WHEN Tony Pulis leads out his Stoke City team at Wembley for today's FA Cup final, the Newport-born manager will take with him good wishes and support from many in his home city.

Pill-born Pulis, 53, will pull off the greatest achievement of his managerial career if his side topples moneybags Manchester City - and there will be no shortage of celebration here.

"I'm a big fan of Tony Pulis and I think most of the boys here will cheer for Stoke because of the local connection and what he did for us," said Jim Meredith, fixture secretary for Albion Rovers.

Mr Meredith, from Newport, and grandson Luke, 10, from Henllys, Cwmbran, are Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool fans respectively - but they will be cheering on Stoke this afternoon.

Last summer, Albion hosted Stoke at Kimberley Park in a pre-season friendly last summer to open their new clubhouse.

"That was a very good day. We thought they'd bring all academy players but when James Beattie and Dave Kitson turned up, everyone was on their mobiles telling their friends to come down."

"Our chairman knows Tony's brother and asked him if there was a chance of getting Stoke down here. A letter was sent and next thing, someone from Stoke phoned me. I thought it was a joke."

Stoke won 9-0 but most important, Albion's coffers were boosted by more than £4,000.

"It was like giving something back to his home city. We narrowly missed promotion last week to the Welsh League, so Stoke winning might cheer us up," said Mr Meredith.

Viv Edwards, chairman of Newport YMCA football club, said a Stoke win would be "a great achievement for a local boy." It would also mean Stoke would play YMCA in a pre-season friendly in July as cup holders.

"Tony was with us as a youth team player. One of our committee men took him over to Bristol Rovers (where he began his playing career)," said Mr Edwards.

"Some of our longer serving committee members grew up with him, and I understand he met his wife (Debbie) at a committee member's wedding. We wish him all the best today."

Stoke's game against Newport YMCA, on July 17, will help raise funds to install floodlights at the club's Mendalgief Road ground.

A little bit of Newport County goes with Tony Pulis to Wembley today, and the city should be "extremely proud" of him.

That's the view of Andrew Taylor, long-time County fan, and author of Look Back in Amber, a book about the club, who is married to Pulis' cousin Angela.

Cwmbran-born Mr Taylor, chief executive of City of Lincoln council, who will watch the cup final at home with his family, believes Stoke have every chance of winning, especially if key players return from injury.

"Tony grew up the hard way in football management and deserves this chance today. Everyone is extremely proud of him," said Mr Taylor of Pulis, a former pupil of St Michael's RC Primary and St Joseph's High Schools, who played for Newport County in the mid-1980s.

"He's not forgotten his roots and is from a very close knit family. The great sadness is that his parents (Angelo and Jean) are not alive to see and revel in it."