There is an appreciation in Newport that things could always be worse. The Welsh border city is the sort of place where alcohol-grizzled, soulful men in their mid-fifties can remember all the words to In the Ghetto and sing it with the sincerity that only raw experience can harbour. This section of the River Usk may never be a beauty spot but the general vibe along its muddy banks is one of thanks for the notable signs of redevelopment.
Supporters of the football club can also be grateful for improved fortunes in recent times. At the end of their second season in League Two since promotion, the club remain competitive, stable and healthy. Most pleasing of all, these happy days have not allowed anyone to forget the tough times in exile, an experience from which the club famously takes its nickname.Backed by the surprisingly grounded ambition of owner Les Scadding - who earned his fortune from a EuroMillions lottery win in 2009 - their gradual rise from the seventh tier remains financially sustainable. It is a fantastic, though too often neglected, story of a community club benefiting from an unexpected resurgence, all without losing its humility.
I can't deny that I have fallen misty-eyed into the sub-plots of this romantic tale. Here is a place among the football standings where the overall attitude is spot-on. When the feelings and sentiments of a town are so closely matched by its sporting institutions, it is too hard not to be reminded of what this game should, and perhaps used, to be.
Flicking through the pages of my match programme, previous seasons outside the 92 were recounted with a distinct lack of nostalgia, but neither was there a belittling of that turbulent history. As an aside, £3.50 for a collection of local adverts and ghost written propaganda pieces is extortionate to say the least. Nevertheless, there was a clear sense in its articles that these past 24 months were the reward for years of toil and solidarity on the terraces when hope was lacking.
Newport RFC's Rodney Parade has provided a home for its footballing cousins since their return to the Football League. Uncovered stands and its varying density of standing spectators testifies to the fact that this arena was never designed for soccer. Even with its flaws, however, the riverside venue benefits the average punter and, with a ten year lease signed in 2013, will remain a ground share for the foreseeable future.
On this spring day, a defeat to Dagenham was enough to realistically end County's play-off chances. With the loss of the popular manager Justin Edinburgh mid-season to Gillingham, the team's morale has failed to recover; the Daggers becoming the fourth team to defeat the tangerine shirts in a row.
For the most part, it looked as though Newport were missing Chris Zebroski's pace up front. A day before kick-off the striker was jailed for an attack on a taxi driver in a case of miserably destructive road rage. Disciplinary issues had similarly depleted the visitors, with Joss Labadie beginning a six month suspension for biting an opponent (his second offence of that nature in the same number of years). Neither story makes for a particularly favourable advertisement of either club, despite both players being clear exceptions. In this encounter either side showed their greater virtues, although ruthlessness was not one for the home side.
Mark Cousins in the Dagenham goal, perhaps powered by his mighty beard, produced a number of phenomenal reaction saves to deny the hosts a string of obvious chances. In the face of these balletic reflexes between the woodwork, all excitement looked to be subsiding. That is until five clinical strikes were made in the last 12 minutes to flatter the attacking credentials of both teams.
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| Rodney Parade on another day. |
Even though the evergreen Jamie Cureton appeared off-colour, goals from Ashley Hemmings, Christian Doidge and Alex Jakubiak came and went for the London club like a ten minute binge on dandelion and burdock. This unforeseen sugar rush left Rodney Parade mumbling its discontent. A quick response from Cardiff loanee David Tutonda and Aaron O'Connor at the other end stemmed the worst of frustrated grunting in my vicinity but did little to change the overall outcome.
Twenty-two year old Doidge had originally been on trial with the Gwent side during the close season after hitting the net regularly for Carmarthen Town. The former policeman didn't exactly milk his celebrations against the club that had rejected him but his revenge was certainly noted by the local regulars around me.
As Newport's season effectively drew to a close, the only outstanding issues on the club's mind are who should still be representing the team from August. Another defeat did little to buoy anyone's enthusiasm over interim manager Jimmy Dack's future, or indeed those of certain serving players, but one thought remains fresh in everyone's considerations: with a top nine finish in sight and plenty of faces still filling the stands, things could be a whole lot worse.
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