ALL the people who have helped Newport County AFC return League football to the city would fill the Bisley Stand!

Some we can name - Justin Edinburgh, Jimmy Dack, Tim Harris, Tony Gilbert and the backroom staff.

The previous managers who won promotion on the 24-year journey – John Relish at Moreton in Marsh, Graham Rogers at Gloucester and Tim Harris and Dean Holdsworth at Spytty. The hundreds of players since 1989, especially the present splendid squad.

Club directors from the 15 originals of the Exiles, including Colin Jones who flew from Sydney to be at Wembley and Dai Williams, who couldn’t make it because of family illness, to the four current directors -Les Scadding, Howard Greenhaf, and Tony Pring and Dave Roberts representing members of the County Supporters’ Trust. Chris Blight who was chairman for nearly ten years and who, with Howard, negotiated the vital move to Rodney Parade. They remind me of the original directors who, despite all the difficulties, would not take no for an answer. Dave Boddy, and before him Steve Dance, and all the office staff and volunteers. All the club sponsors large and small.

Our heroes of the High Court, barrister Nick Stewart and solicitors Charlie Hopkins and Brian Bowcock deserve thanks.

Like Wrexham and many other clubs, the County is blessed with volunteers. The Club Committee represents eight different, if overlapping, groups of supporter volunteers, the Trust, the Supporters’ Club, Bar-Amber, County Cash Club, Vice Presidents, Programme Team, Club Shop and the Smile Council. The Exiles were founded, financed and run by supporters and it remains a fans’ club, even if some fans have deeper pockets that others! The mighty Amber Army who roared their support home and away.

One other group that needs to be named are those who are, sadly, no longer with us. Bearing in mind the number of funerals we have attended since 1989 this list is only representative but it must include Ray Taylor, Brian Toms, Dave Hicks, Colin Routley, Derek Williams, Jack Still, Frank Batterham, Reg Parsons, Frank Toplis, Tom Swindley, Mel Davies and Matt Clark.

The initial mission of restoring League football to Newport has been accomplished; now it’s onward and upward. As I have said before, if we work together there is nothing we cannot achieve.

Finally, let’s get the name of the club right. Given a vote the supporters chose to combine the old and the new in Newport County AFC. Newport County, for all its moments of glory, ended up going down and out. The club that’s on the way up is Newport County AFC. Up the County!