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Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

The third largest city in Wales, Newport is set in the country’s rugby heartland, halfway between Cardiff and the border with England. Its football heritage, however, is linked further afield, to the Black Country, and Wolverhampton. A factory team was formed at the Lysaght ironworks, a major local employer that brought most of its machinery, and many of its employees, over from Wolverhampton when it set up here in the late 1890s.

This team later became Newport County, playing in the amber and black of Wolverhampton Wanderers, founder members of the Football League in 1888. Like in Wolverhampton, despite decades of ups and downs, football here runs deep. So deep, in fact, that when County hit the skids in 1989, eight years after a legendary European tie with GDR giants Carl Zeiss Jena, supporters gathered in large numbers at the Lysaght Institute to revive the club. Twenty-five years after The Ironsides were relegated from the Football League, the reformed Newport County rejoined The 92 in 2013. Their move to the rugby ground of Rodney Parade, opened in 1877, now makes it the second oldest sports stadium across the current four divisions. Rodney Parade was originally leased to multisport Newport Athletic Club by Crimean War hero Lord Tredegar in the 1870s. It soon became best known as a rugby venue, staging six full internationals. Newport County, meanwhile, started out at Somerton Park on Cromwell Road, also on the east bank of the Usk, close to today’s Lysaghts Park.

Lysaghts, in fact, saved the day in 1919 when Somerton Park was nearly sold up for development. County then spent another 70 years there before the club’s collapse. Somerton Park staged the first leg of 1980 Welsh Cup Final, the run in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup – and horrendous campaign of 1987-88, witnessed by crowds of 1,000-plus and ending in relegation out of the League. With the revival came a new nickname, the Exiles, reflecting Newport’s subsequently nomadic existence, forced out to Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, temporarily returning to Somerton Park before its demolition, then moving to Gloucester City and… Newport Stadium. Opened in 1994, this council-owned venue centrepieces a complex known as Newport International Sports Village, on the south-eastern outskirts of town. Here, amid a velodrome, tennis centre and fishing lake, County played until 2012 and the groundshare arrangement at the rugby ground of Rodney Parade, a short walk from Newport’s train station.

Newport Stadium is today used by Newport City, the former Llanwern steelworks team in the third tier of the Welsh League. County have always been the most prominent club in Newport, except for a short period in the 1940s and early 1950s. On the west bank of the Usk, today’s residential estate The Turnstiles was the site of Rexville, home of Lovell’s Athletic. Another works team, representing the local sweet factory and the area of Shaftesbury, Lovell’s enjoyed a run in the FA Cup – losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Third Round – and won the Welsh Cup. The club failed to gain access to the Football League, slipped out of the Southern League and folded in 1969.

Previous Next [mapsmarker map="336"]

Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and timings

Previous Next Cardiff Airport is 47km (29 miles) away. Its Rhoose Cardiff International Airport station is linked by shuttle bus (£1) every hour (every 2hrs Sun) with the terminal. An hourly train runs to Cardiff Central (Sun every 2hrs, 30min journey time, £6). The T9 bus runs direct from the terminal every 20-30mins to Canal Street JF, the other side of the Marriott hotel from Cardiff Central £5/£8 return, pay on board, journey time 40mins). From there, a regular train takes 15mins to Newport (£6). Busier Bristol Airport is 55km (43 miles) away. The Bristol Airport Flyer bus (£8 single/£13 return) runs every 20mins to Bristol Temple Meads station (journey time 20mins). From there, a train to Newport (£8) takes 40mins. Newport-based ABC Taxis (01633 666 666) offer airport transfers, £40 for Cardiff, £55 for Bristol. From London Paddington, a regular direct train to Newport takes 1hr 45mins, advance singles £45. Direct from Birmingham New Street, it’s also 1hr 45mins, advance singles £60. Direct from Manchester Piccadilly, it's 3hrs, advance singles £30. Adding a PlusBus supplement (£3) to any ticket allows you to use all local buses for the rest of the day. A direct National Express bus from London Victoria to Newport takes 3hrs and costs around £12 online. Newport train station is close to the walkable city centre, a short walk over the river to Rodney Parade. The bus station is right in town, the same distance from the stadium. Local transport is run by Newport Bus, single journey £2, City Day ticket £4, pay exact fare to driver.

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next A cluster of pubs and bars sits at the top of Cambrian Road and the High Street close to the train station. Pick of the bunch, the excellent Slipping Jimmy’s offers live music, sought-after ales and quality grilled food, amid a display of old 45s and posters from old cowboy films. It’s also independent. In the JW Bassett stable, the Pen and Wig and the Carpenters Arms have character in spades, plus live Sky and BT sports. The Pen and Wig can also provide a Sunday carvery. The Carpenters, dating back to the early 1400s, has table tennis and pool. Next door, there’s live music and Trooper ale at McCann’s.

Previous Next Next door to Slipping Jimmy’s, Ye Olde Murenger House (52-53 High Street) can claim a history dating back to the 1530s, although the current pub here, in the Sam Smith’s clan, only dates back 200 years. As unchanged as the city’s main market opposite, the wonderful Cross Keys pub (9 Market Street) is a homely shrine to Newport’s football and rugby clubs, done out with framed shirts and caricatures of key figures from local sporting history. A convivial spot to watch the game is The Lamb, run by two rugby-obsessed locals who restored this fine pub back to its mid-19th century glory. Decent food, too.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the ground and around town

Previous Next Newport City Council has a basic database of local accommodation. The lodgings on Chepstow Road close to Rodney Parade are sketchy at best – few who stay at the Gateway or the Newport do so again. Near the train station, handy for the stadium and the city centre, the Travelodge Newport Central does what Travelodges do, clean, convenient and affordable. Also close, the Silurian Hotel fills a former Yates Wine Lodge with upper mid-range lodgings and a restaurant, unveiled in 2021. Opened in 2022, the 15-floor, 130-room Mercure Newport occupies the Chartist Tower, the largest building in town. A rooftop terrace is still in the planning stage." ["post_title"]=> string(7) "Newport" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(7) "newport" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-10-09 05:51:23" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-10-09 05:51:23" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(36) "https://old.liberoguide.com/?p=26049" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } } ["post_count"]=> int(1) ["current_post"]=> int(-1) ["before_loop"]=> bool(true) ["in_the_loop"]=> bool(false) ["post"]=> object(WP_Post)#4835 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(26049) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "3" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2017-12-29 23:24:39" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2017-12-29 23:24:39" ["post_content"]=> string(16486) "

Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

The third largest city in Wales, Newport is set in the country’s rugby heartland, halfway between Cardiff and the border with England. Its football heritage, however, is linked further afield, to the Black Country, and Wolverhampton. A factory team was formed at the Lysaght ironworks, a major local employer that brought most of its machinery, and many of its employees, over from Wolverhampton when it set up here in the late 1890s.

This team later became Newport County, playing in the amber and black of Wolverhampton Wanderers, founder members of the Football League in 1888. Like in Wolverhampton, despite decades of ups and downs, football here runs deep. So deep, in fact, that when County hit the skids in 1989, eight years after a legendary European tie with GDR giants Carl Zeiss Jena, supporters gathered in large numbers at the Lysaght Institute to revive the club. Twenty-five years after The Ironsides were relegated from the Football League, the reformed Newport County rejoined The 92 in 2013. Their move to the rugby ground of Rodney Parade, opened in 1877, now makes it the second oldest sports stadium across the current four divisions. Rodney Parade was originally leased to multisport Newport Athletic Club by Crimean War hero Lord Tredegar in the 1870s. It soon became best known as a rugby venue, staging six full internationals. Newport County, meanwhile, started out at Somerton Park on Cromwell Road, also on the east bank of the Usk, close to today’s Lysaghts Park.

Lysaghts, in fact, saved the day in 1919 when Somerton Park was nearly sold up for development. County then spent another 70 years there before the club’s collapse. Somerton Park staged the first leg of 1980 Welsh Cup Final, the run in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup – and horrendous campaign of 1987-88, witnessed by crowds of 1,000-plus and ending in relegation out of the League. With the revival came a new nickname, the Exiles, reflecting Newport’s subsequently nomadic existence, forced out to Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, temporarily returning to Somerton Park before its demolition, then moving to Gloucester City and… Newport Stadium. Opened in 1994, this council-owned venue centrepieces a complex known as Newport International Sports Village, on the south-eastern outskirts of town. Here, amid a velodrome, tennis centre and fishing lake, County played until 2012 and the groundshare arrangement at the rugby ground of Rodney Parade, a short walk from Newport’s train station.

Newport Stadium is today used by Newport City, the former Llanwern steelworks team in the third tier of the Welsh League. County have always been the most prominent club in Newport, except for a short period in the 1940s and early 1950s. On the west bank of the Usk, today’s residential estate The Turnstiles was the site of Rexville, home of Lovell’s Athletic. Another works team, representing the local sweet factory and the area of Shaftesbury, Lovell’s enjoyed a run in the FA Cup – losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Third Round – and won the Welsh Cup. The club failed to gain access to the Football League, slipped out of the Southern League and folded in 1969.

Previous Next [mapsmarker map="336"]

Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and timings

Previous Next Cardiff Airport is 47km (29 miles) away. Its Rhoose Cardiff International Airport station is linked by shuttle bus (£1) every hour (every 2hrs Sun) with the terminal. An hourly train runs to Cardiff Central (Sun every 2hrs, 30min journey time, £6). The T9 bus runs direct from the terminal every 20-30mins to Canal Street JF, the other side of the Marriott hotel from Cardiff Central £5/£8 return, pay on board, journey time 40mins). From there, a regular train takes 15mins to Newport (£6). Busier Bristol Airport is 55km (43 miles) away. The Bristol Airport Flyer bus (£8 single/£13 return) runs every 20mins to Bristol Temple Meads station (journey time 20mins). From there, a train to Newport (£8) takes 40mins. Newport-based ABC Taxis (01633 666 666) offer airport transfers, £40 for Cardiff, £55 for Bristol. From London Paddington, a regular direct train to Newport takes 1hr 45mins, advance singles £45. Direct from Birmingham New Street, it’s also 1hr 45mins, advance singles £60. Direct from Manchester Piccadilly, it's 3hrs, advance singles £30. Adding a PlusBus supplement (£3) to any ticket allows you to use all local buses for the rest of the day. A direct National Express bus from London Victoria to Newport takes 3hrs and costs around £12 online. Newport train station is close to the walkable city centre, a short walk over the river to Rodney Parade. The bus station is right in town, the same distance from the stadium. Local transport is run by Newport Bus, single journey £2, City Day ticket £4, pay exact fare to driver.

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next A cluster of pubs and bars sits at the top of Cambrian Road and the High Street close to the train station. Pick of the bunch, the excellent Slipping Jimmy’s offers live music, sought-after ales and quality grilled food, amid a display of old 45s and posters from old cowboy films. It’s also independent. In the JW Bassett stable, the Pen and Wig and the Carpenters Arms have character in spades, plus live Sky and BT sports. The Pen and Wig can also provide a Sunday carvery. The Carpenters, dating back to the early 1400s, has table tennis and pool. Next door, there’s live music and Trooper ale at McCann’s.

Previous Next Next door to Slipping Jimmy’s, Ye Olde Murenger House (52-53 High Street) can claim a history dating back to the 1530s, although the current pub here, in the Sam Smith’s clan, only dates back 200 years. As unchanged as the city’s main market opposite, the wonderful Cross Keys pub (9 Market Street) is a homely shrine to Newport’s football and rugby clubs, done out with framed shirts and caricatures of key figures from local sporting history. A convivial spot to watch the game is The Lamb, run by two rugby-obsessed locals who restored this fine pub back to its mid-19th century glory. Decent food, too.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the ground and around town

Previous Next Newport City Council has a basic database of local accommodation. The lodgings on Chepstow Road close to Rodney Parade are sketchy at best – few who stay at the Gateway or the Newport do so again. Near the train station, handy for the stadium and the city centre, the Travelodge Newport Central does what Travelodges do, clean, convenient and affordable. Also close, the Silurian Hotel fills a former Yates Wine Lodge with upper mid-range lodgings and a restaurant, unveiled in 2021. Opened in 2022, the 15-floor, 130-room Mercure Newport occupies the Chartist Tower, the largest building in town. A rooftop terrace is still in the planning stage." ["post_title"]=> string(7) "Newport" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(7) "newport" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-10-09 05:51:23" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-10-09 05:51:23" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(36) "https://old.liberoguide.com/?p=26049" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["comment_count"]=> int(0) ["current_comment"]=> int(-1) ["found_posts"]=> int(1) ["max_num_pages"]=> int(1) ["max_num_comment_pages"]=> int(0) ["is_single"]=> bool(false) ["is_preview"]=> bool(false) ["is_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_archive"]=> bool(true) ["is_date"]=> bool(false) ["is_year"]=> bool(false) ["is_month"]=> bool(false) ["is_day"]=> bool(false) ["is_time"]=> bool(false) ["is_author"]=> bool(false) ["is_category"]=> bool(true) ["is_tag"]=> bool(false) ["is_tax"]=> bool(false) ["is_search"]=> bool(false) ["is_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_comment_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_trackback"]=> bool(false) ["is_home"]=> bool(false) ["is_privacy_policy"]=> bool(false) ["is_404"]=> bool(false) ["is_embed"]=> bool(false) ["is_paged"]=> bool(false) ["is_admin"]=> bool(false) ["is_attachment"]=> bool(false) ["is_singular"]=> bool(false) ["is_robots"]=> bool(false) ["is_favicon"]=> bool(false) ["is_posts_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_post_type_archive"]=> bool(false) ["query_vars_hash":"WP_Query":private]=> string(32) "201f81eff71959c4658d6263db1eb81c" ["query_vars_changed":"WP_Query":private]=> bool(false) ["thumbnails_cached"]=> bool(false) ["allow_query_attachment_by_filename":protected]=> bool(false) ["stopwords":"WP_Query":private]=> NULL ["compat_fields":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(15) "query_vars_hash" [1]=> string(18) "query_vars_changed" } ["compat_methods":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(16) "init_query_flags" [1]=> string(15) "parse_tax_query" } ["query_cache_key":"WP_Query":private]=> string(41) "wp_query:2edd933fa16695ce25e31ff19ab7d6e0" }