Newcastle United under-21's tasted defeat on Monday evening but the young Magpies got a taste of playing in front of two very important figures at Little Benton. Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth were both in attendance, alongside academy director Steve Harper, as Ben Dawson's side lost 5-2 to West Brom under-21's.
Newcastle's youngsters are struggling in Premier League 2 Division 2 but Howe has made no secret of wanting to see the club's youth talents make the jump to the senior squad. Matthew Bondswell and Lewis Miley, who both started in Monday's defeat, have already experienced life in the first team under Howe but for the likes of Max Thompson, Michael Ndiweni and Amadou Dillao it was a chance to impress in front of the senior boss.
Elliot Anderson is proof you can earn a shot at first-team football on Tyneside with impressive performances both in the youth setup and out on loan, and Newcastle will be keen to try and produce similar stories in the years to come.
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Both Howe and Ashworth have spoken publicly about their desire to adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules as Newcastle continue to be linked with a plethora of players each time the transfer window opens. Despite their new-found wealth and being able to attract top class senior players, the Magpies plan to try and seek out the best young talent with the view of nurturing them into first-team stars.
Newcastle signed a host of youngsters in 2022, all of whom went straight into the under-21 setup. Jude Smith, Alex Murphy, Charlie McArthur and Jordan Hackett were signed to bolster the youth ranks after impressing at different clubs around the UK.
Garang Kuol was brought in from Australian side Central Coast Mariners and is another prospect for the future. The attacker is currently out on loan at Scottish side Hearts, while fellow youngsters Joe White, Jay Turner-Cooke and Lucas De Bolle also enjoy temporary stints away from Newcastle.
Speaking recently, Ashworth admitted the club would turn their attention to developing young players already in the club's academy. "It's not sustainable for us to keep going out and buying 'here and now players' - we have to buy some potential and we have to get some potential through the building," he told Sky Sports.
"We've already got some in the academy now but we have to try and invest and upgrade that so Eddie has a nice problem to have. He's got a lot of good young players coming through the system trying to get in the team as well."
Newcastle under-21's sit ninth in the Premier League 2 Division 2 table as Dawson tries to turn the tide after a poor run of form.
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