Newport County are back on the road in EFL League Two this Saturday (28 Feb) as they visit Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium.
County will aim to lift themselves off the bottom of the league, whilst Fleetwood are 14th and looking upwards.
Here is a look at the ‘Cod Army’ before this one...
The History
The Lancastrian seaside town first got a football team back in 1883, originally known as Fleetwood Rangers. However, the current club was only formed in 1997.
Name changes and restructurings meant the likes of Fleetwood Amateur, Fleetwood Windsor Villa, Fleetwood F.C. and the current Fleetwood Town spent the 20th century in non-league.
This team – who had been regular members of the Northern Premier League, and even reached the FA Vase Final in 1985 – folded due to financial difficulties.
When they were reformed, initially as Fleetwood Wanderers, a deal with a local shopping centre saw them renamed again to Fleetwood Freeport.
2002 saw the ‘Fleetwood Town’ name make a return, with the team on the up following several promotions.
They started out in the tenth tier, but by the end of the decade were in the sixth tier Conference North.
Furthermore, they secured a place in the Conference Premier in 2010 after beating Alfreton Town in a play-off final, and made the play-offs once more in their first season in the division.
2011-12 saw them knock two Football League sides out of the FA Cup, before a 29-match unbeaten run saw them romp to the Conference title, and Fleetwood became an EFL club for the first time as a result.
This was partly helped by their star striker, Jamie Vardy, who quickly moved to Leicester City for almost £2 million – a record fee for a non-league club at the time.
Despite losing manager Micky Mellon in their first season, the 2013-14 League Two campaign saw Fleetwood triumphant in the play-offs, beating York City and Burton Albion to reach the dizzying heights of League One.
The likes of Uwe Rösler, Joey Barton, and even former Newport manager John Sheridan came and went during the next few years, with the team even reaching the third tier play-offs again in 2017, albeit losing to Bradford City.
However, Fleetwood were relegated to League One in 2023-24, where they have remained ever since.
The Form
After a poor run of results saw the end for Pete Wild last month, there has been a marked improvement in Fleetwood’s form.
They have won their last two games, beating Barrow and Crewe Alexandra, and managed to snag a point away to Oldham Athletic on Valentine’s Day.
The Fishermen have also garnered impressive draws against league leaders Bromley, Salford City and Chesterfield this season, as well as knocking League One side Luton Town out of the FA Cup.
But since their 2-0 victory at Rodney Parade last December, a spell of one win in seven league games massively stalled their momentum in the league.
Newport will also be looking to exploit Fleetwood’s home form, with the team losing four of their five matches at Highbury so far this calendar year.
The Manager
Matt Lawlor celebrates a month in charge of Fleetwood ahead of this fixture, and he has seen an uplift in his side since taking interim charge.
He boasts a record of three wins in six games, with the two defeats coming against high-flyers Bromley and Notts County.
Previously First Team coach, he was born in nearby Poulton-le-Fylde, and spent several years playing for Farsley Celtic and Bamber Bridge in non-league.
Lawlor has already had two interim spells with Fleetwood, winning his sole game in charge on both occasions. He also took charge of League of Ireland outfit Waterford, keeping the club in the division last year.
He also spent time as a development coach with Manchester United.
The Captain
Elliot Bonds has taken the armband on no fewer than 26 appearances this season.
He joined from Cheltenham Town in 2024, and spent time with both Brentford and Reading during his youth.
Bonds also played for Dagenham & Redbridge, Hull City and Kidderminster Harriers, and racked up over 130 senior appearances before joining the Cod Army.
The midfielder has also been capped 23 times by Guyana, playing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019.
The Ones to Watch
The top scorer so far for Town has been Will Davies, with seven goals in all competitions.
Davies made his way through the local leagues in his native Suffolk, with Coplestonians and Leiston among his first employers.
He signed for Fleetwood last June from Sutton United, with his former club reportedly receiving their highest ever transfer fee.
James Norwood brings past experience with Ipswich Town and Barnsley, and scored in Oldham Athletic’s play-off final victory last May.
Another ever-present this campaign is Mark Helm, the former Manchester United youngster with 41 appearances in 2025-26. He has previously attracted favourable comparison to Wayne Rooney.
There are also four Welsh players at Highbury: Ched Evans, Jordan Davies, David Harrington and Mitch Clark.