It’s been almost a year since Warren Feeney left Northern Ireland to live in Bulgaria, moving to Blagoevgrad, a university town close to the border with North Macedonia and at the foot of the Rila Mountains. He has been in charge of 10 Bulgarian League and Cup matches, steering Pirin Blagoevgrad to six wins and fifth place in their division.

Mike Flynn has revealed he would have called for Newport County’s weekend match at Cambridge United to have been called off were it not for the coronavirus pandemic. A first defeat of the League Two season for the Exiles came at Abbey Stadium and in awful conditions with torrential rain arriving in the first half. It soaked the pitch and caused the start of the second period to be delayed, before County eventually lost 2-1.

Scot Bennett will be fit to play at Cambridge on Saturday despite being substituted in the first-half of Newport County’s 5-0 EFL Trophy home drubbing by Norwich U21 on Tuesday. Manager Michael Flynn admitted he had hauled off the experienced defender in the 32nd minute as a precaution ahead of the League Two leaders’ game against Cambridge United this weekend. “I couldn’t risk him. We were able to rest a couple tonight with Saturday in mind and because we’ve had so many games I just can’t risk any injuries,” said Flynn.

The Cup dream is dead, long live the League Two dream, according to Newport County manager Michael Flynn. Three days after the cruellest defeat to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, Flynn has already erased it from his immediate thoughts and expects his players to do the same when they return to League Two action at home against Mansfield today. The Exiles were only three minutes away from beating Steve Bruce’s Magpies and reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce admitted he thought he had become another victim of Newport County’s celebrated ambushes last night until he was rescued by his team. The Magpies boss praised County and opposite number Michael Flynn for another tenacious and inspired display which came so close to adding to the League Two club’s scalps of notable victims. County led 1-0 in their Carabao Cup fourth round tie with just three minutes left before former Swansea City man Jonjo Shelvey equalised and the Premier League side went on to squeeze through on penalties.

Tristan Abrahams intends to add another grisly chapter to Newport County’s big book of butchered giants at Rodney Parade tonight. The County striker knows his club have made such killings so commonplace they have absolutely nothing to fear against Premier League Newcastle United. There may be no fans present at the normally intimidating old ground, but the home side will not lack motivation in trying to embarrass another top flight club. Red-hot striker Abrahams already has five goals this season and the 21-year-old netted against Championship sides Swansea and Watford to send Newport into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Newport County boss Michael Flynn praised in-form marksman Tristan Abrahams their 2-0 League Two victory confirmed Bolton’s lowest position in the club’s history. Wanderers manager Ian Evatt, meanwhile, was left wondering how his side can “look like Real Madrid in training” but then become like a “bag of Revels” from one match to the next. Abrahams netted after 54 and 63 minutes to take his total for the season to five in six matches as Flynn’s men warmed up for a Carabao Cup tilt a Steve Bruce’s Newcastle with an away win that lifted them to third in the table.

The last time Newport County went to Bolton for a league game they got hit for six, but that is unlikely to happen when they return today. The last clash was 32 years ago in the old Fourth Division and the thrashing at Burden Park came a week after a 6-1 defeat against Torquay United. Those were dark days for County and a year later they dropped out of the Football league.

The stats are starting to weigh in favour of Newport County already this season and after another stunning giant-killing act at Rodney Parade – this time ousting Watford from the Carabao Cup – they are looking to bigger and better things in round four. Tonight, they will learn if they will be getting another Premier League side to visit their home fortress as Steve Bruce takes his Newcastle United side to Morecambe in round three. Having reached the fourth round for the first time in their history thanks to a 3-1 win on Tuesday night, Michael Flynn’s side would love another crack at a top team.

Ryan Taylor has two goals in his locker already for Newport County, but his real target is promotion to League One. The County striker delivered on his promise to build on his debut goal at Scunthorpe as he hammered home the winner on his League debut for Newport in their 2-1 win over Barrow at Rodney Parade. The former Plymouth man bagged a disputed goal in the 1-1 draw against the Iron, but there was no disputing his claims to a rasping shot from the edge of the Barrow area after Sam Hird had gifted him the ball in a defensive howler.

The footballing revolution at Newport County gathered pace this week with Michael Flynn’s men taking Cambridge United to school in the Carabao Cup second round. It may only have ended in a 1-0 win, and earned the Exiles another home draw with Watford in the next round, but it was the emphatic style with which they played the game that really caught the eye. Flynn has told his players to carry on in the same mode when Barrow arrive at Rodney Parade today for the second League Two outing of the new campaign.

Michael Flynn is looking forward to welcoming Watford to Rodney Parade and hopes the TV cameras will again prove inspirational for his Newport County players. The County manager is urging Sky Sports to book his club’s third round Carabao Cup tie against the Hornets as their live match later this month. Newport booked their place by beating Cambridge United 1-0 on Wednesday night and can now look forward to another money-spinning clash against opposition who were relegated from the Premier League this summer.