On Sunday 28th January, 12-time FA Cup winners Manchester United travels to Rodney Parade where they’ll face League Two outfit Newport County in search of a place in the Fifth Round of England’s oldest cup competition.
- Manchester United -2 Goal Handicap @4/6 via SkyBet
- Manchester United to win to Nil @4/6 via SkyBet
- Half Time/Full Time Result: Draw & Man United @4/1 via SkyBet
These odds are accurate at the time of publication and may be subject to change.
Date: 27th January 2024
Kick-off Time: 16:30 pm
Venue: Rodney Parade
This will be the first-ever competitive meeting between these two sides which is no surprise, considering that Newport County, who are known as The Exiles were only reformed 34 years ago in June 1989 following bankruptcy just months prior with debts of £330,000; seeing them effectively start all over again from the Hellenic League (four divisions below the English Football League).
Despite winning the Hellenic League in their first season after the reform in 1989/90, it would take all the way up to the 2012/13 season for the Exiles to regain their Football League status via the Conference Premier play-offs - ironically the same season that Manchester United won their 20th and most recent league title under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Since rejoining the English Football League, Newport have had some memorable FA Cup occasions, especially under former manager and club legend, Michael Flynn. The 43-year-old who was recently dismissed as manager of Swindon Town led the club to a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Fourth Round back in January 2018, just weeks after overseeing a famous 2-1 victory over Leeds United.
Remarkably, this wasn’t to be a one-off for Newport, as in the 2018/19 campaign, they reached the Fifth Round proper where they were defeated 4-1 by Manchester City’s “Fourmidables” side at Rodney Parade, having progressed past Leicester City in the Third Round by a 2-1 scoreline thanks to goals by Jamille Matt and Padraig Amond. In the Fourth Round, they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at home after a 1-1 draw at the Riverside Stadium.
United may be 12-time FA Cup winners, but, this is a competition that has not treated the Red Devils too well in recent years, with Erik ten Hag’s men suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to local rivals Manchester City in last season’s final at Wembley Stadium as the second part of the Sky Blues’ treble campaign.
A statistic that would shock many, is the fact that since United completed their historic treble campaign back in 1998/1999, they have only managed to win the FA Cup twice in that period, doing so in the 2003/04 season, as well as 2015/16. During this period, they have finished as runners-up in 2004/05, 2006/07, 2017/18 and 2022/23.
Ten Hag would surely love to lift the famous old cup this season, with the Dutchman’s job potentially being on the line following a drab first half of the 2023/24 campaign for the Old Trafford club, coupled with last season’s final defeat.
