As we take the short trip to West Midlands for our next game against Walsall let's look back at players who have shared the shirt of Newport County and The Saddlers.
Joss Labadie
Joss Labadie currently plays his football at Hednesford Town but had a long tenure at the South Wales club before he joined Walsall in 2021.
Labadie first joined The Exiles in the summer of 2016 from Dagenham and Redbridge and spent five seasons with the club. During his tenure at the club, he featured in 149 games as well as captaining the side in important games such as both FA Cup games against Tottenham. Labadie was a part of both playoff campaigns playing in five of the six matches.
After his long stint at County the Englishman joined Walsall where he would stay for two seasons. The midfielder would also feature as captain from time to time for The Saddlers. During his time at the club, he featured in 46 games and gathered one assist in a 3-1 win against Hartlepool in which he was also captain.
Priestley Farquharson
Priestley Farquharson is currently a key player for Walsall scoring crucial goals in recent games but also was a key player for Newport.
Farquharson arrived in Newport in January 2021 where he joined from Connah’s Quay Nomads. The defender struggled with injuries during his first two seasons at the club, but in his final season he excelled with five goals in 31 matches with one of them being against Derby County in the second round of the FA Cup.
However, in the summer of 2023 Farquharson left Newport to join Walsall. Since arriving, Farquharson has featured in 56 games and like his stint at Newport he is currently performing better than ever in his third season as he has five goals in 32 games where he recently scored a brace against Shrewsbury Town in a 2-1 win.
James Clarke
James Clarke has restarted his career since retiring from professional football back in January as he now plays for semi-professional side Cardiff Metropolitan University but whilst playing as a professional, he featured for both Newport and Walsall.
Clarke first joined Walsall from Bristol Rovers in 2019 after spending four years at the club but continued to show quality for The Saddlers. During his time at the club Clarke won player of the month and goal of the month as well as scoring five goals in 65 appearances.
After two seasons at Walsall, the Englishman joined Newport where he stayed until he announced his retirement. Clarke became captain of the club halfway through the 2024/25 season and featured in historic matches such as the 4-2 FA Cup loss against Manchester United.