Newport County AFC: An unconditional love
Newport County AFC: Family, Friends and Football
“You’ll have to go to the football with your dad”
The last words 10-year-old me wanted to hear leaving my mum’s mouth.
I was always an anxious child whenever Mum worked away from home, so the idea of being surrounded by what I thought would be hundreds of drunk men shouting and fighting was a nightmare.
Showing off, crying and screaming didn’t work. My dad stood his ground for the love of his local side, something I’ve come to understand on a scale that was unimaginable just over a decade ago.
To this day, I don't know what team we played on that specific afternoon, and at the time, I couldn’t care less. Little did I know, that day an unconditional love for Newport County AFC would be born.
The First Match
Arriving at Spytty Park for the first time, much of the game was a blur.
The lasting memory was Dean Holdsworth commanding his squad from the sideline - he was always wearing a cap and constantly encouraging his players. I was in awe of him as a manager, but Danny Rose was the selling point for me.
Steven Gerrard was my favourite player at the time, so Newport’s central midfielder was the focus. Rose’s control, flair and awareness made me attentive to his every step. There is no doubt the entire stadium heard me shout, “come on, Danny” before every left-footed corner he took in a County shirt from that day onwards.
The final whistle blew and Dad grabbed my hand ready to leave, simultaneously looking at me and joking, “wasn’t that bad, was it love?” The response was emphatic: “Can I come next time?”
Needless to say, the football season coming to an abrupt end in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic was devastating.
Football in a time of Coronavirus
The FA, Premier League, EFL, Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship collectively agreed to postpone football until 3 April at the earliest.
However, this postponement lasted until August for all of the above campaigns, excluding the Premier League, which restarted in May.
Yet, even after five months, it was deemed unsafe for fans to spectate, so the entire 2020/21 season would be played out in empty stadiums across the country.
The anxious child that went to her first County game in 2010, still exists today. 2017 was the year in which I battled most with my mental health, with Rodney Parade being the only welcoming place other than home. For 90 minutes, the only thought was to cheer on my team, during one of the club’s toughest seasons to date.
2017 - A rough season for Newport County
We were 11 points adrift when Michael Flynn took over in March that year and our fate would be decided in the final game of the season at home to Notts County.
Victory was necessary to retain our Football League status, something the late Justin Edinburgh worked so hard to earn back in 2013 after a 25-year absence.
Mickey Demetriou converted a penalty before Notts County managed an equaliser.
Tears streamed down my face on the terrace, as a fellow supporter showed the League Two table on his phone - we were in the drop zone and time was ticking. Captain David Pipe received the ball over on the right wing and delivered a perfect cross into the box, which was flicked on by Marlon Jackson.
Mark O’Brien chested the ball down and volleyed home in the 89th minute, etching his name into the history books and causing complete pandemonium.
It was one of the best, most memorable days of my life. Moments like that are what so many of us live for. My football club was the shining light for me during such a dark time.
Missing Football
After one iFollow payment, boredom began to set in. I missed seeing my friends, smiling at familiar faces and chanting, “Amber Army” at the top of my lungs, wind, rain or shine.
I missed waking up early for away days and travelling hundreds of miles to watch us, win, lose or draw. I missed the rushed walk from the car to the ground, despite leaving the house an hour and a half before kick off; I missed the smell of burgers and beer; I missed being told to try pushing through the turnstile again, as I’d pushed it too early the first time in anticipation.
I missed proper football.
Chatting to Mark Peplow
One Exile that guarantees a smile on matchday is lifelong supporter Marc Peplow.
Known around the club for vlogging, slipping on the pitch against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup and rarely missing a game, home or away, Peplow opens up about the hole left by the absence of live football.
He says: “After the loss to Oldham away, I sat with my head back on the sofa and I began to tear up a little. It might sound weird because people would think, ‘you’ve only lost a game of football’ but my team lost and I was just sitting on the sofa on a Saturday afternoon. That’s not what I do.
“For me, football is everything. Everything I do has some link to football, so it’s been tough to remain productive. It’s been demotivating at times.”
Unlike me, Marc remembers his first game vividly. A 3-1 victory over Bromley in the National League South on 5th April, 2008 drew him in for 90 minutes. The boy who enjoyed watching Leeds United because he liked their purple away kit, had an epiphany about the importance of local football.
“That weekend was my brother’s birthday and my dad said, ‘we’ve got tickets for the County game’ and I was like, ‘what’s a Newport County?’ but I decided to go anyway. I thought, ‘if I have a home team, I might as well support them’.
“I thought I could be different to everyone in school, who was a [Manchester] United or a Liverpool fan. I saw Sam Foley score a few goals and thought he was something else. I couldn’t resist.
“I feel like it’s worth more now. We’ve missed out on so much and we’ve had nothing to do. I’ve got the football on at 3pm on a Saturday on iFollow and that game will affect my mood for the next three days because it’s the one thing I have scheduled.
Peplow has found himself reminiscing on old vlogs during the lockdown, reminding himself of the incredible memories the sport has provided him with, and his YouTube channel allows him to enjoy these moments whenever.
“Even though we lost, I still watch the Wembley vlog back because it was such a good day. Having our photo taken and posted on social media by the EFL is when the day peaked, then it all went downhill,” Peplow laughs shaking his head.
“I’ve filmed a few bits, but then I’ve thought, ‘does anyone really want to watch someone sit on the sofa and watch football when they could just be watching the game themselves?’ It’s different when I can vlog a matchday because some fans can’t get to all of the games. It’s great for fans to see what it was like.
“It reminds me of how fun it is and how much I’m looking forward to having it back.”
Fortunately, my return to Rodney Parade came sooner than anticipated.
Becoming part of Newport’s media team
Media manager Callum Ellis asking me to help cover the Exiles’ home fixture against Morecambe on 4 December as part of the media team was the best message.
Attending every home game since and a handful of away matches, and working a dream job at my childhood club during a campaign I was convinced would only be witnessed through a television screen has been invaluable.
Although my privilege is understood, COVID protocols have made work challenging. Restricted access, wearing masks, separate travel, temperature checks and medical questionnaires are all measures that have become standard practice over the past year for anyone who works in sport.
One thing that will never feel normal, however, is the absence of supporters and how soulless a stadium feels without their passion.
The beautiful game becomes a staple for us, a necessity for the masses. We wake up on a Saturday, we go to the game, we talk about it for the rest of the week - an everlasting cycle.
When something so familiar is taken away, we’re left craving routine, escapism, entertainment and interaction. The list of what football provides to everyday life is endless.
I now don’t think twice about wearing a mask at Rodney Parade, but what the supporters are missing out on crosses my mind every game.
Caitlin (2nd from left), covering Newport County at Wembley!
Football Therapy
Normality will be fully restored when supporters are allowed in football grounds at maximum capacity, standing on each other’s toes to get a full view of a throw-in and group hugging when their team fires home.
The beautiful game proved 10-year-old me wrong and has contributed joy in abundance ever since. So many of us are reliant on football for our dose of serotonin. We have never felt as lost as we do now, unable to hear the roar of a live crowd. We are the 12th man. We win three points from the terraces. Sport is nothing without us.
Live football is not as I expected. “It’s just a game” couldn’t be further from the truth.
Check out Charlie Rowan’s extensive piece on the sad story of Bury Football Club, and find out why football is about so much more than the ESL, Premier League and Big Money signings.
