NEWPORT County AFC hope to be spot-on if it goes to penalties at Rodney Parade against Peterborough in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon after being denied three Premier League scalps in shootouts.

The first-round tie with League One Posh will be settled in Newport after the Football Association’s controversial decision, after pressure from heavyweight clubs, to scrap replays.

That has led to Nelson Jardim’s squad adding penalties to their training schedule in a bid to improve their chances.

County drew 0-0 with Fleetwood last weekend after Bryn Morris had a first-half penalty saved while their recent record in shootouts is poor.

At the start of last season Brentford triumphed 3-0 in the Carabao Cup after Adam Lewis hit the woodwork and Nathan Wood and Morris had efforts saved.

In 2020/21, Brighton went through 4-3 on penalties in the third round of the FA Cup after Newcastle breathed a sigh of relief with a 5-4 shootout success in the Carabao Cup.

Those games didn’t have the pressure of a crowd as the fixtures were behind closed doors during Covid while one of the last games before the pandemic was an EFL Trophy semi-final defeat to Salford 6-5 from the spot.

That brought to an end a three-game winning streak in shootouts after wins against Brighton's youngsters in the EFL Trophy, Gillingham in the Carabao Cup and famously Mansfield in the play-off semi-finals.

STOP: Nathan Wood had his penalty saved by Ellery Balcombe of Brentford last seasonSTOP: Nathan Wood had his penalty saved by Ellery Balcombe of Brentford last season (Image: Gareth Everett)

Jardim hopes that his side will cope with the pressure if the tie goes the distance.

The boss said: “We have practiced... Bryn practiced one last week! It just happens, you see Cristiano Ronaldo missing penalties and sometimes you don't give enough credit to the goalkeepers.

“It was a great save and the ball just rolled along the line. It was one of those moments and we have no issues, it's just part of the game.

“We will be practicing again on Friday and you just have to control what you can, making sure the boys are exposed to some of the things that can happen.

“We will look after that, we don't know who will be on the pitch but we will have a list ready.

“You have to be brave, it's one thing to practice in training sessions and another to do it in a game in such an important competition.

“Sometimes it's more to do with emotion and how cool you can be in that moment rather than being very good at the training ground.”

Striker Courtney Baker-Richardson scored penalties against Cheltenham and Accrington but wasn’t on the pitch for Morris saved effort last weekend.