Newport County defender James Clarke is hoping his team can reproduce last season’s run to the FA Cup fourth round, where they eventually bowed out against Premier League giants Manchester United.
The Exiles take a break from their League Two exploits tomorrow afternoon to take on League One’s Peterborough United at Rodney Parade. It’s a competition that has provided lots of memories in recent years, with clashes against the likes of Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Leicester City all in the past decade.
Newport enjoyed a favourable run to the fourth round last season enroute to their clash with the 20-time English champions. They beat non league opposition in Oldham Athletic, Barnet and Eastleigh all before Erik ten Hag brought his team to town in January. It will be a tougher ask this time when they tackle a Peterborough side that has flirted with promotion to the Championship over the past two years.
Clarke Hoping For Upset
For 34-year-old Clarke, the clash with Manchester United represented his first opportunity to play against one of the giants of English football. He’s hoping it isn’t his last but knows that his team will need to produce an upset to stand any hope. Speaking to official club media, he said:
“The competition is very special for the club. Before I came here Newport drew all the big sides and had loads of success in FA Cup runs.
“I had never experienced that before as a player until last year against Manchester United which was amazing.
“It’s a special cup competition but especially Newport with the routes and history they’ve had in it over the years.
“The build-up to the Manchester United game last year was brilliant. I remember drawing at home against Eastleigh then watching the draw at home when we found out we were playing Manchester United.
“It was great day for the club and I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves.
“The FA Cup is the FA Cup, It’s magical, and on your day you can beat anyone and we’re hoping to achieve an upset tomorrow.”
Writer’s View
Newport needed two replays to get to the fourth round last season. They don’t have that luxury this time around but that could favour the Exiles. Home advantage plays a huge role in the FA Cup and they welcome a Peterborough side that have struggled for form this season. This looks like it could be a potential banana skin for Darren Ferguson’s team, who surely have one eye on closing the gap on the top six in League One.
Head of Writing
