Nearly two thousand years ago, the Roman Legion of Augustus II advanced up the River Usk to establish a fortress at Caerleon. It became one of the most important military strongholds in Roman Britain, securing the frontier and keeping watch over the fiercely independent Celtic tribes of south-east Wales.
By contrast, the modern day Roman invasion of Gwent was rather more civilised.
As part of AS Roma’s summer ritiro in South Wales, an improbable friendly brought the Italian giants to the banks of the Usk to face Newport County, a club that had survived relegation from the Football League by the narrowest of margins only a few months earlier.
The occasion captured the imagination of the city. Rodney Parade was packed to capacity, while The Exiles marked the event by wearing a specially commissioned “Imperium” shirt celebrating the area’s enduring Roman heritage.
It was an evening that those in attendance will remember for years to come. Una bella serata. Bathed in golden evening sunshine, the ramshackle old stadium provided an unlikely stage as World Cup winners, European champions and international stars shared the pitch with League Two journeymen in one of the most remarkable fixtures in Newport County’s history.
Calcio England 