Newport County manager Christian Fuchs takes his side to Gloucestershire as the Exiles continue their hunt for League Two survival. Read our full match preview, brought to you by Configur, breaking down all the stats and key information ahead of this huge tie.
Newport County currently sit 22nd in League Two, just outside the relegation zone on 37 points (goal difference –30), level on points with 20th-placed Tranmere Rovers and 21st-placed Crawley Town, and just above Barrow (36 pts) and Harrogate Town (33). Cheltenham Town lie in 18th place on 49 points.
The Exiles have picked up six points from their last five games, with wins over Harrogate Town and Shrewsbury Town, and head to the EV Charger Points Stadium aiming to add more crucial points to their tally. Cheltenham’s form has been mixed this season, but their home record has been strong this season and their goal difference is significantly superior to County’s.
League Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bromley | 43 | 23 | 14 | 6 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 83 |
| 2 | Milton Keynes Dons | 43 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 79 | 43 | +36 | 79 |
| 3 | Cambridge United | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 62 | 31 | +31 | 77 |
| 4 | Notts County | 43 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 71 | 49 | +22 | 76 |
| 5 | Swindon Town | 43 | 22 | 8 | 13 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 74 |
| 6 | Salford City | 43 | 23 | 5 | 15 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 74 |
| 7 | Chesterfield | 43 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 72 |
| 8 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 68 |
| 9 | Barnet | 43 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 67 |
| 10 | Crewe Alexandra | 43 | 19 | 9 | 15 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 66 |
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 43 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 54 | 39 | +15 | 65 |
| 12 | Colchester United | 43 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 63 |
| 13 | Walsall | 43 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 62 |
| 14 | Fleetwood Town | 43 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 53 | 54 | −1 | 58 |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | 43 | 17 | 4 | 22 | 49 | 63 | −14 | 55 |
| 16 | Accrington Stanley | 43 | 14 | 9 | 20 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 51 |
| 17 | Gillingham | 43 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 49 | 62 | −13 | 50 |
| 18 | Cheltenham Town | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 50 | 68 | −18 | 49 |
| 19 | Shrewsbury Town | 43 | 13 | 8 | 22 | 40 | 66 | −26 | 47 |
| 20 | Tranmere Rovers | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 49 | 72 | −23 | 37 |
| 21 | Crawley Town | 43 | 8 | 13 | 22 | 41 | 65 | −24 | 37 |
| 22 | Newport County | 43 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 43 | 73 | −30 | 37 |
| 23 | Barrow | 43 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 43 | 70 | −27 | 36 |
| 24 | Harrogate Town | 43 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 66 | −31 | 33 |
Recent Form and Relegation Rivals
Newport’s recent record reads L–W–L–L–W, with victories over Harrogate Town and Shrewsbury Town. Defeats against Notts County, Crawley Town and Walsall highlight the fine margins in recent weeks, but Saturday’s win over Harrogate Town has kept momentum alive.
Cheltenham come into the fixture with confidence high after back-to-back wins, following a 2–1 home victory over Gillingham on Tuesday night and an impressive 4–0 away win at Walsall. Their last five results now read L–L–D–W–W, reflecting a strong recent upturn in form at a key stage of the season.
Elsewhere in the lower half, results have largely gone against the struggling sides. Tranmere Rovers are in a difficult spell with L–L–L–L-D, while Crawley Town have also seen form slump since their win at Rodney Parade with back-to-back loses against Bristol Rovers and Grimsby. Barrow remain inconsistent at W-D-L-L-W, with a dramatic 3–2 win over Oldham on Tuesday offering some hope. Harrogate Town have also battled for rhythm with L-L-W-L-L.
The bottom five’s next fixtures on Saturday 18 April present another challenging set of tests. Whilst Newport County are on the road, their relegation rivals all have home fixtures.
| Team | Fixture (18 Apr) | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tranmere Rovers | vs Bristol Rovers | Home | 3pm |
| Crawley Town | vs Shrewsbury Town | Home | 3pm |
| Barrow | vs Walsall | Home | 12:30pm |
| Harrogate Town | vs Colchester United | Home | 3pm |
A win would move Newport to 40 points and significantly improve their position. If Tranmere and Crawley both pick up wins elsewhere, survival could still come down to goal difference with two remaining matches. If either side drops points, 40 points would likely provide a strong buffer in the fight to stay up.
A draw would leave Newport on 38 points and still in a vulnerable position. If either Tranmere or Crawley win, Newport would remain under pressure, although other results across the bottom end of the table could still work in their favour.
A defeat would leave Newport on 37 points, increasing the importance of the remaining two fixtures. At that stage, Newport would likely need positive results elsewhere and a strong goal difference swing to move clear of danger.
Head-to-Head (last 10 meetings)
Cheltenham hold a slight edge in recent meetings between the sides, with Newport County having suffered defeat in each of the last four encounters.
- 1 Jan 2020: Newport 1–1 Cheltenham
- 8 Sep 2020: Newport 0–1 Cheltenham
- 19 Jan 2021: Cheltenham 1–1 Newport
- 1 May 2021: Newport 1–0 Cheltenham
- 29 Jul 2023: Newport 1–1 Cheltenham
- 10 Oct 2023: Cheltenham 0–2 Newport
- 10 Aug 2024: Cheltenham 3–2 Newport
- 3 Sep 2024: Newport 1–2 Cheltenham
- 22 Feb 2025: Newport 0–3 Cheltenham
- 18 Oct 2025: Newport 0–2 Cheltenham
Key Players & Stats
On-loan forward Nathaniel Opoku has moved to the top of Newport County’s scoring charts this season after opening the scoring in the 2–1 win over Harrogate Town, taking his tally to six goals for the campaign.
At the other end of the pitch Jordan Wright has made a number of important saves this season to keep Newport County in matches and has recorded seven clean sheets so far this season, placing him 20th in the League Two clean sheets table.
Isaac Hutchinson has been an influential loan addition from Bristol Rovers for Cheltenham, making a major impact in League Two. He currently sits as the second highest scorer in the division with 16 goals this season, highlighting his threat from midfield.
Former Newport County goalkeeper Joe Day ranks 13th in the clean sheets table with ten, underlining his steady season between the posts for Cheltenham Town.
