NEWPORT County AFC’s Padraig Amond believes all the pressure will be on Leeds United in Sunday’s FA Cup third round showdown at Rodney Parade (kick-off noon).

Amond, a scorer in his side’s last two games, would love to make it three in as many matches when the Championship outfit come to town.

And he reckons the tie is practically a “free shot” for the Exiles, who are 53 places below their visitors in the Football League.

The 29-year-old told iFollow Exiles: “They are going to be very tough to beat but it’s a great tie for the club.

“Leeds are a massive club, always have been in England, and I’m sure they are going to bring a lot of vocal fans on the weekend.

“They will want to win the game and they’ll probably see it as a banana skin.

“We have to make sure that we put ourselves about the place and try to get something out of it.

“Leeds obviously have a lot of talented players.

“It’s quite hard to single out anybody really because they are multi-million-pound players every single one of them.”

He added: “It’s going to be a brilliant day.

“When you get this place (Rodney Parade) full it can make a lot of noise, as we saw the last few games of last season.

“It can suck a goal in at any stage of the game but, look, it’s a game we’re really looking forward to and the FA Cup is made for scalps so let’s hope it’s us on the weekend.

“We’ll do all our homework on them ready to make sure we give a good account of ourselves on Sunday.

“It’s a free shot really because there’s no pressure on us.

“All the pressure is on them so hopefully we can get a good performance and a good result.”

Amond was a spectator when the sides met in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, having completed his move from Hartlepool United before the game.

He said: “I was at the game to meet everybody.

“It was a fantastic performance from the team and it should never have been 5-1 (to Leeds).

“It probably should have been 5-5, and I was excited by what I saw.”

As for the club’s long-term goal this season, he continued: “The play-offs are the aim, I suppose.

“We’re not a million miles away from the automatic places either, so we just need some consistency and win the games that we should be winning. If we keep grinding out results then who knows.

“It’s a good start to 2018 so let’s see what happens, we know we are talented enough and it’s just about seeing where it takes us in the next six months.”

Strikes against Cheltenham Town and Exeter City have delighted the forward, and his manager.

“That’s two in two for him now and that’s why I brought him to the club,” said County boss Michael Flynn.

“He hadn’t started a game for a while and sometimes players need to come out of the team just to refresh themselves.

“He’s brilliant for us and it’s not just his goals, it’s his all-round play – that was the reason I wanted him at the club.”