Emotions will run high for former Newcastle United academy striker Lewis McNall when he faces his old club in the Northumberland Senior Cup Final on Thursday night. The 23-year-old has helped Blyth Spartans reach the final for the first time since 2017 and they will look to round off a challenging season with silverware against the young Magpies.
After being a prolific scorer in the Magpies academy, McNall saw his hopes of making the step-up into senior football hampered by a series of serious injuries. After being released in 2018, the striker went on trial with Gateshead before joining Northern League club Whickham to regain full fitness before stepping up into the National League North with Blyth Spartans last summer.
His first season at Croft Park has been productive, with McNall scoring six goals to help Spartans maintain their status in the second tier of the non-league game. But now he is fully focused on lifting the Senior Cup and racking up a win against his boyhood club and replicating some memorable St James Park moments from earlier in his career.
