Carlow's Pádraig Amond takes a shot at FA Cup history
Padraig Amond of Newport County celebrates after scoring in the FA Cup clash against Manchester City last year. Picture: Michael Regan/Getty Images
One more goal.
That's all Pádraig Amond needs against Brighton tomorrow to rewrite FA Cup history.
One more goal, to add to the dozen FA Cup goals he's scored over the past five years, and the Carlow man will move ahead of Robbie Keane and Jon Walters as the all-time Irish record goalscorer in the competition.
One more goal would move him above England legend Alan Shearer, and draw him level with Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, and Mark Hughes.
Two of his goals came in a first-round game for Grimsby back in 2015, but that brace against St Alban's gave no indication of what was to follow.
A spell with Hartlepool was fruitless when it came to FA Cup time, but the move to Newport in 2016 has led to the Irishman creating a legacy for himself and the Welsh club.
“I did an interview last year and I was told that before I joined Newport they'd only reached the third round once in 30 years...now we've been there — minimum — four seasons in a row since I arrived,” Amond said.
“There's been a core group of 8, 9, 10 players involved in those years, so it's obviously not just me, but it's been brilliant.
“It is mad, really, it's a weird experience.”
The game against Brighton will mark Amond's 19th FA Cup game for League Two Newport, and in the previous 18 games he's experienced defeat just three times — against Spurs (after a replay), Manchester City, and Millwall.
Leeds, Leicester, and Middlesbrough are three of the heavyweight clubs to have been dispatched in that time, while Amond has scored against Spurs, Leicester, Middlesbrough, and Man City, among others.
“If you ask my friends and family to pick a favourite goal, they'd say the Man City goal, but we lost that game,” Amond says.
“It was great to score, but my biggest regret is not celebrating longer. I scored [to make it 1-2 with minutes remaining] and through my professionalism and naivety, I thought we'd get a chance to get the second goal to equalise, and we took the ball back quickly for a kick off.
“I didn't know they'd score almost instantly and again before full-time...
“Leicester was great because it was a game on , prime time Sunday night. A friend sent me a picture of the viewing figures and it was about seven million, one of the most viewed games.
One more goal today would require a reshuffling of some great names in the FA Cup goalscoring charts, but Amond knows he has already left a lasting impact at Rodney Parade.
A fan-owned club, Newport has been a prudently-run organisation, but during the current pandemic it's the FA Cup money that rolled into the club over recent seasons that has left them more comfortable than most lower league clubs.
The cash that was generated by two games against Spurs, the win over Leicester, and other televised clashes arrived, like a good striker's run, with perfect timing.
“Scarily enough, it's that money that has put us in a position to not be as affected as other clubs,” he said.
“The prize money and TV money in those four years has been vital. As a collective unit, in the dressing room, we're not silly, we know what it means to get these wins and good draws.
“To lower league clubs, they're kind of like free hits, because you budget with what you know is going to happen over the course of a season, so anything that comes from the Cup is a bonus.
“Those games were massive for the future of the club.
“I know that playing Spurs away in Wembley involves playing on a lot bigger pitch than Rodney Parade. Getting those home games helped.”
Brighton will provide the top-flight opposition in Rodney Parade tomorrow, and though there are no fans involved, it's still an opportunity to make another appearance in the fourth round, and to bolster the coffers for another goal: promotion.
Newport sit second in League Two, one point behind leaders Carlisle, but with a game in hand.
Amond, who previously played for Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division, and Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal's top flight, has never played higher than League Two in British football.
“If we get things right in the FA Cup — let's be honest, we're not going to win it — then a third, fourth, or fifth round appearance is our goal, but the league is a priority for us.
“We played Boro a couple of years ago and when we got a replay at home, with a potential game against City in the next round, we rested players for a league game.
“We got criticised for that, but we made nearly half a million from the games, so the priorities can change.
“But as players, we want to win things and I personally want to play as high as possible.”
Playing, and scoring, against the likes of Spurs, Leicester and City gave Amond a taste of the very big time — but does he ever wonder if he deserved an opportunity to compete with those teams on a regular basis?
“I think it comes down to right place, right time a lot in this game,” he said.
“Sometimes you can get a move off the back of an FA Cup run, but things have to go your way.
“In 2019, I had that run against Leicester, Boro, and City and I got called into the provisional Ireland squad...if I was out of contract then maybe you'd have clubs taking a chance, but I wasn't and I was probably worth more to the club.
“In my earlier years in England, I played predominantly as a winger, and I was just happy to be playing. Maybe if I was more selfish and said “I want to be a striker', it would have helped, but it's not how I am.
“You do think sometimes, if you got the opportunity 'what could I have done?', but I'm close to 600 professional games now, and I'm very lucky that when 3pm on Saturday comes I'm out there playing this game.
“I'd love to have played for Man United, Liverpool, these teams, but a lot of people would give their right arm to have played as many games as me.
“It's been brilliant and I don't want it to stop anytime soon.”
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