Newport County AFC will be looking to capitalise on their midweek cup success as they travel to the Sands Venue Stadium to take on Scunthorpe United this weekend.
Just one point and one place separate the sides in the league table, so County will be calling on their away following to help them over the line in Lincolnshire. Buy tickets for this match here.
Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this League Two matchup...
Scunthorpe United in League Two so far
Scunthorpe come into this game in good form, with the end of 2019 seeing them pick up 7 wins from 11 games, including 5 in a row through November.
The Iron didn’t pick up their first win until the start of September, however they have since risen to 14th in the table, 10 points off the playoff places.
Team News
United will be without goalkeeper Jake Eastwood, who was recalled by his parent club Sheffield United during the week.
The Iron will also be missing midfielders Yann Songo'o, who picked up an injury at Grimsby Town in December, and Regan Slater, who is recovering from an operation.
Scunthorpe United vs Plymouth Argyle (4-3-3): Eastwood, Ntihe, McGahey, McArdle (C), Brown, Sutton (Van Veen 57’), Perch, Lund, Gilliead (Colclough 77’), Eisa, Novak
One to Watch – Kevin Van Veen
Dutch striker Kevin Van Veen is Scunthorpe’s top goalscorer this season so far, with 8 goals in 15 league appearances. Van Veen also managed 3 goals in 2 appearances in the Leasing.Com Trophy.
This is Van Veen’s second spell at the Sands Venue Stadium, in his first he managed 19 goals in 94 appearances before leaving for Northampton Town.
Before joining Scunthorpe, the 28-year-old was a prolific scorer in his native Holland, scoring 15+ goals for 4 seasons in a row. His form this season suggests he may be able to replicate these figures for Scunthorpe.
Manager – Paul Hurst
Paul Hurst has had mixed fortunes in his first full season at Scunthorpe. Spells in which wins were hard to come by, followed by spells where they can’t lose leave the team in mid-table.
Beginning his managerial career with Ilkeston Town and Boston United, Hurst also has experience in the EFL, taking charge of Grimsby Town, Shrewsbury Town and Ipswich Town.
His most memorable spell was his time at Grimsby, where he oversaw their promotion to League Two via the Playoffs in 2015/16 season.
Last Meeting Between the Sides
The last meeting between County and Scunthorpe was earlier in the season at Rodney Parade. The fixture in October saw Newport come out 2-1 winners, with goals from Padraig Amond putting the home side ahead late in the first half.
Mark O’Brien’s unfortunate own goal made it 1-1 early in the second half, before Josh Sheehan struck to give County all 3 points. County fans everywhere will be hoping for a repeat come Saturday afternoon.
Officials
Referee: Scott Oldham
Assistant Referee 1: Declan Ford
Assistant Referee 2: Hristo Karaivanov
Fourth Official: Adam Clayton
Scott Oldham will officiate his second ever Newport County fixture this weekend. His first was the Exiles’ 3-1 defeat away at Lincoln in 2018.
So far this season, Oldham has refereed 23 matches, giving 68 yellow cards and 3 red cards.
This follows on from last season, where he took charge of 34 games, handing out 99 yellow cards and just one red.
Other League Two fixtures that afternoon (All 3pm kick-offs)
Carlisle United v Plymouth Argyle
Cheltenham Town v Walsall FC
Crawley Town v Bradford City
Exeter City v Cambridge United
Leyton Orient v Grimsby Town
Macclesfield Town v Oldham Athletic
Mansfield Town v Forest Green Rovers
Morecambe FC v Colchester United
Salford City v Northampton Town
Stevenage FC v Port Vale
Swindon Town 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.
Commentary of this match by Tim Thraves can be found at the Match Centre from 2:45pm.
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 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.