FORMER Newport County AFC striker Frank Nouble claims he may well have stayed at Rodney Parade if the club hadn’t changed what they were offering him during the summer.

Nouble is expecting a mixed reception when he returns to Newport with Colchester United tomorrow.

The 27-year-old scored 10 goals in 52 league and cup appearances for the Exiles last season but he was not always popular with a section of the fan-base.

And his decision to reject a new contract offer from County in favour of a two-year deal at Colchester will add fuel to the fire as the sides go head to head this weekend.

But Nouble insists he has happy memories of his time in Wales and explained why he moved on after just one season.

“I’m looking forward to going back but I’m expecting a mixed bag of a reception,” said the striker.

“I will always have only good things to say about Newport County.

“They have a great fan-base, and a great manager and although they are not one of the bigger clubs in the League, they have been up near the top for the last couple of years.

“I got offered a deal, and they then tried to offer me something else, but it wasn’t what I wanted, so I moved on.

“I’m sure anyone else would do the same thing, in their line or work.

“I did stay at Newport for a whole year, which makes a change,” he added.

“Usually I have ended up going on loan to other clubs, for a month or so, hence why I have played for many clubs.

“I was lucky to lay down some roots at Newport, but now I’m at Colchester on a two-year deal and I don’t see myself moving, although I know that if I don’t continue to do well, then I will be asked to move on.”

Nouble has so far bagged four goals in 17 appearances for the U’s, although all four have come in home games.

He would love to get his first goal on the road at Rodney Parade and get one over on his former side tomorrow.

“It’s a big game, because Newport, like ourselves, are going well in the league,” he said.

“It’s a chance to go second in the league, if we win, so that’s a big incentive.

“I don’t really mind how we play, as long as we win!

“For me, it would be the icing on the cake to win this weekend, and for us to finish above Newport in the league.”

Colchester start the day in third place, while County are two points behind in sixth.

“Newport had a very young team last season, a bit like the team at Colchester now, with only a couple of older players so I had to take ownership as well,” he added.

“They were above us for a long time in the table, which I didn’t expect, although I knew that they would do well this season.

“I have a lot of good memories from my time there. The manager played me as a striker for the first month, and things went well, but he then chose to play me in a wider role, so that I could get on the ball more, which worked well for most of the season.

“But I think we should be looking forward, not backwards. We are fighting to go second in the table, and whatever happens this weekend, we will still be in the top seven which is a good place to be at this stage of the season.”