RUN, run as fast as you can - you can't catch these Newport County players, because they're gingerbread men!

The Farmhouse Bakery in Maindee, Newport, has been inspired by Newport County's return to the football league and decided to show their support.

The football-mad bakery staff take the biscuit for County support - producing Newport County players as gingerbread men, after deciding to show their support for their home-town side.

Bakery owner and head baker Mark Maloney, 49, of Newport, decided to make the gingerbread men wear last season’s kit following the fan's preference for the amber tops and black shorts.

Since the bakery started making the County gingerbread men earlier this month the bakery has seen a positive reaction from customers who are County fans, with fans tweeting and Facebooking their delight over the football biscuits.

Mr Maloney who has been at the Farmhouse Bakery since he was 16 is in charge of producing a dozen gingerbread players a day, while manager Diane Carless adds the finishing touches –kitting them out in their black and amber strip.

Mr Maloney said:” We have always done the gingerbread men but we decided to do the gingerbread men in the county colours because they have got back in the league , so we thought that it would be a novelty to have them in the black and amber strip."

Yesterday, County chairman Les Scadding praised the side's 1,700 fans after the 3-0 loss to Premiership side West Browmich Albion in the Capital One Cup, after the Amber Army drowned out the home fans all night.

The team's recent wins include a 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on August 6 and a 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers on August 17.

It's been an historic few years for County.

The Exiles played at Wembley in this year's play-off, clinching their promotion to the football league with a win over Wrexham after 25 years since County's last league match.

And they lost out to York in the FA Trophy final at Wembley last year.

“A lot of the men that come in to the bakery support the football team and as they are back in the league their supporters have reached a couple of thousand," added Mr Maloney.

“We have been doing them since the season kicked off and they have been doing quite well –people have been posting the pictures of them on Facebook and tweeting about them.

The bakery produces around a dozen gingerbread men a day, costing 75p each, with these selling out most days.

“They sell out very quickly on the weekend as that is when the most of the matches are on" he added.

“We plan to do them next year as well, there is no reason to stop it, as we all love football.”