Newport County AFC travel to Home Park to take on high-flying Plymouth Argyle this weekend. County got back to winning ways during the week against Macclesfield Town, however Argyle are on a fine run of form, so will represent a real challenge for the Exiles down in Devon.
Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this League Two matchup...
Plymouth Argyle in League Two so far
The Pilgrims have consistently picked up wins this season, and currently occupy fourth spot in the League Two table.
Argyle have won 15 of their 28 matches this season, with eight of those coming at home and seven coming away.
After a difficult period through September, Argyle have recovered well, not dropping points since New Years Day. This run has seen them climb the table and find themselves just five points behind first-placed Swindon.
Team News
Argyle had only one absentee against Crawley in winger Danny Mayor. There had been speculation that Mayor may leave the Pilgrims, however this was emphatically denied by manager Ryan Lowe, who put his absence down to injury.
Plymouth Argyle v Crawley Town: Palmer, Edwards (Jephcott 73’), Wootton, Canavan, Sawyer, Cooper, Sarcevic, Grant, Bakinson (Grant 85’), Moore, Hardie (Grant 86’)
One to Watch – Antoni Sarcevic
Midfielder Sarcevic is Argyle’s key man this season, having found the net seven times so far, the most of any Plymouth player.
The 27-year-old has also notched up 5 assists, only bettered by teammate George Cooper.
Sarcevic started out his career with Manchester City, however his most notable period was with Fleetwood Town during the 2013/14 season. The midfielder scored 15 goals, including a free-kick at Wembley in the Playoff Final to win promotion for the Fishermen.
Manager – Ryan Lowe
Ryan Lowe is embarking on just his second managerial job at Home Park, having only retired from playing in 2018.
The 41-year-old’s first job was at Bury FC, who had just been relegated. Despite their off-field troubles, Lowe guided Bury to promotion and the semi-final stage of the EFL Trophy.
Lowe was also an accomplished player, winning the League Two Fans’ Player of the Year in the 2010/11 season, after scoring 27 times in 46 games for Bury.
Last Meeting Between the Sides
The last time the sides met was at Rodney Parade in August, which was just the third game of the season.
On this occasion, County came out 1-0 winners after a Kyle Howkins header handed Argyle their first loss of the season.
The match also saw the Exiles hit 13 regular season Football League matches unbeaten, the first time the club has managed the feat in its history.
Officials
Referee: Ollie Yates
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Shaw
Assistant Referee 2: John Flynn
Fourth Official: Ross Martin
Ollie Yates is currently in his fourth season as a Football League referee. Yates has previously taken charge of two Newport County matches, a loss and a draw, both at Rodney Parade.
Yates is clearly not afraid to get his cards out, as he has brandished the yellow card 83 times so far in his 2 games this season, as well as six reds.
Last season during his 38 matches, Yates produced the yellow card a whopping 140 times, with the red card coming out on just five occasions.
Other League Two fixtures that afternoon (All 3pm kick-offs)
Cambridge United v Colchester United
Cheltenham Town v Morecambe FC
Crawley Town v Scunthorpe United
Grimsby Town v Forest Green Rovers
Macclesfield Town v Northampton Town
Mansfield Town v Carlisle United
Oldham Athletic v Bradford City
Port Vale v Salford City
Stevenage FC v Leyton Orient
Swindon Town v Exeter City
Walsall FC v Crewe Alexandra
Can’t make the match?
You can follow along on social media using @NewportCounty on Twitter, or via the Club’s official Facebook and Instagram pages.
A live showing of this fixture will occur on iFollow Exiles for international subscribers only. Commentary by Tim Thraves & Ben Catton can be found at the Match Centre from 2:45pm, you can purchase this full-coverage live audio feed for just £2.50 by clicking here.
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 website on the day of the game, while you can watch all of Flynn’s post-match press conference as-well as two County players the day after the match by subscribing to iFollow Exiles now.