It is just before midday on Wednesday and, in between Pontypridd United’s under‑16s and the University of South Wales’ (USW) women’s team using the facility, Newport County take to the 3G pitch inside the USW Sport Park off the Treforest industrial estate, a few miles north of Cardiff. Newport’s kit man, David Pipe, who played more than 150 games for the club, including memorable FA Cup upsets against Leeds and Leicester, drags in bags of balls.
The first-team coach, Daf Williams, puts mannequins in place and Scott Wickens, the head of performance, lays out cones. Inside the gym, fresh from a video analysis debrief, the squad limber up on roll mats with resistance bands. “Right, let the games begin,” Pipe says, as the players flood the turf.
