SHREWSBURY Town midfielder Ryan Woods isn’t expecting to enjoy his visit to south Wales but he does predict a tough battle with Newport County AFC, writes Andrew Penman.

The 21-year-old midfielder is certainly not relishing his first visit to Rodney Parade on Saturday.

Speaking to Town TV, the Shrews’ official video service, Woods said of Newport: “I’ve never played there before but we’ve seen a few videos and it doesn’t look the most interesting place to go.

“But that’s just the way it is; it’s another game.”

Woods hails from the Staffordshire village of Norton Canes, which straddles the UK's first and only toll motorway, the M6 Toll, and was home to Europe's first drive-through chemist.

The chemist is now closed, however, having moved into the local health centre located in Brownhills Road.

Woods was more complimentary about the work ethic of Justin Edinburgh’s men, who earned a 0-0 draw at the Greenhous Meadow in September.

But he believes his side, who are currently second in League Two can take three points back to Shropshire.

“They gave us a really good go when they came here, they worked their nuts off,” he said.

“They just make it very difficult for you so we’ll go there expecting a tough game.

“Their form has dipped a little bit, losing 4-0 and then 3-0, but I think that might not be a good thing for us because they’ll be looking to turn that around.

“But we’ll go there with the confidence that we can win the game.”