Newport County have shown significant firepower by scoring eight times in their opening three League Two matches and have now further increased their options by securing a deadline day loan deal for 6ft 9in forward Kyle Hudlin from League One side Huddersfield Town.
The former Solihull Moors player made nine appearances in the Championship for relegated Huddersfield Town last season before joining Burton Albion on loan in January.
Newport County Disaply All or Nothing Approach in Opening Fixtures
It has an exhilarating start to the 2024/25 League Two campaign for fans of Newport County. They were defeated in a five-goal thriller against newly promoted Chesterfield in the season opener before suffering a 4-1 reverse against Leyton Orient in the Carabao Cup. They have, however, responded impressively by winning their last two league matches.
Newport County have won back-to-back home outings by a scoreline of 3-1 with wins over Doncaster Rovers and Accrington Stanley. They were second best in both of these matches and managed to score six times amazingly from just 18 shots in total over these victories.
The manager has chopped and changed his formation in the opening four fixtures but appears to have settled on a 5-3-2 shape, with summer signing Courtney Baker-Richardson the star man in attack, scoring twice and providing an assist since returning to the club he left in the summer of 2022.
Newport County have also signed forwards Bobby Kamwa and Hamzad Kargboon on free transfers from League One side Burton Albion and Championship club Queens Park Rangers respectively after losing Omar Bogle and Will Evans in the summer transfer window.
They have displayed a clinical edge, scoring eight times from an expected goals tally of just 5.14 but they do have the second-highest expected goals against in the division of 5.75. It has been an all-or-nothing approach from Nelson Jardim’s team and they have now added another dimension to their play with the signing of towering forward Kyle Hudlin.
Kyle Hudlin Looking to Replicate Solihull Moors Form
The 24-year-old had two seasons in the National League with Solihull Moors and this is still his only regular first-team football, despite departing the club in the summer of 2022. He scored 15 times for the National League side from 62 matches but has found his opportunities limited since attempting to breakthrough at Huddersfield Town.
A loan spell at AFC Wimbledon produced four goals in the EFL trophy but his progression has stalled as he is yet to score a league goal since leaving the National League. He has made just 27 appearances across the three Football League divisions, averaging just over 26 minutes per outing.
The move to Newport County is a chance to relaunch what appeared to be a promising career during his days in the National League. The club have confirmed the player will join up with the squad on Monday after completing a loan move on transfer deadline day. If Hudlin can force his way into getting regular game time at the League Two side, he should get plenty of opportunities to score his first Football League goal judging by the approach taken by Newport County in their early season games under the new manager.
Nelson Jadrim had this to say about his new arrival:
“It’s going to be easy to recognise him on the pitch!
“I always think about the qualities he has as a footballer and obviously losing Hamzad (Kargbo), who had his shoulder surgery this week, we fall short in terms of strikers. We felt Hudlin would be the best option for us to provide the cover we felt we needed.
“He is certainly a player who can affect both boxes and will bring more options to the club.”