Newport County captain Matt Baker is targeting a Rodney Parade double over Shrewsbury Town and Crawley Town across six days ahead of Easter as the platform to drive the club towards League Two safety.
In a challenging 2025-26 campaign, former Wales under-21 international Matt Baker has been a consistent performer, overcoming early injury concerns to reach 32 appearances this season. With Shrewsbury Town arriving at Rodney Parade this Saturday, the 23-year-old defender knows the importance of the fixture for Newport County.
Baker said, “On the whole it has been a tough season. There have been positives, but where we are in the table is not where we want to be. We can, hopefully, put in some good performances and finish the season strongly.
“If we can get two straight wins one after each other under our belts, that will really help and take us on a little run. For us, we want to win both games [against Shrewsbury and Crawley] it’s as simple as that. If we can take six points from these two games, brilliant.”
Asked if Newport County can retain its place in League Two, Baker added, “Yes, 100% we can. You have to have full belief in it. The moment you stop believing, it’s not going to work out for you.”
Baker took on the captaincy following the retirement of James Clarke in January 2026 and has embraced the responsibility.
He reflected, “It’s been a challenge and I’ve learnt lots of lessons along the way. But I’ve really enjoyed the role. I like to lead and help people on and off the pitch.”
The defender admitted recent late defeats against Bromley and Walsall were difficult to take but stressed the importance of moving forward.
“For me, personally, it takes a couple of days to get over it. It was a tough one to take – especially when we played so well in both games. It just makes things kind of harder. But, after a couple of days you have to move on and look at the next game.”
With more than 170 senior appearances to his name, Baker believes his experience helps him deal with setbacks and support his teammates.
“It comes from playing games. At the start it was a lot harder to get over things. Having played more games, you realise that things happen for a reason – you win some and lose some.”
Baker also highlighted the positive impact of head coach Christian Fuchs and assistant head coach Mark Smith since their arrival in November, helping to build togetherness within the squad.
He also praised the influence of David Pipe, who continues to play an important role around the first-team environment.
“Pipey is good to have around,” Baker added. “He knows the club and loves it. It’s great to have someone with that experience around the place. Everyone looks up to him and loves having him around. He is a club legend.
“He has seen it all. The Great Escape and everything. He knows what it’s like to be in that position. Everyone can look to him for inspiration.”
Looking ahead, Baker remains fully focused on the immediate challenge at Rodney Parade.
“Obviously I have been here for quite a few years now. I have had four very tough seasons at Newport County in terms of trying to get as high as we can up the table.
“Having that type of experience is good to feed into the other lads who have only just come in this season. I let them know what Newport County really means to our fans.”
