Match Preview | Accrington Stanley (H)

Newport County return to Sky Bet League Two action on Tuesday night when Accrington Stanley make the trip to Rodney Parade (7.45pm).

Graham Coughlan will be hoping his side can bounce back after the disappointment of Saturday’s trip to Grimsby Town which saw them suffer their fourth straight league defeat. 

The Exiles continue their league run-in with a period of three consecutive home matches at Rodney Parade. They face off against the Reds tomorrow evening before a league double against Tranmere Rovers and Salford City, prior to an end-of-season showdown with Bradford at Valley Parade. 

Pre-Match Thoughts

Speaking ahead of a busy run-in of home fixtures, Nick Townsend said: “Our home form is what has kept us going, especially with how the fans are there. 

“That's been the main thing to get us where we are today.

“We know how hostile it can be at Rodney Parade and we want it to be a fortress. We want to give back to the fans and make sure they go out on a high.”

Opposition Form 

Accrington Stanley arrive at Rodney Parade on a poor run of form. John Dolan has attempted to steady the ship in recent games, with the club having won just one of their last ten fixtures since the end of Feburary. 

Accy’s solitary win in that run came away at Swindon on March 12th, with a late goal from Alex Henderson securing a 2-1 win team for the Lancashire side. 

Since then, they have failed to win in four games, losing to Morecambe and Sutton and drawing with Notts County and, most recently, Crewe Alexandra. 

Jack Nolan has been Accy’s biggest goal threat in recent weeks, hitting the net three times in eight games. He is likely to be partnered with veteran attacker Shaun Whalley in the Accrington attack, with Tommy Leigh likely to lead the line. 

Ticket Info 

You can find out about tickets for our clash with Accrington Stanley HERE. 

Last Time Out 

Accrington Stanely were our hosts for the first game of the season back in August. Unfortunately, it was not the start we had been hoping for. An early goal from Jack Nolan put us on the back-foot, and despite several attempts to get back into the game, we fell 2-0 down thanks to Shaun Whalley in the 80th minute. Korede Adedoyin would add a third for the hosts in the 94th minute to secure a 3-0 win. 

Head to Head 

Since returning to the Football League, we have played Accrington Stanley 11 times, boasting a strong record. We have won five, drawn five, and lost just two. 

Played for Both 

Several players have lined up for both Accrington Stanley and Newport County over the years. Two members of our current squad have both spent time at the Wham Stadium. 

Jonny Maxted spent a season in Lancashire in 2018/19, playing for Stanley on 20 occasions before leaving for Exter City at the end of the campaign. 

One of his team mates during that time was none other than Offrande Zanzala. Zanzala spent six games on loan from derby at Stanley in 2018 before signing for the club full-time. He would go on to make 51 appearances, scoring ten times before leaving for Crewe.