Newport County 3-0 Rochdale result, stats and report

Bradford City saw off Rochdale 2-0 in the Carabao Cup first round, but a conversion rate that should embarrass a Sunday league side means the margin of victory flatters no one. The result is the result. The performance is a different conversation.

AFC Wimbledon rescued a 1-1 draw against Newport County in the Carabao Cup first round, scoring deep into stoppage time after Newport had broken the deadlock on 71 minutes. The result is a fair reflection of a match where Wimbledon dominated possession and volume of attempts but could not convert their superiority into goals until the very last moment.

Newport County came to Holker Street and did the basics better than the home side. Barrow lost. That is the long and short of it.

Two of League Two's most vulnerable sides met at Whaddon Road in a fixture that carried genuine survival implications. The underlying numbers for both clubs make for uncomfortable reading.

Bradford City open their Carabao Cup campaign at home to Rochdale on Saturday, carrying the weight of a difficult domestic run into a competition where cup football has a habit of producing surprises.

With survival almost certainly beyond both clubs, Saturday's meeting between Barrow and Newport County at Holker Street on 2 May 2026 carries the weight of a season that has gone badly wrong for two League Two bottom-half sides. Marcus Vale breaks down what the numbers tell us.