A ROUND trip of more than 10,000 miles isn't stopping one Newport County AFC fan missing arguably the biggest game in the club’s recent history.

Gordon Grafft flies into London from California today before jumping on a bus to Newport in readiness for tomorrow's crunch clash with Notts County at Rodney Parade.

The Exiles are fighting to preserve their Football League status and head into the last match of the season knowing a win will keep them up and send Hartlepool United down.

They could still survive should they draw or lose, however, Mike Flynn’s men would then be relying on Pools not beating League Two title challengers Doncaster Rovers.

Mr Grafft, a 25-year-old corporate attorney, says he “fell in love” with the Exiles about a year ago after getting “fed up” following the Premier League.

Attending his first ever Newport game tomorrow, the American can’t wait to sample the highly charged atmosphere on the Hazell Terrace, but admits to having a lot of pre-match nerves.

“I am incredibly nervous,” he said. “I feel confident that Mike Flynn will have the team prepared and that more than 7,000 supporters will have Rodney Parade rocking, but anything can happen.

“If I was sure they would stay up, I wouldn't make the trip.”

He continued: “This will be my first match in person. A couple of times previously I had been hoping to make the trip but it didn't work out, but this time there was no way to say no.

“The last time I actually saw them live on TV was the FA Cup second round replay. Like everyone else, we had high hopes that a trip to Anfield would be on the cards but it wasn’t to be.”

Newport County USA is a fans’ group set up by Mr Grafft and one of his friends, and while it is a very small operation at the moment, the two are trying to spread the word.

“My mate Sean and I had both been watching Premier League football week in, week out for years,” he said.

“At a certain point we got fed up with supporters where anything other than a 3-0 victory was “embarrassing”.

“We fell in love with Newport County because of its history, its personality and its supporters.

“We've been following the club for almost a year now and it's been a great ride.

“We know we're new to the support and that this weekend is about all those who have been supporting the club for far longer, but I'm hoping the trip shows how much Newport County USA does care and earns us a few new friends and a bit of respect.”

He added: “We've gotten a few friends to adopt the club as a second team, but it's mainly just the two of us following the live tweets, Vine interviews and YouTube videos.

“We're always looking for additional support, but we haven't crossed paths with too many ex-pats in California supporting Newport County yet.

“It's been a bit odd trying to explain all this to my co-workers.

“The conversations have usually started with something like "okay, so you know how English football has promotion and relegation?" You can imagine how it goes from there.

“Those that know about Newport County USA understand though, this is a huge moment for the entire support and I'm very excited to be part of it.”