THIS is it – the day some fans have been waiting 25 years for.

I’m gutted that I won’t be on the pitch today but I’ll be a fan today and I’m just as excited about seeing Newport County in the Football League as anyone else.

My hamstring injury has ruled me out and that is a big blow for me but I’m big enough and ugly enough to take that.

I know what football is about and I’ll be in the dressing room today until Justin chucks me out!

Then I’ll be cheering on the boys like everyone else.

It is frustrating because, even though the scan result came back showing a slight tear, I thought I was doing OK for today.

I stepped up the training on Monday and felt it again on Tuesday as I was opening my stride.

I’m using my experience and I know that the season is a marathon, not a sprint.

There’s no point rushing back for the sake of one or two games to then find yourself ruled out for four weeks or more.

I’ve been feeling really good. I’ve worked hard, like all the other boys have. It’s my best pre-season for years and I don’t want to jeapordise that by rushing back and wasting all the hard work.

I’ve never really had many injuries. This is just a little niggle and my experience means I’m more sensible.

I could be back for Tuesday’s League Cup match at Broghton.

I’m not going to be doing any work on it over the next few days and we’ll see how it is on Monday.

I’ll only be doing upper body work in the gym with Pipey so maybe I’lll have arms as big as him by next week!

The one consolation for me is that I missed the first game last season as well and we went on to be promoted so hopefully it’s a good omen for the team.

So I’ll be a fan like most people in Rodney Parade today and I can’t wait for kick-off.

The die hard supporters have been waiting a long time for this and they deserve it.

It’s going to be a big crowd and it’ll be a fantastic atmosphere. The good times are coming back to Newport.

It’s D-Day today and it’s something that everyone at the club is looking forward to.

The training ground has been swarming with national media this week because Newport County is the biggest and best story in League Two this weekend.

That just shows what we’ve achieved since the old club went bust all those years ago and today is the reward for all that hard work.

The manager has been great in dealing with all the hype that goes with today’s game.

It’s new for him as well. He’s not managed in the Football League before, even though he obviously played at the highest level.

He’s handled it well this week and we’re all buzzing.

A lot of the players have got League experience but we’re the first players to represent Newport County in the League for 25 years and that is massive.

I just hope we get off to a good start with a good win and three points.

We know we can’t underestimate Accrington because I think they are going to be better than people expect this season.

They’ve brought in quite a few players this summer, including Danny Webber so if we are not focused 100 per cent then they could turn us over.

We’re not taking anything for granted. We’ve got to put in the hard work and graft for a win like we did all last season.

If we do that then hopefully the people of Newport will have a big smile on their face at 5pm just like they will at 3pm.