COUNTY v BISHOP'S STORTFORD KO 3pm

IT'S not often that a player who has never performed higher than the Blue Square South could have any impact on the amount of people turning up to watch a football match, but that is just what will happen at Spytty Park today.

The biggest clash in the Conference South today, Bishop's Stortford's visit to Newport Stadium is sure to be an emotional occasion, a homecoming if you will, for defender Paul Cochlin.

Rarely will the mere mention of a player's name raise such a cheer, County's man mountain, their midweek match-winner, is back after an absence of 15 months.

It was on December 9, 2006 that Cochlin collapsed in a heap against Yeading at Spytty Park, taken away in an ambulance with leg injuries so horrendous that they were on an Eduardo scale.

Writing about Cochlin's rehabilitation three months ago as he prepared to test his injuries in a loan spell at Almondsbury, it become clear that Cochlin suffered, not just physically but mentally, on the uncertain road to return.

However, it was worries over his Exiles future which have occupied his mind recently: "Obviously I have gone over how long and hard the rehabilitation was, but in the last couple of months I've known that I am capable of playing at the same level as before I got injured.

"Recently my main concern has been playing for Newport again, although I spoke to (manager) Peter Beadle a lot, I wondered if I was going to get the chance to come back.

"I think the injury - and the way everyone associated with the club treated me - has made me become a bit of a fan, I love Newport County, I desperately wanted to play for them again."

Cochlin, who scored the winning goal on his comeback in Wednesday's 2-1 win at Welling, now has eight goals for the season (four at Almondsbury, three at Cirencester) and wants more.

"The feeling I had when I scored on Wednesday was my best in football, without question," he said.

"I have eight now and want more, I need to play very well to keep my place in the side because competition is fierce."