Rovers take on Newport County this Saturday at the Eco-Power Stadium in their penultimate home game of the Sky Bet League Two season.
Danny Schofield’s side will be looking to keep up their 100% record over The Exiles on home soil, with the only other meeting ending in a 2-0 win thanks to goals from James Coppinger and Andy Williams.
The last meeting:
Last time out saw Rovers travel to South Wales in the midst of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and they returned to South Yorkshire with all three points.
Kyle Knoyle produced a fine finish for the game’s only goal as the visitors took a first win at Newport since January 1983.
Newport’s recent form:
The Exiles recent form has seen a mixed bag of results in a spell of games stretching back to a 3-1 win at Tranmere Rovers thanks to goals from Aaron Wildig, Charlie McNiell and Calum Kavanagh.
After that came a goalless draw at Colchester United before they pulled off a shock 3-0 victory at promotion-chasing Northampton Town as McNeill scored in the 96th minute to add to Omar Bogle’s earlier brace.
Newport then hit the road and took a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Stockport County but secured their EFL safety five days later with a 2-0 victory over Hartlepool United. Their most recent outing saw them lose narrowly at home to Mansfield Town on Tuesday night.
Key men:
Former Rovers striker Omar Bogle has made a solid impression in South Wales having found the back of the net 14 times since his summer arrival.
The 29-year-old made a name for himself when scoring 62 goals in 111 appearances for Solihull Moors before moving to Grimsby Town and scoring a further 32 times.
He then spent numerous spells across the EFL and played five times in the Netherlands with ADO Den Haag before finding his way into the amber of Newport.
Another former Rovers player, Aaron Lewis, has also played an integral role in The Exiles season having made double figures for goal contributions, two goals and eight assists.
The Swansea City academy graduate joined then-Grant McCann’s side on loan in 2019 before making the permanent switch to Lincoln City at the end of that season.
A year later, the former Wales U21 international went on loan to County and, in the following summer, signed a permanent deal with the club to make 97 appearances so far in his homeland.
Goalkeeper Joe Day is currently enjoying his third spell with the club having totalled 303 appearances in between the sticks for the Rodney Parade outfit.
The 32-year-old started his career at Rushden & Diamonds before earning a move to Peterborough United in 2011 where he only made four appearances by the time he’d signed a first permanent deal with Newport.
In 2019 he made a one-game move to Cardiff City and spent time on loan at AFC Wimbledon and Bristol Rovers, before returning to The Exiles in 2021.
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