NEWPORT footballer Luke Degilbert is gearing up for the new season playing for the Newport Dragons Disabilities Football Club – and supporting his beloved Newport County AFC.

The 21-year-old, who has autism, has been playing for the Dragons for the past year and will attend the club’s awards presentation evening this Sunday.

And Degilbert and his teammates, will begin training for the new season in September.

Newport Dragons DFC is run by Steve McGrath at Newport Live and training sessions are held every Sunday afternoon at the Newport Velodrome.

The club provides a variety of football activities for both disabled children and adults and takes part in regular tournaments.

And Degilbert, who is currently studying at Coleg Gwent and was previously a pupil at Eveswell Primary School, Monnow Primary School and Maes Ebbw School, is also looking forward to watching Warren Feeney’s Exiles at Rodney Parade.

County start their new League Two campaign at home to Mansfield Town on August 6 and Degilbert, who has been a fan since the Conference South days, is excited by Feeney’s new squad.

“I think Warren Feeney has brought some good new signings,” he said.

“Jack Compton, Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, Mark Randall and Jamie Turley are good signings and he’s kept likes of Darren Jones and re-signed Scott Bennett.

“Ben Tozer and Sean Rigg also look good and I think this season we will do well and hopefully get to the play-offs.”

Degilbert was nominated for supporter of the season last year and has plenty of happy memories of cheering on the Exiles under Dean Holdsworth and Justin Edinburgh over the last few years.

“I’ve been a fan since the days when we were in conference and the Conference South,” he added.

“My favourite moment is a hard one – the moment we beat Hereford [in 2013] was a good moment.

“Winning promotion at Wembley [also in 2013] was brilliant and getting promoted to the Conference Premier from the Conference South [in 2010] was another one so there are quite a few really.

“Hopefully there are more to come under Warren Feeney.”

For more information about Newport Dragons DFC email stephen.mcgrath@newportlive.co.uk