Fresh from setting up a fourth-round FA Cup tie with Manchester United, Newport County seek to put a dent in Wrexham's League Two title aspirations during Saturday's clash at Rodney Parade.

Graham Coughlan's men defeated Eastleigh 3-1 in their FA Cup third-round replay in midweek, while their visitors were last in action on January 13, easing past AFC Wimbledon 2-0.

Match preview

No added incentives were required for fifth-tier Eastleigh or fourth-tier Newport to emerge victorious from their FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday night, as the winners would punch their ticket to a blockbuster home battle with Erik ten Hag's Man United in round four.

Eastleigh produced a valiant effort to hold out for a 1-1 draw in the initial fixture, but the Newport beast proved too difficult to tame in Tuesday's rematch, where Aaron Wildig, James Clarke and Will Evans ensured that Paul McCallum's equaliser would be in vain.

The Rodney Parade faithful could be forgiven for already setting their sights on the visit of the Red Devils later this month, but Coughlan and co must erase thoughts of the FA Cup from their memory while their side have an unbeaten streak to prolong in League Two, where none of their last four matches have ended in defeat.

Either side of their two FA Cup showdowns with Eastleigh, the Ironsides overcame Doncaster Rovers 1-0 on the road and are 17th in the table as a result, but while they may be 10 places off the playoffs, Newport County are only eight points below MK Dons in the final post-season position.

A 15-point buffer to the drop zone means that Newport certainly ought to be looking upwards rather than over their shoulder, especially as they have now strung together a six-game unbeaten streak in all tournaments, but the home fans need no reminding of which team last subjected their troops to a beating.

Having taken care of business at the first time of asking against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, Wrexham have enjoyed a full midweek with no competitive endeavours to concern themselves with, and Phil Parkinson's side are still riding the crest of the League Two wave.

The victory over Shrewsbury marked the second of three successive wins for the newly-promoted outfit, who demolished Barrow 4-1 on New Year's Day and put two goals past Wimbledon without reply last Saturday, where strike partners Steven Fletcher and Paul Mullin netted in a game-defining eight-minute period.

Still gunning for back-to-back promotions after last year's epic National League title scrap, the Red Dragons occupy second place in the rankings with the championship in their own hands; Stockport County are only two points clear at the top having played a game more.

Parkinson's men remain at risk of being usurped by Mansfield Town, though, and their exceptional home winning streak has not always translated into success on the road, as Wrexham have just one win to show from their last four League Two away games and have only scored 11 times on their travels; only Sutton United have performed as badly on the attacking front.

The Red Dragons have also been defeated in each of their last three trips to Newport's headquarters, but they gave out early Christmas presents to the Racecourse faithful on December 23, easing past their upcoming hosts 2-0 on a day where they scored for the 49th home league match on a bounce, their best such streak in 120 years.

Team News

Newport's Stoke City-owned defender Matthew Baker was nowhere to be seen in Tuesday's win over Eastleigh, having sustained an ankle injury against Doncaster, forcing midfielder Scot Bennett to act as an emergency centre-back at the Silverlake Stadium.

Bennett could be forced to reprise his role this weekend, as all of Baker, Declan Drysdale (hamstring) and Josh Seberry (fibula fracture) remain in the care of the doctors, while Liverpool loanee Adam Lewis only lasted until half time on Tuesday.

However, the 24-year-old's substitution may very well have been pre-planned as he builds up his minutes following a groin problem, and Lewis Payne represents a competent alternative if need be.

Meanwhile, Wrexham move forward without the services of Jacob Mendy, who is representing Gambia at the Africa Cup of Nations, and Parkinson was forced to bring midfielder Andy Cannon off the pitch in the 82nd minute of their win over Wimbledon last weekend due to a head injury.

Rather than a clash of craniums, Cannon felt the full force of a ball to the face at the Racecourse Ground, and it is yet to be ascertained whether he will be given the green light to take on Newport.

James Jones will be drafted into the Wrexham XI if Cannon cannot make it, but Parkinson otherwise has no need to shuffle his pack from the Red Dragons' most recent success.

Newport County possible starting lineup:
Townsend; McLoughlin, Delaney, Clarke, Bennett, Payne; Morris, Wildig; Charsley; Evans, Palmer-Houlden

Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Forde, O'Connor, Tozer, Cleworth, McClean; Evans, Jones; Lee; Fletcher, Mullin

We say: Newport County 0-1 Wrexham

Not since October 7 have Newport fallen short in a League Two home fixture, but the Exiles still possess a tendency to ship goals at Rodney Parade - conceding in 11 of their 13 such matches so far - and FA Cup tiredness may also come into play for the hosts.

Wrexham's shortcomings on the road - especially offensively - means that Newport should still give the title-chasers a good run for their money, and only one goal may separate the two sides on Saturday, but Parkinson's team should be the ones to score it.


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