PETER Nicholas honestly believes it wouldn't be a shock if his Newport County side topple Swansea City in the FAW Premier Cup tomorrow night (6.55pm), writes Peter Shuttleworth.

The travel-sick Swans, 29 pyramid places above the Exiles, are four points adrift at the bottom of Nationwide Division Three and haven't won away from the Vetch since their 1-0 victory at Halifax Town last February 25.

While Swansea are favourites to drop through the dreaded trap-door and into the Conference next season, Dr Martens Premier League County are rejuvenated under Nicholas and are brimming with confidence ahead of tomorrow's Newport Stadium showdown, which is televised on BBC2 Wales.

"I don't think it will be a shock if we win tomorrow," said the Newport manager.

"If we play to the best of our ability we can give them a good game.

"The pressure is all on Swansea because they're the full-time Football League team.

"Our players will be up for it, there's no doubt about that but because we're the team lower in the pyramid we can go out to relax, play our normal game and enjoy ourselves."

Nicholas was assistant to Colin Addison at troubled Swansea last season when they met Newport at exactly the same point in this lucrative competition but the pair were given the boot in the March due to "financial constraints".

Nicholas publicly slated the way the club was run at the time but now he insists: "I've no hard feelings towards Swansea, that's all over and done with."

County are today waiting on the fitness of striker Neil Davis and midfielder Mike Fowler after they both took knocks in Saturday's 1-1 league draw with Bath City.

Fowler, who suffered a dead leg early in that game, is expected to be fit, however Davis has suffered a recurrence of his knee ligament problem.

The good news is that right-back Chris Collins, who recently signed permanently from Swindon Town, and midfielder Ryan Ashington, who joined from Torquay United, have been registered in time to play in the money-spinning competition.

Meanwhile, skipper Matt Rose didn't have the straight red card given to him by referee Kevin Friend in county's FA Trophy defeat at Worcester City over-turned.

However his three-match ban doesn't include tomorrow's game with Swansea because the FAW Premier Cup is a Welsh FA competition.

Newport have already banked £21,000 from the Premier Cup after qualifying for the quarter-finals and the winners tomorrow will pocket £10,000.

Nicholas admitted his side "dropped" two points against Bath because his players were flat, but he warned: "They certainly won't be flat tomorrow."