A Newcastle United academy goalkeeper has embarked on the first loan move of his career in the fourth tier of the non-league game.
Newcastle United academy goalkeeper Tyler Jones is hoping to ‘toughen up’ as he experiences senior football for the first time with a loan spell at Northern Premier League East Division club Ashington.
The Durham-born stopper is yet to feature at Under-21s level for the Magpies but was an unused substitute in six Premier League 2 fixtures last season. He has now followed the lead of fellow academy goalkeeper Aidan Harris in securing first team experience with a loan move in recent weeks after he agreed to join the Colliers on a short-term basis.
Newcastle United academy goalkeeper Tyler Jones is spending time on loan at Northern Premier League East Division club Ashington (photo Ian Brodie)placeholder image
Newcastle United academy goalkeeper Tyler Jones is spending time on loan at Northern Premier League East Division club Ashington (photo Ian Brodie) | Ian Brodie
Far from what some would consider to be the sanitised nature of academy football, life in the fourth tier of the non-league game has provided a significant challenge for Jones as the 17-year-old was thrust into an FA Trophy defeat at Garforth Town less than 24 hours after joining Ashington. His first league appearance came with a 1-1 draw in a Northumberland derby with Blyth Spartans on Monday before he kept the first clean sheet in Saturday’s goalless draw with another local rival, Blyth Town.
The leap from academy football into the intense and physical environment provided by the non-league game has been an eye-opener for Jones - but he is already showing signs of relishing the challenges that it has provided over the last ten days.
Speaking after Monday’s draw at Croft Park, he told The Gazette: “It’s just one step at a time, just trying to get that senior experience and it’s really good to get senior experience in you. It’s the same with Aidan and it’s brilliant for both of us. It’s a lot more physical, it’s a men’s game and the crowd is a big part of it too. There were 1,200 here today, which is a brilliant turnout and it’s a good standard. It will toughen me up, it’s very physical and with me being a young goalkeeper I can see that.”
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Gateshead goalkeeper James Montgomery in action during the FA Trophy quarter-final win over Farsley Celtic (photo Charles Waugh)placeholder image
Gateshead goalkeeper James Montgomery in action during the FA Trophy quarter-final win over Farsley Celtic (photo Charles Waugh) | Charles Waugh
Newcastle will monitor Jones’ progress during his time with the Colliers as they face Hallam and Consett over the next week and will continue to work with the young stopper during the week. Jones is benefitting from working under the watch of three experienced former EFL goalkeepers within the United youth setup and his has stressed the importance of the trio.
“I have Ben Ascroft, James Montgomery and Tony Caig, brilliant coaches and I don’t think I’d be at the standard I am without them,” he admitted. “Training is top, I get brilliant advice from them. Ben has played for Blackburn, Monty has played in the Football League and Caigy was playing at Carlisle so it’s brilliant to learn from pros.”
Experience
Newcastle United goalkeeper Tyler Jones is currently spending time on loan at Northern Premier League club Ashington (credit Ian Brodie)placeholder image
Newcastle United goalkeeper Tyler Jones is currently spending time on loan at Northern Premier League club Ashington (credit Ian Brodie) | Ian Brodie
Jones’ arrival at Ashington has coincided with a difficult time for the Northern Premier League club after long-term supporter Craig Dickinson passed away last week. Several close friends and family members were in attendance for the draw at Spartans and both clubs paid tributes to a man who was a popular member of Ashington’s loyal fanbase. Jones revealed there is a determination within the club to give supporters something to smile about and believes they did so during their hard-earned draw at Croft Park.
The young stopper said: “The fans were amazing today (after the draw at Spartans), you can’t ask much more from them. Obviously, the tragedy the club experienced last week has made it tough for everyone and it’s been really sad for us all but we are just trying our best to make them feel as best as possible. It’s been brilliant so far and all of the fans have made me feel so welcome. I spoke to Nicky (Gray, Ashington manager) on the phone, I wanted to come and get experience and it’s been brilliant so far for me.”
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