Former Rovers striker Padraig Amond signs extension with Newport County

Former Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers striker Padraig Amond has triggered a one-year extension in his deal with English League Two side Newport County.

The Carlow joined the Welsh club at the beginning of the 2017/18 and scored the opening goal as Newport took Tottenham Hotspur to an FA Cup fourth round replay with a 1-1 draw.

And the 30-year-old will look to go one step further when County welcome Premier League Leicester City to Rodney Parade on Sunday afternoon with a fresh new deal in his back pocket.

"It is great for the football club that Podge has extended his deal,” Newport manager Michael Flynn told the club’s official website.

“Not only is he one of the best strikers in the League, but he is also a top professional and I am so glad he is one of ours for another season."

Amond came through the ranks at Shamrock Rovers before breaking into the senior team during the promotion season in 2006.

After four years in the Rovers senior team, Amond moved to Sligo Rovers and was part of the side that won the 2010 EA Sports Cup and FAI Cup, though he missed the final of the latter.

His form with the Bit o’ Red earned him a move to Portugal and Pacos de Ferreira in September 2010, where he made 17 appearances in 12 months before joining Accrington Stanley.

Spells with Morecambe, Grimsby Town, with whom he won promotion to the Football League, and Hartlepool followed before he joined Newport in the summer of 2017.