LONDON • Newport County manager Michael Flynn believes his side can conjure up the biggest shock in the history of the FA Cup when they host Premier League champions Manchester City in the fifth round today.
Following wins over Premier League club Leicester and the Championship's Middlesbrough, Flynn's League Two side are confident heading into the match at Rodney Parade - which has a capacity below 8,000 and, until a few years ago, was used exclusively for rugby matches.
"If we win this, whether it's extra time or penalties... I don't care how we do it, it will be the biggest shock in FA Cup history," he said at his pre-match conference yesterday.
"It's always a little bit easier when you're at home. I wouldn't even be contemplating a win if it was at the Etihad.
"Of course there can (be a shock). Otherwise I'd just turn up, give them the game and say, 'Let's shake hands', and walk off.
"My players have a knack of rising to the occasion and are a fantastic group."
It may be a bold statement from Flynn, but Newport have survived some hard times - they were relegated from the Football League in 1988 and went out of business the following year.
Their old 25,000-capacity home, Somerton Park, was demolished in 1993 and became a housing estate.
The club were re-formed by fans and had to restart in the regional Hellenic League, then four tiers below the Football League, and the several moves of stadium led to their new nickname of "The Exiles". Newport returned to the Football League in 2013 and have been in League Two ever since.
The Welsh side also have had moments of glory - they reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1981 as Wales' representatives.
But this is the first time the club have been in the FA Cup fifth round since 1949, when they lost to Portsmouth.
"It's about enjoying the occasion and making sure the players go out there with the belief that they can cause problems for Man City and believing that we deserve to be there, because we do," Flynn added.
"We want to cause Man City problems and give a good account of ourselves and then enjoy Saturday evening and look back on a fantastic day, win, lose or draw."
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Yet in that time Newport have beaten Wrexham, Leicester and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup to reach the fifth round for the first time in 70 years. "Of course there is," Flynn replied when asked if a shock to end City's hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple was possible.
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