Newport County: Everything you need to know about Man Utd's FA Cup fourth round opponents

Newport County set up a gargantuan tie with Manchester United on Tuesday evening, winning their FA Cup third round replay against Eastleigh.

Graham Coughlan's side had suffered a disappointing 1-1 draw to ten-man National League side Eastleigh, but secured a 3-1 victory on the road at the second time of asking. Newport's reward will be an eye-catching fourth round clash with 12-time FA Cup winners Man Utd, with the game taking place at Rodney Parade in late January.

The match promises to not only be an enormous cash cow for the League Two side, but a memorable occasion for the club's supporters.

Here is everything you need to know about Man Utd's fourth round opponents Newport County.

Have Manchester United ever played Newport County before?

Unsurprisingly, Man Utd have never faced off against Newport County before. The side from Wales have faced some of England's giants in the past however, including the Red Devils' local rivals Manchester City.

Only one of Newport's four meetings with Man City have come in the 21st century - a 4-1 defeat in the FA Cup back in 2019. They also faced Arsenal in the 1957 FA Cup and the Gunners' north London rivals Tottenham in 2018 in the competition, losing both games 2-0.

What is Newport County's best FA Cup performance?

The Ironsides' best FA Cup display came back in 1948/49, Newport making it all the way to the round of 16. Unfortunately, they lost 3-2 to Portsmouth and have never been as far in the competition since.

The furthest they have progressed in the 21st century was the fifth round in 2019; the year they lost to Pep Guardiola's Man City. If they can navigate their way past Man Utd in the fourth round and pull off an incredible upset, then they would match that performance.

How have Newport County made it to the FA Cup fourth round?

It hasn't been a straightforward route to the FA Cup fourth round for Newport, with the League Two side having been part of a few scraps against lower league opposition.

Joining in the first round of the competition, Newport saw off National League Oldham Athletic, beating the former Premier League outfit 2-0 at Rodney Parade. Then drawn against another side from the fifth tier in the second round, Coughlan's side found things more challenging against Barnet.

Having drawn with The Bees 1-1 at home, Newport hammered Barnet 4-1 at the Hive Stadium to progress to the third round, where they would eventually beat Eastleigh after another replay.

How have Newport County performed this season?

Currently sat 17th in League Two, Newport are hardly pulling up trees this season. In fact, they arguably owe their spot in the FA Cup fourth round to the favourable run of fixtures they've had in the competition thus far.

The Ironsides made a strong start to the season, winning four of their opening six in all competitions, but endured a tricky period afterwards. Of their following ten League Two matches, they won just one, seeing them plummet down the table.

Things have picked up again recently however, with Coughlan's side losing just one of their last nine. If they have any hope of toppling Man Utd in the fourth round, they'll need to maintain, or improve, their current form.

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