Football is a sucker for a homecoming narrative. Newport County is no exception. The League Two outfit has snapped up veteran striker Christian Doidge on a free transfer, bringing the 33-year-old back to where it all started. He was floating in the free-agent pool after Forest Green Rovers cut him loose at the end of last season.
How long is he staying? Newport isn’t saying. The club kept the contract length under wraps, a classic move for a veteran signing.
For Doidge, the move is pure romance. He grew up in Newport. He stood on the terraces. He even dressed up as a mascot at the old Spytty Park. “It’s just really special to come home and play for the club I grew up watching,” Doidge admitted, ticking every box in the PR handbook.
He isn’t the only one making the trip from Gloucestershire to South Wales. Fellow forward Yahya Bamba also swapped Forest Green for Newport recently. Add non-league recruit Shaquille Gwengwe to the mix, and the Exiles’ frontline is looking entirely rebuilt.
Doidge’s career has been a long, winding road. He started in the Welsh lower leagues with Cwmbran Celtic and Barry Town before Dagenham & Redbridge gave him his English break. Then came Forest Green, a promotion to the EFL, a brief stint at Bolton, and a high-flying spell at Hibernian that almost earned him a Wales cap. Now, the circle is complete. He’s back home. Let’s see if the fairy tale has any legs left.
