TWO former Newport County AFC players will be at Wembley on Saturday as National League minnows Boreham Wood battle it out with Tranmere Rovers for promotion to League Two.
Striker Joe Quigley, who made five loan appearances for County this season (below), will hope to force his way into the starting XI as he completes his loan spell with the Hertfordshire club from Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth.
But defender Jamie Turley, who joined Boreham Wood on a season-long loan from the Exiles last August, will be watching from the dugout after being ruled out with a broken jaw.
Turley sustained the injury after scoring the opening goal in the play-off quarter-final victory over AFC Fylde last week.
He missed Sunday’s 3-2 semi-final win over Sutton United and will be a spectator again for Saturday’s final at the home of English football.
“I’ve broken my jaw in two places and had three titanium plates fitted,” explained the 28-year-old centre-back.
“I had a three-hour operation under general anaesthetic on Friday and I’m on a liquid diet for four weeks so sadly I won’t be playing as I can’t risk shattering my jaw again.
“That goal and win against Fylde was worth all this pain though and obviously I’ll be in the dugout at Wembley supporting the boys with my ice pack and painkillers! I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”
Founded in 1948, Boreham Wood's fourth place in the National League table was the club's highest end-of-season position in the English football pyramid in their history.
They have never before played in the Football League but Turley will be hoping to return to League Two with The Wood.
The former Salisbury City and Forest Green Rovers player signed a two-year contract with County in the summer of 2016 after leaving Eastleigh but his debut season at Rodney Parade was ruined by injury.
Turley made only seven appearances, scoring the winner at Leyton Orient in August 2016, before a knee problem stalled his progress.
After surgery in November 2016 he spent the rest of the campaign working his way back to fitness.
He finally returned to action in pre-season friendlies against Undy Athletic, Chippenham Town, Gloucester City and Northampton Town last summer.
But with Mark O’Brien, Mickey Demetriou, Ben White, Scot Bennett and academy graduate Jay Foulston all ahead of him in the pecking order, manager Michael Flynn decided he could do without Turley’s experience.
His contract with the Exiles comes to an end this summer and he does not expect to return to Newport.
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