Newport County face their second home game this week as Colchester United visit Rodney Parade in EFL League Two this Saturday (07 Mar).
The Exiles are looking to build on their win in midweek and keep their momentum in the relegation battle.
Colchester will aim to close the gap to the teams above them in the top half of the table.
State of Play
Newport’s victory over Tranmere Rovers last Tuesday sent them off the bottom two for the first time in several months.
Results on Friday mean County have dropped back to 23rd, but with only goal difference placing them below Barrow and Crawley Town.
Christian Fuchs’ third home win of his reign has given Newport hope of another 'great escape', albeit with 11 games left to play.
With upcoming fixtures against Barnet, Bromley and Walsall - all of whom are in the upper half - County will look to get a march on their relegation rivals on Saturday afternoon.
Our Opponents
Colchester can still claim to have an outside claim of making the play-offs.
The U’s are 12th in the league, seven points outside the top seven with a game in hand on some of their opponents.
They suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away to Chesterfield in midweek, with trips to high-flying Bromley and Milton Keynes still to come this month.
Danny Cowley's side have lost five of their last eight, and haven't won an away fixture since beating Bristol Rovers in January.
What They Said
Danny Cowley claimed he "didn't like being in the comfort zone" in his pre-match thoughts.
"I think it's fair to say that they've [Newport] evolved. The manager has been there a lot longer, he's worked really hard with them in trying to coach their group.
"They would have been buoyed by their late comeback against Tranmere on Tuesday. We've lived in League Two long enough to know that there's no easy games.
"The difference between the top of the league and the bottom of the league is very small, and we have to make sure that we find our best levels."
Head-to-Heads
The Essex club have historically favoured better in this fixture.
Colchester have won 29 out of 65 games, with County winning 19 and 17 draws.
After meeting for the first time in 1950, Colchester only lost one of their first 12 matches against the Amber Army.
County have claimed a victory against their opponents since 2023, when they ran out 2-1 victors at Rodney Parade.
Colchester have won three of their past four fixtures against The Exiles, including a 2-0 in South Wales last April.
