THE Amber Army intend to give Newport County AFC manager Graham Coughlan a cash boost to his transfer budget as he builds a squad for League Two.

The Exiles have so far brought in five players for the coming campaign – Kyle Jameson, Bryn Morris, Shane McLoughlin and Nathan Wood on permanent deals plus Matty Bondswell on loan from Newcastle.

However, they have also been hit by the loss of key figures Cameron Norman, Priestley Farquharson, Aaron Lewis and Mickey Demetriou.

County are up against some big-spending clubs in the fourth tier and Coughlan, who wants five more players, has admitted it is a challenging transfer window given the budget at his disposal.

The Exiles are set to be one of, if not the, lowest spenders in the EFL this season as they bid to tackle financial issues.

The Trust-owned club runs with structural losses of around £300,000 per year and has been highly dependant on lucrative cup runs.

That has led to players leaving for bigger salaries at League Two rivals while Coughlan won’t be able to get involved in any bidding wars.

However, fans will be able to dip into their pockets to provide the manager, assistant Joe Dunne and head of football operations Chris Finn a small budget boost.

South Wales Argus: County want to bring in more players to join Newcastle loanee Matty BondswellCounty want to bring in more players to join Newcastle loanee Matty Bondswell (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“We’ve set up a players fund after I did one in 2012 when Justin Edinburgh was in charge,” said Rob Santwris, a sponsor of the club and a former director. “We were bottom of the Conference back then and it raised over £12,000, so that proves it works.

“The important thing is that we look forward, there is no point looking back, and with League Two starting in under a month we can do something to help.

“A savings account has been set up and money will go into that, with me, Andrew Perry and John Phillips overseeing it.

“It will be transparent and the money will go straight across from the fans to the frontline of the club if Graham or Chris say they need a couple of bob.

“Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves in January and think of how we can help the gaffer, this can help get the funds there if we need another signing. If it’s not needed then it can go on hold until it is.

“Graham has done a fantastic job and his record last season was almost play-offs standard with a squad that wasn’t his.

“This might give him a bit extra and we thought it was best to do something now. We’ve got to act as fans because if we lose our Football League status then it could be another 25 years before we can even think about getting back.”

The bank details for donations is Newport County AFC Sup Soc Ltd, sort code 56-00-59, account number 35631481.

Further fundraising events are being planned for the coming months while supporters are encouraged to join the County Trust to help the club financially with membership starting at £5 a month. Go to ncafctrust.org for more information.

FIXTURE SWITCH

County’s League Two fixtures with Barrow have been switched.

The Exiles will now host the Cumbrians on Saturday, September 16 and travel to Holker Street on Saturday, March 23.

County have primacy of tenure at Rodney Parade as required by the EFL but the Dragons are at home to the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship on the evening of March 23.