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FA Cup Fourth Round: Newport County vs Manchester United
Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport Date: Sunday, 28 January Kick-off: 16:30 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru 2, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport and the app, plus live texts
Highlights: Match of the day, BBC One from 22:30 GMT and later on request
Manchester United will this week target a giant massacre by a club it once helped stay alive.
United’s eyes will likely be on silverware when they go to Rodney Parade on Sunday, but Newport County will reap the riches of round four.
The match is estimated to cost £400,000 for the club with the lowest budget in Ligue 2.
The acquisition of Huw Jenkins was demonstrated this week, and it’s also a smart task done just a few months ago. Fans were warned that there isn’t enough cash to cover next season’s prices.
But it may not be the first time United has helped bring the county’s coffers to life.
And if it weren’t for an act of generosity just a century ago, Newport wouldn’t have existed to dream of fairy tales.
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Things had been bleak for the county in 1976.
Languishing in the dregs of Division Four, the club found itself in the midst of the well-known monetary difficulties.
In his Newport County history, Amber in the Blood, Tony Ambrosen writes: “By October it was clear that the club was going through a currency crisis. At least this time, you can see the funniest aspect of football.
“An appeal raised £3500 and supporters of Bradford City and Southend United (who were given a sponsored 180 mile walk by 3 enthusiasts) raised. Dave Mackay and Des Anderson donated their fees thanks to the newspaper articles. “
In November, Gordon Milne’s Coventry City played a match at the former home of Somerton Park in Newport, also due to lack of funds. Newport lost 7-1.
But it wasn’t until Manchester United sent a star-studded team to face the South Wales XI that the county was able to breathe again.
The quickly assembled hosts were a scratch side, consisting largely of Cardiff City and Swansea City players.
The Bluebirds involved included goalkeeper Ron Healey, midfielder John Buchanan and striker Tony Evans, while Wales internationals Alan Curtis and Robbie James, as well as Danny Bartley, were the Swansea representatives.
Still, United, then controlled through Tommy Docherty, fielded a team.
European Cup winner Alex Stepney scored and the team in front of him was filled with internationals, adding Sammy McIlroy, Lou Macari, Steve Coppell, Stuart Pearson and Gordon Hill.
Brothers Jimmy and Brian Greenhoff were also in the lineup.
There were just three Newport players in the south Wales XI squad – centre-back Don Murray, striker Brian Clark and goalkeeper Gary Plumley, a second-half substitute for Healey.
Plumley was thrilled to be a part of this.
“I followed United from an early age,” he said. “I played at Old Trafford in the FA Youth Cup for my previous club, Leicester City, and saved a penalty.
“I was very excited when I found out I had to be included in the team, along with two of our experienced professionals, Don Murray and the late Brian Clark.
“Coming to the box is also an experience. Although it is a fundraising game, it is opposed to Manchester United. There were other people everywhere.
“I remember walking past the legendary John Toshack, and out of nowhere he said, ‘Hi Gary, enjoy your game tonight’.
“It blew me away. I’m a 20-year-old guy who just a few months ago made his debut in the Football League.
“I don’t know anything about the game, it seemed to go by so fast.
“I’m disappointed that I don’t have much to do, but satisfied that I kept a blank slate.
“Phil Dwyer scored the winner for us late on, another great Cardiff City clubman who’s no longer with us, and we won 1-0. The rest is just a blur.”
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United lost 1-0, the score was not the most important result.
The £8,000 raised that night allowed Newport to improve financially in a season that will also be remembered for a dramatic escape from relegation.
Plumley added: “I have no idea what the gate was or how much it was raised, but one thing’s for sure: there wouldn’t have been a big breakup at the end of the season without her.
“[There would have been] no Welsh Cup wins, no promotions and no European campaigns [after this season] if Cardiff City hadn’t been so generous in preparing for the game. “
About 13,000 enthusiasts attended the game and the money raised was donated to the Newport County Wrestling Fund.
The former club nevertheless ceased operations in 1989, after 77 years of existence.
From the ashes, Newport County AFC, a new club was formed by dedicated fans.
Despite battles with authority and having to play twice across the border in England, the Exiles, as they were now known, defied the odds to climb the English football pyramid and once again become a Football League club in 2013, thank you We took you to a memorable 2-0 victory over Wrexham in the convention play-off final at Wembley.
But the demise of old Newport could have gone smoothly in the late 1970s if Manchester United and others hadn’t come to its rescue.
Now, 48 years later, Newport has the chance to make the most of United’s presence in Wales, in a match that is expected to generate 50 times more than the fundraiser that has eluded so many memories.
But for lifelong enthusiasts like Tim Thraves, the club’s longtime broadcaster, the arrival of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and the rest will bring back memories of monetary hardship, eased by one of the biggest names in world football.
He recalled: “Newport were £100,000 in debt, which is a lot of money thinking about it now. They were in a desperate state.
“It’s very precarious and Newport is on the verge of bankruptcy.
“Very clean to the generosity of Cardiff and Swansea.
Manchester United: A Stepney (P Roche), A Forsyth, S Houston, S McIlroy (G Daly), B Greenhoff, (A Albiston), M Buchan, S Coppell, J Greenhoff, S Pearson (C McGrath), L Macari, G Hill (D McCreery)
South Wales X1: R Healey (G Plumley), P Dwyer, D Bartley, A Campbell (P Sayer), D Murray (D Livermore), A Larmour, R James, A Curtis, T Evans, J Buchanan, B Clark