Newport County welcome play-off chasing Colchester United to Rodney Parade on Saturday afternoon (3pm).
Nelson Jardim’s Exiles will be hoping to return to winning ways in front of the Amber Army, having tasted defeat in three of their last four fixtures.
Colchester arrive in Gwent in 8th place, just three points outside the play-off places with five games remaining in the season.
Pre-Match Views
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Colchester United, Nelson Jardim said: “Home games are massive for us, and that’s something I’ve reiterated all season,
“We speak with the players regularly, and many have told me they feel more comfortable playing at home. You can see that belief reflected in our performances—our form at Rodney Parade has been strong.
“Colchester have been one of the standout teams over the last 10 to 15 games. Defensively, they’ve been exceptional—third in the league for goals conceded, and only four conceded from set-pieces all season. That’s impressive. They’re a tough, well-organised side.
“We know this will be a difficult match, but we expect a strong response from our players. With the support of our fans and the confidence we have playing at home, we’re ready to give everything.
“We’ve shown this season that we’re a strong team at Rodney Parade, and we’re determined to build on that again this weekend.”
Opposition Form
The U’s made a slow start to the season, winning just three of their first 20 league matches. The club stuck with manager Danny Cowley and their fortunes have almost completely reversed, losing on just four occasions since Christmas.
One of the key figures for the Essex side this campaign has been experienced striker Lyle Taylor. The former Charlton and Nottingham Forest forward joined the club at the beginning of the campaign after departing Cambridge and has contributed ten league goals. Impressively, Colchester have only lost one game in which the Montserrat international has scored this season.
Jack Payne has also been instrumental to Col U’s rise through the division in recent months, contributing ten assists alongside his eight goals in League Two. The 30-year-old, who also joined the club last summer, has three goal contributions in Colchester’s last four matches and ranks sixth in the league for combined goals and assists.
United travel to Rodney Parade unbeaten in eight of their last ten games away from home and off the back of a crucial win over fellow promotion hopefuls Notts County. Tyreece Simpson’s second ever goal for the club handed them a 1-0 win against the Magpies in front of over 6,000 fans.
Head to Head
County have a slight advantage over their League Two counterparts in recent years, winning five of the last ten meetings between the two, drawing three times and losing just twice.
Colchester’s last victory against the Exiles in south Wales came in April 2022, a 1-2 victory thanks to goals from John Akinde and Noah Chilvers after Dom Telford had given Newport a first-half lead.
County were victorious in the last game between the two sides at Rodney Parade - coming from behind to win 2-1. Will Evans and Omar Bogle cancelled-out Samson Tovide’s 34th minute goal as Arthur Read saw red for the visitors.
The last meeting between the two clubs came in December, a 0-0 draw at the Jobserve Community Stadium.
Shared Shirts
Undoubtedly the most popular player to have turned out for both Newport and Colchester in recent years is Frank Nouble. The striker, who recently joined Gateshead in the National League, turned out 52 times for the Exiles in the 2017/18 season, scoring ten goals. Nouble was a key part of County’s famous cup run that season, scoring against Walsall in the first round and featuring in the later games against Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Nouble departed Rodney Parade in the summer of 2018, joining Colchester for the first of three spells with the club. He spent two years with the U’s, netting 14 goals in 92 games before joining Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer. ‘Noubz’ would return to Colchester on loan for the second half of the 2020/21 season, scoring three times, before making the switch permanent for the 2021/22 season. He would make over 50 appearances either side of a loan spell at Leyton Orient before heading west to Torquay United.
Memorable Encounters
Newport’s last victory against the U’s came at Rodney Parade in October 2023. County, winless in their six previous matches, fell behind after 34 minutes when Samson Tovide found himself unmarked in the six yard box and poked Jayden Fevrier’s cross past Nick Townsend to give his side the lead.
The Exiles drew level shortly before half-time. Will Evans showed great reactions to redirect Scott Bennett’s dangerous half-volley into the net, ensuring that the sides went in at the break on level terms.
The turnaround was completed mid-way through the second half thanks to a stroke of luck and some excellent anticipation from Omar Bogle. The forward was in the right place at the right time to block an attempted Colchester clearance, diverting past a stranded Owen Goodman in the U’s’ goal to put County 2-1 up.
That wasn’t the end of the drama, however, as Arthur Read was dismissed in the final minutes of the game. The midfielder kicked out at Kiban Rai off the ball and was given his marching orders by referee Lewis Smith.
Key Facts
Colchester have drawn 11 of their 20 League Two away games this season, winning five and losing only four times.
Only two of the last 15 encounters between the two teams have finished goalless, though they have both come in the past two seasons.
Colchester have only scored once at Rodney Parade in their last four visits.
Newport have the eighth-best home record in the division, losing just six of their 20 matches at Rodney Parade this season.
