NEWPORT County AFC are confident that tomorrow’s League Two clash with basement boys Northampton Town will go ahead as planned.

The Exiles have suffered two postponements in the last fortnight due to a waterlogged pitch at Rodney Parade but believe they have a chance of beating the weather this time.

The home clashes with AFC Wimbledon on December 21 and Oxford United on New Year’s Day were both called off by the match referee on the day.

And tomorrow’s official will inspect the pitch on arrival in the morning before Northampton travel.

“The referee will have a look at it first thing before Northampton set off,” said a club spokesman.

“The Football League have advised us that is what we should do but we are hopeful that the match will go ahead.”

The FA Cup matches at Charlton Athletic and Crawley Town and the League Two fixture between Portsmouth and Accrington Stanley have all been postponed due to waterlogged pitches.

Newport RFC have also seen tomorrow’s Swalec Cup tie against Bonymaen, which was moved to Newbridge to accommodate County’s match, postponed.

But ground staff at Rodney Parade have been working hard to get the Northampton game on.

The club have hired the services of Glamorgan CCC’s Keith Exton, who did a ‘verti-drain’ of the surface on New Year’s Day, digging into the pitch with a nine inch deep fork to help the current drainage system.

County have also used water hogs from the Celtic Manor and have now taken another step by hiring a ‘Blotter’ machine, designed to deal directly with the problem of standing water on the pitch.

The AFC Wimbledon game has been rearranged for Tuesday, February 11, and the club announced today that the home match with Oxford will now be played on Tuesday, February 18. Both games will kick-off at 7.45pm.