Chesterfield's injury concerns for the Newport County clash are matched by significant absences in the home side's squad. Newport will be without their top scorer and a key midfielder for the League Two fixture at Rodney Parade on Friday.
Fulham loanee Matt Dibley-Dias is ruled out with a hamstring problem. Newport head coach Hayden Mullins confirmed the midfielder had undergone a scan. "Dibley-Dias has had a scan, and we're waiting to see the results of that, so he won't be ready for the weekend," Mullins said. Winger Yahya Bamba is also a doubt after being forced off during Newport's last match.
Newport County's attacking blow
Their problems are compounded by the suspension of leading marksman Shaquille Gwengwe. The forward received a three-match ban for kicking out at an opponent during a recent draw with York City.
Christian Doidge, Tanatswa Nyakhuwa, and Matty Jacob are also on the injured list for the Exiles. This comes as they aim to extend an unbeaten home run, having lost just once in their last eight league outings a 1-0 defeat at Cheltenham last Saturday.
Chesterfield's form context
Paul Cook's Chesterfield travel to Wales sitting seventh in the table with 19 points from 13 matches, a record of five wins, four draws and four losses. They are nine points behind the league leaders, Salford City, but arrive with momentum from a run of two wins, two draws and a single loss from the last five games. That sequence was capped by a dominant 5-1 home victory over Crewe Alexandra on Saturday 24 October, a result that showed their attacking power with goals from Josh Koroma, Tom Naylor, F. Bryden, an own goal, and Liam Mandeville. The team has scored 23 goals this season while conceding 17, giving them a goal difference of plus six. Their top scorer this season is L. Bonis with 13 goals.
Despite Newport's injury crisis, Mullins struck a defiant tone ahead of the game. "We'll be ready to attack them and try and hurt them," he stated, urging home supporters to get behind the team. The hosts are currently 16th, four points behind Chesterfield, making this a key match in the early-season standings.
For Chesterfield, the focus will be on capitalising on their opponent's weakened state to secure a positive result on the road. The match kicks off under the Rodney Parade floodlights on Friday 30 October.
