A pair of sides coming off victories in the EFL Cup earlier this week will seek their first points of the new League Two campaign as Newport County host Doncaster Rovers at Rodney Parade on Saturday.
In the opening match of the domestic season, the Exiles were beaten 3-0 by Accrington Stanley, while Doncaster conceded a second-half penalty, losing 1-0 at home to Harrogate Town.
Match preview
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On a losing note, Graham Coughlan began his first full season at the helm of Newport as his side suffered their first away defeat in League Two since April.
The club from South Wales created plenty of opportunities on a rainy afternoon in North Lancashire but were hesitant in the attacking third, with just two shots on target, ending a two-match winning run away from home in league play which they carried over from the previous campaign.
Newport seem to be banking on their July signings being able to punch above their weight, as they brought in seven newcomers last month, all of whom joined on a free transfer.
The Port have only suffered five domestic defeats at Rodney Parade since Coughlan took charge in October, though they went winless in their final three domestic affairs last season on home soil, conceding seven goals over that stretch.
Aside from that problematic run in the latter stages of 2022-23, this team were relatively sharp defensively at home, conceding a goal or fewer in 13 domestic encounters last season while posting five clean sheets in Newport.
They have never scored on Doncaster at home in this competition, losing 1-0 in this exact fixture a season ago, though they did manage to collect their first-ever league triumph against them in 2022-23, scoring three unanswered goals to claim a 3-1 road victory.
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It was a less-than-ideal start to the new campaign for Grant McCann and Doncaster as they were held in check by the visitors last week, who fired six efforts on target and eventually broke through.
The man who led Hull City to the League One title in 2020-21 inherits a squad that finished 18th a season ago but are being pegged as contenders for promotion in 2023-24 thanks to some big summer signings and the experience of McCann.
Of course, an opening loss was not the way McCann had hoped for in his second stint as manager of this club, though only conceding once might, in a way, feel like a moral victory after this team allowed three or more goals eight times over the previous domestic campaign, giving up the fifth-most goals by the end of the season (65).
This is an imposing backline who are strong in the air and defend set pieces effectively, something which is sure to be helpful against a Newport side, who can be dangerous in dead ball situations.
Earlier this week, they showed plenty of resilience and were clinical in transition, coming back from a goal down to defeat McCann's former team Hull City 2-1 in the EFL Cup, scoring on two of their three targeted efforts.
In 2022-23, they scored the fourth-fewest goals in the league (46), and that will need to improve, given their possession-based approach and the expectations of contending for the title.
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Team News
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There were several new faces in the Newport opening lineup last Saturday, with Kyle Jameson, Ryan Delaney, Adam Lewis, Bryn Morris, Shane McLoughlin and Seb Palmer-Houlden all featuring in the starting 11 for the first time in a league fixture as members of this team.
Matthew Bondswell, on loan for the season from Newcastle United, made his first appearance in that encounter as a substitute, replacing McLoughlin after 56 minutes, while fellow newcomers Jonny Maxted and Josh Seberry were relegated to the bench.
Earlier this week, second-half goals from Palmer-Houlden, Will Evans and Aaron Wildig helped them collect a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over League One side Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup.
Five of the new Doncaster signings made last month were in the starting 11 versus Harrogate Town, with Richard Wood, Jamie Sterry, Jack Senior, Joe Ironside and George Broadbent all making their debuts.
Tyler Roberts and Deji Sotona also featured with their new club for the first time, coming on as second-half substitutes for Tommy Rowe and Jon Taylor.
George Miller had a brace for Rovers in their opening round victory over Hull City in the EFL Cup despite going behind after three minutes of that encounter to a goal from Oscar Estupinan.
Newport County possible starting lineup:
Townsend; Clarke, Delaney, Jameson; McLoughlin, Charsley, Morris, Lewis; Wildig; Palmer-Houlden, Waite
Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Lawlor; Sterry, Olowu, Wood, Senior; Broadbent, Bailey, Biggins; Molyneux, Ironside, Miller
We say: Newport County 1-2 Doncaster Rovers
Although Rovers lost their opener, we expect their attacking depth and proven quality will be enough to earn a first domestic triumph in 2023-24 against a Newport side who do not appear to have an abundance of quality.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
