Newport County AFC travel to Boundary Park this weekend to take on Oldham Athletic. County have had mixed fortunes with results recently, and will be hoping this will be one of the more positive away outings. They will face a stern test from Oldham however, as the Latics know they are not out of relegation danger just yet.
Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this League Two matchup...
Oldham Athletic in League Two so far
Oldham currently occupy 19th position in League Two, after struggling for consistency so far this season.
Athletic started 2019/20 with three straight losses and after just one win from their opening eight matches, Laurent Banide was replaced by Dino Maamria.
Since then, the Latics have won seven games, picking up 38 points from their 35 matches.
Team News
County were boosted by the return of George Nurse on Tuesday, following a time out injured.
Captain Joss Labadie will miss the game after picking up a suspension against Grimsby Town.
For Oldham, it looks as though they can put forward a fully fit side after David Wheater’s return to the squad.
One to Watch – Jonny Smith
Jonny Smith joined the Latics on a season-long loan from Bristol City at the beginning of the year, and has impressed in his performances at Boundary Park.
The Welsh midfielder has played 30 times in all competitions so far this season, scoring eight times in League Two. Smith also has an FA Cup and a Leasing.Com Trophy goal to his name this year.
As a midfielder, Smith has made five assists to add to his goals, marking him as an all-round threat for the County defense this weekend.
Manager – Dino Maamria
Someone well-known to the County faithful, Dino Maamria faces one of his former employers.
The Tunisian was assistant manager to Graham Westley during his spell at Rodney Parade, but left in early 2017.
Since then, Maamria has been head coach at Southport, Nuneaton Town, Stevenage and now Oldham, where he was appointed in September.
Maamria also had a long playing career, making 303 appearances over 20 years.
Last Meeting Between the Sides
The last time the sides met, in November, Oldham came out on top 1-0 at Rodney Parade.
In a game of few chances, the Latics got the winner on the stroke of half time. Nick Townsend saved Jonny Smith’s initial shot, but Zak Mills was on hand to finish the rebound.
County were unable to find a response in the second half, meaning Oldham took a vital three points back to Boundary Park.
Officials
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Assistant Referee 1: David Avent
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Cunliffe
Fourth Official: Chris Isherwood
This is Thomas Bramall’s second season as a Football League referee, with Saturday’s match being just his third of the season.
Bramall has previously refereed County once before, the 3-2 loss to Lincoln in December 2018.
In his other two games this season, Bramall has shown three yellow cards but is yet to brandish the red card.
Last season, he officiated 44 matches, handing out 102 yellow cards and three reds.
Other League Two fixtures that afternoon (Also 3pm kick-off)
Bradford City v Plymouth Argyle
Cambridge United v Carlisle United
Colchester United v Cheltenham Town
Exeter City v Crawley Town
Forest Green Rovers v Leyton Orient
Grimsby Town v Northampton Town
Macclesfield Town v Salford City
Mansfield Town v Swindon Town
Morecambe FC v Crewe Alexandra
Port Vale v Scunthorpe United
Stevenage FC v Walsall FC
Can’t make the match?
You can follow along on social media using @NCAFCLive on Twitter, or via the Club’s official Facebook, Snapchat (OfficialExiles) and Instagram pages.
Commentary by Tim Thraves and Ben Catton can be found at the Match Centre from 2:45pm LIVE on iFollowExiles.
An on-the-whistle match report of this match will be provided on the Club website upon the end of the game. Michael Flynn’s post-match analysis will appear on the evening of the day after the game, while you can watch all of Flynn’s post-match press conference as-well as two County players by subscribing to iFollow Exiles.