By Bob Dale
Salford City beware! Padraig Amond will be going all out to end his FA Cup goal drought for Newport County when the two League Two sides clash in the second round of the competition.
Yes, that’s right, ‘drought’, for the Irish marksman hasn’t scored in his last two FA Cup ties for the Exiles.
That is certainly unusual and something he intends to address with another potential third round clash with a Premier League titan up for grabs for his club.
His goals against Spurs, Leicester City and Manchester City grabbed national attention during County’s recent FA Cup runs and he managed to score in eight successive rounds.
Last season’s 3-0 defeat at Millwall, and the win over Leyton Orient this season, account for the ‘drought’.
“When I was growing up the FA Cup was a lot more important then than it is now to the top teams. But it has always meant everything to the lower league teams,” said Amond.
“We are a club that is proof of that. The position we are in at the moment is down to the cup runs we have had in recent seasons.
“I love the competition. Watching the FA Cup final as a kid I used to get to see some of the best players in the world playing at Wembley.
“What has happened over the past few years is that we have had the chance to see some of the best players in the world at Rodney Parade. It has been a dream few seasons for me in the cup.
“It was brilliant to have all that going on but it took away a lot of the effort being put in by the other lads. I didn’t do anything else in the game at Maldon and then nipped in to score in the last minute.
“Then it was eight or nine rounds in a row and the momentum kept going. It made a lot more people aware of me because of the amount of goals and who they were against. That’s what the cup is about – making occasions last forever.
“I hope tomorrow is the start of another run either for me or another player. The competition captures everyone’s imagination and, for some reason, everyone remembers a cup win a lot more than a win in any one of 46 league games.
“We are in a good position at the moment, although we are still only 13 games into the league even though we are almost in December. It is still quite early.
“We have a great opportunity this year and the one thing we have this season that we haven’t had in the past is good strength in depth.
“We are better equipped for a cup run, with all the league games around us, than we have been in the past. The cup run caught us out a bit two seasons ago.”
County boss Michael Flynn is another who has earned huge kudos from leading his side into the third round and beyond in recent seasons, but doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a giant-killing manager.
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Flynn wants a promotion on his cv and has every right to think that is achievable this season with his team currently sitting on top of the pile.
“I never used to believe Lennie Lawrence (County’s former managerial consultant) when he said cup success means league failure, but the longer we did it the more often it happened,” admitted Flynn.
“Looking back, the cup runs did affect our league form. It’s not just the games, it is the injuries we picked up and the travelling and the excitement generated around the big games, they all took their toll.”
Not that Flynn is giving up on the tournament this season after seeing his side come from behind to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 in the first round.
With a stronger and deeper squad this season he feels better placed to balance the demands of the league and the cup.
“Let’s win on Saturday and get Liverpool at home. The club would get some money and the players and I’d get to play against Liverpool,” said the self-confessed Liverpool fans.
“Money is important every season. When we played Leeds and Tottenham that cleared debt at the club and we are in a better position now due to our cup runs.
“It is a proud thing for us that we have been able to provide the club with a lifeline.”
Standing between County and another potential third round pay-day is a Salford side packed full of quality.
Their owners have huge FA Cup pedigree, but now Richie Wellens wants last season’s Football League newcomers to start making their own history in the tournament.
“On their day Salford are a real handful. They have pace, creativity and are solid defensively – let’s hope they have an off day,” added Flynn.
“They have got players at the club early fortunes and Richie has got an unbelievable squad for this level. They should be one of the favourites for the league under him.
“But it’s all very good having money and a lot of managers have failed despite having money to spend.”
The last time the two teams met in February, Salford beat Newport 6-5 on penalties in the semi-final of the Football League Trophy. That won’t be weighing on Flynn’s mind, although he has been putting his players through penalty practice this week!
