MANAGER Jimmy Dack has backed top scorer Aaron O’Connor to fire Newport County AFC into the League Two play-off places again at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

O’Connor scored his first goal since December to beat his former club Luton Town at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night.

And Dack believes that can be the springboard for the 31-year-old as he looks to match the sort of scoring spree that saw him hit six goals in six games before a red card against Stevenage on December 13.

“I’m delighted for Aaron O’Connor because we need his goals and he’s felt a bit under pressure but he produced,” said Dack ahead of the trip to promotion rivals Plymouth.

“The hardest thing in football is to score goals and if the strikers are not scoring then it puts more pressure on the defenders.

“But it is a team game; you need your defenders to keep clean sheets and your strikers to score goals and it all worked in tandem against Luton.

“They all work hard but Aaron O’Connor works his backside off and he deserved his goal.

“On his day he is as good as anything in this league,” added Dack. “We all know that but we’ve got to get him on those days more frequently.

“When he’s in the mood he is an absolute danger.”

O’Connor is now on nine goals for the season, two ahead of Chris Zebroski who could start alongside him at Home Park.

Midfielder Yan Klukowski is the next highest scorer on six, including a vital double at Wycombe Wanderers last month, while Mark Byrne has four goals to his name and Darren Jones and Adam Chapman have three apiece.

Of the other strikers is the Exiles squad, Miles Storey has two goals since his arrival on loan from Swindon Town, Shaun Jeffers has also netted twice but Rene Howe and Joe Parker are yet to score.