A BRIEF sentence in our weekly nostalgia page The Archive caught my eye this week.

In the section that reminds readers of stories from the Argus of yesteryear were these words: Newport County were issued with a winding-up order by High Court-appointed administrators Touche Ross.

It caught my eye because it offered a stark contrast to a book I have been reading over the last few days.

Mission Accomplished: The Ultimate Season of Triumph details Newport County's centenary season which ended, as we all know, with triumph at Wembley and a return to the Football League after 25 years in non-league exile.

As I watched County produce a superlative performance to beat Portsmouth 3-0 at Rodney Parade on Tuesday, I reflected on that little sentence and the 42,000-word tome written by club historian Andrew Taylor.

In their own way, both sum up the Newport County story.

Dead and buried a quarter of a century ago and now one of the success stories of British lower league football.

Taylor's book is a must-read for County fans young and old.

Packed with great photographs, interviews with club staff, players and fans, and featuring many extracts from last season's Argus coverage by our outstanding football writers Michael Pearlman and Andrew Penman, Mission Accomplished lifts the lid on County's extraordinary 2012-13 season.

No doubt there are better-written football books, but Taylor's publication stands out because it is written with passion by a true Newport County fan who has been through the lows (and there have been plenty of them over the years) as well as the more recent highs.

The passages about the play-off final against Wrexham at Wembley last May, when goals by Christian Jolley and Aaron O'Connor sent County back into the Football League, are magnificent. Taylor captures perfectly the tension, exhilaration and tears felt by the thousands who made the trek to North London.

Every County fan who was there will recognise the feelings he puts into words - and he is able to do it so well because he is one of them, and was feeling exactly what they felt.

It's what football does to you. Andrew Taylor is the chief executive of Lincoln City Council. I'm the editor of a daily newspaper. Responsible people with responsible jobs, you might think. Yet we were both crying like babies when the final whistle blew at Wembley.

Mission Accomplished gets its title from the two-word text message club president David Hando sent to friends and supporters after the Wembley triumph.

Taylor's account of last season is book-ended by a reminder of County's original 'season of triumph' - the 1979/80 term when County gained promotion to the third tier of English football and won the Welsh Cup with a team that boasted legends like John Aldridge and Tommy Tynan.

Mission Accomplished's 96 pages really are a great read and capture the essence of a season that is etched forever in the club's history.

Mission Accomplished: The Ultimate Season of Triumph by Andrew Taylor is priced £8 and is available from the Newport County AFC Programme Shop. Please note purchases are by cash or cheque only.

Win a signed copy of Mission Accomplished

ONE lucky Argus reader can win a copy of Mission Accomplished: The Ultimate Season of Triumph signed by County players Byron Anthony, Aaron O’Connor and Max Porter, and director of football Tim Harris.

To be in with a chance of winning just answer this simple question: Who scored County's goals in the play-off final against Wrexham at Wembley last May?

Send your answer, name and address on a postcard to Newport County Competition, Editor’s PA, South Wales Argus, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP20 3QN or you can enter by text.

Start your message with MISSION, leave a space and then send your answer, name, address and telephone contact details to 80360. Messages cost 50p plus your normal operator text charge. Service provided by Newsquest Media Group. Terms and Conditions at www.southwalesargus.co.uk/competitions.

Closing date: November 20, 2013.