Newport County Trivia Quiz

Answer: Southern League

Newport County were originally formed in 1912 under the name The Newport & Monmouth County Association Football Club. The current shortened name was thankfully adopted soon afterwards. The club joined the Southern League in time for the 1912-13 season.

This league was one of the strongest in England and Wales at the time, with members including Portsmouth, Norwich City, Brighton and Queens Park Rangers.

Answer: Somerton Park

Somerton Park was a venue for speedway and greyhound racing as well as football. Newport's record crowd at the stadium was 24,268 for a local derby against Cardiff City in 1937. By the time the ground was sold for housing in 1992, the capacity was a much smaller 8,000.

Answer: 1939

Newport County were champions of the Third Division South in 1938-39, finishing three points ahead of Crystal Palace. Sadly, thank to a certain Mr Hitler, they weren't able to enjoy their first season at the higher level, with World War Two bringing organised football to a halt after just three games of the 1939-40 season.

When football resumed in 1946-47, Newport finished bottom of Division Two and were relegated.

Answer: Amber & Black

Newport's first kit in 1912 was amber shirts with a black trim, and white shorts. Black shorts were added soon afterwards, and various combinations of these colours have made up their first choice kits throughout their existence.

Answer: Len Ashurst

Len Ashurst, who spent most of his playing career as a defender with Sunderland, took over the managerial reins at Newport in 1978, and his four seasons there were among the most successful in the club's history. In 1979-80, they finished third in Division Four, enough to win promotion.

Answer: Shrewsbury Town

A number of English clubs, who were geographically located close to the Welsh border, used to take part in the Welsh Cup. In 1979-80, Newport eliminated Cardiff City, Wrexham and Merthyr Tydfil to set up a meeting with Shrewsbury Town in the final. A Tommy Tynan double helped Newport to a 2-1 lead in the first leg.

In the return at Gay Meadow, County won 3-0 to clinch the trophy for the first time.

Answer: Carl Zeiss Jena

The highlight of the first two rounds was a 6-0 victory over Haugar in the second leg of round two, following a goalless draw in Norway. A 2-2 draw in the first leg of the quarter final in Jena saw County within 90 minutes of a European semi final but, in front of 18,000 fans in south Wales, it was the East Germans who prevailed by a single goal.

Answer: Newport A.F.C.

The fall from grace was quite dramatic for Newport. Relegated from Division Three in 1987, they finished bottom of Division Four the following season, meaning relegation out of the league into the GM Vauxhall Conference. They didn't even complete their first season at this level - they were wound up in February of 1989 with massive debts. Fans soon created a "new" club to take their place, initially named Newport A.F.C., although the old County name was resurrected in 1999.

Answer: Rodney Parade

The reformed club had to start again, in the Hellenic League (four tiers below the Football League), but quickly worked their way back up the pyramid. In 2013, they finally reclaimed their place in the Football League. After their exile in England and a number of seasons at Newport Stadium, County agreed a ground-share with the Dragons rugby union team at Rodney Parade.

Answer: Leicester City

On January 6th, 2019, a late Padraig Amond penalty secured a shock 2-1 third round win over a Leicester team who had been Premier League champions less than three years earlier. Middlesbrough were eliminated in the next round before Manchester City proved too strong in round five.