Pre-match standings:- Newport County 24th/26 pts : Leyton Orient 23rd/29pts. If you''ve parked in Newport city centre as I did, the easiest way to reach Rodney Parade is across the magnificent structure of the Newport City footbridge, one of nine bridges to cross the River Usk in the city. The ground is more or less at the opposite end of the bridge through a short passage, Millennium Walk, in the middle of a residential area. Away fans go right at the junction and walk round to a small wooden hut on the corner of the Bisley and the South End stands to collect their tickets. Home fans can also go this way and on to Corporation Rd and turn left after the blue steel tubular structure which marks the away fans entrance. Alternatively turn left after Millennium Walk and go around the ground. Either route takes fans to the entrance gate in Beresford Rd. Rodney Parade is a good old fashioned lower league ground-the second oldest after Preston''s Deepdale. No frills, no restaurants nothing flashy-just a football ground. Except it''s not actually a football ground. Rodney Parade is in fact a rugby ground. It is owned by and home to Newport RFC. Newport Gwent Dragons also call it their home. Newport County moved in at the beginning of the 2012/13 season after spending 18 years at the Newport Stadium, also known as Spytty Park. The lack of frills makes the Parade something of a throwback to times and football grounds gone by. Completely surrounded by houses and the local shops the ground isn''t easy to see. It''s not until you come up close and personal that you realise it''s there. As I have already mentioned access to the away fans entrance is via a small path located between two houses on Corporation Rd and is marked by a blue steel tubular structure. The main entrance is in Beresford Road. The entrance gate is pure 60''s. Two black gates opening into the ground hang between walls which could do with repointing. On the wall to the right is a black sign which reads Welcome To Rodney Parade. Home Of Newport Rugby, Newport Gwent Dragons, Newport AFC with the clubs badges above the names. Through the gates and to the left is a full size floodlit training pitch for the rugby clubs. Directly in front is the Newport County ticket office, a small brick built building which also houses the small club shop which sells the usual scarves, badges etc. just not in the quantities of the likes of Chelsea or Man Utd. Unlikely to be too many replica shirts going abroad from here. Just around the corner from here is a small souvenir/retro shop selling old match programmes and badges. Next to that is the clubhouse. To get into the ground itself means a short walk past the training pitch to the manned turnstiles. Once inside the contrast between the stands goes from new to old to strange. On the east side is the fairly new Bisley Stand. This is a Fully covered all seater single tiered stand and runs the full length of the pitch. It has seating for roughly 2,500 of which around 600 are given over to away fans. An unusal aspect to the stand is that the seating is multi coloured in red, black and white, though at a guess the white seats used to be amber but have weathered over the years. At the south end of the ground is the South Stand, an unusual stand which looks more like a cricket pavillion. This is not a rich club. This club doesn''t have a billionaire owner who can transform their fortunes with a swipe of his credit card. change: Wed 8th March. After this home defeat to relegation threatened rivals Orient, Newport County sacked manager Graham Westley and appoint Michael Flynn as caretaker manager until the end of the season.change: Sat 22nd April. After a 3-0 defeat away to Crewe, and 112 years in the Football League, Leyton Orient were relegated to non league football. Another team destroyed by an owner with no idea of the heart and soul and history of a football club. Hopefully this will change and the O''s and their fans and their lovely old stadium will make a swift return to League football. End of season 16/17- after spending most of the latter part of the season in the bottom two, County looked destined to relegation along with Orient. A last minute goal in the last game of the season gave Newport a 2-1 win at home to Notts County in front of over 7,000 punters. This saved them from the drop and sent Hartlepool into non league football. Newport County finished 22nd with 48points