Newport County are delighted to confirm the signing of Liam Shephard, who joins the club on a one-year contract, subject to EFL approval.
The 30-year‑old defender, who previously spent a season at Rodney Parade in 2020–21, returns to South Wales after recently leaving Salford City. Playing for the Exiles runs in the family also, as Father Garry Shephard made 136 appearances and scoring 47 goals from 1999 to 2005.
Born in Pentre in the Rhondda Valleys, Shephard progressed through the youth academies at Cardiff City and Swansea City before making his senior breakthrough at Yeovil Town, where he enjoyed multiple loan spells between 2015 and 2017.
His performances then earned him moves to Peterborough United and Forest Green Rovers, before signing for the Exiles ahead of the 2020–21 season. Shephard made over 40 league appearances for Newport County and featured at Wembley in our League Two playoff final against Morecombe.
He then spent nearly four seasons at Salford City, making over 70 appearances and scoring three goals while operating at both right‑back and centre‑back.
Manager David Hughes said “I’m delighted to welcome Liam into the squad. He’s vastly experienced, he’s an outstanding character and he’ll be an excellent addition into the changing room because of his professionalism and high standards. He definitely adds outstanding quality to the squad, so we’re really pleased to bring him in and to add more competition for places.”
Shephard is thrilled to be back at Newport and is relishing the opportunity to play in front of the Amber Army at Rodney Parade.
He said “I’m absolutely buzzing to be here and get everything over the line. The first thing I’m looking forward to is being able to play in front of the Newport County fans, because my first spell was during the Covid season, so I never really got to have that full experience of representing the club. So, I’m really looking forward to that.
Upon his arrival, Shephard is looking forward to working with David Hughes.
“We’ve had some really good discussions on how and where he wants me to play, and we share the same values and ambitions to try and take us forward. I’m not here just to play games, I’m always trying to push my ambitions and expectations as far as I can. So, I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in and helping the squad progress”