Newport County v West Bromwich Albion, John Relish Testimonial, Somerton Park, Friday 3rd August 1984

Ahead of Albion’s Capital One Cup tie with Newport County later this month, we take a look at the programme from the last time the two clubs met each other, a testimonial game for County defender John Relish back in August 1984 at Somerton Park.

Perhaps rather fitting for the occasion the home side beat the Baggies 2-1 in front of 1,535 fans. Steve Hunt scored Albion’s solitary goal.

The visitors lined up as follows: Godden, Whitehead, Statham (Lewis), Hunt, McNaught, Bennett (Robertson), Grealish, Thompson, Regis (Cross), MacKenzie, Morley.

The programme for the game usually changes hands for a couple of pounds and is not particularly rare.

Relish began his playing career as a schoolboy with Liverpool before joining Chester City as an apprentice. He left City in 1974 to join Newport and would go on to spend the next thirteen years of his career at Somerton Park. 

In 1986 Relish actually had a short spell as County player/manager, a role he returned to in June 1989. Relish’s return coincided with the reformation of the club following the original club’s demise in February of that year due to bankruptcy.

Relish remained as manager until 1993, having played his part in Newport’s renaissance by leading them to promotion from the Hellenic League.

Albion travelled to South Wales full of optimism for the season ahead. The return of Johnny Giles as manager six months earlier had raised hopes that the club could once again challenge for silverware. Giles’ first spell as manager from 1975-77 had been a huge success, having led the club to promotion from the second division and then achieving a 7th place finish back in the top-flight. There would however be no fairytale return for the Irishman.

Although the club went on to finish the 1984/85 season in a fairly respectable 12th place, many felt the club were not progressing. The sale of the hugely popular striking duo of Cyrille Regis and Garry Thompson didn’t go down well with supporters and even though they were eventually replaced prior to the 1985/86 season by Imre Varadi and Garth Crooks, the decision to sell the pair remains to this day a dreadful and short-sighted decision.

Giles would last just 10 league games into the 1985/86 season, nine of which were defeats. He would be replaced by Nobby Stiles but results did not pick up as expected and Stiles would himself be replaced by Ron Saunders in February.

Generally classed as Albion’s worst season ever, the club won just four league games all season and were relegated with a paltry total of just 24 points.

Whilst Johnny Giles played a huge part in the club’s success of the late 1970s, there can be no doubt he also played a part in the club’s decline of the mid 1980s.

View the complete programme for the testimonial game here