“It goes without saying that I wish Graham every success in his future managerial career.

“However, moving forward I must take the club and the team in a different direction and stay true to my own beliefs which I feel over time will bring sustained success to Newport County and hopefully change the club’s outlook for many years ahead.”

‘Tough’ Day At Rodney Parade

Former Newport County defender and club ambassador, Mark O’Brien says that the decision by the club was a “tough one” to make.

“It’s been a tough one today,” said O’Brien.

“The manager obviously has done great for the club In the time he was here, brought the fans some good memories of the cup again and unfortunately at crucial times in the season picking up injuries in the squad didn’t help.”

O’Brien, 31, retired from football in 2020 after heart surgery, believes that this decision is the beginning of an “exciting” period for the club.

“I can imagine it was a tough decision to make,” added O’Brien.

“But also the new owner has visions and great ideas for the future, which worked at previous clubs for him, that he’s wanting to implement at Newport, so as tough as the decision might have been this is the beginning of something that could be so exciting for this club.

“When I first signed here it was a club that had a vision which we proved it was possible. This is the same again.”

‘Shock’ But Fans Still Hopeful For Next Season

Sean Mills, a passionate Newport County fan who follows the Exiles home and away, spoke of the ‘shock’ of Thursday morning’s news, while still remaining ‘hopeful’ for next season.

“The decision to relieve Graham Coughlan of his duties (the official line is mutual consent, but reading the statement it’s clear this was owner Huw Jenkins’ decision) has caused shock and panic within the Newport County fanbase,” said Mills.

“Understandably so, as he was a popular manager who stabilised the club amidst a crisis and led us to two mid table finishes, even threatening a playoff charge at one-point last season.

“However, when Huw Jenkins took ownership of the club back in January, the feeling was that at some point he would want to put his own man in charge.”

In October 2023, Newport County Supporters Trust members voted in favour of selling a controlling interest 52% of shares in the club to Huw Jenkins, with the takeover confirmed by EFL and Newport County on 24 January 2024.

“Coughlan is a manager who wants his say on all aspects of the football club, whilst Huw Jenkins is an owner who wants his say on all aspects of the football club,” Mills explained.

“It seemed something had to give and there was only going to be one winner. The biggest proof of this is the fact we’ve lost a manager and we’ll be gaining a head coach. Clearly, Huw Jenkins will be running the ship now and it’ll be intriguing to see how it plays out.

“Ultimately, despite the shock of this morning’s news, I’m still hopeful for next season as we move to a completely new way of doing things under Jenkins.”

Rollercoaster Season

After back-to-back wins in March, Newport lost their last eight games of the season, sliding from a potential play-off push to the bottom half of the table.

Newport’s 2023/24 season was characterised by peaks a troughs. A solid start to the campaign was followed by a run of one win eleven in September and October, while the Christmas period brought five wins and two draws in seven games, including a memorable 1-0 victory over Wrexham at a packed out Rodney Parade.

Newport County also had a good run in the FA Cup, reaching the Fourth Round and giving Manchester United a scare before eventually going out to a 4-2 defeat.

Despite this, it is clear that that poor run at the end of the season has spelt the end of the relationship between Coughlan and Newport, who are yet to signal who will be in the dugout next season.