSON	GOALKEEPER	Born Telford 24/02/81
Glyn was signed in July 2007, choosing to compete for a first team place with County rather than remain as reserve keeper at Hereford United where he had been for the previous season. He started his career at Shrewsbury Town for whom he has played in three spells and moved to Fulham in November 1999. He has since played for Mansfield Town, Northampton Town and Chesterfield as well as for Koge Boldklub in Denmark. He has made a total of 37 Football League appearances.
		Adopted by The e.mail group


Tony PENNOCK	GOALKEEPER	Born Swansea, 10/04/71
A Welsh non-league international keeper, Tony rejoined County from Port Talbot Town in November 2007, after briefly managing the Welsh Premier League club. Tony, who also manages the non-league international side, originally became an Exile in October 2005 and was a huge hero with the fans who nicknamed him ‘The Master’, but he broke his leg in a pre-season friendly which ruled him out of the 2006-07 season. Tony had started his professional career at Stockport County but it was at Wigan Athletic that he made his league debut, making 10 appearances before joining Hereford United in their Third Division days. He added a further 15 league games before spending six years at Yeovil Town, and then playing for Rushden & Diamonds and Farnborough Town.
		Adopted by I.R.Newport


Scott JAMES	GOALKEEPER	Born Newport 29/08/89
A powerfully built keeper, Scott represented Newport Schools and was registered with Cardiff City as a schoolboy. He has played senior football for Newport YMCA, Llanwern and Cinderford Town before being called up by County in February 2008 and he made his debut in a win at Welling United.


Ian HILLIER	DEFENDER	Born Neath 26/12/79
Player of the Year in his first season, Ian has proved his defensive versatility by playing equally well at full back and as a central defender. A Welsh under-21 international, Ian began his professional career at Tottenham Hotspur before joining Luton Town and making 56 league appearances. He had a spell on loan at Chester City before becoming a County for the last two seasons with 91 appearances and six goals. He again gained national representative honours, this time for the Welsh semi-professional team, in 2007.
		Adopted in Memory of Mitch Davey THE ROYAL MAIL PUB and The Amber Army Trust


Steve JENKINS	DEFENDER	Born Merthyr 16/07/72
A vastly experienced full-back who returned to Wales in October 2006, Steve represented his country at full international level 16 times. He was a regular league player at Swansea City, moving to Huddersfield Town where he spent seven seasons and having a loan spell at Birmingham City. He briefly joined Cardiff City before short spells with Notts County and Peterborough United. Two seasons with Swindon Town took his career total of league appearances beyond 500 and he spent a short time at Worcester City before joining County and playing 33 times last season.
County Gallery on Steve Jenkins		Adopted by The Programme Shop


Mark DODDS	DEFENDER	Born Cardiff 29/05/80
Mark joined County from Carmarthen Town in July 2007 after making a name for himself as a quick and strong central defender. However, it was as a forward that he won Welsh semi-professional recognition in the 2002-03 home international competition. He played for Goytre United, Merthyr Tydfil and Port Talbot Town before joining Carmarthen, and his versatility provides selection options for Peter Beadle.
		Adopted by Matt Southall & Family


Lee JARMAN	DEFENDER	Born Cardiff 16/12/77
Lee started his career with Cardiff City and was capped by Wales at all ages up to under-21, at which level he played nine times internationally. He has since played for Exeter City and Oxford United, making a total of 122 league appearances and scoring twice. Since dropping out of league football he has played for Barry Town and Weston-super-Mare and added three appearances for his country at semi-professional level. He was Peter Beadle’s first signing of the 2007 summer.
		Adopted by Jeff Challingsworth


Damon SEARLE	DEFENDER	Born Cardiff 26/10/71
Capped by Wales at all levels up to B international, Damon is a left sided defender who joined County in July 2006 from Forest Green Rovers, making 40 first team appearances at left-back last term and scoring three times. He has played in 493 league games, almost half of which were with the club of his birth, the rest being in the colours of Stockport County, Carlisle United, Rochdale, Southend United and Chesterfield, while he was briefly with Hornchurch before their demise.


Paul COCHLIN	DEFENDER	Born Cardiff 23/08/83
A tall and commanding central defender who can also play at left-back, Paul represented Great Britain at the World Student Games and played for Carmarthen Town in the UEFA Cup before signing for County in December 2005. The former Merthyr and Cwmbran player who works as a schoolteacher quickly made a positive impression but suffered a serious facial injury in the 2006 pre-season. He recovered to take his place but sustained another serious injury, this time to his knee, in December and it ended his season. He has returned to fitness however and played on loan at Almondsbury Town and Cirencester Town before returning to the County first team in February 2008.
		Adopted by John & Gareth Lees


Matt SMITH	DEFENDER	Born Newport 05/10/88
Matt joined his home city club in March 2008 on loan until the end of the season having spent his formative football years at Cardiff City who he joined as a schoolboy at the age of 14. He progressed to a two-year scholarship with a year's professional contract and helped the Bluebirds reach the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2007, earning Under-19 international honours for Wales. A left-sided player, Matt returned after a cruciate ligament injury in November 2007 and played for Cardiff against County in their FAW Premier Cup defeat against County.


Nathan DAVIES	MIDFIELD	Born Pontypool 26/05/82
Nathan is a successful product of the club’s youth policy and he has been a midfield regular since making his league debut in January 2000. He was a Welsh schoolboy international and has been a regular member of his country’s semi-professional international squad for several seasons. Nathan holds the appearance record for Newport County (Mark Two) and he took his tally of games to 304 by the end of last season with 13 goals.
		Adopted by The Programme Shop


Richard EVANS	MIDFIELD	Born Cardiff 19/06/83
Richard was with Birmingham City as a scholar but made his Football League debut after joining Sheffield Wednesday for whom he made 10 appearances, scoring once. He was with Shrewsbury Town for a season, making another six league appearances before joining County in August 2006 since when he has impressed with his direct play and crossing ability from the left. He played 42 times for County in his first season, scoring three times, and he is the younger brother of Mark Evans who played for County in the 1990s.
		Adopted by Whitehead Building Services

Lee FOWLER

MIDFIELD

Born Cardiff 10/06/83

Lee, a Welsh youth and under 21 international, was signed in March 2007, originally on loan from Burton Albion, after playing regular Conference football until January 2007. He started his career at Coventry City and moved to Huddersfield Town, making a total of 63 league appearances before signing for Scarborough and then Burton. His brother Mike, who is now with Salisbury City, is a former County player.

Adopted by

Andrew Marchant

James SIMPSON

MIDFIELD

Born Cardiff 23/10/88

James joined County in the 2007 summer after ending his links with Cardiff City with whom he had been associated since the age of nine. He represented City in the FAW Premier Cup before his March move to County on loan and he played eight times in the club's successful end of season run. James was invited to join the under-18 international squad of Scotland, the country of his father's birth, for training in 2006.


Jason BOWEN	MIDFIELD	Born Merthyr 24/08/72
Signed in the summer of 2004, Jason has been capped twice by Wales in an illustrious career which started with five years at Swansea City. Three seasons at Birmingham City followed and he had shorter spells at Southampton and Reading before returning to Wales for another five years with Cardiff City before ending his league career with a record of 324 games with 68 goals to show. Last season, when he scored 20 goals, was his best of for County for whom he has netted 43 times in 134 games. He is without doubt one of the most skilful players at this level of football.
		The Amber Army Trust & Dave Laws & Family


Andy GURNEY	MIDFIELD	Born Bristol 25/01/74
Experienced midfield player with 506 league and cup appearances, and 51 goals during his career as a full-time professional. Andy started with Bristol Rovers, moving on to Torquay United and having a trial at Wolves before joining Reading. He clocked up 160 league appearances in two spells at Swindon Town which sandwiched a brief stint at Swansea City. After dropping out of league football in 2006, Andy has played in Conference South for Weston and Havant & Waterlooville before signing for County in February 2008.
		The Monday Night Club


Sam O'SULLIVAN	FORWARD	Born Aberdare 14/07/86
Sam is another product of the club’s youth scheme and, by the end of last season, he had played 135 times in the first team and netted 17 goals. Sam had been on Cardiff City’s books as a schoolboy and has been capped by Wales as schoolboy international. A hard working player with pace and skill, Sam has also impressed in loan spells at Merthyr Tydfil, but he produced his best form yet for County last season.
		Adopted by The Programme Shop


Craig HUGHES	FORWARD	Born Rhondda 18/12/78
Craig is an under-16 Welsh schools international who joined Coventry City in their Premiership days under a two year YTS arrangement, but he became homesick and negotiated his release. He joined Barry Town as a full-time professional and has also played in the Welsh Premier League for Rhayader Town, Cwmbran Town, Port Talbot Town and Carmarthen Town. He joined County in November 2005 and has since become a folk hero with the fans with 37 goals in 80 games and last season’s Player of the Year awards, earning a call up for the Wales semi-professional team in 2007.
		Adopted by Vic Purnell


Julian ALSOP	FORWARD	Born Nuneaton 28/05/73
A powerful and vastly experienced striker Julian signed for County July 2006 from Forest Green Rovers and hit 11 goals in 36 games last season. He had played on the non-league circuit in the Midlands for Nuneaton Borough, VS Rugby, Racing Club Warwick and Halesowen Town before an introduction to league football with Bristol Rovers at the age of 23. He then had spells at Swansea City, Cheltenham Town and Oxford United and scored 60 goals in 269 league games.
		Adopted by The e.mail group


Charlie GRIFFIN	FORWARD	Born Bath 25/06/79
Charlie joined County on St Valentine’s Day 2007 and was an immediate scoring success with eight goals in 19 games. After being on schoolboy forms with Bristol Rovers, he played for Chippenham Town before signing for Swindon Town for £10,000 in 1999, playing in 28 league games before returning to Chippenham following spells at Yeovil on loan, Woking and Havant on loan. He has since spent two periods at Forest Green Rovers sandwiching a year at Wycombe Wanderers last season when he scored seven goals in 25 first team games.
		Adopted by The Programme Shop


Jermaine CLARKE	FORWARD	Born Birmingham, 10/12/83
A powerfully built and speedy striker, Jermaine joined County from Bromsgrove Rovers in November 2007 after being tracked by Peter Beadle for some time, and he made a perfect start to his Exiles career by heading the winner 12 minutes into his debut as a late substitute at Windsor & Eton in the FA Trophy. Jermaine, who works as a personal trainer in Solihull, attended the Aston Villa School of Excellence before starting a scholarship at Walsall. He then played in local football before joining Evesham United and heading the goal that won them promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League. Spells at Redditch and Halesowen on loan followed before he joined Bromsgrove and scored the goal that won them promotion in 2007.
		Adopted by I.R.Newport


Tommy COSH	PHYSIOTHERAPIST	Born Cardiff 26/04/51
Tommy heads a professional backroom team, having been appointed in July 2006. He was right winger in his playing days, and after starting as a youth team player with Cardiff City, he was associated with the now defunct Cardiff Civil Service for 29 years as player and physio. He then had a lengthy spell as Cwmbran Town physio before spending a year with Merthyr Tydfil prior to joining County. He is a graduate in Sports Physiotherapy at the University of Cardiff.
		Adopted by The e.mail group

Russell JONES

ASSISTANT PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Born Newport 02/01/68

Prior to qualifying as a sports masseur Russell had played in local football in his home city, and he is now in his second season as assistant to Tommy Cosh. He is involved in preparatory work with players before games and he provides after match massage, as well as assisting in the well-being and rehabilitation of those requiring treatment.

Bobby MORRIS

BACKROOM ASSISTANT

Born Newport 01/08/55

A more-than-useful player in the Welsh League with Brecon in his earlier years, Bobby has also had experience of managing at that level with Llanwern and Newport YMCA. A Senior Technician in the weighing industry, he has proved a vital part of County’s training and match preparation team.

Adopted by Phil Gibson & Rob Evans

Tony GILBERT

Kit Manager

Born Newport 12/02/5

Far and away the longest serving member of the County backroom team, his experience of Newport senior football goes back to the Football League team in the 1970’s. A perpetually effervescent character, he is an Assistant Manager in the section of Newport City Council and responsible for the Newport Stadium playing surface, having extensive qualifications in Horticulture and Grounds.

Adopted by Phil Gibson & Rob Evans