22/23 Season Preview
An exciting season is ahead as we at Newport City FC continue our preparations for the 22/23 campaign.
Most of the previous campaign was a solid one for The Steelmen overall. The boys finished 11th out of 16 in the Ardal South East league, only being let down by a period of poor form towards the end of the season. City managed to gain an impressive 31 points from the first 19 games, but then only managed a further two points from the remaining 11.
Despite the form though, the season was capped off in good spirits at Newport Stadium – as the club hosted a successful event including a raffle for supporters.
After a fresh start, pre-season is now over and done with and the positive vibes seem to have returned. The lads won four out of six games, scoring 14 goals and conceding 12 in the process. There have also been a whole host of new signings.
Everyone at the club is feeling positive for what should be an exciting upcoming campaign and chairman Sam Holdsworth has given his plans and aspirations for 22/23.
“I am looking forward to the 22/23 season after what we a really difficult end to the season last year. As a team, we finished in horrendous form and had a real difficult time putting the ball in the net, on top of this we found it impossible to keep a clean sheet. I knew finishing last season something needed to change and at one stage I was hopeful of a new manager to come in but it wasn’t to be.
I feel like a broken record when I mention budgets, but as a club with zero budget for players, I am proud of the new signings we have bought in during pre-season. We have signed a keeper who played in the U19 World Cup, some USW 1st team players and have a player returning who I think will have a huge impact on the team.
I need to be realistic in that there are some very good teams in the division and some teams with massive budgets for this level. We go into every season aiming to win every game, just like everyone else, but at the same time we need to take each game at a time and August will be a very difficult month for us. If we can get through August with some positive results I predict a strong September for the team.
As a club, we are looking to expand this season by introducing junior teams at Christmas. Our women’s teams are going from strength to strength with some outstanding players and an unbelievable team spirit. It is a very exciting time for the ladies.
My biggest aim this season is to try and get more supporters into the club and more local sponsors. We want to continue our growth and become a big part of the community. Off the pitch, this club has the potential to really progress and I hope everyone involved can instill hard work and determination to get the results on the pitch.”
I am looking forward to our opening fixture at the stadium vs Risca on the 6th of August. It will be a fantastic day and our pitch will be in immaculate condition, we hope to see as many people there as possible.”