NEWPORT County AFC match-winner Padraig Amond has insisted he “owed the lads one” against Cheltenham Town after being unable to convert a glut of chances three days earlier.

The 29-year-old Irishman, who goes back to former club Morecambe with the Exiles this Saturday, scored the only goal of the game on Tuesday night as County beat Cheltenham 1-0.

That victory at Rodney Parade came 72 hours after a goalless draw with Wycombe Wanderers, during which Amond could well have registered a hat-trick.

However, he found Chairboys keeper Scott Brown in inspired form and was just off target with his other scoring opportunities.

Speaking following his first-half winner in midweek condemned Gary Johnson’s Robins to a fifth League Two reverse of the season, Amond was delighted to get on the scoresheet.

“It’s a great feeling any time you score the winner,” he said.

“I felt I owed the lads one after the weekend because no matter what I tried Scott Brown seemed to be in the way.

“It was just one of those days and I could have been there until eight or nine o’clock at night trying to score.

“The most pleasing thing is we’ve probably not played as well as we have in other games but ground out a win.

“The gaffer said after that we wouldn’t have won games like that in the last couple of years.

“It makes the start of the season very good and puts us right back into the play-off places.”

He added: “We set our standards off the Chesterfield game, and even though we didn’t play as well as we did then, or against Exeter or Wycombe, we won.

“It’s the ugly side you need to do, you need to win ugly games because you can’t be pretty every time.

“You probably need to win 10 of those a season if you’re going to get out of this division – we can tick them off now.”

And reflecting on Tuesday’s 35th-minute strike, Amond said: “Before the game, Hats (first-team coach Wayne Hatswell) was saying to maybe get across the front of goal.

“I’d had a few chances at the weekend where I’d peeled to the back post, so he said to try that again.

“The ball came in and fell to Ben (White) who hit it, I peeled to the back post, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Thankfully Scott Brown wasn’t there to stop it!

“It was a striker’s goal, a reaction finish, and they are probably the most pleasing ones.

“Give me one of those over a 35-yard strike any day of the week.”

The goal against Cheltenham takes Amond’s tally for the Exiles to two following his first in the 4-1 defeat of Chesterfield.