Matty Longstaff got a run out with the Under-23s this afternoon against the West Brom Reserves. Matty and his teammates played well against a very experienced side that featured a lot of first-team players for the Baggies. Ultimately the lads lost 2-1 on a goal in stoppage time by former Welsh international Hal Robson-Kanu.
Newcastle did get another goal from Thomas Allen whose penalty made it four goals in the last four games. He also turned 20-years-old today.
Happy birthday to @Tom_Allan99, who turns 2?0? today! ??? #NUFC pic.twitter.com/KaUjnCyXvH
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) September 23, 2019
Under-23 coach Neil Redfearn spoke to nufc.co.uk after the game and was delighted with the performance put in by the youngsters:
“I thought the lads were absolutely outstanding. We created the better chances, and we were the better football side and controlled the game. If you look at the team they’ve put out, you’re talking about five or six first-team players.
“It was a great performance from us, and we’re going in the right direction.”
The Newcastle side featured Matty Longstaff and Jamie Sterry, but the West Brom team had a number from their first-team. In addition to Robson-Kanu, West Brom sent out captain Chris Brunt, Omani international Ali Al-Habsi, and Egyptian international Ahmed Hegazi.
Redfearn went on to name a few of the standout performers today. He was particularly impressed with the midfielder trio of Jack Young, Matty Longstaff, Mo Sangare.
This is what Redfearn had to say about the performance and how his youngsters are improving each week:
“We played a bit differently with Matty (Longstaff) coming in and played three in midfield with Luke (Charman) down the middle. I thought the wide players caused them all sorts of problems in Rosaire (Longelo) and Tom Allan.
“I thought the three midfielders were outstanding today in Jack Young, Matty Longstaff, and Mo Sangare. That’s the way to compete in midfield – energetic, aggressive and passing the ball well which gave us a real platform to go and play on.
“Going back to the process, these boys are improving and getting better and better every week. There’s a confidence about us now and a bit of a swagger when we play.”
While they didn’t make it three wins in a row in Premier League 2, they have added another good performance after starting the season with three straight defeats.
91 comments so far
MagpieRanger
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:46 PM
Comment #1Mike Ashley shite himself, he can’t even have a sit down outside in London without getting grief! A small victory.
jimiley
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:48 PM
Comment #2Brighton had 75 per cent possession in first half and nearly 70 per cent over 90 mins.
Utter bollocks. A real embarrassment.
No pride in the shirt.
We used to give the best teams in the league a proper fight. We used to take them on one for on e. And I am not talking about Keegans team. I mean all the Toon teams throughout the second half of 20th century.
Now we defend our box at home against Brighton.
Its a disgrace. Enjoy the season under the leaders Bruce and Ashley. You can believe every word they utter.
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:58 PM
Comment #3Hibbit
I can’t see it being for the fans benefit.
jimiley
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:59 PM
Comment #4The only thing you can be sure about regarding the current ownership is that the club will win nothing.
How do I know?
Because the club is not even trying to win anything.
How do I know?
well honest Steve said the club would focus on winning the Cups (no way can we “win” 4th in the league).
The first test of that statement was 7 injured players for the Cup game against Leicester who were all declared fit 3 days later for the league.
What is the point of the club if it does not even try to win something? To just exist as cannon fodder for others like Brighton.
A joke.
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:59 PM
Comment #5Hiya Mike..
Any chance we can get a few 100 doing that to him every day..
Hiya Mike…
hibbit
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:02 PM
Comment #6OP
nope me neither.
just another scam to screw every penny they can out of the loyal traveling fans.
toon22
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:02 PM
Comment #7Hiya
jimiley
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:05 PM
Comment #860 million spent wisely on Almiron and Big Joe. Who needs Rondon for 16?????
Big Mike will be buying from the monkeyhangers some time soon.
The decision making at the club rivals Corbyn. We can have an election and I will tell you AFTER the election what labour will do about Brexit!!!!!!! But as PM I will not tell you what I think at any time. Some phookin leadership that.
Bills Son Is Back
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:06 PM
Comment #9Jail,
Why do you keep going on about the £61M Bruce got as if that should make him get us a nailed on top 10 spot?
He effectively got Jo and ASM in place of Rondon and Perez, two established Prem players who were our top scorers last season.
It would have been great if we’d spent the £61M and kept Rondon and Perez.
But we didn’t.
So why do you keep banging the drum as if we did??
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:07 PM
Comment #10Jimiley
What’s the point of the club?
Theres many asking that exact question.
SBR said about a club “It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city”
I still feel pride and passion from my city but the football club isn’t a representation of my city.
Newcastle is vibrant passionate exciting hard working and many other things, the club isn’t any of those.
I certainly dont feel like I belong there when I went, I didn’t feel pride in what the owner was serving up and how he was treating our former heroes.
Is it Newcastle United or SD united??
Who’s club is it?????
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:08 PM
Comment #11For my city
Jail for Ashley
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:11 PM
Comment #12Bills Son Is Back,
Because he was delighted with the transfer window, I never mentioned top ten either, I expect him to target more than one point a game though.
Genjikai
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:11 PM
Comment #13The toon has been hijacked simple as that.
jimiley
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:12 PM
Comment #14OP
Its Ashleys club and he has destroyed it.
Supporters who pay up are just keeping Ashley in situ. He is like a python strangling the life out of a gazelle. Some fans must like being crushed.
Bills Son Is Back
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:15 PM
Comment #15Jail,
You never mentioned top 10 and Bruce never mentioned he was targeting a point a game.
Go figure.
Jib
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:18 PM
Comment #16Crushed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9PRLPFbQbo
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:25 PM
Comment #17Genj often mentions the younger generation won’t have Keegan or Robson memories and will only have Ashley.
What people dont mention is how the city of Newcastle was during that period. When Barca were in town or Inter or when Man u got thumped.
The city was bouncing, everyone going to work with a spring in their step and a sore heed.
The buzz in this city when Nufc are doing well is unrivalled anywhere in England, it makes such a difference to everyone who lives here.
Ashley has pissed all over that, not only has he affected NUFCs finances and future but a whole cities.
Where would the club and city now be with Mansours investment instead of the blood sucking of a parasite.
I hope karma is having a really bad day when it catches up with Ashley.
Jib
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:32 PM
Comment #18OP
Do you have health issues ?
Jail for Ashley
Sep 23, 2019 at 6:46 PM
Comment #19Bills Son Is Back,
He did, he said we were a point under par after six games which tells me he is targeting a point a game, unless he has bizarrely plotted a win and three draws from those fixtures or two wins four defeats OR six draws then I think he’s planning on an overall target of 38 points and will seem that a success if we reach that.
MagpieRanger
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:02 PM
Comment #20Ashley is pure evil, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:06 PM
Comment #21Jib
Just wear and tear, a old injury from the forces, going blind but unfortunately not deaf.
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:28 PM
Comment #22No SB in the park tonight but a sweet little staffie called Colin.
Jib
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:36 PM
Comment #23https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/09/23/richard-keys-calls-for-everton-to-sack-silva-and-hire-benitez/
What !!!!
Nufc-83
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:42 PM
Comment #24Jail maybe in your old age the brain isn’t functioning like it used to however I can’t work out why saying we are a point below expected after 6 games means we are targeting 1 point a game over a full season? The games/opposition would have impacted that target not just taking every game as the same target.
Nufc-83
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:44 PM
Comment #25I expected Ashley to be handing over the keys by now to Andrea? Anyone now what’s happened there?
Nufc-83
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:45 PM
Comment #26Know* this phone annoys the hell out of me!!
Munster Mag
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:50 PM
Comment #27Jail if rafa lost his strikers for joe and st max he’d be talking about lamps tables blankets and miracles, just like he did at every other jib he had. And if he got 13th you would be deifying him again. You real are a bore.
Rotonda heights
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:52 PM
Comment #28All of this could have been so avoidable. after 12 years rafa was finally giving ashley a bit of credit and healing the club’s different factions. can’t believe for a moment rafa was asking the earth from ashley. was it really worth buying out bruce and his B team contracts because rafa wanted rondon and some infrastructure upgrades. incredibly stupid car crash waiting to happen now.
Rotonda heights
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:53 PM
Comment #29oh the irony
Jail for Ashley
Sep 23, 2019 at 7:54 PM
Comment #30Nufc-83,
So if he’s plotted just for those six games, which combination of results out of thre three sets that would give six points did he think would happen, I think we can rule out six draws.
Munster Mag
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:02 PM
Comment #31Lilongwe, Darragh, Billson (well u know all tbis already) no point talking Rafa with Jail. Any comment that isn’t positive cannot be accepted by him. We all know rafa is better than SB but there are 200 ways of saying it apparently. And yes if we lost two strikers and replaced them and we barely survived, do you think rafa would be apportioned any blame? Not a prayer, despite what Jail claims.
jasper
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:08 PM
Comment #32The reason Brighton had so much possession was because not only did we not press but many of our players actually stood off their opponents.
This can be difficult to appreciate on tv, the field of view is too restricted. But when in the stadium it was very evident.
Shelvey was the worst, even when a player near him got the ball he would stand off 4-5 yards, allowing the Brighton player to control the ball, look up and pass at his leisure.
No one seemed to know how to deny passing lanes. Never did I see two players pounce on the ball carrier like Fabhourino and Walj (can’t spell either) did to Atsu in Liverpool.
I think Willems was struggling as to what he was supposed to be doing. As usual Hayden seemed to be the only one up for it in midfield but it is impossible to do it alone.
The only problem I have with the account of Hayden saying to Bruce that “it isn’t working” is that there was little evidence whatsoever of what “it” Oudai possibly be. But whatever it was, it was dire.
So the ease with which Brighton moved the ball upfield was positively embarrassing.
Essex Geordie Bill
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:16 PM
Comment #33Completely missed the game but have watched the 30 minute Sky highlights and from what I could see Shelvey was no better or worse than 60% of the rest of the team. As regards his marking I wonder if he is getting spooked about tackling as a lot of the time he ends up with yellow cards. Still a lot of season to go so he might yet win a few of his critics around, be a pity if he can’t as I reckon he’s got a lot to offer the team.
As regards the teams poor passing nowt has changed for well over 5 years in the regard under any manager including Rafa. We were outplayed by a lot of teams in the Championship and certainly most of our time in the EPL, until someone gets a grip of that aspect of our game we are odds on to be 2nd best in our games.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:20 PM
Comment #34Munster,
If Rafa had of sanctioned Joelinton while allowing all three of his top scorers to go the other way then he would have been a fool, he obviously wasn’t going to hang around and watch that car crash happen though was he, I wonder how many times you would have mentioned the Joelinton money if he had, you would have crucified him if he’d spent £40M on a striker who had scored 15 goals in two seasons in the Austrian league.
Essex Geordie Bill
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:21 PM
Comment #35G2 and I worked out that we should give Brucie 7.5 games to prove himself, still 1.5 to go c’mon you Geordie lad show us what you are made of!!
lochinvar
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:24 PM
Comment #36The plot thickens
I had hoped, prayed for and paid the witch doctor for a potion for the following points:
Arsenal = 1 point
Norwich = 1 point
Spurs = 0 points
Watford = 3 points
Liverpool = 0 points
Brighton = 3 points
That’s 8 points in my reckoning and Bruce has delivered 5 , two bore draws at home against Watford and Brighton is crud.
Essex Geordie Bill
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:24 PM
Comment #37Quote from Redfearn above.
“I thought the three midfielders were outstanding today in Jack Young, Matty Longstaff, and Mo Sangare. That’s the way to compete in midfield – energetic, aggressive and passing the ball well which gave us a real platform to go and play on.’
Hmmmmm, I wonder!
Munster Mag
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:29 PM
Comment #38Essex any errant passing under rafa that you mentioned was down to charnley. Consider yourself castigated.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:32 PM
Comment #39lochinvar,
That’s how I see it, so really we’re three ”under par” it seems as though people have accepted that we have deliberately took a step backward as the norm, most clubs look to improve year after year, we have very deliberately decided to be in a relegation battle from the off to ensure that Mikey gets his couple of assets to sell on and it will relegate us, it will be very interesting to see how much this years fire sale will bring in to rebuild the team for the championship.
Munster Mag
Sep 23, 2019 at 8:35 PM
Comment #40Jail he moaned for 20 mill for that useless slow danish striker and wanted sicknote sturridge too. Another potential acquisition never mentioned. As you know, and we all know, its mainly pro with rafa, correctly. But there were negatives too and trying to ignore them is silly. Grow up man