TWO American Newport County fans said today "feels like Christmas Eve" as they travel to the UK to watch their side take on Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Gordon Grafft and Ethan Kuefner are die-hard County fans and dedicated members of the club's official American supporters club.
Today (Friday) Mr Grafft – who booked his flights when Padraig Amond scored against Middlesbrough in the fourth round – is flying from San Francisco to London, via Dublin, and will make his way to Newport on Saturday morning.
Mr Kuefner is flying via New York.
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And the club has shown its support to the two fans for their dedication:
Safe travels, @NewportCountyUS! #NCAFC https://t.co/SeZVcWfZBm
— Newport County AFC (@NewportCounty) February 15, 2019
Speaking to the South Wales Argus from his stop-over in Dublin Airport, Mr Grafft said: "The journey has been good so far. I couldn’t sleep much on the plane though – it feels like Christmas Eve.
"I’m so excited to be headed back to Newport and to be at the Parade for such a great match."
And for tomorrow's match against the current Premier League champions, Mr Grafft was cautiously optimistic.
"I’m obviously a bit nervous before such a big match, but I’m also quietly confident," he said.
"The team has been playing really well lately and I thought the performance on Tuesday against MK Dons was very solid, despite the end result.
"I think we’ll make it difficult for them. Do we have enough to pull off the greatest FA Cup upset of all time? No idea – but I don’t think it’ll be a blowout."
Newport County have done it again!!! Absolutely amazing. Magic of the FA Cup is alive and well! Next up: Pep Guardiola. #CountyIsComingForYou
— Newport County USA (@NewportCountyUS) February 5, 2019
Mr Grafft said he start the day off in Newport with a Nando's – which has become something of a tradition for him before heading to Rodney Parade – and would then meet some friends at the Dodger, including Cath Clarke from the supporters' trust and Marc Peplow and Logan Busuttil, who he said were among the first people to reach out to him on his first trip.
He said people back home had got used to him supporting what is, in the USA, a rather peculiar choice of club.
"It’s actually gotten a lot better over the past couple of years," he said. "There are a lot of people in my office who watch the Champions League and they all know Manchester City, so when they found out that Pep (Guardiola’s) team would be playing in Newport they were all very supportive.
"Most of them actually support Liverpool, so I’ve been having fun teasing them about making it further in the cup and having a better result against Leicester City."
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