We begin our Emirates FA Cup campaign for another season this Saturday, taking on Peterborough United in the first round at Rodney Parade.
The Exiles have great history in the competition, pulling off memorable scalps against Leicester City, Leeds United and holding Tottenham Hotspur to a famous replay at Wembley.
As part of the pre-match build-up, we take a look back at the memorable 2018-19 campaign with striker Padraig Amond, who started and scored in every round that season.
Round One saw the Exiles enter the competition with an away tie against seventh-tier side Metropolitan Police.
Despite challenging conditions, County showed remarkable character to secure a 2-0 victory, with goals from Amond and Jamille Matt.
Amond opened the scoring from a corner, having already hit the post and had a header ruled out for offside. Newport doubled their lead shortly after half-time when Matt scored from close range.
Looking back at the opening fixture against the non-league side, Amond said: "The weather conditions that day were horrendous and it had every chance of being a potential banana skin match. Looking back, my main memory is that we probably should have been beaten; in fact, we should have been a couple of goals down early in the first half.
“I remember having a goal disallowed, and looking back, there must have been five or six players playing me onside.
"I thought it was going to be one of those days where nothing goes your way, but we had a bit of luck with the first goal, and after that, the game swung in our favour.
“We were glad to get through the game with a victory - that was the main aim for us."
Next up for County was an all-Welsh derby against Wrexham at Rodney Parade in Round Two. After a goalless draw in the opening fixture at the Racecourse, Newport returned home and delivered an emphatic 4-0 victory in front of a lively crowd.
The game was turned in Newport's favour after Wrexham's Luke Young received an early red card for a dangerous tackle. Amond's header put the Exiles ahead, followed by goals from Jamille Matt, a Mark Carrington own goal, and Dan Butler’s left-footed drive.
"The first leg was probably a game we should have lost,” recalled Amond. “I remember the build-up to the match being a bit strange - Shrewsbury had just sacked their manager, and both Flynny (Michael Flynn) and Ricketts (Sam Ricketts) were the two favourites for the job. However, a couple of hours before the game, it was announced that Ricketts wasn’t going to be taking the match and was going to Shrewsbury, so we got lucky up there.
"When we went back to Rodney Parade, we knew that every time we played at home in the FA Cup, we always seemed to do really well. They had a red card early in the game, which really helped us, and from that moment, there was only ever going to be one winner.
"Winning the welsh derby and earning the bragging rights for the fans that night was amazing."
The Exiles advanced to face former Premier League champions Leicester City in the third round, where they achieved one of the biggest upsets in their history.
Jamille Matt’s header gave Newport the lead, but Rachid Ghezzal equalised for Leicester before Amond’s decisive penalty, awarded for a handball by Marc Albrighton, sent the crowd into raptures.
Reflecting on a memorable night against the foxes, Amond said: “Going into these types of games against Leicester, you had to believe you could create an upset. The big thing for us was that we were welcoming the Premier League champions from the previous season and we knew we could hurt them.
“Leicester had an unbelievable side, players who had won the league, full of internationals, champions league players, you name it. They had so much quality.
“We knew, however, there was a chance because we always believed that, especially after the Leeds and Tottenham scalps the previous season. We fell short against Spurs the year before and we all used that as motivation.
“Robbie’s cross from the right was brilliant for Jamille's goal. It was a coincidence that he headed in at the far post from the same place I scored from against Tottenham the previous season.
"I think Leicester scored roughly the same time as Harry Kane did the previous season too. We were almost thinking ‘ah here we go again’ but thankfully, straight away from kick-off, we found the winner.
“It was great moment to have that chance to score the goal and you were just praying that we held on to secure that big upset.”
Following their victory over Leicester, the Exiles faced Middlesbrough in the fourth round.
After a late equaliser from Matty Dolan forced a replay, Newport dominated the return fixture, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Willmott and Amond.
This victory propelled Newport into a fifth-round clash against Manchester City.
“The goal against Middlesbrough is by far my best goal in terms of technical ability, but the funny thing is we never worked on that corner," Amond said of the winning goal.
“The corner was something that we came up with at half-time, I remember speaking to Hatts [Wayne Hatswell] who took all the set plays and we watched back a couple of corners in the first-half and pin-pointed a weakness at the near post.
“The only people who knew about that routine were myself, Robbie and Mark O’Brien. OB did a great job to block the defender and once Robbie knew what I was doing he just rolled the ball back to me.
“It was one of them things that you could practice for hours and hours on the training ground. Sometimes you could practice that the day before the game and it wouldn’t come off, but you knew in a game like that you would get it right.
“It was a brilliant feeling after that because you knew with a two-goal cushion that you were near enough through to facing the Premier League champions."
The Exiles' remarkable FA Cup journey culminated in a fifth-round match against Premier League giants Manchester City.
Newport aimed to make history as the first fourth-tier team to reach the last eight since 1990. They put in a commendable performance, holding City goalless at halftime, but ultimately fell 4-1. Newport had their chances, with Tyreeq Bakinson missing a close-range header saved by Ederson.
Phil Foden's two goals, alongside strikes from Leroy Sané and Riyad Mahrez, ended Newport's hopes. Amond scored a late goal, maintaining his record of scoring in every round of the competition, which briefly sparked hope among the home fans.
Despite the defeat, Newport's supporters gave their team a standing ovation at full time, celebrating their incredible cup run.
Reflecting on that unforgettable tie, Amond said: "The whole memories of that game for everyone were incredible. The calibre of players they had were unbelievable. The whole occasion that evening was just so, so special. It was a crazy period of time for everyone.
“On the night, some of the players and touches I saw were just world-class. They were a step ahead of everyone we had played that season. To get to half time at 0-0 was a brilliant achievement and we just tried to break the game down into chunks - 10 minute blocks to be exact.
“Again it was funny, but I remember we all walked off the pitch after City disappointed. After conceding those two late goals, we all believed we could get something from the game.
“We always fancied ourselves at home against anyone in front of the Amber Army.”
During his five years with the Exiles, the forward built a strong relationship with the Amber Army and was a popular figure at the Club.
The Irishmen scored 41 times in 167 appearances, winning the FA Cup Golden Ball and County Player of the Season award in 2019.
Amond concluded: “I had the best time at the club. Newport will always hold a special place in my heart and our families because our two kids were born there in the city.
“I loved Newport as a city and a football club, and I loved pulling that shirt on each week. I had some great memories at the club and I only look back at them with fondness."
