A WALK down Wembley Way has become somewhat familiar for fans of Newport County in recent years.

Today's trip to the 90,000 seater stadium will be the fourth in eight seasons for the Exiles and their fans, and everyone connected with the club hopes it results in a repeat of the play-off success of May 2013.

The play-off system has broadened the potential for a showcase match at Wembley for many clubs that would previously have had little or no chance of gracing the hallowed turf, either at the old or the new stadium.

But County's appearances at Wembley have come through a variety of routes.

The first came in 2011/12, at the end of a testing season that might easily have resulted in relegation from the fifth-tier Conference Premier, now known as the National League, just two seasons after being promoted into it.

County had been on the up, following the 2009/10 promotion from the Conference South with a solid ninth place finish.

But in 2011/12, manager Anthony Hudson was sacked after just 12 games with the club in the relegation zone - and with improvement only gradual subsequently, safety was only secured in the last few games.

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The bright spot was a run to the final of the FA Trophy, where County faced a York City team that finished strongly to also return to League Two via the play-offs.

Unfortunately, York proved too strong for County at Wembley, running out 2-0 winners in front of a crowd of almost 20,000.

South Wales Argus:

(FA Trophy final)

The following season it was a rejuvenated County's turn to follow the play-off route to a return to the Football League.

The rise from the ashes of the old Newport County has been well-documented, and May 5 2013 was the day the hard work paid off.

In front of a 16,346 crowd, County triumphed 2-0 against Wrexham, goals in the dying minutes from Kristian Jolley and Aaron O'Connor sending fans back along the M4 with huge smiles on their faces.

As key as these late strikes were however, just as vital was a fantastic defensive effort against a Wrexham team that enjoyed long periods of dominance.

And that rearguard action owed much to its last line, goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley, who pulled off several excellent saves to keep Wrexham at bay.

South Wales Argus:

(County's win against Wrexham)

Having in the following five seasons established and then almost thrown away that coveted place back in the Football League, County's next trip to Wembley came about because of a Premier League team's stadium rebuilding project.

When County drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Rodney Parade in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday January 27 last year, having come within eight minutes of dumping Harry Kane & Co out of the competition, a replay was required.

And the venue was Wembley, where Spurs were playing their home games while the replacement for White Hart Lane was being built.

It was February, It was a very cold Wednesday night. But 7,200 County fans made the trip to north London, and despite seeing their team beaten 2-0, they out-sang the Spurs fans for much of the evening.

Despite being outplayed and outgunned, County stuck to their task admirably against Spurs' multi-million pound stars.

South Wales Argus:

(Tottenham were victorious, but County left with a lot of pride)

Padraig Amond missed a great chance to put County on the scoresheet with seconds remaining, denied by the host's keeper Michel Vorm.

Given the season Amond has had, it would be fitting if he could banish that memory and add to his 23 goals to date with the winner today.