NEWPORT County AFC will kick-off the Terry Butcher era at the ground that marked the beginning of the end for the Justin Edinburgh era.

Butcher’s boys will head to Cambridge United on the opening day of the new League Two season – Saturday, August 8.

It was at the Abbey Stadium in January that the Exiles were beaten 4-0 amid speculation that Edinburgh would leaving for Gillingham.

County went on to lose 3-0 at Northampton and 1-0 at home to Shrewsbury Town before Edinburgh did join the Gills in League One.

And, despite a mini-revival under Jimmy Dack, they failed to make the League Two play-offs having moved up to third place in the table the week before that last trip to Cambridge.

Butcher will be hoping for better luck in his first competitive fixture as County boss.

And the former England captain will welcome another Three Lions hero to Rodney Parade in his first home game a week later as Teddy Sheringham’s Stevenage roll into town.

The high-profile visit of the Spurs and Manchester United icon on August 15 is followed up by a gruelling midweek trip to Hartlepool three days later before Leyton Orient, relegated from League One last year, travel to Newport on August 22.

And the opening month is wrapped up with a visit to Home Park to take on Plymouth, whose new boss Derek Adams is looking forward to renewing his rivalry with Butcher.

Adams, aged 39, had a spell playing for Butcher when he was the boss of Scottish club Motherwell before leaving for Aberdeen in the summer of 2004.

Later, when Adams moved into management at Ross County, Butcher was the boss of their Highlands rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Adams led Ross County to fifth in the Scottish Premier League in 2012/13 – their highest ever finish – which was one point behind fourth-placed Inverness.

The following season, Thistle were fifth and Ross County seventh as they continued to be very evenly matched.

Now the pair are both working in League Two, hundreds of miles away from the Scottish highlands.

Adams told the Plymouth Herald: "Terry was my manager at Motherwell and he was very good for me.

"Then we came up against each other as managers and we had really tough affairs. I'm looking forward to seeing him again and re-engaging our battle."

County’s first Severnside derby with newly promoted Bristol Rovers comes at the Memorial Ground on October 24, with the Pirates visiting Rodney Parade on March 19 in the return game.

In the Christmas and New Year fixtures County face a Boxing Day trip to Barnet’s Hive Stadium before hosting Plymouth on December 28 and Hartlepool on January 2.

The Exiles welcome former favourite Sam Foley and Yeovil on November 21 with the trip to Huish Park set for April 2, a game that follows Easter fixtures away to Northampton on March 26 and the visit of Accrington Stanley two days later.

And the season is wrapped up with relegated Notts County coming to Newport on April 30 before a final day clash at AFC Wimbledon.

County's 2015/16 fixtures in full

Sat 8 Aug: Cambridge (a)

Sat Aug 15: Stevenage (h)

Tue Aug 18: Hartlepool (a)

Sat Aug 22: Leyton Orient (h)

Sat Aug 29: Plymouth (a)

Sat Sep 5: York (h)

Sat Sep 12: Morecambe (h)

Sat Sep 19: Dag & Red (a)

Sat Sep 26: Carlisle (a)

Tue Sep 29: Crawley (h)

Sat Oct 3: Exeter (h)

Sat Oct 10: Mansfield (a)

Sat Oct 17: Portsmouth (h)

Tue Oct 20: Wycombe (a)

Sat Oct 24: Bristol Rovers (a)

Sat Oct 31: Northampton (h)

Sat Nov 14: Accrington (a)

Sat Nov 21: Yeovil (h)

Tue Nov 24: Oxford (a)

Sat Nov 28: Luton (h)

Sat Dec 12: Notts County (a)

Sat Dec 19: Wimbledon (h)

Sat Dec 26: Barnet (a)

Mon Dec 28: Plymouth (h)

Sat Jan 2: Hartlepool (h)

Sat Jan 9: Leyton Orient (a)

Sat Jan 16: York (a)

Sat Jan 23: Dag & Red (h)

Sat Jan 30: Morecambe (a)

Sat Feb 6: Barnet (h)

Sat Feb 13: Carlisle (h)

Sat Feb 20: Exeter (a)

Sat Feb 27: Mansfield (h)

Tue Mar 1: Crawley (a)

Sat Mar 5: Wycombe (h)

Sat Mar 12: Portsmouth (a)

Sat Mar 19: Bristol Rovers (h)

Sat Mar 26: Northampton (a)

Mon Mar 28: Accrington (h)

Sat Apr 2: Yeovil (a)

Sat Apr 9: Cambridge (h)

Sat Apr 16: Stevenage (a)

Tue Apr 19: Oxford Utd (h)

Sat Apr 23: Luton (a)

Sat Apr 30: Notts County (h)

Sat May 7: Wimbledon (a)