Newport County have been warned Plymouth Argyle plan to win ugly in their FA Cup clash – because of the pretty sorry state of the Rodney Parade pitch.
County host their opponents in Wednesday night’s replay with the huge prize at stake of a third round trip to Liverpool.
That will guarantee the winner of the replay £144,000 in TV fees on top of the £36,000 each are receiving for the replay.
But with so much depending on the game going ahead on the fragile Rodney Parade surface, County have hired a huge dome to protect it against the rain – and Argyle manager Derek Adams admits his side will adapt their approach.
“It’s not the easiest pitch to play on. It can be bobbly and quite sticky in certain patches as well,” Adams has told the Plymouth Herald.
“There is no doubt about it, you can’t play pretty football on it. It’s not conducive to that so you have to play in a different style.”
County have had two games abandoned at half-time this season because the pitch was waterlogged, and another one postponed.
The state of the pitch appears to have done the club few favours and they are currently bottom of League Two following four straight defeats.
Adams added: “It’s a big occasion for everybody. That’s why the television cameras are covering the game.
“We will have to go and play as we did away to Accrington and be dogged. By doing that, and taking our chances, then we will hopefully progress.
“They are not easy venues to go to, but we have done well there (at Rodney Parade) in the past.”
This will be the fourth meeting between the clubs already this season.
County lost 4-1 in the EFL Trophy in the first encounter, before a 3-1 home defeat in league Two in October.
But they did hold on for a gritty 0-0 draw in their first FA Cup meeting earlier this month and manager Graham Westley insisted: “We’re really just getting into a frame of mind to be really positive and to take the game to the opposition on our home pitch, to score as many goals as we can and to play with a freedom to excite people that are watching and to take advantage of the opportunity that’s in front of us.”
This will be the fourth meeting between the clubs already this season.
County lost 4-1 in the EFL Trophy in the first encounter, before a 3-1 home defeat in league Two in October.
But they did hold on for a gritty 0-0 draw in their first FA Cup meeting earlier this month and manager Graham Westley insisted: “We’re really just getting into a frame of mind to be really positive and to take the game to the opposition on our home pitch, to score as many goals as we can and to play with a freedom to excite people that are watching and to take advantage of the opportunity that’s in front of us.”
