Newport’s unbeaten run ends at Cheltenham as Stanway saves Biggins penalty
Sunday 25 October 2026 · By Rick Gaskell
Newport County’s nine-match unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday with a 1–0 defeat at Cheltenham Town. Charlie McCann scored early for the home side, and goalkeeper Wyll Stanway saved a second-half penalty from Harrison Biggins.
McCann’s goal came in the fifth minute. According to PA, it followed good work from Jake Evans, and the midfielder found the top corner. Hayden Mullins felt it was a goal his side should not have conceded.
Newport responded well. Kyle Cameron had a shot tipped over by Stanway, and Ged Garner shot over after picking up a loose pass. Early in the second half, Ciaran Brennan stabbed an effort wide. Then Ben Stevenson was penalised for a foul on Biggins, but Stanway saved Biggins’ spot-kick.
“We’ve given away a cheap goal which we are unhappy with but we were pleased with the response,” Mullins told PA. “In the first half we got back into it and steadied the game and then in the second half we were on the front foot and on another day we could potentially have won it. There were a number of things going past the post and obviously the penalty miss cost us.”
He was still positive about his squad. “The one thing I see from this group is a lot of fight, desire, quality and we definitely have players in the group who can hurt the opposition,” he said. “The painful part of it is that we have gifted them a goal when they have turned the ball over in a poor area.”
Cheltenham manager Steve Cotterill was complimentary too. He told Gloucestershire Live that Newport had “done very well of late” and had brought “a fantastic following”.
Mullins is also dealing with a growing injury list. Speaking to BBC Sport before the game, he said Hull City loanee Matty Jacob would be out for three or four weeks with a hamstring strain. Tanatswa Nyakuhwa was awaiting a scan, while Christian Doidge and Aaron Lewis are back on the grass but still several weeks away. Harri Pugh and Keenan Patten also remain sidelined. There was better news on James Crole and Moses Walker-Alexander, who are back in training, and Tom Davies, who is fit again.
The defeat leaves Newport 16th on 15 points from 13 games, with a goal difference of zero. They are four points off the play-off places.
Newport’s next league game is on Friday 30 October, when they host Chesterfield at Rodney Parade, kick-off 7.45pm GMT. Chesterfield beat Crewe Alexandra 5–1 on Saturday and are seventh.
They then host Crystal Palace Under-21s in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday 3 November, kick-off 7pm GMT.
In the FA Cup first round, Newport are at home to Walsall. That tie was not selected for television, so it is due to kick off at 3pm GMT on Saturday 7 November unless the FA says otherwise.
Mullins’ message was that the run may be over, but the performance showed the qualities that built it.
Rodney Parade sits on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. Newport County have played here since 2012, sharing the ground with Dragons RFC and Newport RFC. For football the capacity is about 7,850. It is one of the oldest continuously used sports grounds in the Football League, opened in 1877, and it still feels like a compact, slightly tucked-away rugby ground rather than a purpose-built football bowl.
Visiting supporters enter at Gate 6 on Corporation Road, not the main Grafton Road gates used by home fans. The path is easy to miss: it runs between houses after the ATS garage, marked by blue poles. Sat-nav NP19 0UU gets you to the site; some clubs quote NP19 0BG for the away turnstile. Buy tickets through your own club in advance when you can. A cash-only booth often operates at Gate 6 on the day unless the fixture is all-ticket.
Away seating is covered in the south end of the Bisley Stand, the modern all-seater along the east touchline. That block is typically a few hundred seats; the dedicated PureVans.com south seating adds more when demand is high. Official figures often quoted are around 609 in the south away stand and about 422 in the Bisley away section. Views from Bisley are the better option. The south seats are closer to the tunnel and big screen but more exposed. Home fans occupy the rest of Bisley, the two-tier Candleston Stand on the west side (seats above, terrace below, dugouts in front), and the uncovered North Terrace behind the town-end goal.
The pitch runs roughly north–south. The north goal sits in front of the North Terrace; the south goal sits in front of the PureVans south stand, with changing rooms and the video screen at that end. TV cameras are in the Bisley Stand and look west, so late kick-offs can have the sun dropping over the city. The surface is a hybrid pitch shared with rugby, so it can cut up in a wet winter.
Stadium parking is scarce and reserved for pre-booked spaces. Most visitors use Kingsway or other city-centre multi-storeys and walk over the footbridge, or try side streets while watching for residents-only restrictions. Newport station is about a 10–15 minute walk across the Usk. Food and drink in the away areas are limited: a burger van just inside the entrance and a bar in the Bisley Stand, usually card only. Accessible toilets and baby-changing are available in the away end; wheelchair spaces for visitors are limited and should be booked in advance.
The clubhouse near the main (home) entrance has often admitted away supporters before the match, though policy can change for bigger games. Nearby, the Godfrey Morgan Wetherspoon on Chepstow Road is a reliable option a short walk from Gate 6. Stewarding is generally straightforward and the atmosphere is typically good-natured rather than hostile. Check the club site before you travel: allocations, cash/card rules and which blocks are open can shift from game to game. Arrive with time to find Gate 6, and you should have a straightforward League Two away day at one of the more characterful grounds on the circuit.