By James Dow

Ahead of this afternoon’s Nathaniel MG Cup second round tie with Newport City, we’ve taken a closer look at the Steelmen.

The history

Newport City were officially founded in 1963 as Spencer Works AFC, where they would go on to join the Newport and District Football League, winning their first trophy in 1967-68 after finishing Premier ‘B’ Champions. The club then moved up to the Gwent Premier League, winning the division two years on the bounce before being elected to the Welsh Football League. The Club then rebranded to Llanwern in 1988 to reflect the name change of the steelworks on whose ground they played. This was the start of a successful period for the Steelmen, after winning promotion to the top division of Welsh football in 1992-93.

A decade later, the club would go on to win the Welsh League Cup, after defeating Gwynfi United in the final in Neath. A change of ground would be the next milestone for the Steelmen, where they would re-locate to Newport Stadium, which they shared with Newport County at the time.

In 2016, the club re-branded once more to Newport City, with now-manager and chairman Sam Houldsworth taking the reins. After a difficult season, the club were relegated back down to Division Three. The Steelmen then began to re-build and, most importantly, stabilise the club in the 2017-18 season, bringing over 100 players into the club through men’s, women’s and academy teams.

It would be the 2023-24 season where City would experience promotion once again, as they defeated Ardal South West side Cefn Cribwr in a play-off to be promoted to the JD Cymru South for the first time in their history. As well as the promotion that season, the Steelmen also won the FAW Trophy after a 5-4 success over Penrhyncoch. The club continued to make history last season, achieving their highest-ever finish by placing third in the JD Cymru South.

Form

The Steelmen have made a 100% start to the season, with two wins from two in all competitions. Their first victory came in the previous round of the Nathaniel MG Cup, where they defeated fellow JD Cymru South outfit Baglan Dragons 2-0 at the Newport Stadium.

They were then victorious a week later in their first league game of the season, defeating Afan Lido 1-0 courtesy of a second-half goal from new signing Kayne McLaggon.

Manager

Sam Houldsworth has spent just under nine years with the Steelmen, after being appointed in September 2016. The Welshman also holds a unique position within the club, not just being the head coach, but also taking the role as chairman of the football club.

Houldsworth was awarded JD Cymru South Manager of the Month in March, after his side recorded five wins in five, scoring nine goals and keeping three clean sheets in the process.

Captain

Defender Luke Cooper joined the Steelmen in July 2024, but is best known for his time with JD Cymru Premier side Barry Town United. The 32-year-old made 193 appearances for the Linnets, including three European appearances, where he played a full 180 minutes over two legs against Cliftonville, while captaining Barry a year later in a 5-1 away defeat to Faroese side NSI Runavik. Cooper left Barry in the summer of 2023 to join Goytre United, where he spent a year before linking up with the Steelmen. So far, the defender has made 34 appearances for Newport City, scoring five goals, which included a goal on the final day of last season in a 3-1 victory at home to Ammanford.

Key players

Veteran Kayne McLaggon will be well known around the JD Cymru Premier, where he spent eight seasons with Barry Town United, making 245 appearances for the club and scoring 128 goals. McLaggon started his career with EFL Championship side Southampton, and made his debut as a second half substitute in a Boxing Day clash with Plymouth Argyle at Home Park in 2008. He then went to score his first professional goal in Saints colours four weeks later, netting the first goal in a 2-1 victory against Norwich City.

The forward unfortunately suffered a long-term injury before returning in November 2009, and having a short loan spell at National League side Eastbourne Borough. McLaggon was then released by the Saints in 2010, spending time at Bristol Rovers, Weston Super-Mare and Merthyr Town, before moving back to his native Barry in 2017.

The 34-year-old picked up 15 appearances at age grade level for Wales between the U17’s and U19’s, while also making three appearances for the Cymru C side, scoring on his debut in a 2-2 draw against England C in 2019. McLaggon has had a strong start to life in Newport, scoring the only goal in last week’s win at Afan Lido in what was his league debut for the Steelmen.

Eduardo Bregua is another new signing for the Steelmen, joining the club after leaving JD Cymru Premier side Penybont in the summer. The winger came through the Bont academy and made his debut in a 3-0 JD Welsh Cup victory over Cwmbran Celtic, before making his league debut two weeks later, coming off the bench in a 2-0 defeat to Aberystwyth Town.

The 19-year-old was then sent out on loan for the second half of the season to JD Cymru South outfit Goytre United, where he made 13 appearances, scoring two goals, which included a screamer against Llanelli Town – his first professional goal. The forward then returned to Penybont last season and made nine appearances in all competitions, registering one assist in a 5-1 win over the Seasiders last August.

Bregua has also started this season on a positive note, setting up the goal which was put away by fellow new signing McLaggon in the 1-0 win over Afan Lido last week. The 19-year-old also has started working towards a career in sport off the pitch, studying BA Sports Journalism at the University of South Wales.

(Featured image: Lewis Mitchell/FAW)