Football Season Guide

Newport County begin their second season after promotion with big expectations and aiming to reach the play-offs after coming close in their maiden campaign. They may well have made it into the top five had Dean Holdsworth stayed on last season and not accepted the challenge of taking over at Aldershot. That decision ultimately derailed Newport's campaign with the Exiles dropping to mid-table in the second part of the season. However, the board made a proactive appointment in handing the manager's post to 28-year-old Anthony Hudson who came with glowing recommendation from Harry Redknapp at Spurs where he worked as a coach. Hudson stepped in for the last six games and the results immediately improved while he had the chance to assess the qualities of the squad to a certain degree. Now the aim is to launch a genuine challenge and make the make the next step as the Welsh club continue to go places. The transfer dealings in the summer followed the principle of quality over quantity with established players like Tommy Docherty, Craig MacAllister and Danny Potter coming in along with rock-solid defender Ismail Yakubu. Paul Bignot and Jamie Collins departed for the Football League but keeping hold of a midfielder creator Daniel Rose is a coup in itself. Newport showed at the end of last season that they can play a great brand of exciting attacking football and will definitely be fun to watch in the upcoming season. However, the squad looks lightweight and injuries may badly disrupt the flow of the team. Hudson will also hope that the momentum generated in the last few weeks of last season will provide them with a good start as the aim is making it into the top five. With a few more additions likely to come, they should definitely be taken into account in the battle for the very top places.