Newport Reds buzzing for United's first visit

I can personally vouch for that. I've visited South Wales often in the last eight years – its my girlfriend's home town – and, as recently as Boxing Day, I watched United on TV in one of the local pubs there.

 

When we fell two goals down to Villa on 26 December, the packed-out Hogarths went wild with schadenfreude. I assumed the place was full of Liverpool fans – South Wales has plenty of them. But when United roared back in the second half, the noise levels rose even higher, as the Reds inside made themselves heard. "Manchester, Manchester, Manchester!" was booming across the bar long after the full-time whistle had blown. 

 

Now, less than a month later, the many Reds in this part of the world are looking forward to United's first-ever competitive visit to the city, to face Newport County in the FA Cup. Locals tell me it's arguably the most exciting thing to happen here since a medieval ship was discovered in the River Usk back in 2002.

Darren Wallis is one of those locals, and also the leader of the Newport Reds – a loyal group of Reds formed over 40 years ago by Kevin Shepherd and Sid Jackson, that runs a coach to every game at Old Trafford.

 

Darren has booked out a pub in the centre of town for matchday, where 170 United fans will get the party started early on Sunday morning.

 

“In Newport, everybody's talking about it,” he says. “It's all you hear everywhere you go. People can't wait, they're excited. It's going to be a big day. 

 

“[When the draw was made] my phone didn't stop. My battery ran out, there was that many people phoning me and texting me. It was mad.”

There will be mixed feelings for many inside Rodney Parade come kick-off; according to Darren, plenty in the home end will be keen followers of both United and County. And even this home-and-away Red, who does every pre-season game, wouldn't begrudge his local club a replay.

 

“A lot of the people in the Newport end on Sunday will be United fans too,” he explains. “They've got their tickets through being season-ticket holders at Newport County and they'll say they want Newport to win because they're the home side, but a lot of them will be United as well. I know loads of Newport County fans, and they come on the bus with me to United.

 

“I wish County well and I always look for their results and hope they do well. In all fairness, I'd like to see them get a draw on Sunday so they could go back to Old Trafford and get some money for the club. If they don't, they don't – I'm a United fan so I don't give two monkeys if they lose! I couldn't tell you one of their songs, or one of their players! Or even their manager's name!

“But they've played Leicester, they've played Man City there [in the FA Cup] and they've done well against them," Darren continues.

“I think they've done well because it's a small pitch and not the best pitch, so bigger clubs like United, Arsenal and Tottenham find it hard to play on there. 

 

“It will be a hard game, but with the capability of the players United have got there shouldn't be a problem. I hope they play a strong team, put it that way, because if we lost I wouldn't hear the end of it! I'd have to leave Newport!”

Whatever the outcome, Darren welcomes the spotlight that will shine on Wales's third-biggest city this weekend, given the hard times it has endured since certain industries declined in the late 20th century.

 

“The people here are nice, it's just a bit rundown,” he reflects. “Shops are shut and there are people in doorways, but that's like a lot of the rest of the country. 

 

“It was buzzing [in the 80s and 90s]. Pubs everywhere, clubs everywhere, everybody from the Valleys and Cwmbran all came to Newport for the nightlife and the shopping. Now they all go to Cardiff and Cwmbram because there's nothing in Newport. The docks closed, the steelworks closed and all that, which didn't help. Cardiff is only 14 miles away, and that place is absolutely buzzing and the town centre is amazing.

 

“But there's complete excitement down here about United coming. Everybody can't wait for Sunday.”