Newport County

E-mail Article Print this story

Related Links

• Teams
• Newport County
• Wrexham

Newport County v Wrexham

Wrexham travel to Newport Stadium on Saturday to face Newport County in the first ever Welsh non-league derby.

Exiles boss Dean Holdsworth is well aware of the gravity of the occasion and has hailed his club's rise to prominence.

"It's going to be a great day for Welsh football," Holdsworth told the South Wales Argus.

"It's exciting for the fans because it's been a long time coming. I hope they turn out in great numbers on Sunday.

"It's fantastic to be preparing for a Welsh derby. If you'd have suggested that this club would be in the same division as Wrexham even a few years ago you'd have been carted off to the funny farm," he added.

"It just shows how far we've come. We're still progressing but the last 18 months have been good times and we're a proper football club now. I'm delighted for both sets of fans. It should be a great occasion," he added.

County have not been beaten at home since March 2009 and head into the fixture on the back of draws with Luton Town and AFC Wimbledon, two teams tipped for promotion.

Holdsworth has a small defensive crisis on his hands, with Ollie Thorne joining Kidderminster during the week and left-back Lee Barker still sidelined, the Exiles are left a bit thin at the back.

Wayne Turk remains on the injury list, with the midfield magician yet feature this season.

Striker Sam Foley is listed as doubtful for the clash but winger Kerry Morgan is expected to shake of a knock sustained against AFC Wimbledon.

Wrexham's preparations for the game have been less than ideal as manager Dean Saunders has been on national duty with Wales in Montenegro since Wednesday.

The under-pressure boss arrives back in Wales on Friday but will have less than 24 hours with his squad before the game.

Defender Marvin Andrews and midfielder Adrian Cieslewicz were both forced off with hamstring injuries during the win over Bath City and are listed as doubtful for the clash. Frank Sinclair pulled his groin on Monday and will not take part in the derby.