Newport County play host to the Premier League stars of Bolton Wanderers this afternoon with another new signing in their ranks.
Exiles boss Anthony Hudson is relishing what he believes will be the toughest test of the pre-season programme and he will have Dutch winger Felino Jardim on board for the match.
The 25-year-old from Rotter-dam has been on the books at Feyenoord and Sparta Rotter-dam and spent the 2008/09 season playing in the Conference with Cambridge United.
He has signed a one-year deal with the option of another year and is the seventh player to arrive after Danny Potter, Ismail Yakubu, Tommy Doherty, Craig McAllister, Elliott Buchanan and Paul Robson.
“Felino Jardim has come and impressed during his trial period with the club and I was particularly pleased with his performance against Cheltenham,” said Hudson.
“He adds some different qualities to the squad, and with his knowledge and experience of football at this level, and his excellent character, we are looking forward to him joining us.”
Guillame Velez and Paul Rodgers are set to join Jardim in committing to the Exiles early next week.
Bolton are bringing a full squad to Newport this afternoon and Hudson can’t wait to pit his wits against Trotters boss Owen Coyle.
“I think this will be our toughest game because they can be strong and direct but they can also play well and really open teams up,” he explained.
“They’ve got some real strong physical players and it’s going to be tough for us to get a result.
“It’s not all about the result. It would be nice to get a positive one but the most important thing is the performance and that we keep on improving game by game.
“I hope it will be a decent crowd to see some top players on show because it’s not often the people of Newport get to see Premier League stars.”
Hudson will be without injured duo Scott Rogers and Craig McAllister who both picked up knocks in training this week.
“They are nothing serious and we’re just being cautious,” he said. “There’s no need to rush them back – the most important thing is that they are fit for the Kettering game.”
- The Newport County open day runs from 11am to 4pm at Spytty Park tomorrow. Fans will be able to watch the team train and players will pose for pictures and sign autographs.
- Follow us on Twitter @argusoncounty
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