Newcastle United's Under-23 side will conclude their season on Thursday night at St James' Park against Blyth Spartans in the Northumberland FA Techflow Marine Senior Cup.
In a season which started with a concerning 3-0 defeat at Blyth's Croft Park on a balmy August night, it's fair to say there has been a marked improvement from the second string in terms of results. Under former Sunderland coach Elliott Dickman fortunes improved gradually as United managed to mount a play-off push in Premier League 2 before finishing eighth.
But early on, Dickman made his views clear on results. Down the years the importance of winning has been downplayed by some reserve team bosses or Academy coaches but not Dickman, who told Chronicle Live early in his tenure: "Sometimes in youth football people say winning is a dirty word but I'm a very competitive individual.
READ MORE - Eddie Howe's next backroom staff addition is on the way
"I want to win every single game that we play but I wouldn’t sacrifice that for the detriment of somebody’s development, so it is a balance but I would expect every player to be committed, fully into the game and want to win.
"If you’re not that way inclined - if you’re a young player and you’re thinking ‘I’m not bothered if we win or lose’ then you’re going to find it difficult to become a professional footballer."
Since that pre-season defeat against Blyth, Newcastle have gone through four different coaches this season in Chris Hogg, Gary Caldwell, Kevin Richardson and Dickman. Perhaps it was a surprise that Newcastle's reserves managed to make a fist of a promotion push at all this term.
Dickman had led something of a revival in the second half of the campaign but there remains work to do at the Academy. Given the struggles of the Under-18s this season the club's youth system is set to be one of incoming technical director Dan Ashworth's first ports of call.
Make no mistake, there are some talented youngsters on board at United such as Lucas De Bolle, Jay Turner-Cooke and Dylan Stephenson but whether their path to the first-team is a successful one remains to be seen. Newcastle rounded off their Premier League 2 season on a winning note against Aston Villa.
Although, from that teamsheet a clutch of those players won't be here next season. Picking the best talent from an under-18 team that has struggled this term and bringing in some new signings in the summer is the next step for Academy boss Steve Harper.
But for now Dickman and his players will be looking to sign the season off on a high against Blyth Spartans. Newcastle have won the Senior Cup just three times in the last decade and it's a record that has room for improvement. The Toon under-23 coach Dickman has already made his views on mentality crystal clear.
