Newport County ace targets cup shock against West Ham United

Amond scored in every round of the FA Cup last season, helping Newport County AFC beat Leicester City and Middlesbrough and push Manchester City all the way in round five, and also netted against Tottenham Hotspur in 2018.

And he wants to carry that form into the Carabao Cup and help County cause another shock against the Hammers tonight.

“Hopefully I can get another goal, but if I play terrible and we win the game I’ll be happy,” said the 31-year-old, who scored the winner against Crewe Alexandra on Saturday.

“It’s about winning the game and doing a job for the team.

“But hopefully I can enhance my reputation again and keep my good record going that I had last season, albeit in a different cup."

“We like these ones,” he added. “It’s great that we’re welcoming another Premier League team to Rodney Parade.

“They’ve come quite regularly over the past few years and hopefully this is another magical cup night.”

Amond believes that the Exiles cup exploits over the past two seasons will mean that the Hammers know what to expect this evening.

“It’s a free game for us, but nobody fancies coming here,” he said.

“They’ll obviously have seen what’s happened to teams that have come here over the last couple of years so they won’t be taking us lightly.

“But we’ve got nothing to lose. We’ll give it everything we have and see where that takes us.

“Every couple of years, certain clubs get a reputation for themselves in the cups.

“It’s a great reputation to have and it’s a game we’re really looking forward to.

“We’re the ones who’ve got nothing to lose – they have everything to lose and I don’t expect them to play a weakened team.”

Centre-back Mark O’Brien, who will captain the side if Joss Labadie fails to recover from a hamstring strain, is also relishing another big night at a packed Rodney Parade.

“We’re familiar with occasions like this now,” he said. “We’ve had great cup runs, we’ve played big teams and great atmospheres and it’s something that we thrive on.

“We know what our fans can be like and when they do turn out, not many teams will want to come down here – whether they’re Premier League or League Two.”

Fellow defender Danny McNamara (above) will need no motivation to take on the Hammers as he’s on loan from their London rivals Millwall and he and his whole family are big fans of the Lions.

“I’m a London lad and I’m a Millwall fan as well so it will be a good one to be involved in,” said the 20-year-old.

“It’s a big game and something to look forward to and hopefully we can get a result.

“My whole family is Millwall. They were all born around the ground. It’s my boyhood team.

“My mum and dad and my girlfriend come to games and my dad follows me up and down the country – he watches me home and away.

“I did get a few messages about tickets after the draw. I think they’ll be a few of my family there!”

Plenty more will be watching at home and McNamara is looking forward to playing in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

“It’s always good if it’s on Sky, people can watch it and put your name about,” he said.

“It’s the first time on telly for me, but we’ll just get on with it as normal and hopefully get a win.

“The league is the priority but the cups are always nice, especially if you get a big team and West Ham could be one of the biggest games of the season.”

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