Newcastle United Under-21s claimed a 3-0 home win against Fulham on a memorable night at Whitley Park.
Newcastle United Under-21s made it two wins in their last three games with a 3-0 victory against Fulham on a night when Magpies goalkeeper Aidan Harris found the net and Sean Neave scored just days after making his first-team debut.
Highly-rated striker Neave came off the bench during the latter stages of Wednesday night’s 6-1 win in the first leg of the Champions League play-off tie with Azerbaijani champions Qarabag to make his senior bow after 23 previous unused substitute appearances in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. After returning from Azerbaijan on Thursday, Neave was thrust into the action for the Magpies Under-21s and opened the scoring from the penalty spot with 12 minutes on the clock after he had been upended by a Fulham defender.
However, Neave’s striker was overshadowed by a quite remarkable moment two minutes into the second half as Magpies keeper Harris, who was also on the first team bench in midweek, sent a 75-yard clearance away from his own area, over Cottagers goalkeeper Alex Borto and into his net. An air of disbelief lingered across Whitley Park as those on and off the pitch took a moment to process what they had witnessed before Harris was swamped by his team-mates.
“It’s just good to spread the goals around the team,” joked Magpies Under-21s interim coach Robbie Stockdale as he spoke to The Gazette after the win. “As soon as he struck the ball I thought that’s going to be close. I actually played in a game when the Tranmere goalkeeper scored in League One and it’s very rare. I’ve not seen it since then. He’s obviously telling everyone he meant it and he’s chuffed to bits. It’s just one of those things. He can strike a lovely ball, he had the wind behind him and he caught it flush. These things happen.”
Talent
There was another memorable moment with just under 20 minutes remaining as half-time substitute Michael Mills grabbed his first Under-21s goal just days after celebrating his 17th birthday and putting pen-to-paper on his first professional contract. A clean sheet, a comfortable win and three goalscorers making headlines for eye-catching reasons ensured it was an overwhelmingly positive night for Stockdale and the Magpies academy coach praised an impressive display from his players.
He said: “I thought we played very well. We were very good in possession, out of possession we were very strong, we probably could have scored two or three more goals in all honesty. It just shows we have got good players that are willing to run hard, compete and do all of the bits of the game you have to do and if you do, the talent shines through. We are really pleased with them.”
Newcastle United Under-21s: Harris, Shahar (M.Miley), Watts, Pivas, Thompson, Finneran, Fitzgerald (Palmer), Bailey, Neave (Mills), Munda, Seung-soo (Moran) Sub: Jones
Fulham Under-21s: Borto, De Jesus (Walters), Nsasi, Amissah, Esenga, White, Chingwaro (Dair), Olyott, Quashie, Ali Wahid (Zepa), Wingate (Slade) Sub: Mayer.
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