Former West Ham, Ipswich Town and Wales playmaker Gavin Williams is aiming to relaunch his playing career – at least temporarily. Merthyr Tydfil-born Williams is training hard with his home-town club and has stepped back from his first team managerial role.

You’ve got to take your hat off to Newport County boss Michael Flynn, he’s never afraid to take a gamble. On Tuesday night he was confident enough to pick 15-year-old Sonny Lewis to make his debut in the Football League Trophy clash with Cheltenham Town. This weekend he’s pondering on whether or not to give 41-year-old Kevin Ellison his first shot in County colours at Scunthorpe. Lewis wasn’t born when Ellison kicked-off his professional career in 1999!

Wales U21 defender Brandon Cooper admits Newport County manager Michael Flynn’s reputation for developing young players was a key factor in his loan move from Swansea City. The 20-year-old has joined on a season long deal just days after the exiles dumped their fellow Welsh outfit out of the EFL Cup with a stunning 2-0 win.

Morgan Gibbs-White has been backed to follow in the footsteps of Rhian Brewster and Conor Gallagher and bring some Premier League sparkle on loan at Swansea City. Despite the weekend setback of the Swans’ humbling 2-0 defeat at Newport County in the first round of the Carabao Cup, Swans boss Steve Cooper believes Gibbs-White – his loan signing from Wolves – can hit the ground running when the Championship starts on Saturday. But the Wolves tyro has been told there is no guarantee he will cut the mustard in the Championship despite the midfielder dropping down from Premier League level.

Tristan Abrahams was hailed as a striker of Championship quality after his two-goal performance helped Newport County secure another big knock-out shock against Swansea City. Abrahams struck twice in the first half to send Mike Flynn’s County into the second round of the Carabao Cup after a 2-0 victory over a poor Swansea side. It was League Two County who looked like they belonged in the second tier and not Swansea with striker Abrahams and captain Matty Dolan outstanding.

Steve Cooper and Michael Flynn may be in opposite corners in today’s Welsh derby that kicks-off the domestic season but they are united on one thing – the huge potential of Ben Cabango. The young Swansea City centre-back will not be part of manager Cooper’s squad as they travel to Newport County for their Carabao Cup first round tie. Instead, 20-year-old Cabango is with Wales preparing for Sunday’s Nations League clash at home to Bulgaria, having made a brief debut appearance in the victory over Finland on Thursday.

Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County are all digesting their new fixture lists as The Football Supporters’ Association co-ordinate a new campaign to protect the “very existence” of clubs across the country. With the English Football League fixture list out for the 2020-21 season, the three Welsh clubs have an opportunity to examine what lies ahead. In the Championship, after their play-off bids ended at the semi-final stage for last season, Cardiff host Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday September 12, while Swansea City are away at Preston North End.

Newport County have made a double splash in the transfer market with the signings of Ryan Taylor and David Longe-King. Taylor, 32, joins from Plymouth Argyle where he made 98 appearances , twice winning promotion to League One. The striker found the back of the net three times last season and has signed a one-year […]

Newport County manager Michael Flynn believes he has taken an important step in rebuilding his squad for the new season, having re-signed defender Scot Bennett. Having already seen Jamille Matt slip through his fingers when the striker moved to League Two rivals Forest Green Rovers, Flynn was determined to secure Bennett as the first keystone to his reconstruction job following the shutdown of last season. There remains a great deal of re-shaping for the County manager to do before the new campaign, but he views the retention of Bennett – who seemed destined to leave after the running down of his previous contract – as crucial to those plans.

Multi-talented Lewis Binns believes believes Merthyr Town will flourish in the Southern League Premier Division during the 2020-21 season.  The former Cardiff City and Newport County youth midfielder is among 15 senior players who have committed to the Martyrs and said: “The manager has signed a few young players who have been at professional clubs and they will be quick and technically extremely good.  “We’ll have a good mix of experience and youth and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do and how we can develop as a squad.

Despite playing only 34 games for the League Two side, Fraser Franks was well on his way to becoming a Newport County legend before the discovery of a heart defect cruelly curtailed his playing career last year at the age of just 28. But that was just the start of the story, as he told Chris Saunders. Mental health issues have, thankfully, become part of sport’s bigger conversation in recent times, but Fraser Franks wants to widen the dialogue still further. Since retiring, he has reflected on the pressure to conform to stereotypes he feels all young players are under and here – in his own words – he offers some timely advice in an uncertain economic world for all professional sports people.

Newport County still have no idea when they will be able to strengthen their squad after losing six players this week. The League Two club said farewell to out-of-contract first teamers – including key men Jamille Matt and Scot Bennett – due to the growing uncertainty over their financial position. But there is also huge doubt over when and how they may be able to sign fresh players with the transfer window period still not settled.