This Wednesday (11 Feb), Newport County travel to the County Ground to face Swindon Town in League Two.
The game kicks off at 8pm, with both sides battling at either end of the table.
Swindon can go into the top two with a win, whilst Newport can close the gap to their rivals in the relegation stakes.
State of Play
Newport County find themselves still in the bottom two, despite acquiring a point against Grimsby Town last Saturday.
They head across the border hoping to pick up their first away victory in the league since the 25th October, when they beat Harrogate Town.
Their closest rivals are Barrow, just three points above The Exiles, with Shrewsbury Town and Crawley Town five points ahead.
This is the first of four away trips in February, with Cambridge United (21 Feb) the only home game remaining this month.
Our Opponents
Swindon Town are currently 4th in the table, and aiming to secure promotion from the division for a fifth time in their history.
The Robins temporarily climbed back into the automatic places after a three-game losing runin January, winning 3-0 against Oldham Athletic on Saturday.
However, they are a point behind Cambridge United, one ahead of Milton Keynes Dons, and three in front of Salford City – all of whom Newport face by the end of the month.
With three wins in a row for the first time since September, Swindon hit the 50-goal mark in the league on Saturday, and are now re-establishing themselves as promotion contenders.
They have lost three home games in League Two this season, most recently a 3-2 defeat by Salford City last month.
What They Said
Ian Holloway spoke to local media on Tuesday, and underlined the importance of this fixture.
“It’s going to be really tough. They’re fighting for everything, we only beat them 1-0 in the game at their place. We didn’t play particularly well that day.
“It is all about trying to get the right result at the right time to keep your season going, and I believe that’s more important than the style that you do it in.
“To me, any team at the bottom is as good as any team at the top. Look at what Harrogate did to Cambridge the other day.
“We might draw. We might lose. But I’m looking to beat everybody – that's what I’ve got to try and do.”
Head-to-Heads
Wednesday evening also marks the 100th competitive meeting between the two sides.
Swindon have the edge on the overall record, with 47 wins to Newport’s 31, and 21 draws splitting them down the middle.
Swindon have also taken victory in the last three games against their opponents, with Newport’s last success coming in February 2024.
Since Newport returned to the English Football League, Swindon have won 11 of the 19 encounters between the two.
Newport have not won at the County Ground in four years, with a late own goal giving the Amber Army a league win back in April 2022.
