The stories behind the South Wales Argus headlines last January and February

'THE romance of the FA Cup' is one of British football's most enduring cliches - and for a magical few weeks last winter, it came true for Newport County AFC.

After an encouraging start to the League Two season following the Great Escape of 2016/17, County defeated League One Walsall and fellow fourth-tier side Cambridge United in the first and second rounds respectively of the FA Cup.

Thus it was that Championship side Leeds United arrived at a packed Rodney Parade on Sunday January 7 for a third round tie that had been hotly anticipated by County fans.

Cup fever had been building in the city over the Christmas and New Year, with demand for tickets ensuring a crowd of almost 7,000 for the televised lunchtime match. The sun shone on a crisp winter's day, and on County too.

After conceding an early goal to a seemingly composed Leeds, County gradually took control and began to create the better goalscoring opportunities.

Reward came with a 76th minute equaliser - an own goal - and with injury time approaching Shawn McCoulsky's towering header gave the hosts a deserved win against their supposed 'betters'. Dramatic as the denouement was however, this Cup romance was about to blossom into a full blown love affair.

Two days later, County were paired with Premier League Tottenham Hotspur in a fourth round tie, again at Rodney Parade.

Cue an even mightier scramble for tickets, demand being such that temporary seating was approved, to bring the capacity up to approaching 10,000.

In the run-up to January 27, the talk was of how to stop a team chock-full of international stars, not least lethal striker Harry Kane.

Come kick-off time, that cold and wet Saturday evening, the atmosphere inside Rodney Parade was electric - and what followed, broadcast to millions on television sets UK-wide - was a thrilling demonstration of the aforementioned romance of the FA Cup.

Striker Frank Nouble wasted a golden chance to put County ahead with just minutes on the clock, but he and his teammates were not deterred, matching Spurs man for man, hustling and bustling a team of superstars into mistakes and footballing cul-de-sacs.

On 38 minutes they got their reward, Padraig Amond heading in Robbie Willmott's pinpoint cross, and Rodney Parade erupted.

The second half quickly became an exercise in trying to contain those superstars, as Spurs - obviously on the end of a half-time rollicking from boss Mauricio Pochettino - took control.

Michael Flynn's players held out just long enough for fans to start dreaming of one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history, but eight minutes from time, Kane stole in to tap at the far post from a corner.

County survived however, earning a trip to Wembley for the replay. Again, the support was fantastic, with 7,200 County fans out-singing their host's supporters.

A 2-0 score in Spurs' favour could in truth have been three or four more. County never stopped battling but sadly, the romance was over.

•  January 1:

HUNDREDS of partygoers flocked to a rave at a former Torfaen factory building, to ring in the New Year.

Up to 1,000 attended the event the former ETM factory at the British site near Talywain, with vehicles using dirt tracks to avoid a police road block.

An investigation was taking place to determine if the event was held with the landowner's permission.

Residents up to five miles away reported hearing the noise that was generated.

•  January 1:

FOR the first time since their introduction in 1966, tolls for the Severn Crossings did not increase with the turn of the New Year.

And regular users used to forking out more to cross, were looking forward to a fall in prices from January 8 as the crossing returned to public ownership, the first step towards the eventual abolition of the tolls.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns MP called the tolls a "drag and barrier" to economic growth on this side of the Severn.

•  January 3:

THE South Wales Argus launched a month-long foodbank appeal to help some of Gwent's most vulnerable people.

The paper called on readers to donate food items to help support the efforts of the Christchurch Centre foodbank at Malpas, Newport, run by the Trussell Trust.

The trust had reported a steady increase in foodbank usage across its sites in Gwent during the previous year, across all five council areas in Gwent.

Such was the generosity of the response that by February 9, we were reporting that the centre's foodbank was full to bursting. More than 200 kilograms of food was delivered in that week alone.

Foodbank manager Jon Slocombe said the appeal had provided an invaluable boost. "Normally at this time of the year the donations slow down, but that has not happened, and that is brilliant," he said.

•  January 8:

TRIBUTES were paid to "one-off" policeman John Spragg BEM, who served in the Pill area of Newport for 36 years.

Mr Spragg, who died in December, aged 69, had retired from Gwent Police aged 55, and became a cash collector for the Argus, though he had done more work for the police too, collecting evidence.

Wife Doreen said he had loved being a police officer, and that "people were always his strong point. He was always patient and kind".

Pill traders and residents joined friends, colleagues and family in tribute, lining the streets during his funeral procession on January 11.

• January 10:

COMMUTERS in Newport were spending an average of 24 hours a year stuck in traffic at peak times, according to research.

The resulting cost to motorists was £722, and a total of £44m across the city, said transport analytics firm INRIX.

Newport ranked 16th across the UK in 2016, in terms of hours spent sitting in traffic annually. Cardiff ranked 29th, and Swansea 64th.

INRIX concluded that peak-hour congestion in Newport is higher than in major UK cities such as Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Leeds.

•  January 19:

AN ambitious plan to revamp Newport city centre was unveiled.

The new city masterplan, based on three areas - the Northern Gateway, the City Core, and Riverside - was launched at the council's City Summit.

A revamp of the indoor market, a need for top class office space, and making full use of historic buildings such as the Westgate Hotel, were among the key areas of focus, with the aim of creating a 'welcoming city' and capitalising on recent developments such as the forthcoming scrapping of Severn Crossings tolls, and the creation of a South Wales Metro public transport system.

"Confidence is growing in our city and we need to do everything we can to capitalise on that," said council leader Debbie Wilcox.

•   January 23:

TOUCHING tributes were paid to former councillor and Newport mayor David Atwell, who died 14 months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

The Conservative ward councillor for Langstone was elected in 2001 and after 16 years' service, stood down ahead of the May 2017 council election.

He had been Mayor of Newport during 2016/17 when he became ill, but battled on through his treatment to serve out his term.

His successor as mayor, councillor David Fouweather, called Mr Atwell "a true gentleman and a committed councillor".

Council leader Debbie Wilcox said he had "represented his ward and the wider city with distinction".

• January 30:

FOURTEEN-year-old Argus paperboy Rhys Price was hailed as a hero after saving the life of a fellow Islwyn High School pupil.

Rhys, from Cross Keys, was the bus home from school when 11-year-old Imogen Adams, of Newbridge, began choking on a sweet.

He encouraged her to cough and drink some water and when that did not work he hit her between the shoulder blades with the heel of his hand several times. When that did not work either, Rhys -who had learned first aid skills with St John Cymru Wales - took her off the bus and performed the life saving Heimlich manoeuvre to dislodge the sweet.

With Imogen still distressed and unable to control her breathing, he then called an ambulance from his mobile phone.

He was hailed as a hero by his teachers, and Imogen's mother Krystal Burgess said "I can't thank him enough for what he did."

•  February 3:

A £200m conversion programme was announced for Uskmouth power station in Newport.

The two-year scheme is intended to enable the station, owned by SIMEC Atlantis Energy, to generate low cost, clean power, in turn allowing the adjacent steelworks run by Liberty Steel Newport - like SIMEC a part of GFG Alliance - to expand and start making liquid steel again, creating hundreds of jobs.

•  February 9:

LIFELONG Newport County AFC fan Graham Williams could not go to Wembley to watch the team in its FA Cup fourth round replay against Tottenham Hotspur as he was hospitalised.

But the 80-year-old's disappointment was eased two days later when County manager Michael Flynn paid Mr Williams a visit at the Royal Gwent, accompanied by players Tom Owen-Evans and Marlon Jackson.

Mr Williams - fan for 70 years - said he was "crying" when Mr Flynn first appeared.

Mr Flynn said: "We wanted to come here and put a smile on his face."

•  February 15:

A ROWER described how giant waves almost brought disaster to a record-breaking crossing of the Atlantic, just 37 miles from the end of the 3,000-mile voyage.

Elaine Theaker, of Abergavenny, was one of a three-woman crew of a boat they had christened Poppy, when it was hit by two giant waves as they neared their destination in Antigua on their Atlantic Challenge.

She and Sharon McGrath, rowing at the time, were saved only by their safety harnesses after being thrown overboard by a 40-foot high wave - only to be thrown out of the vessel again half an hour later by a similar wave.

Drifting off course, the pair, along with fellow crew member Dianne Carrington, had no option but to keep rowing through pain, fatigue and dangerous weather if they were to reach their goal.

They were successful however, becoming the first trio of women to row any ocean.

"We dug deeper than we've ever done before," said Mrs Theaker.

•  February 17:

SEVEN-year-old Newport County AFC fan Olivia Baker got just what she always wanted when she attended the match against Notts County at Rodney Parade - defender David Pipe's shirt from the Wembley FA Cup replay against Spurs on February 7.

Olivia, from Gaer, Newport, had been photographed among the 7,200-strong County support at Wembley brandishing a banner that read: I don't want Harry Kane's shirt. I want David Pipe's.

Cue a social media-led hunt by the club to track her down, and 11 days later the shirt was hers.

Dad Luke Baker said he and his family were grateful to the club, fans who shared the photo, and David Pipe for making his daughter's wish come true.

•  February 20:

NEWPORT'S Mica Moore began her quest for Winter Olympics glory in South Korea as part of the Great Britain women's two-man bobsleigh team.

She and teammate Mica McNeill had faced the prospect of not being able to compete when their funding was cut the previous autumn, but almost £50,000 was raised by a crowdfunding appeal - and the pair did themselves and their backers proud.

Sitting sixth after the first two runs, they dropped to eighth overall, still good enough to be the best finish by a British women's bobsleigh team in a Winter Olympics.

Moore, 25, who put an athletics career on hold to pursue her Olympic dream, said: "It feels amazing. We are so happy."

•  February 24:

A GROUP of men were criticised by Highways England after illegally scaling the M48 Severn Bridge.

The motorway had to be closed for a time because of the potential risks, as the group reached the top of one of the towers.

Highways England said the group "put their lives at serious risk" and as it was civil offence, a prosecution would be considered.

A member of the group said they had been wanting to climb the tower for around a year, and only poor weather had prevented them from carrying out a bigger stunt.

•  February 28:

A NEWPORT toddler struck down with the rare Guillain-Barré syndrome and given a 10 per cent chance of survival, defied the odds to enjoy her first day at school.

The illness, in which the body's immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nerve system, struck Felicity Watkins at just two years old, leaving her paralysed and in a hospital critical care unit.

Two years on, Felicity began attending Jubilee Park primary school in Rogerstone.

Mum Frances Watkins said her daughter's health had improved since heart surgery in 2017 and she had been looking forward to starting school.

She needed a wheelchair to move around, but had started to stand and use a walking frame.