By Matt Chedgzoy
Ryan Delaney has only been a Newport County player since July 2023, but after just six months in south Wales he finds himself leading his side into battle with Manchester United.
An already special occasion is made even more important by the fact that he’ll be lining up against the club that he has supported his whole life.
Much like his manager Graham Coughlan, Irishman Delaney is a life-long United fan and is relishing the opportunity to face his boyhood team.
“I’ve supported (United) since I was a kid. It adds a bit of extra excitement,” he explains.
“It’s a game that when you’re a kid and looking at the team you support, you think you’re a million miles away from having an opportunity to play against them.
“The opportunity has arisen on Sunday and it’s an exciting time.”
Delaney admitted that he could hardly have imagined one day lining up against his heroes when he made his senior debut for hometown club Wexford ten years ago, but he insists that all sentiment will have to be put aside on matchday.
“You have to enjoy the occasion but at the end of the day we’ve got a job at hand. Hopefully we can nick a result and give a good account of ourselves.”
Coughlan and Delaney are just two of a number of United fans in the Newport ranks but the County skipper has played down any pre-game conviviality.
“We’ve not spoken about (shirt swaps) too much. That sort of stuff happens after the game but we’ve got a job to do first and that’s the main objective.
“Hopefully on Sunday God will be looking down on us and we can get a result.”
Newport certainly have a job to do on Sunday but they can draw inspiration from County ‘cupsets’ of the past.
Scott Bennett will make his 350th appearance for the club against the Red Devils. The 33-year old, also a United fan, featured in the County sides that welcomed Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur to Rodney Parade in the FA Cup, and started in both of the famous victories against Leeds United and Leicester City.
Bennett is well-prepared for these occasions by now but it is clear that the rest of the Newport squad are also aware of what these games mean to the club:
“Plenty of Premier League teams have had to come here and Sunday will be another great occasion,” Delaney began.
“We know ourselves how difficult a task it’s going to be but you have to back yourself. The tide can turn very quickly and hopefully it will turn for us.”
One thing that County’s players will be able to rely on throughout Sunday is the backing of their fans. After a sell-out Rodney Parade watched their league fixture with Wrexham last weekend, another capacity crowd is anticipated for Sunday’s cup tie.
Newport may have enjoyed success both on and off the field in recent weeks, it hasn’t been plain sailing at all times this season. Nevertheless, Delaney is grateful for the constant backing of County supporters:
“There have been plenty of occasions over the season where results perhaps haven’t gone our way but the fans have stuck with us.
“Sunday is going to be a game they’re going to look forward to. It’s going to be like a celebration for us.”
Attacker Nathan Wood knows just as well as anyone about the support that the team can expect on Sunday afternoon. The academy graduate failed in his quest to secure tickets for family and friends after finding himself over 14,000 people back in the online queue.
A packed out Rodney Parade will produce a new kind of experience for Erik Ten Hag’s star-studded team but Delaney doesn’t believe it will have too great an impact on the away side.
“They’ve played in the Champions League, Premier League week in, week out and also for their country so it could be a different kind of shock to them but they’ll know the task at hand.”
Delaney is also keen avoid being swept up by the occasion and sent a message to his players ahead of the League Two run-in:
“Hopefully we can build momentum – it’s not just a one-off game, it’s a game that can push us on into the end of the season,” he started.
“It’s a time to be optimistic – throughout the season, even when things weren’t going as well as we wanted, we still had full faith in ourselves.”
After a difficult summer, County are beginning to find their feet and Delaney believes it is time for them to start looking up the table.
“We know we have a squad that should be challenging higher up the table. We’ve started taking results, where at the start of the season we would’ve dropped points.
“The confidence in the dressing room is really high at the moment and we’ve got belief in ourselves.
“We want to win as many games as possible.”