Newport County Season Preview 2021/22: Exiled in League Two

After two play-off final defeats in the last three years, Newport County fans could be forgiven for not being quite as delighted that football is back as the rest of us.

The controversial loss to Morecambe was not a great way to end last season, especially after such an exciting semi-final against Forest Green, but Mike Flynn’s side will go again in 2021/22.

The way the Welsh native has been able to change expectations at Rodney Parade is a huge credit to the work he has done since taking charge. Saving them from relegation in the most dramatic of fashions in 2017 was just the beginning.

This club now expects to challenge at the top end of the division every season despite having a modest budget and limited facilities compared to some of their rivals.

There has been plenty of activity this summer with the club losing a few key players and having to look for adequate replacements, but Mike Flynn is an excellent coach who should find ways to absorb the departures and still keep this team challenging.

After such heartache last season, channeling that disappointment would be a good way to spur them on to success in 2021/22. One thing is for sure, no one will be allowed to sulk.

The Squad

The biggest loss to this team, although it had been on the cards for a while, is that of Josh Sheehan to Bolton. The midfielder ran the show at Rodney Parade, making the team tick and being the creative force in many games last season. He is joined in the departures lounge by Joss Labadie. The experienced leader will also be sorely missed after he moved across the border and signed for Walsall.

The Exiles also saw Liam Shephard sign for Salford after rejecting new terms at Newport. He will be missed but the arrival of Cameron Norman will help soften the blow. The former Walsall man is a good player and can still get better.

He will be joined by former teammate James Clarke. The centre-back is vastly experienced even if his time with the Saddlers was a bit of a mixed bag. He ended last season well and Flynn will be hoping he can bring that form into the new campaign. Full-back Louis Hall is a wildcard signing from Oxford City. The player impressed enough during a trial to be offered a contract.

Ed Upson and Chris Missilou arrive to fill the void in midfield. Both are good players and although replacing Sheehan is a tall order, they should do well in South Wales. Courtney Senior was picked up after being released by Colchester. He looked like a great prospect a couple of campaigns ago but struggled to shine last season. It will be interesting to see how the winger fits in with Flynn’s tactics in 2021/22. Timmy Abraham is a young striker who the club have picked up on loan from Fulham. With question marks around the Exiles goalscoring potential, they could do with the 20-year-old reaching his potential pretty sharpish.

Jermaine Hylton and Corey Baker-Richardson are the other new signings. The latter is a bit of an unknown quantity having missed most of his time at Barrow with a hip injury while Hylton has only scored three league goals since the start of the 2019/20 season.

Newcomer to watch: Joe Day

Having two good goalkeepers is becoming the norm for Newport. Last season it was Nick Townsend and Tom King, but with the latter released and now at Salford, there is no better replacement than Joe Day.

The Brighton-born stopper made 243 appearances for the Exiles in his first spell at the club before earning a move to Cardiff. He returns on a three-year deal, which in itself tells you how important the club see him. If he is as good as he was before, and he’s still only 30, then this will be a great signing.

Verdict

As long as Mike Flynn is in charge Newport should be a side challenge for the top-seven. They have lost some good players but it was always going to be the way of things. The replacements look decent and if they can find a consistent goalscorer in 2021/22 then it should be easy enough to match last season’s points total.

words James Richards, D3D4 Football