Newcastle United news: Former Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest midfielder Jack Colback has found himself a surprising new club.
Colback has been without a club for over six months after leaving Queens Park Rangers during the summer. Colback spent two seasons at QPR, but was released by the London club following the expiration of his contract.
At 36, Colback will now be playing non-league football in the Northern Premier League in the eighth-tier of English football - six divisions lower than he was whilst at QPR. Colback, though, is not the only member of the Anstey Nomads squad that has significant EFL and even Premier League experience under their belt.
David Nugent, scorer of one England goal in his only cap for his country, is also part of the Anstey Nomads squad. Nugent, who played just-shy of 100 Premier League matches whilst at Middlesbrough, Leicester City, Burnley and Portsmouth during his career, has often featured on the bench for his club this season.
Former Sunderland and Derby County striker Martyn Waghorn also signed for them in December. Waghorn netted 78 times in the Championship during his career, with 16 of those coming in a particularly fruitful season with Ipswich Town in 2017/18. Two years prior to that, Waghorn scored 20 goals for Scottish giants Rangers in the Scottish Championship.
Colback, therefore, will be joining a very experienced squad and a club that made headlines, in the north east anyway, for their victory over Hartlepool United in the FA Trophy back in December. Pools were beaten 2-1 on that day with Nomads goalkeeper Anthony Nunez saving a penalty to preserve his side’s lead and secure their progress against Enterprise National League opposition.
Jack Colback’s post-Newcastle United career
Colback famously crossed the Wear-Tyne divide in 2014, joining Newcastle United from Sunderland on a free transfer. Colback immediately became a regular under Alan Pardew on Tyneside, making 35 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign at St James’ Park.
His four goals that season was his best ever goalscoring return in the league, matching only his four strikes during a season-long loan move to Ipswich Town during the 2009/10 season. Colback would spend three seasons in and around the Magpies’ first-team, with his time as a regular culminating in helping Newcastle United lift the Championship trophy under Rafa Benitez.
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As his side celebrated promotion back to the Premier League, though, Colback was not part of the Spaniard’s plans and after spending half a season in the reserves, he was sent on-loan to Nottingham Forest. The City Ground would be where the midfielder would spend the next five years of his career.
Colback would play a key part in helping Forest to promotion to the Premier League, playing 41 times in the league as they won the play-offs at Wembley under Steve Cooper. However, a major overhaul of the playing squad that summer would once again see Colback slip down the pecking order and after making just 11 top-flight appearances, he would then move onto QPR, again on a free transfer.
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