Issa Kargbo makes Newtown switch as right-back arrives from Colwyn Bay

Issa Kargbo, the Irish-Sierra Leonean right-back, has joined Newtown from Colwyn Bay on a season-long loan.

The 24-year-old defender completed the move on 1 September 2026, switching from Cymru Premier club Colwyn Bay to Newtown, who play in the Cymru North. The loan runs until 31 May 2027, when Kargbo is scheduled to return to Colwyn Bay.

Kargbo moves after spending the previous season with Colwyn Bay, having joined them from Bala on a free transfer on 1 July 2025. His move to Bala had also been completed without a fee, following his departure from Ringmahon in February 2025.

The right-back began his senior career with Cork Academy before moving to Cobh Ramblers in January 2022. He later joined Ringmahon, then Bala, before making the switch to Colwyn Bay.

His time at Cobh Ramblers included a Munster Senior Cup triumph in the 2022-23 season. That remains the only listed honour of his career.

Kargbo has already featured in the Cymru Premier during the 2026-27 campaign, making one appearance and playing 23 minutes. He joins Newtown with a recorded market value of €50,000, although no transfer fee has been attached to the loan.

Newtown’s move gives them an established right-back with experience across Welsh football and a career that has also included spells in the Irish game. Kargbo’s arrival also represents a change of level from Colwyn Bay’s Cymru Premier setting to Newtown’s Cymru North campaign.

The transfer continues a sequence of moves for Kargbo, who has changed clubs in each of the past four seasons. His earlier switches to Cobh Ramblers, Ringmahon, Bala and Colwyn Bay were all completed as free transfers.

Kargbo is now a Newtown player until the end of the loan period, with his return to Colwyn Bay scheduled for 31 May 2027.