Newcastle United Under-21s boss Ben Dawson felt his side were fully deserving of all three points and bemoaned his side's lack of a penalty following a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough in the Tyne-Tees derby. The result makes it ten games without a win for the young Magpies, who have bid farewell to any faint play-off hopes this season.
Despite having nothing to play for between now and the end of the campaign in terms of team accolades, a number of players are approaching the end of their contract with the club. Dawson was pleased with his side's response after a bright start from the visiting Boro side.
Mark Tinkler's side had three good opportunities to open the scoring inside the first 15 minutes, but Newcastle responded well and had some golden opportunities to win the game.
READ MORE: How Newcastle United U21s vs Middlesbrough U21s played out as derby ends in stalemate
"We probably took twenty minutes to settle into the game, after that I thought we looked pretty comfortable," Dawson told Chronicle Live. "First-half we probably had the three best chances in the game, similarly up until the point where Max [Thompson] has to make a great save towards the end to keep us in it.
"I thought we did more than enough to win the game but pleased that we haven't conceded one and it always gives us a chance to nick one at the other end to get us ahead. I think it's sometimes difficult, you've got the nerves of playing at the stadium but there's not a massive crowd in, you don't know what to expect from the other team, for us it's been a good few weeks since our last game so you've got all those things to factor in.
"Like I say, once we settled and got to grips with what they were doing, I thought we were fine, we were comfortable. Just disappointed that we didn't take one of the umpteen chances that we had."
Newcastle felt they should have been awarded a penalty for handball by Bryant Bilongo, with the Boro defender throwing his body in front of a low Magpies effort late on. Referee Ed Duckworth waved away any appeals.
Dawson said: "I tried to say to the lads, we possibly could have had a penalty at the end where the lad saves it at the end but we shouldn't have needed that. We should have had the game put to bed.
"We can see it from the sidelines and watched it back, it's clear. But, you've got to go with what the referee gives on the pitch. Disappointed from our point of view that neither of them have seen it, the linesman or the referee. But like I say we should have had the game dead and buried by that point."
Newcastle have just two games of the campaign remaining, a clash with Norwich City followed up by a trip to basement boys Derby County. Dawson says he's stressed the importance of finishing the season strong.
"It's really important. Every game is an opportunity for the lads to improve. Every game is an opportunity for them to get noticed, yeah the season in terms of achieving something - the play-offs and that type of stuff has gone.
"They're playing for personal pride, pride as a team, opportunities late in the season if that comes with the first-team. If clubs are watching and they're looking at the lads who are out of contract and need a club next year, they're playing for all those things.
"I think it's vitally important in terms of those league games and the extra games that we'll add into the programme."
The Magpies are hoping their work with players, whose contracts are set to reach a conclusion this weekend, will stand them in good stead for the future if that isn't at St. James' Park.
"It's vital," Dawson said. "I think you can see from the demands that we're trying to place on the group. They've either got to be ready for the demands of our first-team, if they fall short of that and end up somewhere else hopefully the experience and the demands, expectations and the training they've had here will stand them in good stead for wherever that may be."
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