Newport to have 900 fans at Rodney Parade for Forest Green tie

The first leg of the semi-final (kick-off 8.15pm) has been chosen by Welsh Government as a pilot event for the safe return of supporters.

County opened a ballot for tickets, which will be free and electronic, on Thursday night because they were expecting the allowed crowd figure to be less than their 1,100 season ticket holders.

READ MORE: How to apply for a ticket for Tuesday

However, the majority of their regular punters will return to Rodney Parade for the first time since March, 2020 when 3,048 watched a 1-0 win against Morecambe.

There will be no individual ticket sales for the fixture at the 8,500-capacity ground while County also have “contractual obligations to issue tickets to our commercial partners”.

County chairman Gavin Foxall said: "My thanks to our club staff, Rodney Parade and multiple stakeholders who have come together in a relatively short space of time to ensure our play-off fixture can operate as a pilot event for the safe return of fans."

The Exiles have long been working with the Dragons and Rodney Parade staff to set up for welcoming fans back to the stands and were aiming to hold a pilot event last winter before the firebreak.

Dragons managing director Mark Jones said: "We are very grateful to the Welsh Government for selecting Rodney Parade as the first test event in Welsh sport and will continue to work closely with them and all key stakeholders to prepare for the fixture.

"We all want to see fans back enjoying sport and this event is a vital step forward in the safe return of all supporters from Dragons and Newport County in the not-to-distant future. We will do all we can collectively to ensure it is a success.”

Season ticket holders who are interested must email tickets@newport-county.co.uk before 6pm.

Those applying as a support bubble must include the names of all the season ticket holders (maximum of six).

Those without an email address can call 01633 264572 but the club would prefer online applications.