Crole in line for first County start at Bristol Rovers

Newport County are set to be without midfielder Matt Smith as well as suspended striker Nathan Opoku for Saturday's trip to relegation rivals Bristol Rovers, which could pave the way for James Crole to get his first start for the club.

Crole scored 11 goals in the first half of the season for Cymru Premier side Penybont but is yet to get off the mark for the Exiles following his January move to Rodney Parade.

"Every time James came on, he did really well," said Newport boss Christian Fuchs.

"He knows how to use his body and lay off the ball which is good for us when we have a hold-up striker that can protect the ball and bring more bodies forward to support him."

Opoku is suspended after being sent off against Accrington but Fuchs is still full of praise for the on-loan Leicester forward.

"The amount of miles he put in to help us defensively was incredible, that to me again shows how much the boys have bought in and how much they want to help the club to be successful," said Fuchs.

Gerard Garner could add to the forward options, with Fuchs saying he is "getting very close" to a return after injury, but the chances of Smith featuring at the weekend are "fairly slim" after he came off at half-time on Tuesday.

"I still keep my hopes up, but it doesn't look too promising," he said.

Fuchs has not ruled out new signings before Monday's January transfer deadline, especially in midfield.

"We are weighing our options right now. It's a position even before Matt went down, that we identified we might need to bring an extra player in," he added.