I was Newport boss when we played in England with a team full of postmen – I never dreamed we’d face Man Utd in FA Cup

JOHN RELISH has seen Newport transform from a team of postmen to taking on one of the world’s biggest clubs.

The County legend was their first-ever manager when they reformed in 1989 after being relegated from the Football League and going bust.

Newport legend John Relish was the reformed club’s first manager

John Relish with the first-ever Newport team in 1989

Back then they had to play home games at Gloucestershire club Moreton-in-Marsh after cobbling together a team of local lads with the ambition to return County to the EFL. 

Relish, 70, who also managed the club in the old Third Division in 1986, will be at Rodney Parade today for the visit of Manchester United.

And he told SunSport: “It was almost two hours to get to Moreton so the team coach used to leave Newport at about 10am for home games.

“But half the team were postmen who had been up doing their rounds since 4am so came straight to the bus, dressed still in their uniforms, absolutely shattered.

“So we reserved the back rows of seats so they could have a kip. I’d tell them, ‘Go and get two-hours and we’ll wake you when we get there.’

“I was emotional at Wembley when the club returned to the EFL in 2013 but this match is another step.

“I never thought in my wildest dreams that we’d be entertaining Manchester United when we were getting on the bus to Moreton-in-Marsh for our first game against Pegasus Juniors in the Federated Homes League.

“Dreams don’t happen like that – but it has.

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The stand at Moreton-in-Marsh where Newport played their matches in 1989-90

The matchday programme for Newport’s first league game after reforming

“And so many people deserve credit for forgetting this club where they are today.”

County’s resurrection is a perfect role model for clubs that have been wronged by dodgy owners and the football establishment like Bury and Macclesfield.

For Newport had the whole weight of Fifa, Uefa and the Welsh FA against them – yet this small club took them on and won.

County returned home in 1990 but two years later were forced to spend another two seasons in exile – this time at Gloucester City – because the FAW banned them from their own country due to a refusal to join the League of Wales.

At the time, Uefa were threatening to take away the newly-formed league’s European places and Fifa even looked to ban Newport from being allowed to play football.

It led to the League of Wales president Tommy Forse spitefully branding Newport “no more Welsh than Gateshead”.

Yet the club – who adopted the Exiles nickname – won a landmark high-court battle for restriction of trade.

Relish said: “Manchester United will be a huge challenge this weekend but nowhere near as big as taking on Fifa, Uefa and the FAW. That was real David v Goliath stuff.”

The former County boss made 337 appearances for the club as a full-back between 1974 and 1987 – but early in his career spent three months on loan at Bury from Chester.

And he would love to see the Shakers inspired by the Newport story and work their way up the leagues now they have returned to Gigg Lane following their 2019 EFL expulsion.

He said: “Clubs like Bury, with their fan base, it can be done. 

“A lot of things must go your way but unless you energise the town you’re not going to get anywhere, and it didn’t happen overnight in Newport. 

“We lost a generation of supporters. When we were travelling to Moreton and Gloucester, you saw them in their hundreds going to watch Cardiff.

“But thankfully we had 600 fans travelling to watch us which gave us a good base to start climbing from a league where many teams were only getting 80.”

There will be 9,500 crammed into Rodney Parade on Sunday. The club erected a temporary 1,056-seat stand for home fans and put an extension on to the away end for United’s 1,400 allocation.

Newport’s team in the 1989-90 season

Newport fans campaigning to return home at a civic reception

Erik Ten Hag’s men though will have to cram into a much smaller changing room than the huge ones they enjoy at Old Trafford and across the Premier League.

But they will be grateful County will afford them better hospitality than a West Ham team including Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds, Alan Devonshire and Frank Lampard Snr received for an FA Cup Third-round game in 1979.

Relish, who was in the Newport team, said: “You wouldn’t get away with it now. Len Ashurst was our manager and we had a plan to make it as uncomfortable as possible for West Ham.

“They came down to our place and found there were no lightbulbs in the dressing room, no toilet rolls, the tea was cold and there were puddles all over their floor.

“And we gave them semi-deflated footballs to warm up with!

“We could hear them all complaining like crazy.

“West Ham were used to the best of everything so we wanted to make them uncomfortable and see how they fancied coming down to South Wales on a cold, windy January night. It worked because we won 2-1.” 

Although Newport hosted Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in 2019, Relish says this United tie dwarfs that because of their sheer domestic and global appeal.

John is Relishing the big game

The Red Devils along with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are regarded as the planet’s biggest clubs.

Relish said: “United are one of only two teams Newport have never played, Liverpool being the other one.

“But this game has made me realise just how massive Man Utd is – not just the fan-base that actually go to Old Trafford but the people who have a soft spot for them.

“The city has gone absolutely crazy since we set up this tie. I feel so sorry for those who work at the club because we’ve got the smallest staff in League Two. There are just six people working full-time, a couple part-time and some volunteers.

“This is not meant to be derogatory –but we have at the moment a National League South set up because the infrastructure off the field has not kept pace with the team’s success.

“And this match against United just happens to have landed a week after we hosted Wrexham, which in itself is a huge game and was sold out to capacity.”

But can Newport stun United on Saturday?

Relish said: “A lot has to go right. County have to play out of their skins, United must have a bad day, key decisions will need to go in our favour.

“But the big dream for me is to draw the game and get a replay. A game at Old Trafford will earn this club £1million, enough income for the club to pay the whole of next season.