PADRAIG Amond’s first-half strike gave Newport County AFC victory against Cheltenham Town at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night.

Here’s some things were learned from an Exiles win which takes them up to sixth place in League Two.

1. Amond shows you should never stop trying

It wasn’t Padraig Amond’s afternoon on Saturday as the Irishman seemed to be a magnet for the ball against Wycombe but couldn’t convert a handful of chances.

Boss Michael Flynn said after that 0-0 draw he had confidence in the striker to get it right – and Amond duly repaid that faith on Tuesday night.

He was in the right place at the right time to convert Ben White’s miscued shot in the 35th minute, and hopefully he can add to that at former club Morecambe on Saturday.

2. County need their other Irishman back

It was another clean sheet on Tuesday but, like against Wycombe, the hosts certainly rode their luck at the back and could well have conceded, especially in the closing stages.

Mark O’Brien has missed the last two games and, while his side haven’t let any in, his presence will give County that extra authority they need.

3. Full-backs deserve credit

David Pipe and Dan Butler have been two of County’s most consistent performers – and they were at it again on Tuesday.

The ever reliable Pipe came in against Wycombe when Mark O’Brien picked up a foot injury last week and is belying his 33 years.

On the opposite side to Pipe, Butler is another tireless runner up and down the left flank, earning plenty of plaudits from the fans on social media.

4. County mentally stronger

“We’d have lost the game last season” has been a common sentence spoken or written by the manager, players and supporters on several occasions so far this term.

While things might not be 100 per cent defensively, the fact that County have only lost one League Two game to date speaks volumes about how difficult they are to beat.

That couldn’t be said last season, or the season before that, as the team were seen as pushovers by some of their rivals.

5. The new pitch looks great – so far

We won’t get too excited just yet given only a handful of games (football and rugby) have been played on it, but the new pitch at Rodney Parade looks very good.

And to be fair, the battering it took on Tuesday night gave the playing surface a severe test of its credentials.

Let’s hope the days of postponed and abandoned matches are now well and truly behind us.