WITH Newport County AFC's FA Cup clash with Leicester City on the horizon, the city is gaining a reputation for hosting major sporting events, council leader Cllr Debbie Wilcox has said.

The Exiles earned the opportunity to face the former Premier League champions in the third round at Rodney Parade on Sunday, January 6, after trouncing Wrexham 4-0 last week.

This is just the latest in a series of major sporting events in the city, including the first-ever Newport Marathon earlier this year, and County's FA Cup clash with Spurs at Rodney Parade in February.

And in a repeat of the Spurs game, which saw County hold the Premier League giants off to a 1-1 draw in the fourth round, before losing 2-0 in a replay at Wembley, thousands of Leicester fans are expected to flock to Newport for the match.

Newport City Council leader Cllr Debbie Wilcox said the fixture was "another excellent opportunity to show that the city can host big events".

"We have a growing reputation for staging major sporting events," she said.

“The club is having a really good season and I’m sure the team will put on a great performance against another Premiership side following the Spurs visit last season.

"I wish them well for their big FA Cup match.”

And leader of the city's Conservative group Cllr Matthew Evans said the game could provide the city with a much-needed boost at the start of 2019.

"We can all recall the amount of free publicity and press County got during their cup run last year," he said.

"It was great to see a real buzz in the city, and it does have an impact on showing Newport in a good light.

"A lot of people are talking about it, and if they get a victory or a replay it's going to have a massive impact, not just for the club, but for the city.

"I hope the bars, hotels and restaurants take advantage of it."

Tickets are not yet on sale for the showdown on January 6, which will kick off at 4.30pm and will be broadcast live on BBC One and is reportedly set to earn County £200,000 in broadcast income.

When tickets are available, they will be offered first to season ticket holders, trust members and shareholders and then to supporters who bought tickets for the game against MK Dons on Saturday, December 15, before going on general sale.

The club has warned there will be a high level of demand for tickets.