NEWPORT County have announced that Danny Rose is to be sold to their Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee.

The two clubs sealed a deal shortly before Christmas and last night Rose agreed personal terms with the promotion hopefuls after passing a medical.

The 23-year-old’s three-and-a-half-year stay at Spytty Park will officially come to an end when the transfer window opens on Sunday.

County chairman Chris Blight told the Argus last night: “Danny agreed personal terms with Fleetwood at around 6.20pm and the deal is done in principle.

He added: “The fee is undisclosed at Fleetwood’s request but the usual sell-on clauses are part of the deal.

“No players will be coming the other way from Fleetwood to Newport.”

Rose is the Exiles’ top scorer this season with 11 goals, the last of which came during the 4-0 win at Hayes & Yeading United in November.

In total he hit 36 goals in 165 appearances since being signed by former manager Dean Holdsworth from Oxford United in the summer of 2008.

Rose has long stated his desire to play in the Football League and there was interest from League Two clubs Aldershot Town, now managed by Holdsworth, and Northampton Town.

But wealthy Fleetwood, who are currently second in the table and on course for promotion to League Two, offered the best deal.

County are not in action until the trip to Bath City on Tuesday, January 3.

Bath manager Adie Britton has criticised the late postponement of the Boxing Day clash at Spytty Park and raised his own concerns over the state of the pitch at Newport Stadium.

The game was called off two hours before kick-off by referee Steve Martin, whose lunchtime pitch inspection deemed the waterlogged playing surface unplayable.

But Britton insisted Bath should have been spared a wasted trip to South Wales.

“They said the game was in doubt when I got to the stadium and I saw the referee out on the pitch and I think he had already called it off,” said Britton.

“I questioned that decision but having walked out on to the centre circle, it’s so bad I think it is unplayable.

“I also think they (Newport) might have problems over quite a period of time because you cannot see many games being played on that surface over the next few weeks if there is any rain at all.

“It was a big disappointment for us that the game was off. You prepare for over a week or so and we had done some good work in training. You also have players and supporters who come from all over the place, so people put themselves out to get here.

“When the surface is that bad I would have thought somebody should have known a bit earlier. With a forecast of light rain this game should have been off on Christmas Day.”

A new date for the match has yet to be set.