Rap music helps Omar Bogle hit the right notes at Newport County

The Exiles forward will look to add to his three goals in six appearances so far this season when he leads the line at Salford City this afternoon.

Bogle won the club’s golden boot after scoring 19 times in his first year in Newport and he is hungry for more in 2023/24.

The striker is a serious competitor on the pitch and off it he has been honing his rap verse; this summer a collaboration with Birmingham-based producer and engineer Curtis Meredith was released.

‘Bogez’ aims to make defenders curse and his song-writing certainly carries a parental advisory label - listen HERE (warning, explicit content) - but it’s therapeutic for the striker and is helping him achieve his footballing goals.

Omar Bogle in the studio with Curtis Meredith (Image: Curtis Meredith @CurtisMeredithh)

"It's just something else I've been working on. I've been recording music for about two years,” said Bogle.

"I haven't released anything official but I've probably made over 70 songs in the last two years.

"It's a passion of mine and something I'm definitely going to take up while I'm playing and after I play.

“In the environment we're in and in this industry, there is so much you can be doing in your spare time as a footballer. You can do all sorts of things.

“With music, it's something that doesn't take away from my football, it doesn't take anything away from me physically or mentally. “If anything, it helps me so I just invest my spare time into that really.”

Music is still a hobby but it’s helping with the job.

County striker Omar Bogle

"Over the years, I've invested so much into football, mentally, physically and emotionally,” said Bogle, who earned big-money moves to Wigan and Cardiff after starring for Grimsby.

"When things haven't gone how I planned them to or I've had a bad game or I haven't scored, it would eat away at me for days, or up until the next game.

"It'll affect my general well-being and people around me. With music, it's therapeutic to me so in my spare time I'll write music and it takes my mind away from football and gives me something else to focus on."

Bogle provided a bright moment on a dark afternoon for County at Rodney Parade last weekend with his classy finish in the 4-1 loss to Bradford City.

It was his third goal after summer hamstring and quad injuries denied him the chance to pick up where he left off in League Two.

County striker Omar Bogle scores against Bradford (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“My pre-season was broken up through injury,” said Bogle. “I missed four and a half weeks and feel I am still getting my match fitness.

“I’m not far off because I worked really hard doing what I could do when injured, so I expect in the next week to be back to my best.”

Bogle watched on as Will Evans started impressively alongside Bristol City prospect Seb Palmer-Houlden to score eight times and double his tally for the entire 2022/23 campaign.

It raises the prospect of a battle for County’s golden boot – “that might be the hope for him!” – but the experienced striker is confident that he can beat the 19 goals from his first season.

County have gone from being reliant on set pieces to creating chances in open play, to the delight of Bogle.

“I am just about scoring goals and I don't put a limit on that,” said the striker, who finished fourth on the League Two leaderboard. “This year we are creating a lot more chances with how the gaffer has got us working.

“Last year I scored quite a few but we weren't really a team that created a lot of chances. Now we are and I would like to think I can score even more. I might have a ballpark figure that is the minimum but I don’t have a ceiling.”

Bogle, like all strikers, is judged on goals but also leads the line and puts himself about.

FOULED: Omar Bogle has his shirt pulled at Mansfield last season (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

In Salford this afternoon he will do that in the new third kit and history suggests that the opposition defence will be getting a good grip of the black jersey.

Manager Graham Coughlan has lamented his striker getting a raw deal from the officials with Bogle frequently having to bite his tongue.

"Don't get me started! Before games I try to speak to the referee and ask them to have a look out for it but it makes no difference,” he said.

“Then if I touch somebody it's a free-kick while my shirt can be hanging over my head I've just got to get on with it."

It wasn’t the decisions of the officials that caused frustration for Bogle seven days ago, it was the team performance when beaten 4-1 in front of their own fans by Bradford.

County could have done with a midweek fixture but instead had to stew on their display before heading to Moor Lane.

“We’ve had to be patient and live with what we did, and what we didn’t do, last week,” said Bogle, who is one of Ryan Delaney’s vice-captains.

“We’ve got a great chance to respond; we have prepared all week for this and have to give the supporters something to cheer.

“We’ve got three games in a week so the table can change really quickly and momentum can switch. We’ve got to do what we need to do against a really good Salford side.”

The rapper will hope that his name is being sung by the Amber Army to the tune of 'Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag' come 5pm on Saturday.