Newport County are still very much in with a shot of making the play-offs come the end of the campaign, with Michael Flynn's side currently occupying seventh place at the time of writing. 

Losses to Port Vale and Leyton Orient have however stunted their progress and as a result they have come under threat for other sides that are still in the race at this late point of the season.

Therefore Flynn will be looking for his side to bounce back to winning ways on Friday as they travel to Barrow, a side who are still staving off the threat of relegation.

A win for the Welsh club would set them up nicely for their crunch clash against fellow promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers on Monday.

Here, we have devised a list of the top 10 oldest players to ever feature for the Exiles with help from Transfermarkt.

The first name on our list is Paul Hayes, a striker who previously turned out for Newport back in the 2017/18 season, in which he played just 13 times in the league for the club. an experienced player at various levels of the game, Hayes made over 500 league appearances throughout his playing career and was at his most prolific when playing for Scunthorpe United in two separate spells with the Northern club. Born in Dagenham, his older brother Martin is also a football manager and former player. Hayes last turned out for non league side Chatham Town last year.

A well known and popular figure who spent much of his career bouncing around the Football League, Parkin previously turned out for the Exiles back in the 2016/17 season. Easily recognisable because of his sheer size and presence, Jon turned out for several clubs throughout his career, taking in notable spells with the likes of Macclesfield Town, Hull City and Preston North End along the way. He retired in 2019 after turning out for York City over a two year period and now presents his own podcast with his former teammate Chris Brown and comedy writer Chris J. Brown.

Crofts is a player who is better known for his spells at former clubs Gillingham, Norwich City and Brighton and Hove Albion, with the tough tackling midfielder eventually turning out for Newport back in the 2018/19 season, for whom he would make just nine league appearances for. He also took in spells with Charlton Athletic and Scunthorpe United in a career which has covered pretty much every level of the Football League. He now works for Brighton as a player/coach after leaving Yeovil Town and could well be set for a career in management further down the line as he continues his education with the Seagulls.

A defender by trade, James turned out for the Exiles between 2012 and 2014 before then taking a career break. He would then go on to play for Hereford FC over s short period as the reformed club looked to rise back up through the lower tiers of non league in the wake of the demise of the original Hereford United club. James also spent time at West Bromwich and Burton Albion during his career and largely played at centre back after coming through the ranks at the Midlands club. Now retired since 2017, it is as yet unknown as to what he is doing nowadays.

The Welsh full back turned out for Newport back in 2017 and went on to spend two years with the club before hanging up his boots for good after 54 league appearances for the Exiles. This though was his second spell with the club as he had previously played over 100 games for them between 2011 and 2014 and as such he was a character who was well thought of by the club's fans during both spells. In addition to the Exiles, Pipe also turned out for Notts County, Coventry City and Forest Green Rovers in a career which spanned various levels of the Football League.

Bittner spent two separate spells with Newport but only made just two appearances for the Exiles as he was underused during his time with the club. An experienced goalkeeper at various levels of the game, he originally rose through the ranks at Swindon Town before going on to have notable spells with the likes of Salisbury City, Forest Green Rovers and Hereford United. He then went on to do coaching at Reading and still remains to be the club's goalkeeping coach after joining up back in 2018, initially with the under-23s before progressing through to the first team in October 2019.

A central defender by trade, Meite spent a short lived spell at Newport during the 2016/17 season and only played four games for the Exiles before departing for FC Lusitanos in Andorra. He is better known for playing over 150 league games for French giants Marseille and having similar productive spells with the likes of Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion. The Ivorian has also been given caps at national level, turning out for his country on 48 occasions between 2003 and 2011 in what has been a successful career that featured a small stay in Wales with County.

A man who needs no introduction to fans of the club, Flynn is the now manager and former player of the Exiles and previously turned out for the club on over 100 occasions during three separate spells as a midfielder. Originally born in the town of Newport, Flynn spent a vast portion of his career at Football League level and took in stints with the likes of Gillingham, Bradford City, Blackpool and Huddersfield Town along the way. He has been in charge of County since 2017 and has been praised for his attacking style of play and expansive philosophy since being at the helm.

A centre back and left back during his playing days, Hatswell played over 500 career games and turned out for the Exiles on 23 occasions during the 2011/12 season before leaving to join Brackley Town. He is best known for his spells with Kidderminster Harriers, Rushden & Diamonds, Oxford and Cambridge United. He is currently the assistant manager at Newport under Flynn and has helped to progress the team heavily towards a potential promotion to Sky Bet League One. He spent a vast majority of his playing days in non league and then went on to manage Stamford as he entered into the world of coaching.

A striker who will be well known to fans of the lower tiers of the Football League, Ellison only signed for the club this season but has also had a good impact on the squad as they push for promotion to League One under Flynn. Best known for his spells with Morecambe, Rotherham United and Chester City, the 42 year old continues to score goals despite his age and has now amassed an impressive record of over 100 goals during his career in the EFL. He recently hit the headlines for scoring against his old club Morecambe before celebrating in the face of their manager Derek Adams, who released him last summer.