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South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Newport County showed they're up for the fight against Notts County
Once play did get under way an hour late, the visitors dominated the first half, but the Exiles held on and broke the deadlock against the run of play when Ged Garner headed in four minutes after the restart. The Magpies earned a point thanks to Jodi Jones' superbly struck penalty on 65 minutes before Michael Reindorf rattled the post soon afterwards. David Hughes' men now have a clear week to prepare for their trip to Crawley Town this coming Saturday and, despite being happy with the point, the manager knows there is still plenty to work on... Under the cosh Notts County hit the bar after 10 minutes and the visitors could easily have been out of sight by half-time, so it's easy to see why Hughes and most fans were reasonably satisfied with the end result after a much-improved second-half showing. The Exiles have certainly shown their battling qualities in the first two competitive matches of the season - they have faced a worrying 35 shots combined against Barnet [in the Carabao Cup preliminary round last Tuesday] and Notts and they had just 31 per cent possession on Saturday, compared to 23 per cent at The Hive Stadium. On the plus side, they have conceded just three times - thanks to some heroic defending from Lee Jenkins and James Clarke in particular, some poor finishing and the general excellence of new goalkeeper Nik Tzanev. Hughes would argue that it has been a team effort and the two games so far have highlighted his players' willingness to dig in and work for each other when things are not going their way. After Barnet, the manager admitted his side had "suffered" and that was something he prepared them for in pre-season with a trip to former Commonewealth super-bantamweight champion Jamie Arthur's gym in Rhydyfelin. 'It was almost like a mental toughness, conditioning session,' Hughes told The Guardian. 'It was just to try and take the group somewhere you think about the skillset you need to be a boxer, they definitely suffer to win. And all we're trying to do is have a culture where we understand and appreciate that winning looks different at times. To win games of football, at times you've got to suffer.' Speaking after Saturday's match, he praised the players' attitude: "We have provided a platform in these first two games to what needs to underpin our performances moving forward. "The first pillar underpinning performance, for me, is a willingness to work tirelessly for your team and I think the reaction of the supporters afterwards tells you their feelings on the performance. "They were really positive about the level of energy and intent the players showed. And that's the base level. What we have to do is add layers on top of that in key areas, but we're really pleased. "There are areas we want to work on, but I think the lads should be immensely proud of themselves." (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) Strikers scoring After suffering in the first half, Garner surprised most people inside Rodney Parade - possibly even himself and definitely the visiting defence - by ghosting into the area to nod in from Jenkins' long throw into the box from close range. It was nowhere near as spectacular as Reindorf's rocket against Barnet, but it was just as welcome and it's a big positive that both new strikers have now found the net in their first competitive starts - especially after Garner's penalty miss in the shootout last week. "From a confidence perspective, centre forwards will always judge themselves on goals and we're trying to get them into areas on the pitch [where they can threaten] and support them in key areas," explained Hughes. "They come in different areas. I 'm sure Ged didn't think he'd be heading in a long throw from Lee, but they're really important. To win games of football, you've got to find different ways of scoring a goal and we did that. We were a threat from set-plays." (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) Harsh penalty It looked a questionable decision at the time and, looking at the replays of the penalty incident, it appears as if the Exiles were hard done by when referee Peter Wright pointed to the spot following an innocuous-looking tangle between Matt Baker and Matt Dennis that started well outside the area. The referee could easily have given a free-kick the other way but, to his credit, Hughes didn't take the opportunity to moan about the officials as some of his predecessors loved to do with tiresome regularity. "If it was given for you, would you be disappointed? Probably not," he reflected. "It's a coming together; Matt's backing away, the centre forward is backing in, one loses balance. Who knows? It's such a contentious decision and it's gone against us. But, let's focus on the positives. I thought, to a man, everybody was outstanding." The manager instead chose to vent his anger at the EFL over the scheduling of last week's cup tie and he will be pleased to have no Tuesday fixture this week. "It's a really good start, but it is only a start," he added. "Let's not get too high when we've had a good performance. We have to follow this up with a really good week's work and another good performance at Crawley next Saturday."
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Exiles 'suffered' once again but battling qualities shone throgh
NEWPORT County AFC started their League Two campaign with a 1-1 home draw against Notts County on Saturday on a day when the football was overshadowed by a concerning medical emergency before kick-off. Once play did get under way an hour late, the visitors dominated the first half, but the Exiles held on and broke the deadlock against the run of play when Ged Garner headed in four minutes after the restart. The Magpies earned a point thanks to Jodi Jones' superbly struck penalty on 65 minutes before Michael Reindorf rattled the post soon afterwards. David Hughes' men now have a clear week to prepare for their trip to Crawley Town this coming Saturday and, despite being happy with the point, the manager knows there is still plenty to work on... Under the cosh Notts County hit the bar after 10 minutes and the visitors could easily have been out of sight by half-time, so it's easy to see why Hughes and most fans were reasonably satisfied with the end result after a much-improved second-half showing. The Exiles have certainly shown their battling qualities in the first two competitive matches of the season - they have faced a worrying 35 shots combined against Barnet [in the Carabao Cup preliminary round last Tuesday] and Notts and they had just 31 per cent possession on Saturday, compared to 23 per cent at The Hive Stadium. On the plus side, they have conceded just three times - thanks to some heroic defending from Lee Jenkins and James Clarke in particular, some poor finishing and the general excellence of new goalkeeper Nik Tzanev. Hughes would argue that it has been a team effort and the two games so far have highlighted his players' willingness to dig in and work for each other when things are not going their way. After Barnet, the manager admitted his side had "suffered" and that was something he prepared them for in pre-season with a trip to former Commonewealth super-bantamweight champion Jamie Arthur's gym in Rhydyfelin. 'It was almost like a mental toughness, conditioning session,' Hughes told The Guardian. 'It was just to try and take the group somewhere you think about the skillset you need to be a boxer, they definitely suffer to win. And all we're trying to do is have a culture where we understand and appreciate that winning looks different at times. To win games of football, at times you've got to suffer.' Speaking after Saturday's match, he praised the players' attitude: "We have provided a platform in these first two games to what needs to underpin our performances moving forward. "The first pillar underpinning performance, for me, is a willingness to work tirelessly for your team and I think the reaction of the supporters afterwards tells you their feelings on the performance. "They were really positive about the level of energy and intent the players showed. And that's the base level. What we have to do is add layers on top of that in key areas, but we're really pleased. "There are areas we want to work on, but I think the lads should be immensely proud of themselves." (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)Strikers scoring After suffering in the first half, Garner surprised most people inside Rodney Parade - possibly even himself and definitely the visiting defence - by ghosting into the area to nod in from Jenkins' long throw into the box from close range. It was nowhere near as spectacular as Reindorf's rocket against Barnet, but it was just as welcome and it's a big positive that both new strikers have now found the net in their first competitive starts - especially after Garner's penalty miss in the shootout last week. "From a confidence perspective, centre forwards will always judge themselves on goals and we're trying to get them into areas on the pitch [where they can threaten] and support them in key areas," explained Hughes. "They come in different areas. I 'm sure Ged didn't think he'd be heading in a long throw from Lee, but they're really important. To win games of football, you've got to find different ways of scoring a goal and we did that. We were a threat from set-plays." (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)Harsh penalty It looked a questionable decision at the time and, looking at the replays of the penalty incident, it appears as if the Exiles were hard done by when referee Peter Wright pointed to the spot following an innocuous-looking tangle between Matt Baker and Matt Dennis that started well outside the area. The referee could easily have given a free-kick the other way but, to his credit, Hughes didn't take the opportunity to moan about the officials as some of his predecessors loved to do with tiresome regularty. "If it was given for you, would you be disappointed? Probably not," he reflected. "It's a coming together; Matt's backing away, the centre forward is backing in, one loses balance. Who knows? It's such a contentious decision and it's gone against us. But, let's focus on the positives. I thought, to a man, everybody was outstanding." The manager instead chose to vent his anger at the EFL over the scheduling of last week's cup tie and he will be pleased to have no Tuesday fixture this week. "It's a really good start, but it is only a start," he added. "Let's not get too high when we've had a good performance. We have to follow this up with a really good week's work and another good performance at Crawley next Saturday."
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Exiles pegged back by Magpies on day of drama at Rodney Parade
NEWPORT County AFC battled to a creditable point against much-fancied Notts County in their League Two opener on a day of drama at Rodney Parade. David Hughes' men opened the scoring against the run of play when Ged Garner headed home in the 49th minute, but they had to settle for a draw after Jodi Jones levelled from the spot on 65 minutes. The most significant action of the afternoon happened before kick-off, however, as the match was delayed by one hour due to a medical emergency among the travelling fans. Fans were evacuated from the stands as two air ambulances landed on the pitch to treat the patient and take them to hospital. (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) And, once the action finally got under way, it was the visitors who raced out of the blocks with a totally dominant first-half performance that was only missing a goal. The Magpies enjoyed 62 per cent of the possession before the break and registered ten shots to the Exiles' one. They were almost ahead in the 10th minute when Barry Cotter floated in a perfect cross from the right, and Connor Grant ghosted in to meet it on the volley but his side-footed effort clipped the top of the bar with Nik Tzanev beaten. Three minutes later Tom Iorpenda flashed a shot just wide from inside the 18-yard box after some hesitant defending allowed Jacob Bedeau's cross to cannon off Matt Dennis. Tzanev, who put in a man-of-the-match display at Barnet, was called into action again after 20 minutes when he did well to palm away Cotter's free-kick, hit low and hard towards the bottom corner from the edge of the area. And referee Peter Wright ignored the visitors' shouts for a penalty as Sonny Aljofree appeared to be hauled back as he tried to score from the rebound. The chances kept coming for the away side as first Grant and then Iorpenda headed wide from close range and Jodi Jones saw a low drive from 25 yards tipped behind by Tzanev. James Clarke also blocked a goal-bound effort from Grant in the final minute of the half and it wasn't until stoppage time that Hughes' men fired their first shot as Whitmore's effort was deflected behind. (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) Hughes had made two changes to his starting XI from the Carabao Cup win at Barnet with Whitmore, back from suspension, and Garner replacing Matt Smith and Courtney Baker-Richardson. Smith was taken off at half-time in midweek as a precaution, while Baker-Richardson came off early in the second half due to illness, so both started on the bench on the first Saturday of the new EFL season. But the Exiles boss had to change something for the second half and he opted to replace the ineffective Ben Lloyd with Cameron Evans, scorer of the winning penalty at Barnet. And, whether as a direct consequence or not, the change had the desired effect as Garner nipped in front of a static defence to head home from point-blank range in the 49th minute after a long throw from Lee Jenkins was flicked into his path. Full of excitement after his first goal in amber and black, Garner tried his luck from distance shortly afterwards and curled his shot high and wide. He soon made way for Baker-Richardson as the hosts looked to add to their lead and avoid a nervy final half hour. But they soon saw their lead disappear as Matt Baker was penalised for a foul on Dennis in the area and Jones sent Tzanev the wrong way from the spot to level on 65 minutes. Michael Reindorf, scorer of a goal-of-the-season contender in midweek, rattled the post with another rocket soon afterwards but neither side could find the winner. Newport County (3-5-2): N Tzanev; L Jenkins, J Clarke, M Baker; J Thomas, A Antwi (M Smith, 73), K Whitmore, B Lloyd (C Evans, 46), T Davies; G Garner (C Baker-Richardson, 57), M Reindorf (B Kamwa, 78) Substitutes not used: J Wright, A Glennon, H Ogunneye Booked: K Whitmore Notts County (4-3-3): K Roos; B Cotter (C Edwards, 79), J Bedeau, S Aljofree, M Platt; K Gordon (K Bennetts, 54), T Iorpenda, M Palmer; J Jones (J Luker, 79), M Dennis ( M Kouhyar, 87), C Grant (O Norburn, 55) Substitutes not used: H Griffiths, R McDonald Booked: T Iorpenda Referee: Peter Wright Attendance: 5,238
South Wales Argus
02-08-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Newport County boss David Hughes critical of EFL for cup schedule
The Exiles battled to a 1-1 draw at Rodney Parade on Saturday in a match that was delayed by one hour due to a medical emergency among the travelling fans. And Hughes claims the point against one of the favourites for promotion this season is all the more impressive given that his side had to play a Carabao Cup preliminary round tie at Barnet last Tuesday. "I'm sure Notts County would have been disappointed if they hadn't got something from the game, based on their performance," said Hughes after Ged Garner's opener was cancelled out by a Jodi Jones penalty for the visitors. "But you've got to understand, we were at Barnet on Tuesday night. "I'm not sure, in terms of the calendar, that that's absolutely fair. First game of the season and everyone's looking forward to it and then you throw that one in there on the Tuesday. I don't think that's particularly fair for our players. "So, add that into the mix and this result is even better." (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) Both Matt Smith and Courtney Baker-Richardson were taken off as a precaution at Barnet and started Saturday's match on the bench, and Hughes claims the tie put his players at risk. "When you've had a six-week block of work and you're planning for this date [Saturday] and you get the option of playing [the cup tie] either side of this weekend, you're thinking what is right for the players?" added the new Exiles boss. "That game [last Tuesday] put players at risk of injury, so we ended up managing individuals to ensure we keep everyone fit and available. "I'm not sure that was the right thing for the EFL to put that game on last Tuesday." The Notts County clash kicked off at 4pm on Saturday after two air ambulances had landed on the pitch to treat a Magpies fan and take him to hospital. He was reported to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital on Saturday night and Hughes expressed his sympathy. "Everyone's thoughts are with the individual who was involved in the medical emergency. Him and his family are in everyone's thinking," he said. "From a perspective of preparation, it is what it is. We just had to be ready and focused when the game started. It happens and our thoughts are with the gentleman first and foremost." Hughes' men are next in action at Crawley Town on August 9 and he hinted that there may be more new signings before then. "We're working on them, it's not easy," he said. "There are a number of factors. We are looking to add some further numbers, and not just numbers - they've got to be quality. We are definitely trying and we will [add more] over time - the conversations I've had with the chairman have always been positive."
BBC News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Newport ignoring 'outside noise' says Hughes
Manager David Hughes says Newport County will ignore the "outside noise" of those predicting the club will struggle in League Two this finished a disappointing campaign in 22nd position last season, just above the two relegation who succeeded Nelson Jardim as County's new boss in May, insists his side will be not be distracted."We have no interest in what people think on the outside," Hughes told BBC Sport Wales."It's just noise for us. You can't listen to what people think."It's about us, as a group of staff with the players to ensure our focus is on ourselves."When you look back at the history, the club has always fought back from disappointments and setbacks." "You look at the teams that are expected to go up and the financial muscle they have and that's great for them, but it comes with pressure and expectation."We'll be going all out to ensure that we perform to the best level of our capabilities every week, upset our opponents."Hughes has signed goalkeepers Nik Tzanev and Jordan Wright, centre-back Lee Jenkins, Wales midfielder Matt Smith and striker Ged Garner during the United defender Habeeb Ogunneye and Cardiff City striker Michael Reindorf have joined on loan and while Hughes wants to add further recruits, he is pleased with his squad."I'm really confident in the squad – we all have belief in them," he said."We're not re-inventing the wheel. We're just trying to be really clear with how we see the game, how we expect players to play and - more importantly - represent the people of Newport."That's what the club is and what the club has to do, so when people leave Rodney Parade on a Saturday afternoon they have something to cheer about and we've represented them with some grit, spirit, residence and a little bit of style as well." County begin the new League Two season at home to Notts County on Hughes' side have already played one game already - Tuesday's win on penalties away to Barnet in the EFL Cup preliminary round."There were some really good aspects of the performance we were really, really pleased with," Hughes added."You play every game and there's areas that you want to evolve as you try and progress and that will be no different as we move throughout the season."Bear in mind it was four or five days before the season started to get a positive performance and a positive outcome, the lads were really pleased and the staff equally.
