NEWPORT County AFC will be reunited with former favourite Lee Evans when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Capital One Cup but the clubs' historic links go much further back.

Newport-born Wales under-21s star Evans joined Wolves from the Exiles in January 2013, just over 100 years after the Midlands giants inspired the formation of Newport & Monmouth County AFC.

The original club was founded in 1912 by steelworkers who had moved to the area from the Midlands.

The club's Somerton Park home was near Lysaght’s Steelworks and the team was nicknamed the Ironsides and adopted the black and amber colours of Wolves and Newport RFC.

The sides haven’t met since County reformed as the Exiles in 1989, but the teams had clashed on four occasions prior to that.

In the 1985/86 season, in the old Division Three, County won both league fixtures, 2-1 at Molineux with striker Andrew Miles grabbing a brace, and 3-1 at home just before Christmas 1985 when Steve Mardenborough scored two and Terry Boyle one.

Wolves were relegated at the end of that season but enjoyed far better fortunes the next time they met County, completing the double in their Division Four title-winning 1987/88 campaign.

Goals from Andy Mutch and ex-Newport ace Nigel Vaughan secured a 2-1 win at Molineux in October 1987, with loan striker Paul Miller replying for the visitors.

And their 3-1 victory at Somerton Park in April 1988, which saw future England international Steve Bull score two goals and Mutch the other, was the result that sealed the first of back-to-back promotions for Wolves.

Steve Tupling got the only goal for County, who finished 19 points adrift at the bottom of the league the following month and were relegated to the Conference before being wound up in 1989.

Keeper on that night for Wolves was Mark Kendall, a hugely popular figure with both clubs who had moved from Newport to Molineux in 1986.

Kendall, whose son Lee is now goalkeeping coach for the England women's team at the World Cup, died in 2008.

Wolves' goalkeeping coach Pat Mountain also played for County and former Wales international Nathan Blake, whose goals for Wolves included one in the play-off final victory of 2003, also played briefly for the Exiles and is now a non-executive member of the board at Rodney Parade.