A 800-strong Amber Army is expected to march across the Shropshire boarder on route to invade the quaint Croud Meadow arena for County's Saturday showdown with Michael Appleton's Shrewsbury in a white-hot relegation dog-fight. [3.00pm], writes Tony Rees.
Be crystal clear, Newport's fourth successive victory on the road this will lift them off the bottom of League Two and, depending on favourable results elsewhere, jet them clear of the section trap door.
A trio of strugglers - Cheltenham, Harrogate and Accrington - are locked together on 14 points, dangling Shrewsbury, just two points and an inferior goal-difference above battling County.
Exiles boss David Hughes is convinced Gwent voices ringing around the tight Tudor streets of middle-England can be the ace in Newport's pack, insisting, "We are a club that is supported by such loyal fans. As a group we are intent on giving our travelling supporters something to cheer about on Saturday. I understand we sold out our initial ticket allocation.
"We will do all we can to give our fans something to be proud of at Shrewsbury. We are looking for three points. We are aware that there a number of clubs around us in the table. Make no mistake, we'll be looking to claw them in."
County have 30 League Two fixtures remaining after the trip to Shrewsbury with a date at Oldham following this crunch seven days later, reflecting, "I wouldn't say this [Shrewsbury] game is must win because there are so many points still left to play for.
"But we know what a victory will do for morale. A win will get us off the bottom of the table and I believe seeing the away section packed with our loyal fans roaring can be our inspiration for us to do this. Is there anything better than seeing the Newport supporters right behind us?"
The Shrews have a number of high-profile names at their disposal - these include ex-West Ham youngster Anthony Scully, attacker John Marquis, once of Millwall, and left-side midfielder Sam Clucas, now 35, the flame-haired former Swansea star, who once cost the Welsh club £15.5m in a snatch from Hull City. Exciting borrowed Arsenal teenager Ismeal Kabia is a threat from the right.
Hughes feels Shrewsbury, loyally backed for over three decades by businessman Roland Wycherley, have to bear the weight of significant expectation, saying, "We will be looking for the three points and to hurt them. This is a very important game for them [Shrewsbury] too.
"There is an expectation on them as their budget is significantly ahead of ours,"
Newport will keep team selection under wraps to near kick off - allowing defender Joe Thomas more time to recover. Experienced destroyer James Clarke, silky schemer Michael Spellman, Habeeb Ogunneye and midfield ball-winner Cameron Antwi could now feature in the drive for a critical maximum. Playmaker Kai Whitmore misses out through suspension.
Hughes declares County ready to lance the Shrews and silence the doubters.
He roared, "We'll be selecting a team to get a result. We are well prepared for a big game. Often we are perceived as it's only Newport. There is a desire to prove people wrong !"
