Latest news with #AaronWildig
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Midfielder Wildig leaves Newport
Midfielder Aaron Wildig has left Newport County and quit full-time 33-year-old, who captained the League Two side, turned down a new contract at Rodney Parade in order to pursue a part-time football career as well as a "business opportunity" away from the ex-Cardiff City player spent three years at County after joining from Morecambe in 2022 and made 90 appearances for the Exiles.A knee injury ruled him out of the majority of last season."After a lot of thought, I've decided to move into a part-time playing model as I have opportunities away from football," Wildig told the club's official website."After the injury I had, it feels like the right time to shift my focus towards things off the pitch that will also benefit my family."Hereford-born Wildig was a product of Cardiff's youth system but only made around a dozen appearances for the first team. After a loan spell with Hamilton Academicals in Scotland, he left Cardiff in 2012 for a three-year spell at Shrewsbury before moving to Morecambe where he made over 200 appearances.
South Wales Argus
29-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
League Two: Five big jobs for David Hughes at Newport County
The Exiles have long lined up the former Manchester United Under-21s coach and he was confirmed as Nelson Jardim's replacement last Friday. The 47-year-old did an interview with the club and will be unveiled to the media on his return from a short break. Hughes will no doubt still be sneaking some work in while on holiday as he plots next season with assistants Wayne Hatswell and Lee Kendall plus chairman Huw Jenkins. County return for pre-season training in mid-to-late June and the League Two fixtures are announced at midday on Thursday 26. Here are five pressing jobs for the new manager ahead of the start of the season on the first weekend of August… STAYING? Aaron Wildig has been offered a new County contract (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) 1: THE EXPERIENCED QUARTET. County have offered deals to goalkeeper Nick Townsend, centre-back James Clarke, full-back/midfielder Shane McLoughlin and midfielder Aaron Wildig. Players must notify the club in writing within one month whether they accept 'their offer of re-engagement' or it will automatically lapse. We've been here before – Ryan Delaney, Scot Bennett and Harry Charsley were in talks last summer but left, with Wildig the only one to stay after entering negotiations – but hopefully the new management team could excite them. The devil will be in the detail and they will need to feel valued, something that Bennett didn't when he turned down a one-year contract in favour of a reunion with Michael Flynn in Cheltenham. One imagines that Townsend and McLoughlin will have other EFL irons in the fire while 35-year-old Clarke and 33-year-old Wildig, who is on the comeback trail from ruptured knee ligaments, are starting to balance playing with a switch towards coaching. The task is to convince the quartet that County is a good place to be and that the club have learned the lessons from last season. Hughes will have to outline his plans, and perhaps promise them that they won't just be joined by more EFL novices this summer. It's not just down to the new manager and chairman Jenkins, new goalkeeping coach Kendall will be part of the conversations with Townsend, who played a huge role in ensuring the Exiles aren't preparing for a return to the National League. ROLE? Anthony Glennon looks more comfortable as a wing-back or midfielder for County (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) 2: PLAN A. Hughes will have given a presentation to owner Jenkins when being interviewed for the top job and his favoured formation will have been discussed. That is vital because it shapes the recruitment. Coaches always have the ability to be flexible, as Jardim showed last season despite making no secret of his desire to play 4-3-3. Yet it was a campaign in which they looked better with James Clarke in a three-man central defence but they also played with two wingers. They lacked midfield bite but often operated with just two men in there and also went the whole season with one specialist left-back, Anthony Glennon, who is more suited to being a wing-back. County need a plan that will shape their signings and players who stay on the books, then must start in that fashion in August. That worked well when Flynn and Hatswell introduced the 3-5-2 that made the most of Matty Dolan and Josh Sheehan's play-making abilities and almost earned promotion in 2020/21. It worked well when Rowberry used his midfield 'box' in 2021/22 and it worked well when Coughlan got back to basics with three solid centre-backs that got the side up the pitch. MISSED: County didn't replace key midfielder Bryn Morris (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) 3: TWO BIG WEAK SPOTS. Boss confirmed, contract negotiations ongoing, recruitment to be done. County have two major areas of concern that need to be addressed – central midfield and striker. The loss of Wildig to injury and then the decision to allow Bryn Morris to leave in January for Harrogate for an undisclosed fee without replacing him played a huge part in the disastrous run-in. McLoughlin was tried as a makeshift central midfielder but didn't look half the player that he does on other flank while Cameron Antwi only played in flashes. Cardiff loanee Kieron Evans is an attacking midfielder but played deep, Kai Whitmore had fitness and reliability issues, Preston loanee Noah Mawene turned out to be a flop and we are still to really get a proper look at Keenan Patten after he was given the chance to step up from the Cymru Premier. County need some bite, and some experience. Is it really fair to make any huge judgements on Antwi, Whitmore and Patten when playing in a dysfunctional midfield that was sorely lacking a key, senior figure? County probably need to bring in two influential midfielders, definitely one with experience, and the same applies up top. Courtney Baker-Richardson is the only specialist striker on the books after the departures of Kyle Hudlin, Luke Jephcott and Hamzad Kargbo. Will Hughes play with one striker or two, like James Rowberry? County lacked a focal point last season and could do with an established striker plus one, potentially two, loanees to go along with 'CBR'. WEAK: County conceded 29 goals from set pieces last season (Image: Huw Evans Agency) 4: SET PIECES. County had League Two's worst record when defending set pieces last season – they conceded 29 goals from that department, a tally that was 38 per cent of their total. Was it coaching or personnel? Probably a bit of both. The Exiles were a weak touch in that department from the autumn onwards and Hatswell will no doubt be a key figure in sorting that out. PROSPECT: Moses Alexander-Walker on his County debut (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) 5: CONVEYOR BELT. County's leavers list featured Kiban Rai, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Merthyr. The teenager didn't push on at the Exiles and force his way into the first team so will now head off for a new challenge, just like Harrison Bright did 12 months before him. Can centre-back Nelson Sanca and midfielder Jac Norris – two players who made their Football League debuts in the 2023/24 run-in – break the trend? They were given a taste of men's football with Briton Ferry Llansawel last season and will return for pre-season training, potentially with a view to another loan spell. Moses Alexander-Walker came on in the League Two finale against and has been offered a pro contract along with fellow youngsters Corey Evans, Riley Lonergan, Morgan Evans and Sam Watkins. They should get a chance to show what they can do when the squads return for the start of preparations for 2025/26. Hughes arrives with pedigree in player development but that was the case for Jardim, Graham Coughlan and James Rowberry. Sorting out the pathway is vital but there has long been a recognition of that and it's worth remember that there is a lag when it comes to working with age-grade talent. The decisions made at the start of the Jenkins era to help give academy boss Luke Hussey and his staff more help won't truly show until we are a couple of years down the line. However, the Amber Army would love to be cheering one of their own in the matchday squad next season. Hughes & Co will also be tasked with developing the players of potential - Joe Thomas, Matt Baker, Ciaran Brennan, Antwi, even the more experienced Bobby Kamwa - that have been brought into the club and could become sellable assets.
